Definition March 2021 - Web

PRODUCTION | OSCARS 202 1

SEAN BOBBITT JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

could help him emphasise that. “Shooting in the 2:39:1 aspect ratio lends itself to strong compositions of groups of people, which is a recurring image in film,” he says. “But equally, the shallow focus inherent to large format cameras can also be used in close-ups, isolating the actors from the background to great dramatic effect. In the more intimate or powerful moments, this is a very effective and emotional tool to help draw the viewer’s eyes solely to the person who’s talking.” Bobbitt combined the Alexa LF with Arri’s DNA LF lenses, which also helped him reference the period without having to shoot on anamorphic. “They’re kind of funky,” he quips. “They hark back to the anamorphics of that era, but are actually a lot more stable.” The breadth of colour information in Arriraw from the Alexa LF also gave Bobbitt more leeway when it came to the grade. This was especially crucial for this film, where it was important to maintain true-to- -the-flesh tones of each individual actor. “We had a broad range of flesh tones, from very dark to very light and, because of the LF’s fantastic dynamic range, were able to accurately represent those.” No particular scene stands out as Bobbit’s favourite to shoot, but he notes that the most important scene – the one that needed to be right – was the assassination of Fred Hampton. “We shot that on a set, because the structure department was very specific about the way the police attacked the inside. So, it was important for us to impart historical accuracy – but, at the same time, it had to be terrifying, just as it would be if your door was suddenly kicked down and the police rushed in, firing more than 80 rounds in under two minutes.”

ABOVE Director Shaka King with cinematographer Sean Bobbit on the set of Judas and the Black Messiah

A fiercely watchable and passionately performed drama from director Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah is about the Chicago Black Panther leader, Fred Hampton. In 1969, at the age of 21, he was shot at home in cold blood during an FBI raid. Like The Trial of the Chicago 7 , its cinematographer, Sean Bobbitt – who lensed 12 Years a Slave , Widows , Hunger and Shame – was committed to evoking the look of that period, without making the film feel like a period drama. Bobbitt explains: “When I first met King, he had several hundred photographs of Chicago in the sixties, which were

bursting with the Kodachrome colours of the period. He called it ‘panther green’, and it was a colour that became a running motif across all art departments, including mine, costume, hair and makeup. It’s very evocative of that era.” As well as wanting to recreate the look of a late-sixties Chicago, complete with cool tans and greens, the film’s pace harks back to some of the more stylised productions of that period. “The idea was to have strong, composed frames, with little heavy cutting or camera movement. We wanted audiences to be able to feel that moment in time and have a sensory experience,” he explains. Bobbitt chose the Arri Alexa LF for a number of reasons, but primarily because the film, although based on factual events, is not a documentary or docudrama, and the widescreen format of this camera

CAMERA PACKAGE: Alexa LF and DNA LF lenses

JOSHUA JAMES RICHARDS NOMADLAND Head to page 04 for our special production story on this film. RIGHT DOP Joshua James Richards joined a tiny crew that shot real-life nomads, as well as a professional cast

CAMERA PACKAGE: Arri Amira and Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses

10 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 202 1

Powered by