A QU I ET PLACE PART I I | PRODUCTION
It was nerve-wracking, because there’s so many things that can go wrong with celluloid, but I was very passionate about using it
LEFT Morgan aimed for a deep naturalism in the film, with the lighting assisting or emulating the sun, moon, fire or candlelight, due to a lack of electricity
needed to have broad scope, because the family are basically running for their lives. The farmhouse needed a very specific match, just inherently. But, after they’ve gone out into the bigger world – where they encounter new people, new circumstances and an evolving story – that obviously takes the visuals in a different direction.” For the Abbotts, and for Morgan (with her hand in lighting their world), leaving the family home led to another significant change. “It’s an apocalyptic world and we had a lot of conversations about the lack of electricity,” she says. “We really leant into the naturalism that came from that, but wanted some colour and warmth to the film – not a cold, post-apocalyptic feel. At heart, both films are family dramas.” Morgan adds: “My lighting and colour choices were motivated by the natural world. It’s a nice, strong palette. The sunsets would flare, the emulated moonlight wasn’t too blue, and there was plenty of fire and candlelight.” LIGHTING THE ACTION When Morgan mentions the Abbott family running for their lives, that’s not an exaggeration. “It’s one thing to capture someone jogging, but a person in full sprint is a totally different ball game,” she says. “The desire was to be as subjective as possible. We wanted the viewer to be with the characters through everything they dealt with. There were many long takes that had both the creature and the
there to be a disconnect, especially if they watched both films back-to-back.” An early step was ensuring a close visual match in terms of gear, since Charlotte Bruus Christensen shot the first film on Kodak 35mm film, with a selection of Panavision anamorphic lenses. “Naturally, we wanted to do the same.” However, since film labs are less common nowadays, the negatives had to be flown from Buffalo in New York, to Los Angeles to be processed there. Morgan recalls: “It was nerve-wracking, because there’s so many things that can go wrong with celluloid, but I was very passionate about using it. I always shoot with Panavision lenses where possible anyway, but the Primo and T Series anamorphics certainly helped retain the first film’s look.” Of course, the best sequels don’t just emulate – they build on what’s come before. As Morgan explains, A Quiet Place Part II was no different. “Things get more expansive in look and feel as the Abbotts leave their home. Unlike the first one, it
JUNE 202 1 | DEF I N I T ION 15
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