Oct 092011
 

Last month I had the fortune to interview John Higgins, a vastly experienced lighting engineer in the film industry, and his most recently released work has been on the Captain America: The First Avenger movie, as Chief Lighting Director. The look of the movie is beautiful, with a golden-era Hollywood glow to the scenes (the above scene is a good example). You might not know his name, but John has worked on more films than you know you know… If you get what I mean…  (just check his profile on IMDb)

Andy Jamieson: What challenges did you and your department face with Captain America? 

John Higgins: The challenges on Captain America were many. There were well over a hundred sets to be completed over around ninety days and some of these sets were vast and also involved night work. The exterior Hydra Factory was an old MoD propellant factory in Wales and was a massive planning and preparation task. There were tons of equipment with around twelve mobile generators, Industrial cranes and miles of cabling. A lot of the stage sets were also very complex.

AJ: Did you at any point refer to any of the original comic-books? Were director Joe Johnston and cinematographer Shelly Johnson quite specific on how they wanted the film to look? 

JH: The “look” of the film was determined by Joe, Shelly and Rick Heinrichs the Production Designer whose concept drawings were fantastic. I am not sure there were any references to the original comic books as I never saw any around in the Art Department. Once this concept was signed off on we had a great guide as to how a particular set or sequence should look.

AJ: You’ve worked on an incredibly broad range of movies, crossing many genres, including horror, action, and musicals. Which type of productions do you find the most enjoyable to work on, and why? 

JH: Most films are very enjoyable to work on. It would be impossible to single one out as they all develop their own feeling and dynamic.

AJ: Is there one film in particular, out of all the productions that you’ve worked on, that you are most proud of? 

JH: I suppose the film I am most proud of would be my first 35 mm feature which was 1984. It was technically very complex but that made it very interesting and I learned a lot on that film.

AJ: Out of all the film directors you’ve worked with, are there any that you have been particularly impressed by?

JH: Most directors are very impressive as they have so much call on their time. Every department has questions which in the end can only be decided by the director. One director once told me the most frightening thing is when he walks on to the set on Day 1 and all the technicians are getting their stuff ready and they are all busy but there will come a moment when it all turns to him, a very scary moment. There is one director I will mention and that is Tim Burton. I have done three films with him, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd. He is amazing to work with.

AJ: How was your experience of working on the first Harry Potter film? 

JH: The first Harry Potter was great fun with a really good atmosphere on the set. It had a huge cast of children so the production had to provide classrooms, tutors and chaperones at the studios for the several hundred children.

AJ: How long have you worked in the film industry and how did you start out? 

JH: I started in the business in 1980 and it was by accident. I saw an advertisement in a paper for technicians for a small film studio which was opening and I was working on the oil rigs and had a lot of time off so I thought it would be fun and some extra money. I never returned to the rigs. I did two big films in a very junior capacity and then the commercials and TV dramas. One can learn a lot with that amount of variety. One of the great things about what I do is the variety of work and on every project there is the opportunity to learn more. The format is changing in cameras with a lot of films now shot on a digital format rather than film. There is also the popularity of 3D now with a lot of big budget productions being shot 3D or shot 2D and converted in post.

AJ: What is it you most enjoy about your work? 

JH: I am currently in preparation for the 23rd Bond film and the Director of Photography is Roger Deakins who was the DP on 1984, we have worked together on a lot of films so it is great to work with him again.

Thank you to John for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions. Andy Jamieson, Editor

To read the Geekzine review of Captain America, click here.

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  2 Responses to “John Higgins Q & A (Chief Lighting Director, Captain America): August 2011”

  1. Title…

    Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you…

  2. Sure! That would be great. You can find us on facebook too, linked from the site.
    Andy
    Editor-in-Chief