PRODUCTION. NAVALNY
FLY ON THE WALL The crew largely shot on a Red Gemini mounted to a shoulder rig. The intention was to attain a cinematic look without getting in the way of Navalny and his busy team
around these people, it puts things into perspective. Mr Navalny, his team and Mr Grozev – their energy and motivation are infectious. All you can do is move forward, start an incredible project and feel lucky to be a part of it.” A SOLITARY SCENE Navalny ’s beating heart is an enthralling interview with the titular figure himself. His message would have carried weight on any platform, but framing this rare chance correctly was essential to
delivering maximum impact. “In general, I see it as my job to make something cinematic,” Waltl confirms, addressing the documentary’s distinctly crafted aesthetic. “Daniel and I wanted to tell the story more like a fictional film than typical documentary. A word I don’t like so much, but one that describes the look quite well, is ‘thriller’. That informed our interview.” While many moments were beyond the crew’s control, an interview could be meticulously planned. “We took time to scout and carefully light the scene, because we knew this would be special – probably the most special interview I’ll shoot for the rest of my life. “We were out in the Black Forest and lots of places were closed down due to the pandemic. We ended up with a bar. The idea was to position Navalny at the bar, then give the viewer a perspective of the listening bartender, to create an intimate feeling,” he recalls. “Navalny is looking directly into the camera, which isn’t a classic interview approach, but in the end worked out very well.” Further intensity was added with a wide-angle lens, close to the subject. It’s as close to reality as the medium permits. “For lighting, we wanted it moody, so we ended up taking a lot of natural
“We positioned Navalny at the bar, then gave the viewer a perspective of the listening bartender, in order to create an intimate feeling”
CONNECT THE DOTS The documentary follows the investigation into the attempted murder of Alexei Navalny
52. DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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