PRODUCTION HORIZON
DUST BEFORE DAWN Horizon’s storytelling deliberately reverses typical western narratives, where the land itself becomes a primary character before we even get to know the people living on it
meet Kevin’s character for the first time, that has a bluish, otherworldly look. The worldbuilding in this movie was really fun. We also needed to rely on the weather – fortunately, we got lucky at the beginning while filming those surveyor scenes. The weather was serene and beautiful.” When it came to shooting the Apache raid sequence, Muro remembered some valuable advice James Cameron had given him on the set of Titanic . “I was the camera operator on that film, and James said we had to run every camera for a particular scene because we were sinking a set and might only get one take. That resonated with me. The Apache raid scene took place at night, and we had to destroy an entire town. We panned the camera and saw the Kittredge family house burning down. We shot the scene with a lot of real fire, so were in a similar situation where we might only be able to complete the scene in one take. That was amazing to do. Much of the fire was digitally supplemented, but many of the burning elements were real. It took almost 20 minutes just to get the set lit. “I was also happy with the tunnel sequence,” Muro continues. “Our effects team sent down these little rig embers, which were incredibly beautiful. That was all lit with one little cube light that fit right into the lantern. It was very liberating to shoot. However, it did take some playing around digitally and being altered in terms of visual effects. Initially, my gaffer and I were panicking about how we were going to light the tunnel, so I’m happy with how it worked out.” One particularly challenging scene for Muro and his team to capture involved the character Russell escaping from the Apache on horseback. “That scene
was really about the music,” notes Muro. “My friend Rob Legato was the second unit director. He wanted to figure out a way to shoot day for night because you can’t light an expanse like that. You are always looking for places to shoot these scenes and limit the number of visual effects. The producers are constantly whispering in your ear to shoot day for night without any lighting. But you can’t just alter the moon in your movie – it’s part of the universe. We did a test, and the sun was really pounding down. Kevin had this mindset that, in older movies, the clouds would give it up. After all these discussions, we finally started shooting and everything began to take shape. It was all shot at 4pm and, with edge light, we were able to change the sky to black. Then, the effects team digitally added the
clouds. It became a beautiful homage to the concept of day-for-night shooting.” Muro amusedly notes that there are many parallels between the making of the film and the events depicted. “There’s a man behind the creation of Horizon in the film, and that’s mirrored by Kevin’s journey to make this movie,” he says. “How lucky am I to work with one of the greatest filmmakers ever? Someone who has found the money himself to make this and get his friends to help along the way. I am so happy to be part of something with that kind of heart. Kevin loves history – it’s who he is. He simply wants people to watch the movie and have an experience. It’s similar to the escapism I knew as a kid which got me into filmmaking, and that’s ultimately what is in Kevin’s heart.”
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