Interview with Alan Guichaoua about "All of a Sudden", by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

How did you meet the director ?

Alan Guichaoua : Ryusuke Hamaguchi, as part of this Franco-Japanese production, was looking for a French cinematographer. I was very happy that he wanted to meet me. We first spoke via video call, and he asked me questions about two feature films I had sent him. I think Guillaume Brac’s documentary approach really spoke to him, both in À l’abordage and in Ce n’est qu’un au revoir. He was also confident that I could work with a very small crew. Fifi, by Jeanne Aslan and Paul Saintillan, where I did more lighting, offered an interesting counterpoint.

For my part, I had seen his films, including his documentary trilogy (Sound of the Waves, Voices from the Waves 1 and 2, co-directed with Ko Sakai), which was screened that year at the Cinéma du Réel 2025 festival. Those documentaries left a lasting impression on me. Ryusuke is filmed in them, asking questions to victims of the 2011 tsunami. On the surface, these are ordinary shot-reverse-shots, sometimes looking directly at the camera. The way he manages to create moments of extreme dramatic tension left me stunned. I saw in it a genuine ability to explore the thoughts and feelings at work in a given moment. As their conversations unfold, each person seems to fully express what they’re feeling, carried along by the other’s attentive listening. It’s deeply moving and healing, especially since most of the people interviewed conclude by saying, “Things can only get better.” I realized that it was in the spirit of this trilogy that he filmed Happy Hour shortly thereafter, maintaining the documentary approach for which he is still known today.

Finally, we had a long discussion about the screenplay, which was very powerful, original, and explored a variety of themes rarely seen in cinema. My desire to capture the intensity of the bond forming between the two women was at its peak.

How did the preparation go ?

AG : Ryusuke had been carrying this project for several years already. He came to Paris to finish preparations three months before shooting, a period during which I was also available. Curiously, our references remained the films we had each made. Ryusuke didn’t hesitate to share with me what, at certain points in the editing, might raise questions for him regarding framing or lighting. For example, in Fifi, the shot-reverse-shots were very symmetrical (this was a request from director Paul Saintillan, who was actually referencing certain films by Jacques Becker). To Ryusuke, this symmetry seemed too mechanical. These insights were incredibly valuable to me !

There were also two major figures : John Cassavetes and Mikio Naruse. Their cinematic styles are very different, and one might wonder if it’s really possible to find a middle ground ! But there are still elements that have influenced both sides. On Naruse’s side, if we take Floating Clouds (1955) or Lightning (1952) as examples, we see in the interiors the perfection of static frames and very precise shot composition, which gradually builds the space. The lighting is fairly classic, very meticulous, with a wide palette of shades of gray, and sometimes cast shadows from plants. The faces are clear, and there is a real softness, areas of light, little contrast. And at the same time, there is something quite modern about it, in that the mood of the lighting can change over the course of the film, or from one scene to the next. On location, Naruse likes to use long tracking shots during the characters’ wanderings, which is reminiscent of All of a Sudden.

As for Cassavetes, it was the immense freedom of the actors that drew Ryusuke in. In fact, from the very beginning, he expressed a desire to work with two cameras during group scenes.

Ultimately, this preparation was more about the human element than the technical aspects, and we had only two or three meetings dedicated to the visuals. The bulk of the work relied on the extremely dense and meticulous schedule put together by Amandine Escoffier, first assistant director, centered around script readings covering absolutely every scene in the film with the actors involved. I was invited to attend these readings, just like the sound engineer, the second camera operator, or the members of the staging team. This also allowed the actors to gradually get used to our presence. Two weeks before shooting, we held numerous storyboard meetings directly on set, while being careful not to lock in our camera angle choices.

I always take great care in selecting my team based on the project. Here, I needed to surround myself with people who were sensitive enough to support this delicate story, capable of good “interpersonal skills” on set : a kind of “Japanese spirit,” so to speak. I worked with Tom Porte on lighting and Stéphane Germain on rigging. Katie Baillot was the first camera assistant. Over 40 days of shooting, we worked with two cameras for 20 days : Ryusuke wanted the second camera operator to be part of the daily camera crew, rather than bringing in a backup. Corentin Courage thus alternated between the roles of second assistant camera operator and camera operator.

What equipment did you choose ?

AG : We worked with Transpacam, where I organized comparative tests to select the camera and lenses. We then reviewed the footage at Gump, where the final color grading will take place. The first obvious choice was the Leica R—photo lenses designed in the late ’70s and re-engineered by TLS to cover full-frame. We were captivated by their elegance and precision : they have a quality that’s both old and new, somewhat timeless.

