American Cinematographer - July 2021 - 51

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER ASCMAG.COM
ASC members (from top) Checco Varese,
Xavier Grobet (at camera) and Suki Medencevic.
Them executive producer Don Kurt sent Varese the script for the first
episode and a synopsis for the rest, then invited him to a meeting with
him and Marvin. Varese avoided using movie references in the discussion,
noting that he finds universally beloved films to be rare. " Usually, I
take references from painters or still photographers, " he says. " For Them,
I used a lot of photography as inspiration, mostly black-and-white, including
shots of GIs coming home, situations involving racial tension,
and scenes from the '70s and '80s, as well as paintings by Warhol and
Basquiat for their craziness. I did a little presentation and got the job. "
The production wanted to bring on at least one more cinematographer
so that one could shoot an episode while the other prepped the
next. Varese was happy to see Grobet (Before Night Falls, Watchmen) join
the show; the Peruvian-born Varese spent part of his career in Mexico,
Grobet's native country, and the two are friends. " Xavier is a great creative
partner, " Varese says. " We both speak Spanish, and we have similar
references from art, culture and life. To me, Them isn't horror - it's a
family, racial and social drama that has supernatural entities - so using
old tricks from a lot of horror movies might not have been the best fit. I
was hoping for a partner with a strong social sense, and that is Xavier. "
Says Grobet, " It was really good to collaborate with Checco. What's
great about this show is that it's so visual; there are all of these things
happening in the characters' heads that we had to put into images. And
every episode had its own set of tricks we had to work with - each had
a scene or a special event that required design and visualization, from a
simple change in color on a corridor, to a choreographed sequence involving
creatures in the school basement. In the final episode, there's
a ring of fire hovering around the house as the family members battle
their inner monsters. "
Varese ended up shooting Episodes 1, 5, 7 and 9, and Grobet shot Episodes
2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. Varese worked toward setting the look, tone and
language that he and Grobet would follow, and a roster of episode directors
- including Nelson Cragg, Craig William Macneill, Ti West, Janicza
Bravo and Daniel Stamm - had significant input. Directors have different
tastes, " Varese notes. " Nelson, who directed Episode 1 ['Day 1'] is also
a DoP, so he has a very strong sense of cinematography. He imprinted
Dutch angles in the dramatic moments more than the others, who might
say, 'I think this whole thing should be handheld.' I don't think there's
a priority on stylistic continuity throughout the series; it's more of an
omnibus showcasing each director's sensibility. "
Early Decisions
One of Varese's first suggestions was framing in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio.
" Many people think 2.39 is best suited to the majestic vistas of something
like Lawrence of Arabia, " says Varese, " but I believe placing a character at
the right end of the long frame and [having] darkness throughout lends
itself to horror, drama, and the loneliness of these characters. "
Early on, strategies for the show involved more of a quick-cut, music-video
aesthetic and a more experimental style than the final, fully refined
approach. While the pilot was in production, Grobet was prepping
JULY 2021 / 51
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American Cinematographer - July 2021

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