IndieWire reached out to the cinematographers whose feature films are premiering at the Cannes Film Festival to find out which cameras and lenses they used and, more importantly, why these were the right tools to create the visual language of their films.
Page 1: Competition (Palme d’Or Contenders)
Page 2: Out of Competition & Special Screenings
Page 3: Un Certain Regard & Critics’ Week
Page 4: Directors’ Fortnight
(Films are in alphabetical order by title.)
Competition
“Atlantics”
Dir: Mati Diop, DoP: Claire Mathon
Format: Digital, 1.66 aspect ratio, post production was done in 2K
Camera: Red Epic 5K and Panasonic Varicam35 4K
Lens: Angenieux 45/120 and 25/250, and Zeiss lenses T1.3
Mathon: We chose the Red Epic to shoot daytime, to give romance to images that were captured in a documentary way, and to enhance the sun-drenched sets. We wanted to make a film that was visually arresting but remained very grounded in reality...
Page 1: Competition (Palme d’Or Contenders)
Page 2: Out of Competition & Special Screenings
Page 3: Un Certain Regard & Critics’ Week
Page 4: Directors’ Fortnight
(Films are in alphabetical order by title.)
Competition
“Atlantics”
Dir: Mati Diop, DoP: Claire Mathon
Format: Digital, 1.66 aspect ratio, post production was done in 2K
Camera: Red Epic 5K and Panasonic Varicam35 4K
Lens: Angenieux 45/120 and 25/250, and Zeiss lenses T1.3
Mathon: We chose the Red Epic to shoot daytime, to give romance to images that were captured in a documentary way, and to enhance the sun-drenched sets. We wanted to make a film that was visually arresting but remained very grounded in reality...
- 5/14/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
“You have a first image,” Alfonso Cuarón said. “You just know that it is always going to be there. You don’t question that.” For “Children of Men,” it was a pregnant woman with a baby, fighting through a parting crowd. For “Roma,” he said, “the first image that triggered everything was Cleo walking up the metal stairs to the rooftop.”
Set in 1971 in his old neighborhood in Mexico City, “Roma” is a deeply personal portrait of the filmmaker’s beloved nanny, who got pregnant out of wedlock when he was a child, and still lives in his family home to this day. As he was conjuring the movie, Cuarón told his brother Carlos (who co-wrote Oscar-nominated “Y Tu Mama Tambien”): “I want to do it. I just know that I need to do it. I don’t know if people are going to see it.”
Read More: Amazon...
Set in 1971 in his old neighborhood in Mexico City, “Roma” is a deeply personal portrait of the filmmaker’s beloved nanny, who got pregnant out of wedlock when he was a child, and still lives in his family home to this day. As he was conjuring the movie, Cuarón told his brother Carlos (who co-wrote Oscar-nominated “Y Tu Mama Tambien”): “I want to do it. I just know that I need to do it. I don’t know if people are going to see it.”
Read More: Amazon...
- 11/16/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
It will have its world premiere in competition at the festival.
The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, the Netflix project from writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen, has changed format from an anthology series to a film, and will have its world premiere in competition at Venice Film Festival (August 29 – September 8).
It was announced last year as a Netflix original series featuring six stories about life on the American frontier. The six-chapter anthology structure will remain, but it is now categorised as a feature film, Netflix have confirmed to Screen.
The Coens released a tongue-in cheek statement about the project: “We’ve always loved anthology movies,...
The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, the Netflix project from writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen, has changed format from an anthology series to a film, and will have its world premiere in competition at Venice Film Festival (August 29 – September 8).
It was announced last year as a Netflix original series featuring six stories about life on the American frontier. The six-chapter anthology structure will remain, but it is now categorised as a feature film, Netflix have confirmed to Screen.
The Coens released a tongue-in cheek statement about the project: “We’ve always loved anthology movies,...
- 7/25/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Sheikh Jackson is the new film by Amr Salama, a prominent young Egyptian writer and director whose credits include the prize-winning AIDS drama Asmaa and the coming-of-age comedy Excuse My French, which swept the board at Egypt’s equivalent of the Oscars, as well as the documentary Tahrir which premiered in Venice, winning the Fipresci Award.
It is a strange thing to see an ultra strict iman recall his sweet innocent school days as a devotee of Michael Jackson. While playing like a comedy, there is a sadness to the amount of supression that goes into the creation of the fundamentalist strictness of the man today. As a child he was mistreated just enough by his father to lose the magical charm Michael Jackson exercised upon him.
I wanted to laugh but found it profoundly upsetting to realize the dynamic behind such fundamentalism today.
The director himself said,
I never...
It is a strange thing to see an ultra strict iman recall his sweet innocent school days as a devotee of Michael Jackson. While playing like a comedy, there is a sadness to the amount of supression that goes into the creation of the fundamentalist strictness of the man today. As a child he was mistreated just enough by his father to lose the magical charm Michael Jackson exercised upon him.
I wanted to laugh but found it profoundly upsetting to realize the dynamic behind such fundamentalism today.
The director himself said,
I never...
- 12/14/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Peter Deming is at a slight disadvantage when talking about “Twin Peaks: The Return” compared to most other cinematographers discussing their latest work. He’s only familiar with the project as one long feature film, having gone into production with a 500-plus page script that didn’t have episode breaks, rather than the 18 episodes that Showtime aired this year.
“We also shot it like a feature film,” said Deming in an interview with IndieWire. “When you went to a location, you shot all the action that took place at that location. It’s different than TV – there’s no episode scripts, there’s one director, there’s one crew. So we broke it down and scheduled it like a feature film.”
This “block shooting” approach is impossible for most television shows, which are still being written when production begins on the first episode of the season. It’s a far more efficient approach,...
“We also shot it like a feature film,” said Deming in an interview with IndieWire. “When you went to a location, you shot all the action that took place at that location. It’s different than TV – there’s no episode scripts, there’s one director, there’s one crew. So we broke it down and scheduled it like a feature film.”
This “block shooting” approach is impossible for most television shows, which are still being written when production begins on the first episode of the season. It’s a far more efficient approach,...
- 9/25/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
(Aotn) For many, Marvel is the ultimate trendsetter for current pop culture. Each new film is warmly received (and occasionally cited as the “new dawn” of comic book movies), audiences fall madly in love with characters once thought too obscure for the mainstream and the actors playing them, the TV shows are big… actually, let’s backtrack a little on that last one. Marvel’s movies are generally loved, that’s undeniable, but Marvel’s run of series after the inaugural Netflix seasons of Daredevil and Jessica Jones are becoming more and more divisive. Luke Cage was considered solid until fan favorite villain Cottonmouth was replaced with the less memorable Diamondback, Iron Fist was met with vitriol across the board to the point where fans cheered over showrunner Scott Buck’s departure (make sure to remember this name) during the announcement of a second season at Comic-Con and The Defenders...
- 9/10/2017
- by William Coffey
- Age of the Nerd
IndieWire reached out to the cinematographers whose films are headlining the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival to find out which cameras they used and, more importantly, why they were the right tools to create their projects.
Read More:Cannes 2017: Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films “55 Steps”
Dir: Bille August, Dp: Filip Zumbrunn
Camera: Arri Alexa Mini and Amira
Lens: Cooke Panchros S2/3
Zumbrunn: “Because of the beautiful skin tones, the good latitude of the Arri-log and the reliability of the body — especially when shooting the entire movie handheld — it was clear, that we wanted to shoot on the Arri Alexa Mini. As a B-Camera body we were using an Arri Amira. We chose the vintage Cooke Panchros S2/3 together with the Tiffen Pearlescent filters to give the movie a warm, filmic and not too clean look to transport the feeling of the early eighties. And...
Read More:Cannes 2017: Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films “55 Steps”
Dir: Bille August, Dp: Filip Zumbrunn
Camera: Arri Alexa Mini and Amira
Lens: Cooke Panchros S2/3
Zumbrunn: “Because of the beautiful skin tones, the good latitude of the Arri-log and the reliability of the body — especially when shooting the entire movie handheld — it was clear, that we wanted to shoot on the Arri Alexa Mini. As a B-Camera body we were using an Arri Amira. We chose the vintage Cooke Panchros S2/3 together with the Tiffen Pearlescent filters to give the movie a warm, filmic and not too clean look to transport the feeling of the early eighties. And...
- 9/8/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
IndieWire reached out to the cinematographers who received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour), Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), and Limited Series or Movie. We asked them which camera and lenses they used and why they were the right tools to achieve their show’s unique look.
Read More:Cannes 2017: Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
The nominees for outstanding cinematography in this category are Adriano Goldman (“The Crown”), Colin Watkinson (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), James Hawkinson (“The Man in the High Castle”), Tod Campbell (Mr. Robot”), John Toll (“Sense8”), Tim Ives (“Stranger Things”) and Paul Cameron (“Westworld”).
Last Year’s Winner: James Hawkinson for “The Man in the High Castle”
“The Crown”
Cameras: Sony F55s
Lens: Old Cooke Panchros rehoused by Tls UK
Dp Adriano Goldman: “Netflix requires a 4K workflow,...