At the same time, we compared the Arri Alexa 35 and the RED Raptor, both at full resolution. The two cameras were neck and neck in terms of texture and color richness ; each with its own character.

Before the tests, Ryusuke had explained to me that he preferred the standard 35mm format, as well as using a 40mm as the reference focal length. So the RED wasn’t starting out as the frontrunner, since it has a large sensor. The problem was that there wasn’t a 40mm lens in the Leica R series either ! However, the image tests revealed the flexibility of the RED’s sensor : it was possible to crop the image without any obvious loss of quality, between 8K and 6K. Zooming in on this large sensor therefore allowed me to achieve my 40mm equivalent by using the 50mm at 7K (with a 10% margin for potential stabilization or cropping). This flexibility also led us to rent just one set of lenses for two cameras. In a shot-reverse-shot situation, for example, a 50mm shot in 8K naturally paired with a 60mm in 7K.

I particularly appreciated the colorimetry of the RED cameras, especially in skin tones. We shot at ISO 800 during the day, and I bumped it up to around ISO 1600/2500 for night scenes. Under these conditions, I had to perform some light noise reduction in post-production.

What I discovered while using the Leica R cameras is that they had almost two distinct personalities. Above T4, they are precise, quite modern, and sharp. Below that, however, they become softer, almost extraordinary.

At night, I often chose the 8K sensor to take advantage of the image edges, with swirling, almost baroque bokeh. Finally, I regularly used a very light Classic Soft filter, which creates a halo on the highlights.

You chose an original aspect ratio—what motivated that choice ?

AG : During the test shoots, we chose a 1.5:1 aspect ratio (that of 24x36 film), which offers the advantages of 1.33:1 while making it easier to frame two characters within the shot. We favor fairly wide shot sizes : full-length shots, medium shots, few waist-up shots, and only a handful of close-ups. This aspect ratio encouraged us to leave a lot of space above the characters, thereby highlighting the foliage in the nursing home’s inner garden and creating a somewhat ethereal atmosphere. To avoid the convergence of vertical lines, we lowered the camera on its tripod, which in a way magnifies the characters.

How did the shooting go ?

AG : Ryusuke handled the storyboarding, which I received in written form the day before or a few days in advance. He defined the characters’ placements, particularly in group scenes. The whole setup remained flexible enough to be adjusted on the day of shooting, following rehearsals. His method involved bringing the actors onto the set alone, without the technical crew. Even the filming equipment (camera, tripod-mounted projector) had to be removed from the set or, at the very least, stowed away discreetly. He would run through the scene with the actors on set. I would be present in a corner, observing. Then they would go off to rehearse outside the set, and the crew could then come in and set up. The actors would return, we’d do a run-through, and then we’d shoot a sequence shot. A single take. Then we’d change angles, without another run-through. This created a state of intense focus, both for us and for the actors. Rather than stacking takes from a single angle, Ryusuke preferred to shoot another shot, possibly returning to the same spot later.

How did you prepare your lighting in this context ?

AG : With this shooting style, I realized we would need a relatively large technical crew, since the time allotted for lighting adjustments would be short. Pre-lights were essential. Furthermore, we were shooting in an active nursing home, so we had to be meticulous about tidying up, transporting equipment, and securing the setups.

We were in constant communication with Ruysuke regarding the framing, while he gave me a great deal of freedom regarding the lighting. The lighting was never to interfere with the actors ; that is to say, the setup was not to encroach on what one might call the “performance space,” which is actually a much larger area than what the frame itself covers. This meant working from a distance, primarily from outside the set, and mounting lights above the lines of sight. It was a challenge to achieve harmonious lighting for the two actresses using fixtures positioned so far away, particularly in scenes set in large rooms (theater, meeting room, or activity room).

For example, for the two team meeting scenes in the dining hall, we installed cotton reflectors directly above each window, onto which a 9kW HMI bounced. For the second meeting scene, I also used Maxi-Brutes with 6 tungsten lamps to recreate rays of sunlight that appear during the scene. The windows in the frame shouldn’t be too overexposed : I wanted to ensure that the exterior was always visible from the interior, in keeping with the film’s scale. So, for the night interiors shot during the day, I had the windows fitted with very dense Plexiglas. The nursing home’s interior garden then appears discreetly.

