PRODUCTION DISCLOSURE DAY
AMERICAN PARALLAX “ Disclosure Day is inspired by existing material. The US government has recently released files which suggest that there is knowledge within both the administration and the scientific community that these phenomena do occur,” begins Kamiński. For him, the challenge was how to make a film that isn’t science fiction, but hyperreal. “It’s suspenseful, dramatic and more rooted in religious polemics. How do I make it entertaining without it feeling flaccid, like so many modern films that tackle contemporary issues?” When it comes to the look of a film, Kamiński usually doesn’t have specific conversations with Spielberg about his visual interpretation. Instead, the aesthetic is driven by the script and the action. “We didn’t discuss any visuals, simply because they were written into the set and the script,” he says. The film opens with an almost film- noir aesthetic, which Kamiński admits is
of Spies . One of the main sets featured a semi-government organisation that monitors all of the information and events to do with UFOs. “It was a huge set that had massive walls of monitors,” says Kamiński. “It feels very contemporary, and has a bit of a modernistic shape. That already controls the visuals to an extent. Our other sets included existing homes and roads as well as a TV studio. Since the film is rooted in recognisable environments, the challenge was to capture the scale and beauty of those spaces but without overcomplicating the visuals.” Kamiński explains that the lighting is often incorporated into the set design, which is the usual method on a Spielberg movie. He points to The Terminal as an example. “We built the set just outside Palmdale in this massive Boeing facility hangar. Everything worked within that; the staircases, vending machines etc; and the light was incorporated into the
to purposefully misdirect viewers. For the opening sequences, he pays homage to classic seventies noirs, such as The Parallax View , All the President’s Men and The Panic in Needle Park . “Both Steven and I love American movies from the seventies, not only for their visual language but also their storytelling,” he explains. Kamiński points to the work of cinematographer Owen Roizman, ASC as an influence, mentioning The French Connection , Three Days of the Condor and his other work with Sydney Pollack. However, he “did not want to emulate those images,” he says. “The aesthetics
are very different to mine.” DESIGNING DISCLOSURE
Disclosure Day consists of a number of sets, designed and constructed by production designer Adam Stockhausen, who has collaborated with Spielberg and Kamiński on numerous films since Bridge
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