Read More:Cannes 2017: Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
The nominees for outstanding cinematography in this category are Adriano Goldman (“The Crown”), Colin Watkinson (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), James Hawkinson (“The Man in the High Castle”), Tod Campbell (Mr. Robot”), John Toll (“Sense8”), Tim Ives (“Stranger Things”) and Paul Cameron (“Westworld”).
Last Year’s Winner: James Hawkinson for “The Man in the High Castle”
“The Crown”
Cameras: Sony F55s
Lens: Old Cooke Panchros rehoused by Tls UK
Dp Adriano Goldman: “Netflix requires a 4K workflow,...
- 8/22/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
This year’s one-hour series Emmy contenders for cinematography are marked by some bold sci-fi and dystopian disruptors: “Westworld,” “Stranger Things,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Man in the High Castle” (last year’s winner), “Mr. Robot, and Sense8.” With dazzling visuals, they explored the impact of tyranny and hate, of societies turned upside down, struggling for a greater humanity.
That leaves “The Crown” as the lone historical drama. But it too was a disruptor of sorts in the way that it showcased the symbiotic relationship between the monarchy and Parliament in post-war Great Britain, steered by the young Queen Elizabeth (nominated Claire Foy) and the old warhorse, Winston Churchill (nominated John Lithgow).
But don’t be surprised if it comes down to a race between the dueling dystopias: “Westworld” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“Westworld”
The clash of two worlds envisioned by showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the...
That leaves “The Crown” as the lone historical drama. But it too was a disruptor of sorts in the way that it showcased the symbiotic relationship between the monarchy and Parliament in post-war Great Britain, steered by the young Queen Elizabeth (nominated Claire Foy) and the old warhorse, Winston Churchill (nominated John Lithgow).
But don’t be surprised if it comes down to a race between the dueling dystopias: “Westworld” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“Westworld”
The clash of two worlds envisioned by showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the...
- 8/15/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Movie directors and their cinematographers continue to migrate to TV for greater visual storytelling. This season, the Wachowskis got bolder in the second installment of their Netflix sci-fi mind-bender, “Sense8,” with Oscar-winning Dp John Toll (“Legends of the Fall,” “Braveheart”), and Paolo Sorrentino and Jean-Marc Vallée improved HBO’s slate with “The Young Pope” and “Big Little Lies,” assisted by their go-to DPs, Luca Bigazzi and Yves Bélanger.
While all three cinematographers were honored with Emmy nominations, they had to make certain adjustments to the production demands of their shows. Yet they persevered through a combination of ever-increasing tech availability and insightful aesthetic choices.
Getting in Tune with “Sense8”
In “Sense8,” created by J. Michael Straczynski and Lana and Lilly Wachowski, eight seemingly disparate people from around the globe become linked through telepathy and astral projection. It’s all about empathy and evolution, and Toll’s eye-popping imagery relies on...
While all three cinematographers were honored with Emmy nominations, they had to make certain adjustments to the production demands of their shows. Yet they persevered through a combination of ever-increasing tech availability and insightful aesthetic choices.
Getting in Tune with “Sense8”
In “Sense8,” created by J. Michael Straczynski and Lana and Lilly Wachowski, eight seemingly disparate people from around the globe become linked through telepathy and astral projection. It’s all about empathy and evolution, and Toll’s eye-popping imagery relies on...
- 7/28/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Hoyte van Hoytema has emerged as one of the great cinematographers of our time: cerebral, emotional, poetic. He creates texture and beauty with formal precision. He’s the thinking person’s cinematographer, who synthesizes the past and the present, but prefers shooting on film for organic, analog warmth.
No wonder director Christopher Nolan was drawn to the Dutch-Swedish cinematographer. They are kindred spirits, and their work on “Interstellar” and “Dunkirk” (shot mostly with the 15-perf IMAX film camera) recalls the scope and intimacy of the legendary David Lean and Freddie Young pairing on “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago.”
In all likelihood, “Dunkirk,” which portrays the heroic evacuation of Allied soldiers from German occupation during the early stages of World War II, should result in Hoytema’s first Oscar nomination. Shot from three perspectives — land, sea, and air — the footage we’ve seen thus far is breathtaking in its visceral force.
No wonder director Christopher Nolan was drawn to the Dutch-Swedish cinematographer. They are kindred spirits, and their work on “Interstellar” and “Dunkirk” (shot mostly with the 15-perf IMAX film camera) recalls the scope and intimacy of the legendary David Lean and Freddie Young pairing on “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago.”
In all likelihood, “Dunkirk,” which portrays the heroic evacuation of Allied soldiers from German occupation during the early stages of World War II, should result in Hoytema’s first Oscar nomination. Shot from three perspectives — land, sea, and air — the footage we’ve seen thus far is breathtaking in its visceral force.
- 7/7/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“The Handmaid’s Tale” presented a brain-twisting production challenge for cinematographer Colin Watkinson and Reed Morano, an executive producer and director of the first three episodes. The show takes place in a near-future Gilead, where enslaved women forced to reproduce for the aristocracy wear costumes that reference a puritanical time — but the show isn’t a period piece. They needed to create a world that was “other” and could serve as sharp contrast to present-day flashbacks.
Morano and Watkinson explain how they achieved the show’s unique look.
Read More: 10 TV Shows Emmy Voters Need to Watch Before They Fill Out Their Ballots
Compositions
Watkinson: Reed had a very specific directorial look book with very clear indications of which way she wanted to go, and how we were going to separate the worlds with compositional and shooting style.
Morano: I didn’t want it feel like a period piece. That was my fear with the costumes and everything. I pushed very hard that all the uniforms in Gilead had modern elements to them. Period would defeat the purpose. There are women in the world who experience these things today, and this story is a warning it could happen here just like that. It needed to be and feel other.”
Watkinson: Gilead was going to be incredibly formal, tableau-like compositions with a very considered static camera, the camera only moved when it was deemed to moved. Tableau, Kubrick-esque type frame is what Reed asked for, but with off framing, lots of headroom, and sometime asymmetrical as well.
The flashbacks were to be what Reed called “cinema verite” — a very visceral type of camerawork, to really put you in the moment. We wanted the flashbacks to feel as real as possible. The reason being even though they are flashbacks in the story, you are looking at today in the world and we wanted people to feel,”That’s right now.” That’s what I think makes it more horrific as you go along. The world changes so quickly. You’ve got to look up from your phone because tthis could happen quickly and right in front of your face.
A Pov Show
Morano: The book calls for us to be in Lizzy’s [Elizabeth Moss, who plays Offred] head, which sometimes comes with voiceover. Trying to put yourself in someone’s head — how do you visualize that? One of the ways I always thought we’d visualize that was by putting the camera physically closer to her for her close-ups, be on a wider lens because it feels a little bit more uncomfortable and there’s something a little bit more unsettling about that. It makes the audience close the person in much more uncomfortable way.”
Read More: How ‘Stranger Things’ Created That Awesomely Retro Title Sequence
Watkinson: We adopted a particular lens for Offred because being a Pov-type show, we wanted to be inside Offred’s head and make the viewer feel like every nuance Elizabeth made we’d be capturing. They’d be close enough to feel every movement. We were shooting on Canon K-35s for most of the show, but we had a 28mm Zeiss 2.1 that had a perspective that was different on either side of it. It’s very particular. It was her special lens.
Morano’s Handheld
Morano: As a cinematographer myself, I knew to stay out of Colin’s way. I told him, “I’ll treat you better than you are use to being treated by other directors. There is one thing I do want, though.”
Watkinson: In our first interview she broached it right away. “I like to get the camera on my shoulder and operate.”
Morano: Most good operators know you don’t want to do some kind of change while an actor’s delivering lines, but it’s hard to not know what you can get away with if you aren’t the director. If you are directing and you are the one cutting it and telling the story, you can take more risks with the operating.
Read More: The ‘Mr. Robot’ Experiment: Can a TV Show Be Shot Like an Indie Film?
Watkinson: There’s a special process going on there. She has unique vision and style. She brings an immediacy and a real feeling with her camera. I tried to get a feel for how and when she’d want to go handheld to access those emotions, and tried to emulate because we’d need to try to copy that with other directors after Reed left.
Interior Depth
Watkinson: I was constantly impressed by [production designer] Julie Berghoff’s paint work. Not only did she have the color right, but the depth of the color she’d create on the walls was amazing. You’d walk up to walls and admire the depth — there was color on color, but all the same color. I really feel that you feel that. The backgrounds are little bit dark, there’s a fall-off to them, and the light catches them because there’s so much texture. It was such pleasure to light, because I want to feel that depth in darkness.
I stole a term that exists in the 3-D world: They call it “volumetric lighting.” I wanted layers in the light. I saw (Morano’s feature) “Meadowland,” so I knew Reed really liked atmosphere. I wanted textured light layers, to go with the layer’s of Julie’s background and the layers of the costumes.
I want you to feel the light coming from the outside, so it’s based in a reality, but it’s a hyperreality. I used Df-50 to put a lot of atmosphere in the air, with 10K mol beams that create a sharp line then fade away. You can play with how strong that beam of light is based on the angle. Then there’s options of using blinds and other things to play with to create more layers.
