THE UNDERGROUND RA I LROAD | PRODUCTION
Shot on a colossal scale, The Underground Railroad broaches delicate subject matter. Cinematographer James Laxton reunites with director Barry Jenkins to create an enhanced naturalism, despite challenging set builds
lengthy journey of an enslaved woman, Cora, and her courageous escape. The scale of the production is just as large, although we’re handed an intimate portrait. It’s a fine balance – and not an easy one to achieve. A CONSIDERED AESTHETIC Early moments of The Underground Railroad paint a picture we’re already acquainted with. Rich, warm landscapes are the backdrop to uneasy tension: heavy darkness with the soft glow of firelight, hiding moments of something close to freedom. However, others do not. Viewers may notice a distinct blue hue to the moonlight and the sudden flashbulb effects that see the antebellum-era characters lit in stark white. These are the fingerprints of DOP James Laxton. “The flash-style spotlights are very interesting to me,” he says. “There’s an episode called The Great Spirit , in which
WORDS LEE RENWI CK / P I CTURES AMAZON
R ace has been at the heart of director Barry Jenkins’ body of work for more than a decade. Most recently, his astute gaze turned to the challenging period of pre–American Civil War slavery. His feature films, backed by James Laxton’s distinct cinematography, have received high praise, culminating in a Best Picture Oscar for Moonlight in 2017. At around ten hours, Jenkins’ new TV series is a sizeable beast, covering the
ABOVE Director Barry Jenkins surveys one of the vast exterior location sets
JULY 202 1 | DEF I N I T ION 07
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