American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 40

PROFESSIONAL ASCENT
Tony's relationship
with Dickie begins to
shape his future as
boss of the Soprano
crime family.
cinematographer says his approach to the grand interiors of Casterly
Rock, the House of Lannister's power base, was inspired by churches
he had visited and paintings by Caravaggio. " In order to make a fantasy
world, I have to go back to the real world, " he submits. " Fantasy is based
on what we know. "
His experience on epic television series effectively prepared Morgenthau
to shoot major-budget movies. " Doing that kind of big storytelling
laid the groundwork for working on something like Thor: The Dark
World, " he says, noting that projects like Thor and Terminator Genisys
demand smooth collaborative workflows with visual-effects teams. But
Morgenthau kept returning to more grounded dramas with the Creed
sequel, a J.D. Salinger biopic (Rebel in the Rye), HBO's remake of Fahrenheit
451 and the Netflix adaptation of the Broadway show American Son.
Musical Inspirations
One might observe that Morgenthau's work on Respect combined some
of the elements apparent in his prior efforts: Aretha Franklin's musical
powers are certainly epic, and her heart-wrenching personal life yields
indelible drama. Starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin, the biopic tracks
Aretha's rise from precociously talented daughter of a famous minister
(played by Forest Whitaker) to globally renowned star. The history includes
a traumatic childhood (Franklin became a mother at age 12) and
the passionate but volatile relationship she experienced with her first
husband and manager, Ted White (Marlon Wayans). " Music has always
been a part of my life, " says Morgenthau, who has played the guitar since
the age of 15. " I have a deep love and appreciation for R&B and soul, so
it was a dream experience for me to be able to shoot a movie about that
music. "
Director Liesl Tommy says this particular sensitivity made Morgenthau
the ideal cinematographer for her debut feature. " What really stood
out to me was the way Kramer and I were able to talk about music, " she
says. " I knew I needed to have a DP who deeply understood rhythm and
musicality, because I come from a musical-theater background. "
Respect is punctuated with scenes depicting recording sessions and
concert performances, which illustrate Franklin's creative process, provide
insights into her musical collaborations, and reveal key moments as
the singer begins realizing her full potential. One such sequence details
40 / DECEMBER 2021
the recording of Franklin's first hit, " I Never Loved a Man, " as Aretha
and the musicians work out the riffs, tone and bass line. " I lit it in a
way that allowed the camera to float around 'musically' in 360 degrees, "
says Morgenthau, who recalled lessons he'd learned while filming Small
Wonders, Allan Miller's 1995 documentary about a violin teacher who instructs
underprivileged children in East Harlem. " Allan always wanted
to have a camera moving with the music, even on a documentary, " he
says, describing the camerawork in Respect as being " like a dancer that's
dancing to the songs Aretha's singing: flying and floating like a butterfly,
either on a crane or on a Steadicam. " He credits the Steadicam operator
Heathcote for helping to achieve that feeling.
Both Morgenthau and Tommy single out another scene, in which the
camera circles a young Franklin (played by Skye Dakota Turner) as she
sings, and then transitions seamlessly into a shot of the adult Aretha
(played by Hudson). Morgenthau notes that Hudson's vocal performances
were shot live for most of the movie. " When you're in the room with
her as she's singing, it just gives you chills, " he says.
Generally, Tommy and Morgenthau envisioned a structure for the
film that contrasts the formality of Franklin's upbringing in her father's
house, in 1950s Detroit, with her life in 1960s New York, where she finds
her voice. As Tommy describes this arc, Aretha is moving from " something
a little bit fragile and psychological [to] something really free. "
Throughout the shoot, Tommy and Morgenthau worked to portray
the people on screen in all their beauty. " I really wanted the Black audience
to feel loved and seen and valued, " Tommy says, " and there was
really an emotionality to the way Kramer lit the actors that is profound
to me. I'm so profoundly moved with how beautiful [and how soulful] he
made them - they glow, you know? - which is what I wanted. "
Morgenthau's versatility may reflect his eclectic exposure to the arts
while growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He remembers his father,
a producer at the local television station WGBH, taking him to see
big Hollywood movies like Rocky, but also edgy fare like The Harder They
Come. That kind of range has served him well, and Morgenthau seems
energized by working on the big-budget, Christmas-themed Spirited.
" It's like a huge musical from the Golden Age of Hollywood, updated and
mashed up, " he says. " It's so different than anything I've done - and it's
a lot of fun. "

American Cinematographer - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - December 2021

Contents
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 1
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - Contents
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 3
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 4
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 5
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 6
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 7
American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 8
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American Cinematographer - December 2021 - 18
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American Cinematographer - December 2021 - Cover3
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