LYREB I RD | FEATURE
ABOVE The ARRI Alexa LF, which Remi and the team managed to get their hands on before its release.
I f you haven’t heard about the new trend of large-format cinematography, then where have you been? It’s new and very different and those who once owned a Canon 5D Mark II have been waiting for a decade to use the format properly. There are more camera manufacturers with a large-format or full-frame camera than without one so we have a genuine genre swing and there are good reasons to get excited. LYREBIRD Lyrebird is the true story of Dutch folk hero Han van Meegeren, who swindled millions of dollars from the Nazis by selling them forgeries of Johannes Vermeer paintings. Guy Pearce ( Memento ) and Vicky Krieps ( Phantom Thread ) star with Imperative Entertainment’s Dan Friedkin directing the film and Remi Adefarasin OBE lensing the feature. We caught up with Remi immediately after the movie had wrapped. Definition: Why was the new ARRI LF camera chosen for this production? Remi Adefarasin: The director Dan Friedkin had a wish to shoot the film with Alexa 65. We tested the camera and at the time there were two issues. We didn’t like the lenses available at that time for the look we were going for and the data handling was massive. We had decided to shoot with the Alexa SXT when ARRI began announcing the Alexa LF with Signature lenses. We were very tempted by the specifications and very large sensor which at our chosen ratio 1.85:1 was almost as huge as the Alexa 65. Unfortunately, the camera was not yet available and the lenses were even further down the line. Remarkably we did manage to get one
body followed a couple of weeks later by a second body. Def: Did you find the lens choice limiting with this choice of camera? RA: At the time of our shoot we couldn’t get our hands on the Signature Primes and the Cooke S7i lenses were only just beginning to roll out. Again, we managed to get a good set of Cookes which included the 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm and 135mm. Most of the film was shot with these primes, occasionally using Cooke S4is. At the time of shooting lens choice was limited but many manufacturers are releasing lenses that cover large sensors. Previously many primes on offer were basically still lenses that had been rehoused. Ultra crisp and heavy breathing when adjusting focus. Not a problem with still photography or shooting plates. THE LOOK Def: What do you think the LF brings to the look? RA: Defining the look of the LF is very difficult using words. Obviously there is more definition but not in an ugly crisp/ harsh way. The image is more rounded and smooth. It looks better even on a small monitor but the larger the screen you see it on the richer the experience. This is the opposite to smaller sensors where more magnification seems to break down the image. The LF simply holds it together. Large format isn’t just about resolution, it’s a different relationship between the audience and the image. With the Alexa LF we’re able to capture all the beauty of longer focal lengths but with a wider field
LARGE FORMAT GLASS
Pre-production began just as the full frame resurgence was beginning – prior to the availability of the Cooke S7/i Full Frame Plus lenses and the ALEXA LF large format camera system. But Remi and Dan Friedkin were keen to take advantage of the format. Remi shot some early tests with ALEXA 65 using many different lenses. “Dan is a great collaborator and said from the start that he wanted great visuals but not mannered or false. Although we loved the large format, no lenses did what we hoped for,” he said. “Many of the current ranges are stills lenses adapted for movies, but they did not have any cinematic quality or consistency. Great for plate shots but not kind to faces, and they breathed badly with the slightest focus pull.” However, 30 minutes past call on the first day in Amsterdam, a brand new ALEXA LF and a set of Cooke S7/i lenses were delivered. “We shot open gate 1.85 and the results blew us away,” said Remi. “We were shooting mostly at 800 ISO but at times went to 1280 ISO without any loss in quality.”
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