Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521956
38 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E possible way." Based on Alex Convery's spec script, "Air" chronicles how Nike basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) turned the Oregon-based company around by signing Chicago Bulls rookie, Michael Jordan, in a groundbreaking deal in 1984 because it included a portion of sales from the Jordan line. To entice him — a die-hard Adidas fan — Nike designed a shoe around him, which would become one of the most famous sneaker brands in the world, Air Jordan. Although Sonny was certain that Jordan would become the next star in basketball, he first had to convince Nike CEO and founder Phil Knight (Affleck), marketing chief Rob Strasser (Bateman), director of athlete relations Howard White (Chris Tucker), and Jordan's agent, David Falk (Chris Messina). They were also up against much bigger competitors in Adidas and Converse, both of which were also trying to snag Jordan. Shot over 23 days on prototype ARRI Al- exa 35 by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson ("The Aviator"), the visual palette had to match the eye-popping colors common in 1984-era design while conveying Sonny and Nike's desperation and the sense of urgency. "It's about pop culture, sports, following your dreams, so it was shot fast-paced, a lot of Steadicam, and quick cutting," Goldenberg said. "We wanted it to feel like a race against time. Sonny only had limited time to sign Jordan, who was only considering Adidas and Con- verse; Nike wasn't even a third choice. So we made it feel like he was pushing up against the clock and the system. They [Affleck and Richardson] shot it that way, and I cut it that way, giving it that electric energy feel." Starting with the opening montage, Affleck firmly sets the story in 1984 with wall-to-wall nostalgia-baiting music from the era: there were 45 needle drops in total, including 23 songs and 18 licensed scores from other films. "It was Ben's idea to put a lot of needle drops to help tell the story emotionally, but also to make you feel like you were in the '80s," Goldenberg said of the work he did with music editor Cory Mi- lano. Throughout the film, Jordan (played in brief glimpses by Damian Young) is never directly shown, but we see the real Jordan in flashes of archival footage. "Ben felt like it would distract from the central focus of this story, which is about Sonny. Also, in the scene where the Jordans meet everyone in the Nike boardroom, we see the real Michael in the flash forward snippets. So, it would have been hard to include that and show an actor playing Michael. It just worked out better for the film." But before anything could proceed, Sonny had to win over Jordan's mother, Deloris (Davis). The two share a couple of intense yet heartfelt conversations while negotiating the fate of a young man on the cusp of unfathomable success. "Ben got himself into the camera union, and when he wasn't acting, he operated a third camera while Bob was shooting with two cameras. WILD HORSES: Goldenberg, center, in sweatshirt, with his post crew from "Seabiscuit." P H O T O C O U R T E S Y W I L L I A M G O L D E N B E R G 'Air' 'was shot fast- paced, like a race against time.'