American Cinematographer - May 2020 - 41

Carmen Cabana photo courtesy of the filmmaker. Kira Kelly photo by David Lee, courtesy of Netflix. Anka Malatynska photos courtesy of the filmmaker.
High Fidelity photo by Phillip Caruso, courtesy of Hulu. Self Made photo by Amanda Matlovich, courtesy of Netflix.

the background except when getting
inside Rob's head, "when we were
always wide open." That's when the
"Magic 50," as Cabana dubs it - a
50mm Zeiss Super Speed - was put to
use. "We used the Magic 50 every time
we wanted to blur the background and
get very close to Zoe's face to isolate her
from everything else and just connect
with her emotion." Angénieux Optimo
zooms were occasionally used as well.
As for that rich, bold look, "I
wanted a glossier, more magical version
of Brooklyn, but to preserve the
elements that make it so charming and
appealing," Cabana says. "For instance,
the color of lighting was 100-percent
based on reality." She played off the
color mix on Brooklyn's streets: neon
signage on old storefronts, and streetlights that were enhanced with Arri
SkyPanels or gelled PAR cans to extend
their light farther. For interiors, inspiration came from musical sources. For
example, all of De Salle's club scenes
"have the color palette of a Pink Floyd
homage concert featuring drummer
Nick Mason that I attended in my spare
time during prep," says Cabana. "The
light show combined four or five colors,
but they co-existed well without looking like a circus." Another inspiration
was album covers. "They pop so
much," Cabana says, "and I wanted a
reference for colors that could live with

t Clockwise from left: Cinematographers Carmen Cabana, Kira Kelly and Anka Malatynska.
p A club scene from Hulu's High Fidelity, shot by Cabana.

each other." She cites Kiss' Rock and Roll
Over, Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day
and Houses of the Holy, and Syd Barrett's
The Madcap Laughs as some examples.
Color is Cabana's sweet spot. "As
a woman, and being from Colombia, I
find that color is my preferred paintbrush when it comes to telling stories,
although certain stories, like my
upcoming [Blumhouse-Amazon] film
Nocturne, call for a desaturated look
and a muted palette," the cinematographer notes. When using colors, she
never hesitates to dip into Surprise
Peach, Moss Green, Cerulean Blue,
Henna Sky and other hues that aren't
often used. High Fidelity's numerous
nightclub and bar scenes gave her

plenty of room to play. "The clubs were
my paradise. I was like a kid in Candy
Land!"
Kira Kelly
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of
Madam C.J. Walker
Imagine The Great Gatsby by way
of the Harlem Renaissance with snippets of Busby Berkeley thrown in.
That's Self Made: Inspired by the Life of
Madam C.J. Walker, a four-part limited
series that tells the story of America's
first female millionaire, who made her
fortune in hair-care products for black
women.
"It was my first period piece,
which I was so excited about," says

AC: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about change in the industry, especially for female cinematographers?
Carmen Cabana: I'm optimistic for sure. If I compare now to 2005, when I started in the business, it feels like there has
been at least a 15- to 20-percent improvement, at least in my own experience. That's baby steps, but it's definitely on the
upswing.
So many of us have been doing really good work and proving we can deliver on time, deliver good material, tell a story,
handle a set with big challenges, and be leaders. I think producers are finally starting to look at us on more equal terms.
We have a bit of a crisis, though, in electric. You find a lot of women in camera, but it's very hard to find female electricians, grips and gaffers who are experienced and available and remain in G&E. We need more women in that field, and we
need more workshops and opportunities to train them.
I think there's a shortage because of the bullying from some [male] electricians and key grips that's been happening for
years. A lot of women have just left the field or exist in the shadows or move to the camera department. If you think about
it, every day we're on set is already a battle - against time, against the elements, against specific challenges - so to have to
fight a battle for respect on top of that can truly drain you. Coming up, I faced a lot of discrimination from certain gaffers -
they wouldn't respect me or do what I asked. That inspired me to become a gaffer myself, so nobody could lie to me and say,
'We don't have that,' or, 'We can't do it like that,' because I knew what we had in the truck and ways to get something done.
So I want to encourage more women to stick with it. Do what you love and don't be afraid to stand your ground.
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American Cinematographer - May 2020

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