American Cinematographer - May 2021 - 26

TAKING A VOW

Tech Specs:

2:1
Cameras: Arri Alexa LF, Alexa Mini LF
Lenses: Panavision PVintage, H Series, Sphero 65, Primo V

Christensen works on a scene featuring Sister Clodagh, Mr. Dean, and a visit
from General Toda Rai (Kulvinder Ghir) and his nephew Dilip (Chaneil Kular).

" [We were] striving to honor a
beautiful, beautiful movie that
you can never remake. "

and Primo V lenses, " the latter with " adapted
optics to give them that pretty glow that the
vintage lenses have, to match the set. "
Christensen fought to shoot on film -
which she'd used on the features The Banker,
Fences (AC Jan. '17), A Quiet Place (AC May '18),
The Girl on the Train and Far From the Madding
Crowd (AC June '15) - but 35mm couldn't be
processed in Nepal. The production instead
went with Arri's large-format Alexa LF, shooting ArriRaw and framing for a 2:1 aspect ratio,
supplemented by an Alexa Mini LF for Steadicam and handheld work.
Like the lenses, color was inspired by the
tones of 1930s imagery, as well as Godden's
vivid descriptions in the novel. " We didn't attempt to emulate a Technicolor look; that
would be naïve, " Christensen says. " But you
can analyze the way that process treated color,
and that's what we did. " She wanted the faded
greens and extreme reds, as well as a muted but
contrasty palette. " Our approach went against
the way that digital cameras capture a color, "
she notes. " When lighting scenes - and also
while creating LUTs and later doing the DI with
our amazing colorist, [ASC associate] Peter
Doyle - we worked on finding the balance
where you keep rich color but take the top off,
so you get something soft. "
The series' color scheme divides into two

worlds: East and West. The Himalayan clothing and interiors were a riot of color inspired
by the book, which describes the palace as " a
bowl of fruit. " Production designer Kave Quinn,
who also served as the show's costume designer, dressed those interiors with sheer red and
gold curtains, oriental carpets, and brightly
hued wall paintings. These full-blooded colors
stood in contrast to the drained, dusty gray of
the nuns' habits; Christensen particularly liked
how that neutral gray color made the nuns disappear against the mountain landscape once
the story's season progresses to winter. " They
almost merge into the environment, " she says.
" Then, with their white faces, the look almost
becomes monochrome. It was perfect for Episode 2, when the nuns are fighting to keep their
rules in place, but find themselves absorbed by
this place. They erase a bit. "
The use of color evolves over the three episodes, reflecting the characters' emotional arcs.
The palette starts out " slightly more real in
Episode 1, when we're setting up this colorful
place, but in a more relaxed way.
" Episode 2 is winter and more monochrome;
it's where our characters all find their limits,
somehow, and fail. They connect with their
own lies, and realize that this is not a place one
can control; their God is not the only one out
there. Sister Philippa recognizes the danger,

26 / MAY 2021

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4/5/21 11:24 PM

American Cinematographer - May 2021

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