PRODUCTION THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC shares how she and longtime collaborator Gia Coppola captured the fading glamour of Las Vegas’ famous showgirls, championing Pamela Anderson’s return
WORDS MIRIAM BALANESCU IMAGES ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
L as Vegas is certainly no stranger to the screen. From Martin Scorsese’s grubby underbelly of the gambling scene in 1995’s Casino to Steven Soderbergh’s suave Ocean’s Eleven bank heisters, the Sin City backdrop has long been a hotbed for swindlers, hustlers and dreamers in the imaginations of filmmakers. It’s no exaggeration to say that The Last Showgirl presents Vegas in an entirely new light, with its notably unshowy, delicately rendered portrayal. Uncovering the lives of Las Vegas’ workers – specifically the dying breed
of showgirls once synonymous with the city – The Last Showgirl offers a gentler, dreamier spin on this iconic filming location. For DOP Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC, whose credits include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , Loki and the upcoming Michael B Jordan- fronted Sinners , she always knew this was the approach she wanted to take. It’s the trademark style she and her friend Gia Coppola – director of three of her projects to date – have crafted. “Working with Gia always feels like you’re just hanging out with your best
friend, making a little movie,” Durald Arkapaw laughs. “ The Last Showgirl is unique because we set out to make a certain type of intimate, personal film, and the results are exactly that. “Gia and I generally favour softer, dreamier images. I mainly shoot with Panavision anamorphics. My lenses always have loads of personality and fall-off. Lighting is also super important, and it’s always a character in my films. The way I light is dependent on the lens characteristics. They work hand in hand with each other.”
08
DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
Powered by FlippingBook