PRODUCTION TRAIN DREAMS
SINGLE-CAMERA SET-UP With scenes frequently taking place at night – and a few around a campfire – Veloso again opted for authenticity, using ‘real fire, candles’ and other practical light sources. Using the ARRI ALEXA 35 with ZEISS Super Speeds, he was able to ‘shoot with almost no light’. For daytime scenes, Veloso switched to Kowa Cine spherical lenses; “they’re slow but have beautiful bokeh, flares and worked really well.” Keeping to a single camera, Veloso often switched between handheld and static. While this was meant to mirror Grainier’s life – from the excitement of starting a family to the isolation he feels in the fire’s aftermath – he would make a change if the scene felt off. “Some
VELOSO stayed faithful to THE LAND AND THE LIGHTING”
an animal – whatever the forest would give us. If you’re not looking, you’ll miss so many magical things.” In Train Dreams , nature is more than a setting; “it’s also a character,” says Veloso, “and it’s so influential. We’re exploring how humans impact nature, but also how nature affects humans in
return. It’s a central theme of the movie.” He added the occasional few frames of trees falling and posed inserts of the labourers with their timber. “Those shots are saying, ‘This is also a main character. This also has a voice – an important voice – and we should listen to it’.”
30
DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
Powered by FlippingBook