American Cinematographer - July 2009 - 39

couch and plants; these were created with MoleBeams and Xenons. Khondji comments that the second conservatory scene, the tea party, “reminds me a little bit of Visconti — there’s a richness, almost a decadence. I was happy to film it with the lenses he actually used in his later films.” To reinforce the strange mood, he created no spots of bright sunlight and added a bit of smoke for depth. He shot both conservatory scenes on the 400-speed Eterna because he found its lower contrast could better handle variations in the weather. “Stephen uses anamorphic to its full advantage — he fills the frame up without a problem,” he adds. For a scene showing Léa entering the hotel dining room in Biarritz, Khondji had to contend with a bank of large windows. He opted to put up a wall of Dinos to provide directionless fill. “I didn’t want to make it lowkey,” he notes. “I like coming back to an era when the lighting was a little flatter.” He had some of the windows fitted with hard ND gels to bring down the outside when the sun got bright. He also added a touch of smoke to give the restaurant a threedimensional quality. The film’s dominant mood is defined by the subdued interiors: dining rooms, bedrooms and boudoirs. MacDonald’s production design favors cool pastels in Lea’s house and gaudy hues at Charlotte’s. When Léa comes to Charlotte’s for lunch, the contrast of the frame is limited. 4K open-faced Goya HMIs with Lee 129 Heavy Frost diffusion shine through the windows to evoke gloomy northern light; Kino Flos, also through Lee 129 diffusion, provide a soft, underexposed key on Bates; a touch of orange is provided by a practical on a dimmer; and a MoleBeam creates a single gleam of hard sunlight on the wall. Khondji describes his goal as “a gaudy and dark interior, slightly on the cool side, slightly purple.” After Léa learns of Chéri’s engagement, she shares a meal with him at her house, a scene dominated by pastel, silvery colors. “There is something very sad, very faded there,” notes Khondji. “It’s the sadness you have in middle of day, with a dying sun behind clouds. It’s not contrasty … a little timeless.” In lighting the interiors, Khondji and Barrault always began by imagining where the sun was, and for this scene, they settled on “cool northern light,” says Khondji. The soft light falling on Léa is without direction, and she doesn’t seem lit, which Khondji attributes to both the level of the lighting and its diffusion. “At a certain balance, we found that Michelle’s skin was delivering the glow,” he notes. “If we’d overpowered the light, she would have looked ¢ lit.” Above: A frame grab showing Léa’s visit to Biarritz, where she searches for a new suitor who can help her forget Chéri. Below: Khondji and Frears prepare to film another balcony scene at the seaside resort. American Cinematographer 39

American Cinematographer - July 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - July 2009