Beyond ensuring a certain overall level of light and maintaining continuity, I was keen to let natural light catch up with us. It was a summer with a lot of light loss, and we liked it when the unexpected popped up. I started out as a camera assistant, notably working alongside Claire Mathon. It’s a bit like her method : that taste for light loss, keeping a finger on the aperture, on the lookout, and letting incidents happen. Ryusuke, in fact, captured that with finesse during editing.

There’s a certain evolution in the cinematography throughout the film, isn’t there ?

AG : As soon as I read the script, I envisioned evolving the lighting and colors throughout the film to subtly accompany the deepening of the relationship between Marie-Lou and Mari. At the beginning of the film, I lit the scenes partly from above, drawing inspiration from the ceiling lights found in these nursing homes. Then, as the story progressed, I let more light in through the windows. I wanted something increasingly generous, for daylight to flood the interiors.

The culmination of this approach is evident in the scene where Goro comes to visit Mari, who is bedridden—a farewell scene as the glowing sun sets. By that point in the film, I knew I could propose a more assertive use of light, encouraged by the very inspiring stage direction in the script : “the light of the setting sun streams into the room, reflected off the nursing home’s windows.”

Ultimately — and I don’t know if this was planned at the start of filming — Ryusuke incorporated this same evolution into his storyboard. At the beginning of the film, the framing is very tight. Even when we mounted the camera on a dolly for sequence shots, it was to capture several distinct static shots during the take. For the actors’ performances, Ryusuke insisted on shooting the film in chronological order. As filming progressed, perhaps sensing how the light was changing, and especially what was unfolding between the actresses, he literally “let the camera loose.” The shots then became more mobile, whether through tracking shots or pans that he encouraged us to do.

The LUTs developed during the color tests also accompanied this progression. Starting from the same colorimetric base, I had designed an initial LUT—dull and less saturated—for the entire section preceding the first night, the one where the two women meet. Then came a second, livelier LUT, notably featuring more saturated blues (blue is a color I tried to associate with Mari), something more joyful and richer in color.

How did you work on continuity ?

AG : Several scenes take place at dawn or dusk. For example, the scene at the end of the long night when the two women meet, where they smoke a cigarette in the nursing home’s garden : we wanted to gradually dim the spotlights to let daylight take over. We shot several takes, but, as is often the case with Ryusuke, the first one was the one he kept in the edit. Daylight is still barely perceptible there, and it’s a scene that really sits at the bottom of the curve. He isn’t afraid of darkness. And that also applies to certain backlit shots. I’d already noticed this in his previous films : he doesn’t overuse them, which makes them all the more striking. I’m thinking in particular of the second dawn scene, this time in Japan, where Virginie Effira is barely visible because the sun is rising behind her. That backlighting was intentional from the moment we shot it. We filmed the scene over two days, timing the sun’s appearance behind the mountain precisely. We shot the same shots every morning. The first one was foggy, and we didn’t even see the sun ! The second one was the one. In the end, Ryusuke used footage from both days, so that the fog dissipates as the sequence unfolds. He’s very keen on capturing chance ; it means a lot to him.

Only once did we use our cameras to film two distinct phases of the action, during the stroll that begins on the esplanade of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and continues to the banks of the Seine. Corentin was filming at the top of the steps, then I took over the shot from below. Again, we had to stick to a precise timing, with the streetlights coming on just as they reached the riverbank. Here too, the scene was shot over two days ; this allowed us, by shooting faster on the second day, to better capture the onset of night.

A few days in Japan wrapped up this immensely rewarding shooting. Many crew members had already worked with Ryusuke and formed a true family—both highly skilled and intensely focused. The second cameraman was none other than Yoshio Kitagawa, who notably shot Happy Hour and Evil Does Not Exist !

With this project spanning two countries and two cultures, shot abroad, Ryusuke Hamaguchi was taking a significant risk. I sought to support him as best I could, respecting his sometimes demanding requests, which were always articulated with great clarity and genuine kindness.

How did the color grading go ?

AG : We had three weeks of color grading at Gump, which is no small feat for a 3-hour-and-15-minute film. I’m used to working with Gadiel Bendelac, and I greatly appreciate his sensitivity. We had our work cut out for us unifying textures and toning down the shine on faces, since we were working from a distance with the projectors and couldn’t move the projection screens closer. Ryusuke was present during color grading : it’s always invaluable when a director extends his creative vision all the way to the final stage. He thus reinforced certain stylistic choices : the backlighting, the darkness of the night scenes, or even the final shot of Mari, overexposed, almost evanescent. These are shots that are off-kilter, but which align with the film’s intent.

(Interview conducted by Margot Cavret for the AFC)