American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 39
Unit photography by Jaimie Trueblood, SMPSP, courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Hodge) - are not only depicted as
creative forces to be reckoned with, but
"almost like superheroes," says cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC.
Speaking to AC from the Chicago location of his upcoming feature Chiraq,
directed by Spike Lee, Libatique continues, "As a kid, I loved reading comic
books that had origin stories. While
reading the script [by Andrea Berloff
and Jonathan Herman], I saw an origin
story of these pop-culture superheroes,
as these guys discover their abilities,
come together and battle the powers
that be. That's how I pitched it to Gary
when we first met to talk about the
movie."
Reminded of this unique take on
the N.W.A. story, Gray chuckles slightly
and recalls, "Matty pitched his superhero
take, and I said, 'Good, at least you know
how important these guys are!' But he
was right. What these guys accomplished was heroic. To be young
African-American men trapped in
poverty, it was tough to rise above that.
"I knew from Matty's work in
films like Requiem for a Dream [AC Oct.
'00], Inside Man [AC April '06] and
Black Swan [AC Dec. '10] that he is a
cinematographer who deeply cares about
the stories he is telling. If I could find a
Opposite (from left): MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube
(O'Shea Jackson Jr.) and Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) revolutionize modern music as the iconic rap group
N.W.A. in the biopic Straight Outta Compton. This page, top: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube perform.
Bottom: Cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC lines up a shot.
cinematographer who understood the
culture, music and characters, I was
halfway home and could just worry
about the performances. Matty was the
right person for the job.
"This is a rags-to-riches story
focusing on these five characters, but
another character is the city of
www.theasc.com
Compton itself," adds Gray, who helped
ensure the film was shot in L.A. County.
"Capturing that feeling of the 1980s and
Nineties was always a consideration.
These guys had simple, basic lives -
and, in a way, simple was better. So the
first third of the movie reflects that: The
lighting is simple, real and natural. But
September 2015
39
http://www.theasc.com
American Cinematographer - September 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - September 2015
Contents
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - Intro
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 1
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 2
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - Contents
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 4
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 5
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 6
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 7
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 8
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 9
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 10
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 11
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 12
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 13
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 14
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 15
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 16
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 17
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 18
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 19
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 20
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 21
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 22
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 23
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 24
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 25
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 26
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 27
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 28
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 29
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 30
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 31
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 32
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 33
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 34
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 35
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 36
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 37
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 38
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 39
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 40
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 41
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 42
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 43
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 44
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 45
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 46
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 47
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 48
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 49
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 50
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 51
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 52
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 53
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 54
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 55
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 56
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 57
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 58
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 59
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 60
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 61
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 62
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 63
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64a
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64b
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64c
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64d
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64e
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64f
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64g
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 64h
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 65
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 66
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 67
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 68
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 69
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 70
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 71
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 72
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 73
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 74
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 75
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 76
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 77
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 78
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 79
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 80
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 81
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 82
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 83
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 84
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 85
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 86
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American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 100
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American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 102
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American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 120
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - September 2015 - Cover4
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