Telling in pictures the story of "Eleanor the Great", by Scarlett Johansson

By Hélène Louvart, AFC
Partager Tweeter Linked Réagir

par Hélène Louvart - 

[ English ] [ français ]


This film was my first collaboration with Scarlett Johansson, who was directing her first feature film. We met and had very informative discussions about the script, her intentions, how she envisioned filming, and above all, how to organize the shoot. The actors needed to feel a certain freedom, so we had to avoid a set that was too technically demanding. The lead actress, June Squibb, was 94 years old, so it was up to us to adapt to her, rather than the other way around, as much as possible...

From the outset, the idea was to tell this very touching, very human story about Eleanor, the loss of her friend, her decision to start a new life, her loneliness, her relationship with her own daughter, in the simplest way possible, with a calm but assertive rhythm, and to film the unlikely friendship with this 19-year-old girl in this city in winter.

The idea was also to make New York more personal, a city where its inhabitants can have an intimate, everyday life just like anywhere else. The imagery is simple, based on warm lighting, with a natural look that accompanies and highlights the performances of all the actors. We prepared each day of shooting extremely well. 

We thought about the on-site setup for each scene using the Artemis app (photos and videos), then we translated our ideas for shots into storyboards and floor plans.

At the same time, I had to find the right team, one that could adapt to our initial intentions and follow us in creating the atmosphere we wanted to feel on set. It was an opportunity for me to mix people I already knew, such as Lyon Taylor, the gaffer, and to choose the entire camera and machinery crew, meeting each member one by one during the preparation phase. It was a great experience.
Exceptionally, I didn’t do the framing myself, but I met Korey Robinson, who turned out to be my “alter ego” in framing. We often shot with two cameras for more complicated scenes. This new position allowed me to have a broader view of the set, of the scenes to be shot, of the rhythm to give to the shots, in order to best accompany the story, understand if we could improve on the next take, and above all, know how to watch and feel what the actors had just given us. I learned a lot about directing actors from Scarlett. I observed how she knew how to talk to them, how she knew how to guide them towards her own intentions.

Scarlett also brought positive energy, enjoyment, passion for her work, and determination to the set. All of this can be felt in the way we film and see things. It was one of the many obvious things we had in common.