KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN PRODUCTION
of the cell,” he continues. “It was vital to capture the intimate, claustrophobic feeling we needed for those scenes.” Despite the elaborate choreography and punishingly tight schedule of the musical numbers, it was these scenes that the DOP found most daunting. “It’s a challenge to keep things visually engaging when you’re limited to such a small space – and in Kiss of the Spider Woman , so much of the film takes place in that cell,” he explains. “It was also the most physically demanding on my camera operators, who handheld the cameras on Easyrigs throughout those scenes to make sure the actors had freedom of movement.” COLOUR & LIGHT Light and colour were central to defining the film’s two worlds. On-set, Schliessler and his team used a mix of fixtures for the desired result: ARRI SkyPanels and tungsten fresnels to evoke the bright, high-key glamour of the Technicolor sequences, and Kino FreeStyle LEDs and Astera Titan tubes to capture the cooler, more naturalistic tones found in the prison. “I spent weeks with my DI colourist, Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3, fine-
HARD WORK Two handheld cameras on Easyrigs were used to capture scenes in the prison cell
A NEW LEASE OF LIFE Reflecting on Kiss of the Spider Woman , Schliessler believes his biggest creative triumph was nailing the high-key lighting style of classic musicals. “Using modern tools to bring back that vintage look and feeling was so rewarding and I’m proud of what we achieved,” he shares. It was also another reminder of why he loves what he does. “Cinematography is a constant learning experience. Every film presents new creative challenges that push me to grow, and each solution adds to my craft, shaping me into a better cinematographer. This couldn’t have been truer for Kiss of the Spider Woman , which makes me even more excited to dive into another musical, armed with everything I learned from this film.”
tuning the camera LUT in combination with makeup, costumes, set design and lighting colour temperatures to strike the perfect balance before we started shooting,” he comments. “Stefan has a truly incredible eye for enhancing storytelling through subtle manipulation of colour and contrast, and Company 3 always brings exceptional colour science to the table, particularly when emulating classic film looks.” Although the look was further refined in the final grade, Schliessler preferred to do as much as possible in camera. “I always strive to get as close as I can to our final vision during production,” he shares. “If I can shape the image in camera, that still feels the most natural to me.”
67
DEFINITIONMAGS
Powered by FlippingBook