AFC’s Conversations

Interview with Yves Cape, AFC, SBC, about "New Order", by Michel Franco, selected at the 2020 Venice Film Festival

The Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco (Después de Lucia, Les Filles d’Avril, Chronic…) portrays in his new film a popular revolt in the heart of the Mexican capital and its repercussions on society. Preferring a progressive narration from a single starting point (a big wedding party in high society), we observe the different layers of society coexist before suddenly everything explodes. For cinematographer Yves Cape, AFC, SBC, this film marks his fourth time alongside this director who has won several awards at Cannes. New Order is a film shot entirely in Mexico City in six weeks in the spring of 2019, and winner of the Silver Lion at the 2020 Venice Film Festival (FR)

Interview with cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, AFC, about his work on Atiq Rahimi’s “Our Lady of the Nile”
Followed by an account by Karine Feuillard, DIT

After their first film, Syngué Sabour, in 2012, Atiq Rahimi called on Thierry Arbogast a second time to film the adaptation of the eponymous novel by Scholastique Mukasonga. This story, somewhere between a Bildungsroman and a bloody tragedy, takes place in Rwanda in the 1970s against a background of sundrenched hills, rainy dawns, and dreamy forests, and is set in a Catholic boarding school far outside of the city whose pupils are upper-class young ladies.

The Theatre of Operations
Cinematographer Roger Deakins, BSC, ASC, discusses his work on Sam Mendes’s film "1917"

Besides being a direct journey through a war-torn landscape, 1917 is also a literal dive into the heart of time, and Sam Mendes uses a vast palette of directorial techniques to recreate it. The set, which in the opening sequence literally sets the viewer in the middle of a trench in the Somme, the extremely profound sound, with extreme dynamic effects, and the image with its single shot that transforms this simple tale of a suicide mission into a sort of theatrical play where the style gradually transcends the authentic. An exceptional project requires an exceptional director of photography, namely Roger Deakins, BSC, ASC, who has graciously agreed to discuss the behind-the-scenes of this unique film with us. (FR)

India Song
Cinematographer Romain Alary discusses his work on the music video for San Zhi’s song "Give it Up"

After he had worked for Jean-Claude Larrieu as his assistant operator, Larrieu encouraged Romain Alary to work on a project as a cinematographer. Since the early 2010s, he has worked on the cinematography of several advertisements and clips for brands such as Hermès, Cartier, Fendi, Renault and Honda. "Give it Up", by San Zhi, is his first music video, created in partnership with his cousin Antoine Lévi. A very personal project entirely shot with a small crew. (FR)

The Camerimage 2019 Interviews

Since the opening of Camerimage 2019, in Toruń (Poland), on November 9th, we have published every day written or filmed interviews with directors of photography about their work on a film selected in one or other of the sections of the Festival, in both French and English. Here are the links to read or watch each of them in English.

Dante Spinotti, AIC, ASC, discusses his relationship with Production Designers

The great Italian cinematographer discusses examples of films from throughout his extremely prestigious and varied career from the perspective of his relationship with their production designers. Amongst the films discussed: Michael Apted’s Nell, Sam Raimi’s The Quick and the Dead, and Michael Mann’s Insider and Manhunter.

Production Designer Jan Roelfs, who won an award at Camerimage 2019, discusses his relationship to the lighting in films

The partner of directors such as Peter Greenaway (Murder by Numbers, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover), Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, S1m0ne), and Oliver Stone (Alexander, World Trade Center), Dutch production designer Jan Roelfs is at Camerimage 2019 to receive the special annual prize for Unique Visual Sensitivity. He tells us about his perspective on working with cinematographers on projects and shares a few memories from the shooting of his greatest films…

Interview with cinematographer Tristan Chenais about his work on the music video for "New Start"

Tristan Chenais works in both France and the UK, where he studied at the National Film and TV School. It is there that he met director Richard Hall, with whom he has been working ever since on advertisements and music videos. "New Start", for singer Moss Kena, is one of them, produced by Riff Raff Films, one of the most prestigious advertising and music video firms in London.

Piano lessons for penalty shots
Video interview with cinematographer César Charlone, ABC, about her work on Fernando Meirelles’s film “The Two Popes", conducted by François Reumont for the AFC

By beginning his film with a very funny story (Pope Francis tries to make an airplane reservation himself, but the travel agent hangs up on him when he says his name), Fernando Meireiles gives his story a humourous tone. This is also a film that describes the intimacy of papal life with a great deal of realism, which gives way to moments of great warmth on screen between Anthony Hopkins (Joseph Ratzinger) and Jonathan Price (Jorge Mario Bergoglio). Cesar Charlone, the Brazilian filmmaker’s faithful collaborator, is at Camerimage to present this Netflix film.

