PRODUCTION THE BRUTALIST
to the other. It’s not as heavy as IMAX, but the principle is the same.” For certain scenes – like an early boat sequence – a smaller, lightweight 35mm ARRI camera was deployed to avoid any mishaps on the steep steps, while for more intimate and experimental moments, Crawley utilised an ARRIFLEX 435 camera from Lester Dunton with a mistimed shutter to create a distinctive ‘smeared’ effect in the highlights. This technique contributed to the dreamlike, almost hallucinatory quality of the heroin use sequences. Other cameras in the mix included an ARRICAM LT and ST with 16mm footage to achieve different textures and effects. With this motley line-up of tools, Crawley was mindful of not allowing the aesthetic to become too ‘scrappy and uncrafted’, wanting the patchwork quality to come across as intentional rather than chaotic. Keeping the final result cohesive was a top priority. To create the desired look, the team also leaned heavily on underexposing the negative and push processing the film. “It’s definitely not the safest option,” Crawley admits, “because you’re taking the film somewhere it doesn’t want to go, distressing it to create this impressionistic, almost painterly quality. Producers and labs get nervous about it, but when it works the results are incredible.”
LENS LANGUAGE Crawley’s lens choices were key, and the DOP found himself returning once again to Cooke S4s, which he and Corbet have used on previous collaborations. “There’s a warmth and texture in the Cooke Look that’s hard to beat,” he admits. “They’re not the most pristine lenses – but that’s exactly why we love them. They have this beautiful fall-off and slight aberration that makes images feel more human.” The philosophy behind this choice traces back to Crawley’s love of the
pictorialist movement. This concept is “all about making photography more impressionistic and more painterly,” he comments. “That’s the spirit we wanted for this film. If you use the most pristine, scientifically accurate lenses, you lose that sense of history, that impression of a particular time period.” For the VistaVision sequences, meanwhile, they used Leica R lenses. The camera dictated the lenses in this case, but the team were “extremely happy with them,” enthuses Crawley. “They’re rehoused Leica still lenses; you can’t get much better than that in terms of glass.” Reflecting on the completed film, which is currently generating an almighty awards buzz, Crawley ends the interview by ruminating on the importance of staying true to the types of projects and collaborators that resonate with him, instead of chasing trends. “I know where I do my best work. This experience has reaffirmed how important it is to trust my instincts,” he says. “There are certain types of films and aesthetics that I believe to be true to me, but I think that as soon as you start trying to pre-empt stuff and strategically navigate your way through it, you’re trying to shoot a moving target, and it’ll go wrong. As Chris Doyle said: it has to be all about the heart. “Whatever that thing is, whatever allows you to do what you do. If you stay true to that, whatever it might be – as esoteric as that might sound – I think that’s the most important thing.”
MIX AND MATCH A range of cameras were needed to create Corbet’s (above, front) desired looks
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