HERO is an exciting film filled with elegant action sequences and beautiful vistas all captured wonderfully by cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Doyle's lengthy list of prestigious credits include the award-winning IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE and 2002's stunning RABBIT-PROOF FENCE. Mr. Doyle and I swapped emails about HERO that opens wide this Friday.

"HERO is a special effects laden film, how does that alter your role as cinematographer?" I asked.

"'Laden' would not be my word of choice, I don't feel the film is bogged down or overwhelmed by effects to the detriment of content or intent (as so many Western action films are)." Doyle responded. "That said my role is similar to the Director's role when the Martial Arts Director takes the helm: we have to defer more than direct and attend more than control. I just try to keep it all within the light and colour parameters we have set for ourselves and then try to pick and choose shots well enough that the sequence has the integrity I expect. And yet at the end of the day we are all at the mercy of good or so so editing."

HERO features several amazing computer generated portions highlighted by a sky filled with thousands of deadly arrows that rain down upon a seemingly peaceful calligraphy school.

"Of course, it doesn't just come out of the machine with no input. Even so-called effect images exist on film." Doyle told me. "They are separate elements sometimes and they may or may not be manipulated digitally but what you put in is pretty much what you get out. Those are real leaves blown by real wind machines in the faces of real actors who are getting cut and scratched every take."

The leaves battle scene is beautiful and thrilling as master assassin Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) crosses swords with the vengeful student assassin Moon (Ziyi Zhang of CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON). The leaves swirl about rhythmically and even appear to change color as the emotions flow freely from revenge to hatred and jealousy.

"How many cameras were used to shoot the calligraphy school scene with all those later added by computer deadly arrows?" I asked.

"In general it was a one camera shoot. For shots like the arrows or anything including the thousands of Chinese Army extras working at 4000 meters above sea level, we would be running at least two sometimes three cameras (that's all we had)." Doyle responded.

"I remember seeing the circular arrangement of cameras used in the filming of effects scenes in the original MATRIX film and wondered whether similar techniques were employed while shooting HERO." I observed.

"We were much less 'techy' and more frugal instead." Doyle said. "As I said we tried to do as much as possible in camera. This is an old Hong Kong film legacy, I suppose, with speed changes, split focus, camera movement, wire work then we discuss with the CG people where we hoped we could go from there and what extra elements they needed to achieve our aims. Mostly that was "plates' or repetitions of certain physical elements like arrows or leaves sometimes a simple digital photo was good enough to move on."

I asked Doyle what shots from HERO were his favorite.

"The ones they didn't use," he said. "A cinematographer can't be partial or precious. So many images don't make it to your screens. But they might in the next film."

And speaking of his next film, Doyle is a busy man.

"LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (my Thai film ) is in several cinemas in several parts of the world. The compendium film EROS (Wong Kar Wai , Soderbergh and Antonioni) is in Venice Film festival. A film called DUMPLINGS is in Toronto Film Festival and Merchant Ivory and Peter Chan and Barry Levinson and many others are in the works."

And the future of film in a world going digital?

"I don't care what tools I use as long as they work for me." Doyle told me. "There is no question where the mainstream film industry distribution systems, media complexes etc. are headed. My only concern is finding the medium. I doubt that anyone coming out of film, especially anyone holding onto film can find the true voice of digital media. It will be the kids who give digital imaging its wings since they spend most of their days in a digital world. If they can't find the direction the medium can go, if they can't express the energy and impact of an image, if they can't show us something we kind of know but can't articulate or have never seen who can?"

Jonathan W. Hickman