2012 Digital Video All Stars: Shane Hurlbut, ASC

For Shane Hurlbut, storytelling always trumps technology. But he’s no slouch when it comes to trying out new things—the renowned cinematographer’s latest film, Act of Valor, is the first HDSLR-shot full-length feature to be released by a major studio. Directed by Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy of Bandito Brothers, nearly 70 percent of the narrative film, which details the covert operations of a group of U.S. Navy SEALs, was shot with Canon EOS 5D Mark II cameras.

Hurlbut works with a contagious level of passion and excitement. Always seeking new challenges, he isn’t afraid to try new things. He pushes boundaries and seeks to inspire the community of his peers, fans and readers to do the same. “When I told people I was shooting a feature on a 5D, everyone said that was impossible,” he laughs. “That’s when I knew I was going in the right direction.”

About Act of Valor, Hurlbut says the goal was to reinvent the action genre. “I don’t like to do the same thing twice,” he comments. “I had already done a big action blockbuster with Terminator Salvation, so I really didn’t want to do another action picture unless I could reinvent the style. I think this film did that. It feels immediate, it feels visceral, it feels immersive. You become emotionally invested in the characters and their journey. You are one of the SEALs on that mission.”

In 1998, Hurlbut was recognized by the American Society of Cinematographers for his work on the HBO film The Rat Pack, directed by Rob Cohen. Over the next decade Hurlbut lensed 17 additional features, including Terminator Salvation and We Are Marshall (both directed by McG), The Greatest Game Ever Played (Bill Paxton director) and Drumline (Charles Stone III director). Hurlbut also shot the soon-to-be-released crime thriller Deadfall, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky and starring Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, Charlie Hunnam, Sissy Spacek and Kris Kristofferson.

A member of the ASC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hurlbut is also among a select group of cinematographers recognized by Canon as an Explorer of Light and by the Tiffen Company as an ImageMaker. A passionate speaker, he has been sharing his filming experiences for years on the HurlBlog, where he details the lessons learned from Act of Valor in order to inspire young filmmakers. “These are very exciting times, and it’s wonderful that we have these tools that enable filmmakers who would otherwise never have a voice.”

While Hurlbut recognizes the democratization of filmmaking that DSLR cameras enable, he urges aspiring filmmakers to thoroughly learn their craft. “Going to film school teaches many life lessons,” he says. “Become a responsible adult first, a filmmaker second.”

Toolkit
35mm film
ARRI Alexa
Canon Cinema EOS-1D C
Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 7D
Canon Cinema EOS C300
Letus Shane Hurlbut Master Cinema Series DSLR kits
SmallHD DP6 monitor and DP4 EVF
Tiffen WW ND filters
Panavision Primo lenses
Leica R lenses
HP DreamColor LP2480zx professional monitor
OConnor 1030HDs fluid head and 2610 ball mount
Anton/Bauer DIONIC 90 battery
BarTech Engineering remote follow focus
Duclos Cine-Mod still lenses
Zacuto EVF
Kino Flo lighting
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve
Blackmagic Design external recorder
GoPro camera