Exterior
Watkinson: We knew Gilead had this throwback element. We knew it had to have a certain softness to it to match that otherness. We were always going to use vintage lenses, testing to figure out which ones got us the exterior softness was crucial.
We wanted shallow and soft look for the exterior. The lenses we used were very fast. They were 1.3, 1.4 lens and we would play the daytime shots as wide open as we could to really drop the depth of field.
Read More: The Best Indie Film Directors are Working on One Hulu Show, and Most Just Happen to be Women
We were trying to do anything that put movement in the light. We let light hit the camera — were totally happy for veiling to happen, so the light could hit the lens. Flare was part of the look. Then we’d push color into the blacks and highlights in the grade. We had a power Dit on set, to give it that otherworldliness. We shot on three Arri Alexa Mini, which did a great job with our colors and was perfect for going handheld, but also was 4K, which Hulu demanded.
Editor’s Note: This feature is presented in partnership with Arri, a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of motion picture camera, digital intermediate (Di) and lighting equipment. Founded by two filmmakers 100 years ago, Arri and its engineers have been recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for contributions to the industry with 19 Scientific and Technical Awards. Click here for more about Arri.
Related storiesHow TV Critics Began To Have a Bigger Impact on the Emmy Race -- Screen Talk Emmy PodcastHow 'Stranger Things' Created That Awesomely Retro Title Sequence'Kingdom' and 'American Gods' Star Jonathan Tucker Bled for His Art, and That's Just the Beginning...
Morano and Watkinson explain how they achieved the show’s unique look.
Read More: 10 TV Shows Emmy Voters Need to Watch Before They Fill Out Their Ballots
Compositions
Watkinson: Reed had a very specific directorial look book with very clear indications of which way she wanted to go, and how we were going to separate the worlds with compositional and shooting style.
Morano: I didn’t want it feel like a period piece. That was my fear with the costumes and everything. I pushed very hard that all the uniforms in Gilead had modern elements to them. Period would defeat the purpose. There are women in the world who experience these things today, and this story is a warning it could happen here just like that. It needed to be and feel other.”
Watkinson: Gilead was going to be incredibly formal, tableau-like compositions with a very considered static camera, the camera only moved when it was deemed to moved. Tableau, Kubrick-esque type frame is what Reed asked for, but with off framing, lots of headroom, and sometime asymmetrical as well.
The flashbacks were to be what Reed called “cinema verite” — a very visceral type of camerawork, to really put you in the moment. We wanted the flashbacks to feel as real as possible. The reason being even though they are flashbacks in the story, you are looking at today in the world and we wanted people to feel,”That’s right now.” That’s what I think makes it more horrific as you go along. The world changes so quickly. You’ve got to look up from your phone because tthis could happen quickly and right in front of your face.
A Pov Show
Morano: The book calls for us to be in Lizzy’s [Elizabeth Moss, who plays Offred] head, which sometimes comes with voiceover. Trying to put yourself in someone’s head — how do you visualize that? One of the ways I always thought we’d visualize that was by putting the camera physically closer to her for her close-ups, be on a wider lens because it feels a little bit more uncomfortable and there’s something a little bit more unsettling about that. It makes the audience close the person in much more uncomfortable way.”
Read More: How ‘Stranger Things’ Created That Awesomely Retro Title Sequence
Watkinson: We adopted a particular lens for Offred because being a Pov-type show, we wanted to be inside Offred’s head and make the viewer feel like every nuance Elizabeth made we’d be capturing. They’d be close enough to feel every movement. We were shooting on Canon K-35s for most of the show, but we had a 28mm Zeiss 2.1 that had a perspective that was different on either side of it. It’s very particular. It was her special lens.
Morano’s Handheld
Morano: As a cinematographer myself, I knew to stay out of Colin’s way. I told him, “I’ll treat you better than you are use to being treated by other directors. There is one thing I do want, though.”
Watkinson: In our first interview she broached it right away. “I like to get the camera on my shoulder and operate.”
Morano: Most good operators know you don’t want to do some kind of change while an actor’s delivering lines, but it’s hard to not know what you can get away with if you aren’t the director. If you are directing and you are the one cutting it and telling the story, you can take more risks with the operating.
Read More: The ‘Mr. Robot’ Experiment: Can a TV Show Be Shot Like an Indie Film?
Watkinson: There’s a special process going on there. She has unique vision and style. She brings an immediacy and a real feeling with her camera. I tried to get a feel for how and when she’d want to go handheld to access those emotions, and tried to emulate because we’d need to try to copy that with other directors after Reed left.
Interior Depth
Watkinson: I was constantly impressed by [production designer] Julie Berghoff’s paint work. Not only did she have the color right, but the depth of the color she’d create on the walls was amazing. You’d walk up to walls and admire the depth — there was color on color, but all the same color. I really feel that you feel that. The backgrounds are little bit dark, there’s a fall-off to them, and the light catches them because there’s so much texture. It was such pleasure to light, because I want to feel that depth in darkness.
I stole a term that exists in the 3-D world: They call it “volumetric lighting.” I wanted layers in the light. I saw (Morano’s feature) “Meadowland,” so I knew Reed really liked atmosphere. I wanted textured light layers, to go with the layer’s of Julie’s background and the layers of the costumes.
I want you to feel the light coming from the outside, so it’s based in a reality, but it’s a hyperreality. I used Df-50 to put a lot of atmosphere in the air, with 10K mol beams that create a sharp line then fade away. You can play with how strong that beam of light is based on the angle. Then there’s options of using blinds and other things to play with to create more layers.
Exterior
Watkinson: We knew Gilead had this throwback element. We knew it had to have a certain softness to it to match that otherness. We were always going to use vintage lenses, testing to figure out which ones got us the exterior softness was crucial.
We wanted shallow and soft look for the exterior. The lenses we used were very fast. They were 1.3, 1.4 lens and we would play the daytime shots as wide open as we could to really drop the depth of field.
Read More: The Best Indie Film Directors are Working on One Hulu Show, and Most Just Happen to be Women
We were trying to do anything that put movement in the light. We let light hit the camera — were totally happy for veiling to happen, so the light could hit the lens. Flare was part of the look. Then we’d push color into the blacks and highlights in the grade. We had a power Dit on set, to give it that otherworldliness. We shot on three Arri Alexa Mini, which did a great job with our colors and was perfect for going handheld, but also was 4K, which Hulu demanded.
Editor’s Note: This feature is presented in partnership with Arri, a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of motion picture camera, digital intermediate (Di) and lighting equipment. Founded by two filmmakers 100 years ago, Arri and its engineers have been recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for contributions to the industry with 19 Scientific and Technical Awards. Click here for more about Arri.
Related storiesHow TV Critics Began To Have a Bigger Impact on the Emmy Race -- Screen Talk Emmy PodcastHow 'Stranger Things' Created That Awesomely Retro Title Sequence'Kingdom' and 'American Gods' Star Jonathan Tucker Bled for His Art, and That's Just the Beginning...
- 6/22/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
What’s on offer at this year’s Media Production Show.
The Media Production Show brings together inspiring industry speakers and some of the biggest broadcast equipment manufacturers. Here we present a selection of what’s on offer
Some of the biggest manufacturers in the industry will be showing their latest products at this year’s Media Production Show, among them Jvc, Panasonic, Canon and Cooke.
Across the two days (13-14 June), the Keynote Theatre will host a series of sessions, with speakers ranging from the series producer of Planet Earth II to the VFX supervisor on Taboo.
Jvc (Stand 518) will demo new capabilities for its Gy-LS300 4Kcam Super 35 handheld camcorder, including increased colour resolution to 4:2:2 in 4K mode recording.
Available via version 4.0 firmware, the update allows recording at 24/25/30p onboard to Sdxc media cards. It also expands Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) output to include 50/60p via Hdmi and improves the IP remote function to allow...
The Media Production Show brings together inspiring industry speakers and some of the biggest broadcast equipment manufacturers. Here we present a selection of what’s on offer
Some of the biggest manufacturers in the industry will be showing their latest products at this year’s Media Production Show, among them Jvc, Panasonic, Canon and Cooke.
Across the two days (13-14 June), the Keynote Theatre will host a series of sessions, with speakers ranging from the series producer of Planet Earth II to the VFX supervisor on Taboo.
Jvc (Stand 518) will demo new capabilities for its Gy-LS300 4Kcam Super 35 handheld camcorder, including increased colour resolution to 4:2:2 in 4K mode recording.
Available via version 4.0 firmware, the update allows recording at 24/25/30p onboard to Sdxc media cards. It also expands Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) output to include 50/60p via Hdmi and improves the IP remote function to allow...
- 6/8/2017
- ScreenDaily
If you are someone who cares about the granular details in film aesthetic then you might be interested in this video. It’s a chance to see just how far phones have come in their recording ability but also how far they have to go. A youtuber decided to do a comparison video of an iPhone 7+ and camera that’s been used to film major motion pictures: the mini Arri Alexa HD camera. While everyone’s been touting 4K these days you’d be surprised to know that much of Hollywood in movie and television still sticks with HD and not 4K. Whichever
The Difference Between a Hollywood Movie Camera and the iPhone 7+...
The Difference Between a Hollywood Movie Camera and the iPhone 7+...