The Light is Mine
Video interview with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke about his work on Robert Eggers’s film "The Lighthouse", conducted by François Reumont for the AFC

After their first success with a film whose meticulous recreation of a 17th-century community caused a sensation (The Witch, 2015), the duo composed of Robert Egger (director) and Jarin Blaschke (cinematographer) has taken on another, even more concentrated historical fantasy project. Namely, the meeting between two men (Robert Pattinson and Wilhelm Dafoe) alone on an island where they are the caretakers of a lighthouse in the early 19th century. The film was shot in Nova Scotia and has very dense visuals evocative both of silent film and period fantastic engravings. The film was presented in the Directors’ Debuts competition at Camerimage 2019.

Checco’s Recipes
Video interview with cinematographer Checco Varese’s about his work on Paxton Winter’s film “It: Chapter 2”, conducted by François Reumont for the AFC

During his visit to Camerimage to present the second film adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling novel (It: Chapter 2), Peruvian cinematographer Checco Varese, ASC, discussed with us his unique way of approaching the shooting of this film. In no particular order, he discussed his passion for doing things directly on set as well as his vision of the profession in the age of special effects. With his calm and clever smile, welcome to the chef’s kitchen!

A blockbuster between friends
Video interview with cinematographer Lawrence Sher, ASC, about his work on Todd Phillips’ film “Joker”, conducted by François Reumont for the AFC

With Joker, Todd Phillips has confirmed his great talent as a director, a writer, and a producer, which was already evident on the Very Good Trip franchise (2009) or the incredible Project X (2012). This film was created in an atmosphere of mutual trust, which makes daring experimentation possible: the producer was his actor/director friend Bradley Cooper, his editor was Jeff Groth (Project X), and the cinematography was by Lawrence Sher, who has been his faithful companion since the start of his career. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance has already been acclaimed several times (likely opening the pathway to his first Oscar), and the film has enjoyed enormous success with audiences since its release, unleashing polemics and passions in an international social context which sometimes makes reality into fiction. Lawrence Sher, ASC, joins us for an in-depth interview on the creation of this classic yet unique film about insanity.

Stairway to heaven
Video interview with cinematographer Laura Merians about her work on Paxton Winter’s film “Pacified”, conducted by François Reumont for the AFC

Teenage girl Tati lives at the very top of a flight of stairs in a favela in Rio de Janeiro with her mother, who is almost young enough to be her older sister. Her father is the former local crime boss and has been in prison since before she was born. But one day, he returns. For her first film, Laura Merians has created an image full of strength and colors at the heart of a classic tale of redemption whose visual narration elegantly takes over from the literary narration of the script. The strong and endearing characters round off this dizzying dive into contemporary Brazil, where violence has become totally normalized and is a part of the daily lives of millions of people.

Rebel without a cause
Interview with cinematographer Marcell Rév, HSC, about his work on the TV Pilot "Euphoria"

For the purposes of HBO’s teen series “Euphoria”, Hungarian cinematographer Marcell Rév (Jupiter’s Moon, White God) went down a visual path that mixes the realism of dramatic situations with a sometimes-baroque stylization of the lighting. The result on the screen is the recreation of an entire universe, that of young people in 2019, whose thirst for life, whose free and sometimes destructive passions, are not so dissimilar to a famous Californian portrait painted by director Nicholas Ray in 1955… (FR)

Watts in the Wadding
Interview with cinematographer Gilles Porte, AFC, about his work on Safy Nebbou’s film "Who Do You Think I Am"

Gilles Porte, AFC is an operator who likes changing visual universes on each project. For example, in 2017, on The Royal Exchange [1], by Marc Dugain, a film set in the French royal court during the 18th century, or the following year on Budapest [2], by Xavier Gens, a much more festive contemporary comedy. For this 2019 edition of Camerimage, he is presenting Who Do You Think I Am? [3], the latest film by Safy Nebbou, starring Juliette Binoche (released in Paris in February 2019). This is a film about the lies and the dangers of social networks which has been a hit abroad [4] since its release (ranked 3rd-highest French film by ticket sales abroad). (FR)

"An Officer and a Spy", a (true) film about a false verdict
Interview with cinematographer Paweł Edelman, PSC, about his work on Roman Polanski’s film "An Officer and A Spy"

For his latest film, director Roman Polanski decided to create an extremely historically accurate adaptation of a major event of the late 19th century: the Dreyfus Affair. Despite the very large number of characters and the frequent shifts between different time periods, the Franco-Polish filmmaker shows his excellence as a director and editor with this simple and captivating story. At the camera, once again, his Polish countryman Paweł Edelman officiates (his sixth film with Polanski, starting with The Pianist in 2002). A film in glacial tones, shot in large part in the authentic locations of the story. This film will open the new EnergaCamerimage 2019 Festival in Toruń. (FR)

A Tandem in Roubaix
Interview with cinematographer Irina Lubtchansky about her work on "Roubaix, une lumière", a film by Arnaud Desplechin

The story of fidelity between Arnaud Desplechin and Irina Lubtchansky is being written here with their fourth collaboration on Roubaix, une lumière, which is in Official Competition at Cannes this year. The cinematographer recently finished work on the image of L’Homme fidèle, by Louis Garrel, and Julie Bertuccelli’s La Dernière folie de Claire Darling. (BB)