But ideas are just ideas.
How did this project come your way in the first place?
POLLY MORGAN: It was just as simple as my agent called me and they sent along the script.
Image via Paramount Pictures
It was kind of intimidating, but it was really beautifully written.
Then also, it had so much heart to it with the journey of this family.
And obviously her work was so beautiful.
Photo by Mick Mayhew/Paramount Pictures
The first film was obviously more intimate.
So we talked a lot about how to move the camera.
There’s a lot more dynamic movement in this movie compared to the first one.
Photo by Mick Mayhew/Paramount Pictures
So that was something that we wanted to continue but also expand upon.
We looked at a variety of different films as references early on.
We looked atChildren of Menfor the action in the car sequence.
Image via Paramount
We looked atWar of the Worldsjust for that beginning, Day 1 prologue.
We also looked back to the references that he shared with Charlotte which is likeJaws.
Obviously, Steven Spielberg is one of the reasons that John wanted to get into filmmaking.
Image via Paramount Pictures
So it’s just such a big inspiration for him.
We looked at Jurassic Park and the movies that we all grew up watching.
He wanted to keep that feeling of nostalgia, but he wanted to take it somewhere.
Photo by Mick Mayhew/Paramount Pictures
He didn’t want to make the same movie.
So I’m glad to know I’m not crazy there.
MORGAN: No, no.
That’s something that I found was really prevalent throughout this film, especially in that flashback sequence.
And we shot these long shots, and we never got any coverage.
And again, it was very much how John wrote it.
That was her first take.
MORGAN: Yes, it was.
We ended up only doing two takes of that whole thing.
But the first take was the one that was used.
And I’m sure very stressful for you, as a cinematographer trying to put that whole thing together.
I mean, it was very complicated, but it’s one of those things about filmmaking.
Or with Emily and the baby, the real, small, quieter moments.
Or was the schedule a bit tighter?
So we didn’t have a lot of night hours.
And we also had two minors as our principal, so time was always tight.
And we spent a lot of time and he did focus a lot of his energy on that stuff.
What is he like just as a collaborator, from your perspective as a cinematographer?
Is he very specific about shot composition, and is he shot listing?
And John is not someone that likes to shot list, or to storyboard.
It was difficult because he showed us so many amazing locations that it was hard to choose.
And he had worked with John before, so that relationship was really important.
He had a really clear idea of how he saw it in his mind.
But I was curious what that was like from your perspective.
Were those sequences kind of designed in camera?
Was the cross cutting really specifically in mind as it was being shot?
MORGAN: Yeah, I mean, it’s hard for me to remember exactly now.
And so each character had their own journey to go on.
And I think that was a very clear design point.
I really loved that finale.
I saw that Jeff Nichols' moviegot a release date.
I love the idea of kind of expanding that universe with another filmmaker now.
You said this is the biggest film you’ve been on.
What did you kind of take away from this experience?
It’s been a few years now, I know everything kind of paused.
MORGAN: Yeah, I mean, I think it gave me a lot of confidence.
And I think that that’s really exciting.
I didn’t want to necessarily go straight on and do another bigger budget.
And I think that’s what really interests me.
Or if I did, it would take me a long time to be able to nail it.
And I can tell them an idea and they will execute it brilliantly in a really timely manner.
And so I never got to do the movie that I said I wanted to do because COVID hit.
And then when it did get rescheduled, I was about to have a baby.
So it didn’t happen.
Oh, I’m definitely confident that that’s the case.
You did a really wonderful job on this film.
And you couldn’t do much better than the diversity of the careers of a Libatique or a McGarvey.
Those are two really wonderfully diverse filmographies right there.
I mean, it’s so hard, isn’t it?
And so you really want to really be passionate about the story that you’re telling.
MORGAN: Precisely, yeah.
How isWhere the Crawdads Singgoing?
MORGAN: It’s going great.
So we have unfortunately been a little bit cursed with some bad weather.
So scheduling is tricky, but it’s going really well.
It’s got four weeks left now.
And I think lots of people working this film also felt the same about the book.
So yeah, hopefully we don’t get too delayed.
A Quiet Place Part IIis now playing only in theaters.