- 5/31/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
For FX’s “Legion,” showrunner Noah Hawley takes a deep dive into the traumatic mindscape of Marvel mutant David Haller (Dan Stevens). And when it came to his institutionalization at Clockworks in the pilot, Hawley and his team turned to Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” for visual inspiration, with its oppressive concrete architecture and narcissistic interior design (lots of white space with raw metallic ornaments).
The aesthetic proved just the right recipe for distorting reality and memory, as Haller discovers his extraordinary and dangerous psychic powers.
A Brutalist Production Design
Hawley wanted to embrace the look of the concrete buildings where they shot in Vancouver, which flaunted the Brutalism of the ’60s and ’70s. It was a tough, no-nonsense, architectural look perfectly suited to the cold brutality of “Legion’s” tyrannical society.
And production designer Michael Wylie went straight to the source that inspired Kubrick’s future dystopia in “A Clockwork Orange.
The aesthetic proved just the right recipe for distorting reality and memory, as Haller discovers his extraordinary and dangerous psychic powers.
A Brutalist Production Design
Hawley wanted to embrace the look of the concrete buildings where they shot in Vancouver, which flaunted the Brutalism of the ’60s and ’70s. It was a tough, no-nonsense, architectural look perfectly suited to the cold brutality of “Legion’s” tyrannical society.
And production designer Michael Wylie went straight to the source that inspired Kubrick’s future dystopia in “A Clockwork Orange.
- 5/30/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Few master cinematographers working today are more associated with a classical approach to shooting on film than Darius Khondji. The very look of his movies has the feel of celluloid – the “China ink” blacks, the shadow detail, the softness and uniquely rich, but not sharp color palette, along with a density of image that comes from literally putting the silver back on the film in a special lab process.
It’s not surprising then that Khondji hasn’t been shy about his distaste for shooting digitally.
Read More: Cannes 2017 – Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films
“I felt we left film for digital too early, not in the right way and not for the right reasons,” Khondji told IndieWire in a recent phone interview from Cannes, where his new film “Okja” premiered. The great cinematographer’s opinion was not changed shooting Michael Haneke’s Palme...
It’s not surprising then that Khondji hasn’t been shy about his distaste for shooting digitally.
Read More: Cannes 2017 – Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films
“I felt we left film for digital too early, not in the right way and not for the right reasons,” Khondji told IndieWire in a recent phone interview from Cannes, where his new film “Okja” premiered. The great cinematographer’s opinion was not changed shooting Michael Haneke’s Palme...
- 5/24/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
IndieWire reached out to the filmmakers whose films (and TV shows!) are premiering at the Cannes Film Festival to find out what cameras they used and, more importantly, why they were the right tools to create their projects.
Read More: Cannes 2017 – 22 Films We Can’t Wait to See at This Year’s Festival
Before we dive into the details, here’s three big trends that we saw in their answers:
1. Shooting on film continues its comeback around the globe.
2. Arri continues its digital dominance in the narrative feature film space. We saw this at Sundance as well: Increasingly, smaller productions with the need to be flexible and mobile are turning to the small-bodied Alexa Mini.
3. Filmmakers are applying unique techniques to create different looks. From the Safdie Brothers adapting the 2-perf method of the old spaghetti westerns, to “Wonderstruck” mirroring the shooting style of the ’20s and ’70s, to Sean Baker...
Read More: Cannes 2017 – 22 Films We Can’t Wait to See at This Year’s Festival
Before we dive into the details, here’s three big trends that we saw in their answers:
1. Shooting on film continues its comeback around the globe.
2. Arri continues its digital dominance in the narrative feature film space. We saw this at Sundance as well: Increasingly, smaller productions with the need to be flexible and mobile are turning to the small-bodied Alexa Mini.
3. Filmmakers are applying unique techniques to create different looks. From the Safdie Brothers adapting the 2-perf method of the old spaghetti westerns, to “Wonderstruck” mirroring the shooting style of the ’20s and ’70s, to Sean Baker...
- 5/17/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
How he and director Jordan Peele crafted the look of the allegorical horror hit.
Cinematographer Toby Oliver’s involvement with Jordan Peele’s Get Out was a match made in Blumhouse Productions. Oliver, who had previously worked with Blumhouse Productions on The Darkness, was sent a copy of the script which Peele had spent several years developing, and was immediately impressed. “It was a well worked-through script,” Oliver told me over the phone last week, as we discussed the production of Get Out and the role of a Director of Photography in general. “He put a lot of time into it, he knew what he wanted to say, so that was really appealing.”
Oliver’s name was put forward as a possibility by Blumhouse Productions, and a meeting was arranged.
“We hit it off in our first conversation, and I had a few ideas about how to visually approach the film and those seemed to agree with...
Cinematographer Toby Oliver’s involvement with Jordan Peele’s Get Out was a match made in Blumhouse Productions. Oliver, who had previously worked with Blumhouse Productions on The Darkness, was sent a copy of the script which Peele had spent several years developing, and was immediately impressed. “It was a well worked-through script,” Oliver told me over the phone last week, as we discussed the production of Get Out and the role of a Director of Photography in general. “He put a lot of time into it, he knew what he wanted to say, so that was really appealing.”
Oliver’s name was put forward as a possibility by Blumhouse Productions, and a meeting was arranged.
“We hit it off in our first conversation, and I had a few ideas about how to visually approach the film and those seemed to agree with...
- 3/14/2017
- by Ciara Wardlow
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Recommended Discs & Deals: ‘Before’ Trilogy, ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Kate Plays Christine,’ ‘Allied,’ and More
Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
That thing we can’t take for granted: a film whose many parts – period piece, war picture, blood-spattered actioner, deception-fueled espionage thriller, sexy romance, and, at certain turns, comedy – can gracefully move in conjunction and separate from each other, just as its labyrinthine-but-not-quite plot jumps from one setpiece to the next with little trouble in maintaining a consistency of overall pleasure. Another late-career triumph for Robert Zemeckis, and one of the year’s few truly great American movies.
Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
That thing we can’t take for granted: a film whose many parts – period piece, war picture, blood-spattered actioner, deception-fueled espionage thriller, sexy romance, and, at certain turns, comedy – can gracefully move in conjunction and separate from each other, just as its labyrinthine-but-not-quite plot jumps from one setpiece to the next with little trouble in maintaining a consistency of overall pleasure. Another late-career triumph for Robert Zemeckis, and one of the year’s few truly great American movies.
- 2/28/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Since 2002, boutique distributor Film Movement have helped bring to light some of the truly great gems of world, genre and arthouse cinema from across the globe. Starting as a simple distributor which focused on offering a subscription model where any viewer could subscribe to have the latest release from the company shipped to their house as soon as it became available, the company has since been releasing film for the subsequent 15 years, even expanding into a classic label where one will find films from directors like Liliana Cavani and Eric Rohmer.
However, they’ve seen something of a reneissance the last handful of years. With films like Clement Cogitore’s 2016 film Neither Heaven Nor Earth making this writer’s ten best list of that same year, Film Movement are at the very forefront of the art cinema world. So it’s no wonder the company would bring us, for 2017, a...
However, they’ve seen something of a reneissance the last handful of years. With films like Clement Cogitore’s 2016 film Neither Heaven Nor Earth making this writer’s ten best list of that same year, Film Movement are at the very forefront of the art cinema world. So it’s no wonder the company would bring us, for 2017, a...
- 2/18/2017
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Set in the post-wwii South, “Mudbound” is the story of two farming families battling both with an unforgiving landscape and the region’s deeply ingrained racism. To create the look of the film, cinematographer Rachel Morrison and director Dee Rees explored the work of the great photographers who captured the era. Morrison then worked with natural light and the landscape to craft the look of this powerful drama.
Read More: ‘Mudbound’ Review: Dee Rees Enters the Big Leagues With Sweeping Period Epic — Sundance 2017
It’s one of the most gorgeously shot films to play at Sundance in years, and if the film’s yet-to-be named distributor does decide to make an awards push with the film, Rachel Morrison could be the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. Morrison was unable to be in Park City for the “Mudbound” premiere because she’s shooting “Black Panther” with director Ryan Coogler,...
Read More: ‘Mudbound’ Review: Dee Rees Enters the Big Leagues With Sweeping Period Epic — Sundance 2017
It’s one of the most gorgeously shot films to play at Sundance in years, and if the film’s yet-to-be named distributor does decide to make an awards push with the film, Rachel Morrison could be the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. Morrison was unable to be in Park City for the “Mudbound” premiere because she’s shooting “Black Panther” with director Ryan Coogler,...
- 1/28/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
IndieWire reached out to the filmmakers behind the feature-length narrative and documentary films premiering this week to find out what cameras they used and why they chose them. Here are their responses.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
- 1/25/2017
- by Annakeara Stinson and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
“What a high-profile film allows, I think, is to get the R&D going. A perfect example is: the marriage of the lenses and the camera we did on Rogue One was a beautiful Panavision lens and beautiful Arri cameras. They married. They may not have been able to marry if it was a small production,” Rogue One: A Star Wars Story cinematographer Greig Fraser recently told us. With the sci-fi adventure now arriving in just over two weeks, we have word on where one will be able to have the ultimate viewing experience: 70mm IMAX in 2D.
