American Cinematographer - February 2023 - 41

Opposite: Health issues and severe depression have led English teacher Charlie (Brendan Fraser)
to hole up in his dingy apartment. This page: Cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS
(center) and dolly grip Brendan Lowry (left) confer with director Darren Aronofsky on set.
daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), his nurse (Hong Chau), a young missionary
(Ty Simpkins), his alcoholic ex-wife Mary (Samantha Morton), and the
briefly glimpsed Dan the Pizza Man (Sathya Sridharan) - will enter into
orbit around his massive black hole of despair, from whose inexorable
gravity a ray of light is striving to break free.
Mood and Movement
The movie reteamed Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS with his longtime collaborator,
director Darren Aronofsky. Based on the stage play by Samuel
D. Hunter, who also wrote the screenplay, The Whale entered production
just as the filmmakers themselves emerged from 2021's Covid lockdowns.
" It was the first film either of us had done since the pandemic
started, " says Libatique. " Darren had the idea to make it with a small
crew, on one set, in a controlled environment. A lot about the way we did
this project was informed by the times, and in a weird way, it freed us up
to not put so much pressure on ourselves. "
With just three weeks of prep time, Libatique was first tasked with
finding the film's mood. " I put together a bunch of reference stills for
Darren like we used to do back in the days of Requiem for a Dream (AC
Oct. '00) and The Fountain (AC Nov. '06), but I found it hard to communicate
to him what I was thinking for this one. So, we pivoted to relying
on our intentions - which is what we've always succeeded at anyway.
" From a cinematographic standpoint, I wanted to give the actors a
place that felt real. Darren wanted to let them move and push the camera
blocking into different angles so that it wouldn't get static - even
though Charlie is this static figure. "
By the second week of prep, Aronofsky was running scenes with his
actors on a taped-out set built within Umbra Stages in Newburgh, N.Y.
Libatique likens the process to that of Black Swan: " Whereas with that
film we spent a lot of time rehearsing the ballet choreography, on The
Whale we were rehearsing the words from the play. "
As they had on Mother! (AC Nov. '17), the filmmakers made video recordings
of all the rehearsals. Libatique explains, " In that film, the language
of moving the camera needed a proof of concept, but this time we
did it more to see how the actors' blocking worked in our space, which
informed how we would move the camera. We normally plan out everything
- shot lists, overhead diagrams, lighting diagrams - but this
time it was more about reacting in real time to what was happening in
front of us. "
According to the cinematographer, " the play is very spartan, and as
cinema goes, so is the film. " In adapting The Whale for the screen, he and
Aronofsky leaned into its theatrical qualities, setting up wide masters
to cover a scene from beginning to end, while still making the imagery
cinematic through the use of camera movement, light and mood.
Framing, Gear and Grain
" We concentrated more on our framing than any technical aspect of the
camera, " says Libatique. " Shooting in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio was an early
FEBRUARY 2023 / 41
PHOTOS BY NIKO TAVERNISE, COURTESY OF A24.
American Cinematographer - February 2023

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