American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 91

Unit photography by Matt Nettheim. Images and frame grabs courtesy of The Weinstein Co. Additional images courtesy of Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS and Anwyn Watkins.

Opposite: Robyn
Davidson (Mia
Wasikowska)
journeys across
Australia's diverse
landscapes in the
feature Tracks.
This page, top:
Photographer Rick
Smolan (Adam
Driver) joins
Davidson for a
brief sojourn.
Bottom:
Cinematographer
Mandy Walker,
ASC, ACS.

Wasikowska as Davidson and Adam
Driver as Smolan. To help realize the
story, director John Curran called on
cinematographer Mandy Walker, ASC,
ACS. "Robyn went on a very well-documented journey across diverse landscapes - salt pans, claypans, red dirt
hills, scrub and dry river beds; we
couldn't possibly re-create the entire
journey because of the physical
distance," Walker recounts. "A lot of
time in preproduction was spent looking
for these landscapes within a relatively
compact area. We were based in the
South Australian town of Parachilna,
and from there we traveled to various
locations contained within two large
properties, each about 500,000 acres,
near the Flinders Ranges." Additionally,
Coffin Bay was used for Davidson's
triumphant arrival at the end of
her journey. Principal photography
commenced in October 2012.
Curran was adamant that Tracks
be shot on 35mm anamorphic with two
cameras supported on dollies, cranes and
Steadicam. "John was determined that
using a kinetic, handheld approach with
a digital format was not the way he saw

this film," recalls Walker. "The more we
looked at our references and location
stills, it only strengthened our resolve to
shoot on film with multi-camera,
elegant camera moves, and considered,
composed shots and coverage of the
scenes. John made compromises in
order to stretch the budget, because he
believed 35mm anamorphic - with its
detail, clarity of color and specific artifacts of anamorphic lensing - would
www.theasc.com

provide the most consistently poetic,
painterly images.
"The style of the camerawork was
determined by contrasting the vast,
open landscape with the minutiae of
[Davidson's] experience," the cinematographer continues. "In the early
part of the journey, when she is walking
across orange sand dunes, happy and
confident, we used really long tracking
shots to glide with Mia across the
October 2014

91


http://www.theasc.com

American Cinematographer - October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - October 2014

Contents
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 1
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 2
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - Contents
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 4
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 5
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 6
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 7
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 8
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 9
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 10
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 11
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 12
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 13
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 14
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 15
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 16
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 17
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 18
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 19
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 20
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 21
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 22
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 23
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 24
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 25
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 26
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 27
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 28
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 29
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 30
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 31
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 32
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 33
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 34
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 35
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 36
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 37
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 38
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 39
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 40
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 41
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 42
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 43
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 44
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 45
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 46
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 47
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 48
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 49
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 50
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 51
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 52
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 53
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 54
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - I3
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - I4
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 55
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 56
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 57
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 58
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 59
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 60
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 61
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 62
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 63
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 64
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 65
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 66
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 67
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 68
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 69
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 70
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 71
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 72
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 73
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 74
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 75
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 76
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 77
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 78
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - I1
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - I2
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 79
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 80
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 81
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 82
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 83
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 84
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 85
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 86
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 87
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 88
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 89
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 90
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 91
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 92
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 93
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American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 100
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 101
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 102
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 103
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 104
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 105
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 106
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 107
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American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 110
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 111
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 112
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 113
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 114
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 115
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - 116
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - October 2014 - Cover4
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