AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW: That’s all Ryan [Coogler].
I have a heavy background in music videos.
I came up shooting them and lots of fashion films.
Image by Eli Adé
And I was kind of nervous and curious, What?
Then he asked me if I wanted to direct the video.
I immediately replied, Yes, of course, and that was how it went down.
Image by Eli Adé
ARKAPAW: That’s a good question.
Hoyte and I have the same commercial agent, so I got his number and gave him a call.
We have not met in person yet.
I’m a big fan of his work, and I hear great things from our mutual friends.
He was very forthcoming with advice, but our conversation was more about his love for the format.
It’s very special and I already miss it, which he said too.
Image via Eli Adé
You never have enough time to tell the story.
I had such a great experience on this one, and the whole process was very rewarding.
I had a fantastic crew with me, most of whom are people I work with all the time.
Image via Warner Bros.
Our team is like family, and everyone did such an amazing job on this tall order project.
All of that shows in the final product, which is a testament to Ryan.
He is amazing at building a great team and leading them to victory.
I shot a film directly beforeSinnerson 16mm.
It was great, I was able to get my hands on film again.
I haven’t shot a feature on film for a while.
On my first feature, I was lucky enough to shoot 35mm.
My first love has always been film, Im always trying to make digital look like film.
IMAX is my favorite format, and I just love it.
The film has 25 minutes of that full frame, IMAX exclusive expanded aspect ratio.
Did you debate doing more, or how did you figure out that number?
ARKAPAW: We dont end up there to meet a number.
That number eventually occurs because of Ryan’s choices in the edit with our editor, Michael Shawver.
We ultimately shot more than originally planned on IMAX.
Our scenes grew after we started using it more and more.
Ryan and I definitely fell in love with the format.
Everyone was down for the cause and excited to make it happen.
Which is generally the case when Ryan is leading the charge.
He does a great job of getting everyone inspired by the craft.
One of my favorite sets Hannah Beachler built was the church.
Its one of my favorite scenes Ill ever shoot; that decision will go down in history for me.
ARKAPAW: The 1.90 ratio is an IMAX exclusive ratio mostly reserved for digital pictures.
On my IMAX ground glass, I had ticks for 2.76, 2.39, 1.90, and 1.43.
The result is a central framing that optimizes the IMAX experience.
I was actually with Ryan at the time.
We were shooting a Rod Wave music video for a song on our soundtrack.
We were in a follow van doing some car mount shots.
ARKAPAW: We work with David Keighley at IMAX, and hes told me the numbers a few times.
I need to refresh my memory, but yes, it’s a limited amount with 70mm film projection.
What format did you watch it in?
I’m sure it was digital.
I watched it at the AMC Burbank 16, which is a phenomenal IMAX theater.
I love that theater, and it looked amazing, but I don’t think it was film.
ARKAPAW: Yeah, it wasn’t.
You saw it in 1.90.
It’s pretty epic.
The sequence is incredible.
Can you talk about filming that sequence?
Everyone I know who has seen the movie raves about that scene.
It stands out when you read the script.
5 shots make up that sequence.
Three steadicam shots that were shot on our mill set on stage.
The 4th shot is a VFX takeover as it tilts up to the roof.
We used a burning roof plate for VFX that we shot on our last day of photography.
The three Steadicam shots were on IMAX, 15 perf.
It took a lot of coordination, but Ryan loves those kinds of shots.
He gets very, very excited about doing oners and coordinating with all the different departments.
We knew we had something really special after we saw it all cut together.
The music kicks in perfectly just as the camera booms down on their backs.
That sequence is spectacular.
I read that there was a sketch on a napkin, and it was dubbed into a whole thing.
Can you talk about how you figured out how you wanted to film him, especially using IMAX cameras?
He was our 2nd unit VFX Supervisor onBlack Panther 2.
Ryan always appreciates photography that is grounded in reality, even if we’re doing VFX.
Especially when you’re shooting film and shooting on a format so resolute.
I don’t want anything to degrade the image.
Michaels micro signals for communication and emotion had to be replicated identically.
Our shots where the twins were touching were the most complex.
They’re tumbling around with each other, and their faces are very close.
A lot of work went into those scenes, and it all turned out beautiful and realistic.
I always want to ensure that the final result feels real.
Thats something I take very seriously and love to work with the VFX team on.
We shot it all in Steadicam, which is very hard to do.
Michael was such an ace, and the two performances are fantastic.
I feel like they are two different people when I watch the film.
Let’s just hope no one invites the vampires inside… ARKAPAW: The script is on the screen.
I usually don’t watch the final film until the edit is locked.
It truly doesnt feel like anything is missing; everything worked so well.
You honestly fall in love with every scene, Im happy most of them made it.
When I was shooting it, every scene was so special.
There are so many comical scenes.
There are so many dramatic scenes.
I love the action scenes.
That has changed in the edit and works marvelously.
Oh, that’s so interesting.
I love how Jack jumps into the IMAX frame, it’s such a powerful moment in the edit.
That whole sequence we ended up shooting on IMAX, which wasnt our first plan.
That’s one of my favorite scenes, 100%.
Sinnersis now playing in theaters and IMAX.
Your Rating
Your comment has not been saved
Cast
Get Tickets