As he mentioned, Fraser utilized both the Arri Alexa 65 large-format cameras and Ultra Panavision 70 lenses, which Quentin Tarantino resurrected for last year’s The Hateful Eight. As of now, only 13 theaters across the United States and Canada will be screening the film in this ideal experience, plus two in London. For readers near our homebase,...
As he mentioned, Fraser utilized both the Arri Alexa 65 large-format cameras and Ultra Panavision 70 lenses, which Quentin Tarantino resurrected for last year’s The Hateful Eight. As of now, only 13 theaters across the United States and Canada will be screening the film in this ideal experience, plus two in London. For readers near our homebase,...
- 11/28/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Indiewire reached out to the filmmakers with films in the “New Auteurs” and “American Independent” sections of this year’s AFI Fest to find out what cameras they used and why they chose them.
Read More: AFI Fest 2016: 14 Movies We Can’t Wait to See at the Festival
“One Week and a Day”
Arri Alexa Xt
Dir. Asaph Polonsky: “It allowed scenes in long takes and the use of zoom lenses, sticks, dolly, Steadicam and handheld, were the tools that served the D.P., Moshe Mishali, and I the most as we tried to be subtle about reflecting the characters journeys visually.”
“Dark Night”
Arri Amira with Cooke lenses
Dir. Tim Sutton: “Good combination.”
“Divine”
Red Dragon
Dir. Houda Benyamin: “We wanted to work on the idea of focus — getting to details from the big picture, getting to things from a distance, which in a way symbolizes...
Read More: AFI Fest 2016: 14 Movies We Can’t Wait to See at the Festival
“One Week and a Day”
Arri Alexa Xt
Dir. Asaph Polonsky: “It allowed scenes in long takes and the use of zoom lenses, sticks, dolly, Steadicam and handheld, were the tools that served the D.P., Moshe Mishali, and I the most as we tried to be subtle about reflecting the characters journeys visually.”
“Dark Night”
Arri Amira with Cooke lenses
Dir. Tim Sutton: “Good combination.”
“Divine”
Red Dragon
Dir. Houda Benyamin: “We wanted to work on the idea of focus — getting to details from the big picture, getting to things from a distance, which in a way symbolizes...
- 11/11/2016
- by Casey Coit and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” will be hitting the big screen soon and it’s going to look crisp and huge, with the filmmakers shooting the project on the large-format Arri Alexa 65, which boasts dazzling 6K resolution. Thus, it was a bit of a surprise when it was revealed last year that for the next chapter in the “Star Wars” saga, Rian Johnson‘s “Star Wars: Episode 8,” he’d be going to old-school 35mm for “logistical reasons.” However, when it comes to “Star Wars: Episode 9,” the franchise is going to get big once again.
Continue reading Colin Trevorrow’s ‘Star Wars: Episode 9’ Will Be Shot On 65mm Film at The Playlist.
Continue reading Colin Trevorrow’s ‘Star Wars: Episode 9’ Will Be Shot On 65mm Film at The Playlist.
- 11/11/2016
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
From the anxious opening bank heist to the final, meditative stand-off, David Mackenzie’s critically-acclaimed “Hell or High Water” contains a slow-burning sense of desperation and abandonment in West Texas that’s effectively captured in Giles Nuttgens’ cinematography.
“There is no moral salvation,” Nuttgens told IndieWire. “It was about setting up a rhythm that was very slow that matched the rhythm of the environment that they were in. And it was the slowness of these sleepy towns that allowed these brothers [played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster] to get away with robbing four or five banks in one week.”
Toby (Pine) and Tanner (Foster) are forced to go on a bank-robbing spree to save the family farm, pursued by two Texas Rangers, the cantankerous Marcus (Jeff Bridges), who’s nearing retirement, and the younger, less free-wheeling Alberto (Gil Birmingham).
“Hell or High Water” (shot with the Arri Alexa Xt and Angenieux Optimo and Optimo 2S anamorphic lenses) brilliantly alternates between hot,...
“There is no moral salvation,” Nuttgens told IndieWire. “It was about setting up a rhythm that was very slow that matched the rhythm of the environment that they were in. And it was the slowness of these sleepy towns that allowed these brothers [played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster] to get away with robbing four or five banks in one week.”
Toby (Pine) and Tanner (Foster) are forced to go on a bank-robbing spree to save the family farm, pursued by two Texas Rangers, the cantankerous Marcus (Jeff Bridges), who’s nearing retirement, and the younger, less free-wheeling Alberto (Gil Birmingham).
“Hell or High Water” (shot with the Arri Alexa Xt and Angenieux Optimo and Optimo 2S anamorphic lenses) brilliantly alternates between hot,...
- 10/19/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
As Clint Eastwood has proven time and again, you can teach an old director new tricks. In fact, after the success of “American Sniper” on IMAX screens, Eastwood is a total convert.
That’s why he proposed to cinematographer Tom Stern that they up the visual IMAX ante for “Sully,” with its amazing “Miracle on the Hudson” forced landing of Us Airways Flight 1549.
The surprised Stern did some intel and recommended they use IMAX’s new customized version of the Arri Alexa 65, 6K camera, totally transparent, save for the software adjustments for IMAX’s color space and workflow. Otherwise, it’s the same camera that delivers super-sharp and dynamic imagery (26% more image than standard widescreen). But, on “Sully,” it provided a pleasantly unexpected result.
“When we did the tests last summer, I was on rooftops in La and we were using the skyscrapers as resolution screens, to make sure this...
That’s why he proposed to cinematographer Tom Stern that they up the visual IMAX ante for “Sully,” with its amazing “Miracle on the Hudson” forced landing of Us Airways Flight 1549.
The surprised Stern did some intel and recommended they use IMAX’s new customized version of the Arri Alexa 65, 6K camera, totally transparent, save for the software adjustments for IMAX’s color space and workflow. Otherwise, it’s the same camera that delivers super-sharp and dynamic imagery (26% more image than standard widescreen). But, on “Sully,” it provided a pleasantly unexpected result.
“When we did the tests last summer, I was on rooftops in La and we were using the skyscrapers as resolution screens, to make sure this...
- 9/8/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Editor’s Note: For his directorial debut, James Schamus chose to adapt Philip Roth’s “Indignation,” which tells the story of a Jewish boy who leaves home to go to college in Ohio during the Korean War. To help create the early 1950s period feel of the film, Schamus turned to cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt (“Night Moves” and “Low Down”). IndieWire recently asked Blauvelt to breakdown the process of how he created the film’s understated and elegant look. What he supplied was a detailed description of how he used today’s cutting edge digital technology to simulate the Kodachrome film stock that defined the era’s color photography.
Read More: ‘Indignation’ Review: James Schamus’ Philip Roth Adaptation, Starring Logan Lerman and Sarah Gadon, Resurrects the Focus Features Legacy
Reversal Film Stock
The starting point in conversations with James about the look of “Indignation” was Gordon Parks’ color photography from the ’40s and ’50s.
Read More: ‘Indignation’ Review: James Schamus’ Philip Roth Adaptation, Starring Logan Lerman and Sarah Gadon, Resurrects the Focus Features Legacy
Reversal Film Stock
The starting point in conversations with James about the look of “Indignation” was Gordon Parks’ color photography from the ’40s and ’50s.
- 8/31/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Editor’s Note: “Men Go To Battle” is not your normal micro-budget independent film. The story of two Kentucky brothers set against the backdrop of Civil War is a perfect example of how resourceful low budget filmmakers can be, as director Zachary Treitz and his small band of collaborators creates a vibrant and credible-looking period drama. The film is much more than an inventive recreation of period, it is also an exercise in taking a modern approach to story and filmmaking to cut through the layers of historical embellishment to make a direct and intimate film that is as relatable as any set in 2016.
In the first of a series of articles about the film, cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz talks about how he approached shooting “Men” and how he tackled the challenge of shooting in the low light, pre-electricity world of 1861.
Read More: How To Make a Period-Set Feature Film For...
In the first of a series of articles about the film, cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz talks about how he approached shooting “Men” and how he tackled the challenge of shooting in the low light, pre-electricity world of 1861.
Read More: How To Make a Period-Set Feature Film For...
- 7/6/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Indie feature Zelos is somewhat of anomaly in Australian cinema — it.s a film helmed predominantly by women, including a female director, co-producers, writer, cinematographer and editor. .
The film is the feature debut of director Jo-Anne Brechin, who first met writer Claire Harris when studying screenwriting at Aftrs in 2013.
.I remember hearing her pitch [Zelos] in class and just being like, .let.s do that together,.. Brechin told If.
They formed a pact to make the film when Harris finished the screenplay; a vision that has now come to fruition, with Zelos.currently in post.
A coming of age story, Zelos follows 30-something Bernard (Ben Mortley, Lantana, McLeod.s Daughters) who feels he has his life set up. He.s got a successful career, beachside apartment and a girlfriend, Sarah, who he adores.
However, his life is turned upside down when Sarah (Shannon Ashlyn, Wolf Creek 2, Love Child) confesses to having an affair overseas.
The film is the feature debut of director Jo-Anne Brechin, who first met writer Claire Harris when studying screenwriting at Aftrs in 2013.
