
“We Often Had to Reimagine Entire Setups”: DP Adolpho Veloso on Train Dreams

Train Dreams is the story of a day laborer played by Joel Edgerton as finds love and plays a part in the transformation of the American West. The film, an adaptation of Dennis Johnson’s novella of the same name, is a selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section.
Adolpho Veloso, who also worked with Bentley on 2021’s Jockey, served as the film’s DP. Below, he discusses the logistical challenges of two fire sequences and his fidelity to naturalism.
See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here.
Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job?
Veloso: Clint [Bentley, director] first reached out to me in 2019 when he was preparing to shoot his debut feature, Jockey. We worked together on that film, and since then, we’ve stayed in regular conversation about his next projects. I’d been reading drafts of Train Dreams from the very beginning, so by the time it came together, I already felt deeply connected to the story.
Honestly, I’d probably say yes to shooting anything Clint invited me to work on, but I feel fortunate that this was a story that resonated so deeply with me. I think Clint valued that connection and trusted I’d bring the same level of care and intention to this project as I did with Jockey.
What I value most about our collaboration is how we’ve grown together as filmmakers. Building a partnership over time creates room to evolve and push each other creatively. Clint and I share a lot of trust, which allows us the freedom to explore new approaches to language and storytelling with every project.
Filmmaker: What were your artistic goals on this film, and how did you realize them? How did you want your cinematography to enhance the film’s storytelling and treatment of its characters?
Veloso: When I first read the script, it really struck a chord with me. There was something about the story and the main character that felt deeply personal and familiar. That connection made me want to approach the cinematography in a way that felt close and intimate as if we were right there with him. To capture that authenticity, it was crucial to build a strong connection with Joel Edgerton, who played Robert Grainier. Having that trust allowed me to be present with the camera without interfering or making him feel restricted.
Clint and I had previously worked together on Jockey, where we often mixed first-time actors with seasoned ones and relied heavily on improvisation. For Train Dreams, the casting approach was different, but Clint wanted to carry forward that same loose, organic feel with the camera. We aimed to give the actors freedom and maintain the energy of improvisation. To support that, we used natural light and practical sources like candles and fire, which helped keep the sets as open and immersive as possible.
Visually, I wanted to pull the audience into Grainier’s world—the harsh yet beautiful landscapes of the early 20th-century American West and make it feel as raw and real as his emotional journey. At the same time, I wanted to avoid the sense of distance that period films can sometimes have. It was important to approach the cinematography in a way that made the story and characters feel immediate and relatable, allowing viewers to connect with them on a personal level.
Filmmaker: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether they be other films, or visual art, of photography, or something else?
Veloso: Absolutely. Dorothea Lange’s photography from the Great Depression was a major influence. The way she captured the weight of isolation and resilience in her subjects really stuck with me and felt like the perfect visual reference for Train Dreams. I wanted the film to carry that same emotional weight while staying grounded and real. Natural light was a big part of achieving that—it helps everything feel more believable and brings the audience closer to the characters.
[Andrei] Tarkovsky was another significant inspiration, particularly his use of intimate framing in films like Mirror and Stalker. I love how he portrays nature as something alive, almost like a character in its own right. That resonated with the way nature isolates Grainier in Train Dreams. We used a mix of headroom, tight framing, and wide shots to make Grainier feel either trapped or small within the vast landscape.
Wong Kar-wai’s use of slow shutter speeds also influenced the film, especially in the key dream sequence. It helped create a hazy, dreamlike quality, blurring the lines between memory and reality and added an emotional texture that set that moment apart from the rest of the film.
At the heart of it, I wanted the cinematography to find beauty in the chaos—to capture those fleeting, magical moments even in the harshest conditions. Balancing intimacy with the scale of Grainier’s world was central to bringing the story to life.
Filmmaker: What were the biggest challenges posed by production to those goals?
Veloso: The tight schedule was definitely the biggest challenge. We didn’t have much time, and the script was really ambitious, so we had to be super-efficient while still sticking to the natural light approach and maintaining that intimate, immersive style. On top of that, we were constantly adapting to things like changing weather and unexpected issues. It was a lot to juggle, and we often had to reimagine entire setups in a matter of minutes. Having a crew that could roll with the punches and come up with alternatives on the fly was absolutely crucial.
Filmmaker: What camera did you shoot on? Why did you choose the camera that you did? What lenses did you use?
Arri Alexa 35. We chose the Alexa 35 because it was perfect for the natural, grounded style we wanted for Train Dreams. Its incredible dynamic range made it ideal for handling natural light and the tricky contrasts of fire and candlelight. Additionally, its compact size and versatility allowed us to stay close to the characters and move quickly, which was exactly what we needed.
Kowa Cine Prominar Spherical Lenses, Zeiss Super Speed Lenses, Angenieux Optimo 12x Ultra 26-320mm.
Filmmaker: Describe your approach to lighting.
Veloso: The lighting had to feel as believable as possible, which is why we relied heavily on natural light, fire and candles. The goal was to make the light feel grounded and real, as if it naturally belonged to the world, rather than being artificially added. Creating an atmosphere true to the story was always the aim.
Our gaffer Kevin Cook, and key grip, Ryan Fritz, really rose to the challenge. They designed brilliant systems to enhance and soften the candlelight, and their work made a huge difference in achieving the warm, natural look we were aiming for.
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to realize and why? And how did you do it?
Veloso: The two major fire scenes were definitely the most challenging to pull off. One was from Grainier’s perspective, where we wanted the fire to feel completely natural and grounded, just like the rest of the film. The moment he faces a massive wall of fire was particularly tricky because we couldn’t create something like that for real. Instead, we relied on artificial lighting, which was later substituted with VFX. To keep it authentic, we shot the scene practically in a burnt forest, and the lighting team built a massive structure of lights to mimic the glow and movement of the fire. The biggest challenge was matching it to the real fire used in other parts of the film, ensuring it blended seamlessly with the naturalistic style.
The other scene, from Gladys’s perspective, was completely different. This sequence needed to feel more like a dream, with her more immersed in the fire. To achieve that, we shot with a slow shutter speed, giving it a surreal, hypnotic quality. Since adding fire with VFX over light fixtures would have been messy and time-consuming, we filmed this scene on a volume stage. That gave us full control over the environment and allowed us to create a scene that was essentially ready to go with minimal post-production.
Both scenes were technically and creatively demanding, but the contrast between them—the raw, grounded perspective of Grainier and the dreamlike quality of Gladys—made them some of the most exciting and rewarding to shoot. None of it would have been possible without the incredible work of our crew.
Filmmaker: Finally, describe the finishing of the film. How much of your look was “baked in” versus realized in the DI?
Veloso: Almost everything was baked in. We relied heavily on what we captured on set—natural light, practical sources, and the textures we created in-camera. During the DI, Serginho Pasqualino Jr., our colorist and long-time collaborator, worked beautifully to enhance what was already there. He brought out the texture and made everything feel even more cohesive while keeping it grounded and real.
TECH BOX
Film Title: Train Dreams
Camera: Alexa 35
Lenses: Kowa Cine Prominar Spherical Lenses, Zeiss Super Speed Lenses, Angenieux Optimo 12x Ultra 26-320mm
Color Grading: Bleach