American Cinematographer - January 2019 - 76

Love & Family

u: Laxton and
A-camera 1st AC
Nicholas Huynh
transport the
camera - fitted
with a Hawk
150-450mm (T2.8)
telephoto zoom -
to the next setup.
q: The
cinematographer
helps position the
camera on a slider
for a subway-car
interior.

nitely purposeful - the attempt to
emphasize and 'photography light' in
ways that would express love and
connection. I also used a Tiffen Smoque
1 filter almost all the time, not to be
romantic and soft, but to create atmosphere. I find it helps lift the blacks
slightly, and bloom the highlights a lot.
A combination of that filter with the
DNA lenses was the perfect marriage to
create the feeling I was hoping to find."
Laxton and Jenkins also both like
to remain flexible when it comes to their
shot selection. "In terms of the camera

movement, the script
might
describe
a
medium close-up on
Fonny that moves over to
find Daniel [Brian Tyree Henry] in the
corner," Laxton says. "But I know from
working with Barry so long that he
might have an idea in the moment that's
inspired by the actors or the location, so
I'm always ready to say, 'Okay, let's
move that one thing over' - and it's not
a challenging thing."
Jenkins concurs, adding, "We
shot-list the entire film, but I also try to
relinquish some of that control on the
day, and allow the actors and James -
and myself - the freedom to veer away
from the plan."

Laxton offers that the intimacy onscreen is a result of a restrained approach on
set. "I try to leave as much equipment outside of the space as I can," he says. "I don't
want it in the space the actors are performing in.That's largely because the way Barry
and I like to work is to move the camera a lot, often going from one actor to another
and sometimes spinning around 360 degrees. Obviously, that doesn't leave a lot of
room for lighting, so I tend to basically light from the windows adjacent to the subject
of the scene. I'll bring in a small LED to create eye lights or soft key lighting, and I use
a fair amount of toplight - which [can be challenging] in practical situations. On Beale
Street, I used a lot of [LiteGear] LiteMats, because they can be hung without taking up
a lot of ceiling height."
76

January 2019

ASC 100th Anniversary

The director notes that the pursuit
of discovery continued into the grading
process, which was performed at
Technicolor PostWorks New York with
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve.
"The colorist - Alex Bickel - and
James and I are always trying to find the
best way to reflect mood and tone," he
says. Laxton adds that Bickel was a key
collaborator from the beginning. "This
was the first time I've gone into production with the colorist already in line to
work with us," the cinematographer
says. "The great thing about that was
that he created some LUTs that reflected
those particular street photographers [as
we researched their work]; he also
looked into what film stocks they were
shooting their images on in the early
1970s. Alex figured out how to get this
kind of art into our Alexa 65 system, and
then again into our DI."
Regarding the movie's treatment
of the perspective of memory, Jenkins
opines, "When we remember things, we
don't remember them as they actually
were, and this movie is reflecting that.
It's not supposed to constantly remind
you that it's 1974, for that reason. The
movie is kind of floating above time."
u

American Cinematographer - January 2019

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