.I remember hearing her pitch [Zelos] in class and just being like, .let.s do that together,.. Brechin told If.
They formed a pact to make the film when Harris finished the screenplay; a vision that has now come to fruition, with Zelos.currently in post.
A coming of age story, Zelos follows 30-something Bernard (Ben Mortley, Lantana, McLeod.s Daughters) who feels he has his life set up. He.s got a successful career, beachside apartment and a girlfriend, Sarah, who he adores.
However, his life is turned upside down when Sarah (Shannon Ashlyn, Wolf Creek 2, Love Child) confesses to having an affair overseas.
- 6/29/2016
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
The demand for original television programming is sky-rocketing and doesn’t appear to be coming down any time soon. From the explosion of subscription services like Netflix and Hulu, to websites and brands looking to step into the original content game, to the continued expansion of scripted and unscripted programming on dozens of cable channels, outlets are desperately looking for original content that can stand-out in the abundance of programming now available to consumers.
Out of this demand has emerged a new way for creatives to break into TV: the Dyi pilot. Instead of writing a spec and trying to break into TV the old fashion way, content creators are following the path independent filmmakers and shooting low budget pilots that serve as proofs of concept for a hungry TV industry hoping to find the next “High Maintenance.”
Read More: SeriesFest – There’s a Diy Way to Break into TV...
Out of this demand has emerged a new way for creatives to break into TV: the Dyi pilot. Instead of writing a spec and trying to break into TV the old fashion way, content creators are following the path independent filmmakers and shooting low budget pilots that serve as proofs of concept for a hungry TV industry hoping to find the next “High Maintenance.”
Read More: SeriesFest – There’s a Diy Way to Break into TV...
- 6/27/2016
- by Chris O'Falt and Sarah Colvin
- Indiewire
Red Christmas.
Red Christmas is the feature debut of Aussie actor-director Craig Anderson, known for the likes of Double the Fist and Black Comedy.
The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival on Saturday, with another screening this Friday night.
Anderson's reaction to his Sff berth was "unsure", he told If.
"I couldn't quite believe or understand it, only because horror in this country is usually not received well here until it's proven overseas."
Written by Anderson himself, Red Christmas stars E.T.'s Dee Wallace as a widow defending her daughters against a stranger with an axe.
"I liked the idea of picking the stupidest thing I could think of and trying to write a movie based on that.".
The director was inspired by Lake of Fire, a documentary made by American History X's Tony Kaye about abortion.
"It's a two and a half hour doco he made over fifteen years. He's a nutjob filmmaker who always gets into fights with studios in the Hollywood system, and you can see why when you see this doco. He features three abortions in it, and covers both sides really well.".
"I decided I'd try and use horror and in particular the slasher sub-genre as a way to deal with the abortion debate, because horror can often bring up shit that you would have trouble bringing up with a drama or a comedy."
"It took in total about two years to write, including lots of discussions with women about the abortion subject. I did a first draft that was kind of a ridiculous comedy-horror where something runs around killing the family that rejected it. But then I decided I needed to make it more serious, so it took another year to write that version.".
Anderson started the process of producing the film himself early last year.
"It's written in a house, and designed to be shot very cheaply. It was private investment, myself primarily. Plus everyone investing their time became shareholders in the film, which was great. I convinced thirty professionals I'd worked with before in television to do that."
The shoot lasted fifteen days, with the official budget just on a million..
"We shot on an Arri Alexa mini, which had just come out mid last year, and we used some awesome Zeiss lenses that were super fast, because we were shooting at night. We decided we'd spend big on the camera and lenses and less big on the lighting."
Anderson wanted to cast a scream queen from the 70's and 80's because "horror audiences are very loyal to the films from the past."
The first-time filmmaker approached Halloween's Jamie Lee Curtis and Blade Runner's Sean Young before connecting with Wallace.
"Dee got a hold of the script, and got it straightaway. And she was excited for the challenge, because all those women, once they're over sixty, they don't get exciting action roles anymore."
That coup also proved tricky: "Being such a famous actress, Dee had no frame of reference as to how low budget a film could be."
"She's done over 180 films or something, and she knows what low-budget is in America, but there was no way she could quite get what the hell we were doing. We looked like we were on a school camp. There were no vans, none of the things she's used to.".
"She's also 67 years old, and she's out at 3am, freezing, lying on asphalt. So she was only keen to do one or two takes. And she's a brilliant actor who only needs one take, but we had no money for a stand in or for 3rd ADs. So she's standing around, and then our Dp had to pray he got the focus right on the first try. In the edit, occassionally the focus goes in and out, and I guess that's what you get when you shoot so cheap."
The vagaries of indie film insurance was another source of stress.
"It was very scary because we don't have a grading system in Australia, so to speak. In America I did an ultra low-budget film as an actor, where they have an award wage that gets graded based on the total budget of the film, that works to make everything legitimate. So someone will come on for $100 a day as an actor, but they'll be insured, they'll be registered with the union, everything's above board and everyone feels safe.".
"Whereas in Australia you pay the full amount upfront, proper fees to everyone, but if you want to do a deferment or split deferred payment, it becomes a little tricky, because it was hard to get insurance. It was hard to do everything properly, and that makes it scary."
The director describes a feeling of "horrible tension" that something would go wrong..
"I'm in a house shooting all night, and if someone's Mum came out to help cook food for us, and she went to Woolworths and accidentally backed into a pram, which nearly happened, I would be the guy getting sued for that. So it's horrifying to think about. We don't have the processes here."
http://tix.sff.org.au/session_sff.asp?sn=Red+Christmas...
Red Christmas is the feature debut of Aussie actor-director Craig Anderson, known for the likes of Double the Fist and Black Comedy.
The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival on Saturday, with another screening this Friday night.
Anderson's reaction to his Sff berth was "unsure", he told If.
"I couldn't quite believe or understand it, only because horror in this country is usually not received well here until it's proven overseas."
Written by Anderson himself, Red Christmas stars E.T.'s Dee Wallace as a widow defending her daughters against a stranger with an axe.
"I liked the idea of picking the stupidest thing I could think of and trying to write a movie based on that.".
The director was inspired by Lake of Fire, a documentary made by American History X's Tony Kaye about abortion.
"It's a two and a half hour doco he made over fifteen years. He's a nutjob filmmaker who always gets into fights with studios in the Hollywood system, and you can see why when you see this doco. He features three abortions in it, and covers both sides really well.".
"I decided I'd try and use horror and in particular the slasher sub-genre as a way to deal with the abortion debate, because horror can often bring up shit that you would have trouble bringing up with a drama or a comedy."
"It took in total about two years to write, including lots of discussions with women about the abortion subject. I did a first draft that was kind of a ridiculous comedy-horror where something runs around killing the family that rejected it. But then I decided I needed to make it more serious, so it took another year to write that version.".
Anderson started the process of producing the film himself early last year.
"It's written in a house, and designed to be shot very cheaply. It was private investment, myself primarily. Plus everyone investing their time became shareholders in the film, which was great. I convinced thirty professionals I'd worked with before in television to do that."
The shoot lasted fifteen days, with the official budget just on a million..
"We shot on an Arri Alexa mini, which had just come out mid last year, and we used some awesome Zeiss lenses that were super fast, because we were shooting at night. We decided we'd spend big on the camera and lenses and less big on the lighting."
Anderson wanted to cast a scream queen from the 70's and 80's because "horror audiences are very loyal to the films from the past."
The first-time filmmaker approached Halloween's Jamie Lee Curtis and Blade Runner's Sean Young before connecting with Wallace.
"Dee got a hold of the script, and got it straightaway. And she was excited for the challenge, because all those women, once they're over sixty, they don't get exciting action roles anymore."
That coup also proved tricky: "Being such a famous actress, Dee had no frame of reference as to how low budget a film could be."
"She's done over 180 films or something, and she knows what low-budget is in America, but there was no way she could quite get what the hell we were doing. We looked like we were on a school camp. There were no vans, none of the things she's used to.".
"She's also 67 years old, and she's out at 3am, freezing, lying on asphalt. So she was only keen to do one or two takes. And she's a brilliant actor who only needs one take, but we had no money for a stand in or for 3rd ADs. So she's standing around, and then our Dp had to pray he got the focus right on the first try. In the edit, occassionally the focus goes in and out, and I guess that's what you get when you shoot so cheap."
The vagaries of indie film insurance was another source of stress.
"It was very scary because we don't have a grading system in Australia, so to speak. In America I did an ultra low-budget film as an actor, where they have an award wage that gets graded based on the total budget of the film, that works to make everything legitimate. So someone will come on for $100 a day as an actor, but they'll be insured, they'll be registered with the union, everything's above board and everyone feels safe.".
"Whereas in Australia you pay the full amount upfront, proper fees to everyone, but if you want to do a deferment or split deferred payment, it becomes a little tricky, because it was hard to get insurance. It was hard to do everything properly, and that makes it scary."
The director describes a feeling of "horrible tension" that something would go wrong..
"I'm in a house shooting all night, and if someone's Mum came out to help cook food for us, and she went to Woolworths and accidentally backed into a pram, which nearly happened, I would be the guy getting sued for that. So it's horrifying to think about. We don't have the processes here."
http://tix.sff.org.au/session_sff.asp?sn=Red+Christmas...
