BLONDE PRODUCTION.
SOME LIKE IT HOT The crew made use of authentic fifties-era vintage lighting to nail the aesthetic
work. Large, top-down rigs were used, but not without their own challenges. “Marilyn’s hair was very white, and if that was the closest thing to the source, it became brighter than I would have liked in some cases. The film also demanded a crazy amount of locations. It felt like we were in a new place every day, so there wasn’t necessarily one solution we could use throughout. It was very much about augmenting existing light, so as to stay true to the setting. “In other scenarios, when she’s on the stage, at the premiere, or in the dressing room, for example, I chose to front-light Ana with a spotlight. It looks like flash photography more than anything. I
it to suggest a feeling that a mistake could happen at any point, because focus was so on the edge.” IN THE SPOTLIGHT With such unusual offerings elsewhere, it’s easy to overlook the very heart of all typical cinematography – lighting. Unsurprisingly, Blonde required a number of approaches. Scenes are sumptuous or practical, depending on intent. “There was a degree of obsession early on, where Andrew and I discussed exactly how to light Ana so that she resembled Marilyn. I was less concerned about that, and as the schedule progressed, we let go of that notion and trusted Ana was exuding the character herself. “I don’t recall lighting much of some locations, like the home she spends her last days in,” Irvin adds. “Those scenes were all very natural. But there were moments throughout where I tried to do more – especially in her youth, like the montage where we recreated famous posters, as Marilyn is truly introduced. That’s an expression of soft and hard light. We were trying to recreate exactly how the photographers of that era would have lit those scenes, and we tried lighting them with identical vintage units.” More modern tools facilitated the spontaneity Irvin sought in his camera
liked that because, again, it distorts and fragments notions of reality. It was also a subtractive process, about trying to harness what’s happening emotionally and nothing else, letting everything around Marilyn fall to black.” Undoubtedly, Blonde is a challenging watch, such is the will of its creators. It’s a cinematic experiment on the largest scale, where spectator objectivity is a must – in its admirable cinematography and beyond. Contention was inevitable. But, in the film’s truest nod to the multifaceted, real-life Marilyn, those on both sides of the fence simply cannot look away. Blonde is now showing on Netflix
“We tried to recreate exactly how the photographers of that era would have lit those scenes”
POINT OF REFERENCE Director Andrew Dominik compares one on-screen recreation with John Vachon’s original 1953 photo
39. NOVEMBER 2022
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