American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K3

Enlightened showcases a fascinating collaboration between series
co-creator Mike White and lead actor Laura Dern, who also serves
as co-creator and executive producer. Dern portrays Amy Jellicoe, a
self-destructive woman who undergoes a breakdown, followed by a
spiritual awakening, and emerges determined to live an enlightened
life. This of course creates a wealth of comedic situations in her work
and home life. At the ofﬁce, she tries to enlist the meek Tyler —
played by White — in her jargon-ﬁlled schemes to seize the day.
Xavier Grobet, ASC, AMC shot the second season of
Enlightened, which began airing on HBO earlier this year. In addition
to the ﬁrst season of Enlightened, his credits include The Woodsman,
I Love You Phillip Morris, Nacho Libre and The Back-up Plan.
On Enlightened, Grobet uses KODAK VISION3 500T Color
Negative Film 5219 and KODAK VISION2 200T Color Negative
Film 5217 in the 3-perf Super 35 format. He shoots ARRICAM
LT cameras — usually two — and relies on COOKE S4 prime and
ANGENIEUX OPTIMO zoom lenses.
“We like the quality of ﬁlm, as well as the practicality,” says Grobet.
“We like the ﬁlm feel and ﬁlm grain. Taking care of my actors is
what’s most important for me. Especially with Laura, I always want
her to look good and I think ﬁlm helps that way. It’s gentle compared
to digital. And I have more freedom in terms of staging and lighting.”
The cinematographer also notes that he ﬁnds ﬁlm to be a
more efﬁcient way of working. White was also strongly in favor
of originating on ﬁlm. “It’s much more practical,” Grobet relates.
“There’s less technology and less paraphernalia around the
camera to deal with. It’s easier to handle. Film is reliable. The
technology is so advanced that you feel very conﬁdent about it.
“One of the problems I have with the digital world is that it tries to
go into perfection in terms of the quality and the deﬁnition,” Grobet

observes. “Sometimes that’s not what you’re looking for. I think it’s
best to use the texture and light. When something is too sharp and
too deﬁned and too perfect, it loses the emotion in a way. When
there’s no texture, there’s a certain rejection, at least on my part.”
The set depicting Jellicoe’s workplace, Cogentiva, is a
predominantly white environment. Grobet has rigged two layers
of light — practicals, and above them, recessed movie light
ﬁxtures. On wider shots, the white room is comparatively high-key,
but Grobet modulates somewhat on close-ups, creating more
contrast and volume on faces depending on the scene. “I can
go with different levels or turn off light in certain areas,” he says.
“Sometimes I’ll kill all the lights
behind me so that the faces stand out
against the bright background.”
The show is split between sets on
stages and practical location shooting.
Given the tight TV schedule — an
episode is often accomplished in six
days or less — Grobet often comes
into a set for the ﬁrst time the day
before he must shoot in it. “You have
to come up with something without
a lot of time to think things through,”
he notes. “You have to be creative
and make it work. It makes you think
outside the box, experiment, and
go beyond what you’d do in a more
controlled situation. When you have
to make it work, you do.”
Grobet says that ﬁlm gives him the conﬁdence to push the
boundaries. “You know how the ﬁlm will react,” he explains.
“You know how much you can push it. You can trust the ﬁlm,
and that’s a good feeling.”
White writes the show entirely and directs about half of the
episodes. The opportunity to work with a rotating roster of
directors, including Jonathan Demme, Nicole Holofcener and
Miguel Arteta, appeals to Grobet. “But Mike makes the show
special and fulﬁlling,” emphasizes Grobet. “He puts a lot of heart
into the project. It doesn’t feel like a TV production. Each episode
is almost like an independent ﬁlm, made with care. That’s what is
fantastic about HBO — you have the freedom to create.”
Photos – Top: Mike White and Laura Dern on the set of Enlightened. Bottom: Dermot Mulroney
and Laura Dern. Right: Xavier Grobet, ASC, AMC. (All Photos: Lacey Terrell/HBO)

American Cinematographer - April 2013

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