- 6/15/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Sean Porter, of the gorgeous Kumiko The Treasure Hunter, Eden, It Felt Like Love, and now Green Room, (and soon to be of The Trust) and I go in depth on the technical and conceptual aspects of Green Room’s cinematography. We talk small details like T-Stops and Focal lengths, and broader intentions like visual arcs that are brought on literally by the script. Porter began his career in the midst of the digital revolution which allowed him to shoot on 35mm and 16, while also working with digital from the advent.
He’s gone from Mini Dv, to the Red One, to the current Gold Standard the Arri Alexa. His way with digital photography: beat it up til it has some character. Read below our geeky splurge, to see how Green Room acquired its toxic, classical look.
Jeremy has a bit of a cinematography background, how does that affect the conversations you guys have,...
He’s gone from Mini Dv, to the Red One, to the current Gold Standard the Arri Alexa. His way with digital photography: beat it up til it has some character. Read below our geeky splurge, to see how Green Room acquired its toxic, classical look.
Jeremy has a bit of a cinematography background, how does that affect the conversations you guys have,...
- 4/25/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Aaron Hunt)
- Cinelinx
Step aide Christopher Nolan, it's Clint Eastwood who is stepping up and making a movie shot entirely with IMAX cameras. Following the success of American Sniper, Eastwood is now working on his next film Sully, about airplane pilot Captain Sully as played by Tom Hanks, and apparently he's shooting most of the film using IMAX cameras. Variety reports that IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond has confirmed that Eastwood loves the cameras and in fact it may be the first film that will be released fully IMAX after being made entirely with IMAX "technology". Eastwood's longtime cinematographer Tom Stern shot the film on Arri Alexa 65 & Xt. Not many other details are known yet, but the film has already finished shooting. Read on. "Clint decided to try it and he just loves the cameras," IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond tells Variety. "It will be the first film released where virtually the entire movie was made with the technology.
- 4/21/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
We’ve seen Hollywood’s top tentpole-makers utilize IMAX cameras to film a portion of their movies with the epic format. Christopher Nolan did it with his last two Dark Knight entries, Interstellar, and will do so with the forthcoming Dunkirk. J.J. Abrams had a portion of Star Wars: The Force Awakens filmed solely with the large-format cameras, and this year Zack Snyder shot roughly 25 minutes of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice while the Russo brothers did just a bit more in Captain America: Civil War. However, there has yet to be an entire Hollywood feature to take the bold technical leap of filming entirely with the cameras — until this fall.
While the Russos plan to shoot the two-part Avengers: Infinity War solely in 2D Digital IMAX starting later this year, none other than Clint Eastwood, coming off the highest-grossing domestic release of 2014 with American Sniper, will be the...
While the Russos plan to shoot the two-part Avengers: Infinity War solely in 2D Digital IMAX starting later this year, none other than Clint Eastwood, coming off the highest-grossing domestic release of 2014 with American Sniper, will be the...
- 4/21/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
First-time director Grant Scicluna has mined the depths of darkness in his new feature,.Downriver.
The film was inspired by a question over a few drinks with a friend.
Scicluna was aiming for the most explosive beginning he could find.
.I went home and had drinks with a friend and we were talking about things and stories and trying to find the most dramatic explosive type of set and we inevitably stumbled upon murder, and then the murder of the child at the hands of another child seemed the most explosive place to start a story,. Scicluna said..
.I started developing it from there and it took a long time. We have been writing it for over seven or eight years, so it has changed a lot since then. That.s really where it began, that.s where ideas often do just out of a conversation and a question. .
Despite the darkness of the film,...
The film was inspired by a question over a few drinks with a friend.
Scicluna was aiming for the most explosive beginning he could find.
.I went home and had drinks with a friend and we were talking about things and stories and trying to find the most dramatic explosive type of set and we inevitably stumbled upon murder, and then the murder of the child at the hands of another child seemed the most explosive place to start a story,. Scicluna said..
.I started developing it from there and it took a long time. We have been writing it for over seven or eight years, so it has changed a lot since then. That.s really where it began, that.s where ideas often do just out of a conversation and a question. .
Despite the darkness of the film,...
- 4/15/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Shambala shoots in the remote Manali Himachal Pradesh region of India.
While shooting at the foot of the Himalayas can be stunning on the eye and the lens it can pose some interesting challenges for a cinematographer.
Australian cinematographer, Viv Scanu Acs, recently shot feature film Shambala in the remote Manali Himachal Pradesh region of India, nestled between Pakistan, Kashmir and Tibet. Directed Summer Nicks and produced by Xeitgeist Entertainment Group.
.For me it was a bit of an eye-opener, working in a different country with a different crew that I had never met. All those elements make it a little bit trying. For that shoot we were filming in the some quite remote regions, so we had to be very selective in what we took to locations,. he says
.Locations were beautiful but we had issues with getting permission and getting in to some locations. They were quite tricky...
While shooting at the foot of the Himalayas can be stunning on the eye and the lens it can pose some interesting challenges for a cinematographer.
Australian cinematographer, Viv Scanu Acs, recently shot feature film Shambala in the remote Manali Himachal Pradesh region of India, nestled between Pakistan, Kashmir and Tibet. Directed Summer Nicks and produced by Xeitgeist Entertainment Group.
.For me it was a bit of an eye-opener, working in a different country with a different crew that I had never met. All those elements make it a little bit trying. For that shoot we were filming in the some quite remote regions, so we had to be very selective in what we took to locations,. he says
.Locations were beautiful but we had issues with getting permission and getting in to some locations. They were quite tricky...
- 4/7/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
.
Hounds of Love star Emma Booth with Patrick Brammall in Glitch.
Australian cinematographer Mick McDermott has described Ben Young.s debut feature Hounds of Love, starring Stepen Curry and Emma Booth, as the .surprise package of the year. in Australian film.
The project, which is now in production in Western Australia, from writer/director, Young and producer Melissa Kelly, is a thriller drawn from a number of infamous local and international crimes.
Supported by Screen Australia and ScreenWest, is also stars Susie Porter, Harrison Gilbertson, Ashleigh Cummings and Damien de Montemas.
McDermott told If he had a look at the rough edit of about 40 per cent of a week.s scenes and was very impressed.
.It's going to be an intense and challenging journey for the audience,. he says. .
.The performances are very powerful. .Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings and Stephen Curry really dug deep with their roles and were very brave.
Hounds of Love star Emma Booth with Patrick Brammall in Glitch.
Australian cinematographer Mick McDermott has described Ben Young.s debut feature Hounds of Love, starring Stepen Curry and Emma Booth, as the .surprise package of the year. in Australian film.
The project, which is now in production in Western Australia, from writer/director, Young and producer Melissa Kelly, is a thriller drawn from a number of infamous local and international crimes.
Supported by Screen Australia and ScreenWest, is also stars Susie Porter, Harrison Gilbertson, Ashleigh Cummings and Damien de Montemas.
McDermott told If he had a look at the rough edit of about 40 per cent of a week.s scenes and was very impressed.
.It's going to be an intense and challenging journey for the audience,. he says. .
.The performances are very powerful. .Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings and Stephen Curry really dug deep with their roles and were very brave.
- 4/7/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
.
Hounds of Love star Emma Booth with Patrick Brammall in Glitch.
Australian cinematographer Mick McDermott has described Ben Young.s debut feature Hounds of Love, starring Stepen Curry and Emma Booth, as the .surprise package of the year. in Australian film.
The project, which is now in production in Western Australia, from writer/director, Young and producer Melissa Kelly, is a thriller drawn from a number of infamous local and international crimes.
Supported by Screen Australia and ScreenWest, is also stars Susie Porter, Harrison Gilbertson, Ashleigh Cummings and Damien de Montemas.
McDermott told If he had a look at the rough edit of about 40 per cent of a week.s scenes and was very impressed.
.It's going to be an intense and challenging journey for the audience,. he says. .
.The performances are very powerful. .Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings and Stephen Curry really dug deep with their roles and were very brave.
Hounds of Love star Emma Booth with Patrick Brammall in Glitch.
Australian cinematographer Mick McDermott has described Ben Young.s debut feature Hounds of Love, starring Stepen Curry and Emma Booth, as the .surprise package of the year. in Australian film.
The project, which is now in production in Western Australia, from writer/director, Young and producer Melissa Kelly, is a thriller drawn from a number of infamous local and international crimes.
Supported by Screen Australia and ScreenWest, is also stars Susie Porter, Harrison Gilbertson, Ashleigh Cummings and Damien de Montemas.
McDermott told If he had a look at the rough edit of about 40 per cent of a week.s scenes and was very impressed.
.It's going to be an intense and challenging journey for the audience,. he says. .
.The performances are very powerful. .Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings and Stephen Curry really dug deep with their roles and were very brave.
- 4/7/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
In conjunction with his interview regarding The Witch, cinematographer Jarin Blaschke shared with Filmmaker a series of frames taken from his preproduction lens tests. Here’s Blaschke’s thoughts on the tests, which were conducted at Panavision Hollywood with an Arri Alexa: I had used Cooke Panchro Series 2s [from the 1950s] on a couple smaller pieces and Super Baltars on the last short film with [The Witch] director Rob Eggers, Brothers. I liked them both for certain things, but never compared them side by side or alongside other vintage glass. I asked Panavision [Hollywood] about everything available pre-Panavised Zeiss and made a […]...
- 3/8/2016
- by Matt Mulcahey
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Sundance Bible: All the Reviews, Interviews and News Posted During The Festival Los Angeles-based cinematographer Larkin Seiple is building a resume around Sundance movies. After spending a few years shooting music videos, Seiple transitioned to features with last year's Kevin Bacon comedy-thriller "Cop Car," a major discovery from last year's Sundance midnight section. Now he's back with one of the stranger entries in the festival's U.S. competition, "Swiss Army Man," in which a marooned Paul Dano hauls around a talking corpse played by Daniel Radcliffe. The movie's unique setting and surreal events led to a number of technical challenges that Seiple happily confronted. The director of photography shows no signs of slowing down, having already wrapped the Miles Teller boxing movie "Bleed for This." What camera lens did you use? We used Arri Alexa Xt with Cooke Anamorphic Lenses. We also used a Phantom High Speed.
- 1/27/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Jimmy Gimferrer. Photo by Jan Baka.The bold films of Catalonian filmmaker Albert Serra—Birdsong (2008) and Story of My Death (2013), along works commissioned by museums or galleries, the cross-over of documentary and essay, The Lord Worked Wonders in Me (2011), and the unorthodox and experimental 14-episode “television series” El Noms de Crist (2010)— share the same man behind the camera, French-born, Spanish-based cinematographer Jimmy Gimferrer, often billed as Albert Serra's cameraman.Gimferrer studied at Arts and Design school Escola Massana in Barcelona, and, similarly to Serra, is an autodidact. Their film career trajectories have roots to Serra's first film, Crespià (2003)—though Gimferrer did not grab the camera before Birdsong, for which he won a Gaudí Award—carrying the tasks of art director, production designer and actor in the director's second film, Honour of the Knights (2006). The penetrative and concentrating gaze of Gimferre's lens has also served other filmmakers, most notably José Maria...
- 12/11/2015
- by Martin Kudlac
- MUBI
Jimmy Gimferrer. Photo by Jan Baka.The bold films of Catalonian filmmaker Albert Serra—Birdsong (2008) and Story of My Death (2013), along works commissioned by museums or galleries, the cross-over of documentary and essay, The Lord Worked Wonders in Me (2011), and the unorthodox and experimental 14-episode “television series” El Noms de Crist (2010)— share the same man behind the camera, French-born, Spanish-based cinematographer Jimmy Gimferrer, often billed as Albert Serra's cameraman.Gimferrer studied at Arts and Design school Escola Massana in Barcelona, and, similarly to Serra, is an autodidact. Their film career trajectories have roots to Serra's first film, Crespià (2003)—though Gimferrer did not grab the camera before Birdsong, for which he won a Gaudí Award—carrying the tasks of art director, production designer and actor in the director's second film, Honour of the Knights (2006). The penetrative and concentrating gaze of Gimferre's lens has also served other filmmakers, most notably José Maria...
- 12/11/2015
- by Martin Kudlac
- MUBI
Read More: From 'Blue Velvet' to 'The Virgin Suicides': Here are the Films that Inspired the 2015 AFI Fest Filmmkers In advance of the 2015 AFI Fest, Indiewire sent out a questionnaire to filmmakers with films in competition asking them a variety of questions about their projects, including what camera they shot on and why. Instead of just listing the cameras they used, the AFI Fest directors explained how they went about selecting the cameras and lenses (with help from their DPs, of course). You'll notice that the Arri Alexa continues to be a popular choice, but the Red Epic, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Canon 5D Mark II are also favorites. A surprising number of directors shot on film stock - in 16mm and Super 35mm. Below is a selection of their responses. "We did tests with 16mm and the Alexa. I was pretty adamant about shooting on 16mm,...
- 11/10/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
The last James Bond film, "Skyfall," was the first to be shot entirely digitally. Roger Deakins was nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Cinematography for the film, which was directed by Sam Mendes and shot on Arri Alexa. Read More: Alex Ross Perry: Indie Filmmakers Can Afford to Shoot Film For "Spectre," Mendes opted to go another route. Hoping to evoke the nostalgia of earlier Bond films, he hired Dp Hoyte Van Hoytema ("Her" and "Interstellar"), who shot the majority of the new film on 35mm. In a comprehensive interview in this month's American Cinematographer, Mendes talks about why he hired Van Hoytema and why he opted for 35mm this time around. Mendes was clearly very impressed with Hoytema's work on "Let the Right One In," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "Her." He said when he saw "Her," he thought, "My god, Hoyte's managed to make digital...
- 11/3/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
As part of our "How I Shot That" series, Indiewire asked cinematographer Eric Lin about shooting Adam Salky's "I Smile Back," which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and opens in select theaters on October 23 and On Demand on November 6. Based on Amy Koppelman's 2008 novel, the film stars Sarah Silverman as a suburban wife and mother who struggles with depression and addiction. What camera and lens did you use? Arri Alexa with Cooke S2/S3 Lenses How do you decide what camera to use? I'm very cautious about the tools I use. If someone is asking which camera we should shoot on and I'm offered up choices, it's always because it's either going to fit the aesthetic or the style of production. There's always something about the medium that makes sense for the project. If I know I'm going to be in very small quarters or there are...
- 10/21/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
In an interview with Variety for his new film Sicario, director Denis Villeneuve claimed that the movie’s cinematographer Roger Deakins “could shoot with a shoe and it would look great.” Hyperbole aside, Villeneuve isn’t far off: if you can affix a lens to it, Roger Deakins can coax lyrical yet naturalistic images from it. Armed with an Arri Alexa Studio on Sicario – a slight step up from a shoe cam – Deakins pushed the camera to its boundaries to capture both the cruel harshness of the sunlight and the menacing unknown of the shadows for Villeneuve’s politically and morally complex tale of […]...
- 10/14/2015
- by Matt Mulcahey
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
In an interview with Variety for his new film Sicario, director Denis Villeneuve claimed that the movie’s cinematographer Roger Deakins “could shoot with a shoe and it would look great.” Hyperbole aside, Villeneuve isn’t far off: if you can affix a lens to it, Roger Deakins can coax lyrical yet naturalistic images from it. Armed with an Arri Alexa Studio on Sicario – a slight step up from a shoe cam – Deakins pushed the camera to its boundaries to capture both the cruel harshness of the sunlight and the menacing unknown of the shadows for Villeneuve’s politically and morally complex tale of […]...
- 10/14/2015
- by Matt Mulcahey
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
A tension is formed by a cut, quickly transporting our heroine from an expansive wheat field to a confined classroom. We’re not just talking the difference of 70mm for the former and the Arri Alexa for the latter, but that of, to quote Kate Bush, the “sensual world” versus the punishment of destiny.
Based on a mainstay of Scottish classrooms, Sunset Song is a triptych of sorts chronicling farm girl Chris’ (Agyness Deyn) womanhood; the first deals with her abusive father (Peter Mullan) and the pain he inflicts on her and the others in the family; the second follows her falling in love and marrying Ewan (Kevin Guthrie); while the third sees Ewan enlisting to fight in World War I and coming back a violent man that resembles her father.
Even if the film is somewhat less impressionistic than director Terence Davies’ previous work, many compositions and gestures beyond...
Based on a mainstay of Scottish classrooms, Sunset Song is a triptych of sorts chronicling farm girl Chris’ (Agyness Deyn) womanhood; the first deals with her abusive father (Peter Mullan) and the pain he inflicts on her and the others in the family; the second follows her falling in love and marrying Ewan (Kevin Guthrie); while the third sees Ewan enlisting to fight in World War I and coming back a violent man that resembles her father.
Even if the film is somewhat less impressionistic than director Terence Davies’ previous work, many compositions and gestures beyond...
- 9/21/2015
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Following on from this morning's release of the impressive first trailer for Jon Favreau's new take on "The Jungle Book," the filmmaker has used social media to answer some key fan questions about the movie.
Favreau confirmed reports that 99% of the visuals of the trailer are all CG with only the human boy and the ground he stood on being live-action. In fact the entire production was shot in a studio in downtown Los Angeles.
Asked about how much of the musical elements from the original animated film will make it, he says: "We wanted to include enough music to satisfy people who grew up with '67 film but not make it a musical or betray action tone."
The film was shot on an Arri Alexa digital camera and utilised the Pace system & Simulcam (developed for "Avatar") to capture the native 3D. He also adds: "We are working on...
Favreau confirmed reports that 99% of the visuals of the trailer are all CG with only the human boy and the ground he stood on being live-action. In fact the entire production was shot in a studio in downtown Los Angeles.
Asked about how much of the musical elements from the original animated film will make it, he says: "We wanted to include enough music to satisfy people who grew up with '67 film but not make it a musical or betray action tone."
The film was shot on an Arri Alexa digital camera and utilised the Pace system & Simulcam (developed for "Avatar") to capture the native 3D. He also adds: "We are working on...
- 9/15/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
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