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“I Don’t Want to Worry About Camera Settings”: DP Diego Tenorio on The Virgin of the Quarry Lake
Still from The Virgin of Quarry Lake The Virgin of the Quarry Lake takes place in Buenos Aires, 2001, when three teenage girls all for the same guy. Laura Casabé (The Returned) directs the tense, socioeconomically attuned coming-of-age story from a Benjamin Naishtat (Rojo) script.
The film screens as part of the World Dramatic Competition Below, Cinematographer Diego Tenorio (Tótem) talks about the detailed tests and planning that contributed to The Virgin of the Quarry Lake‘s look and adjusting to a shorter workday.
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?
Tenorio: Since this film was an international co-production between Argentina, Spain and Mexico, the Mexican production company (Caponeto) was tasked with finding a cinematographer. I was one of the options presented by my agency, 9AM, and since Caponeto presented me the project, I was really excited about it. Then. I had a detailed interview with the director, Laura Casabé, where we talked deeply about the human passions explored in the script. I believe connecting on that level was key to becoming part of this 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?
Tenorio: I wanted to delve into human nature and help create three-dimensional, complex characters. I aimed to craft everyday and natural atmospheres that also carried tension, building the sensation that a tiny spark could ignite a massive fire.
First, we developed a visual system for the film. For example, it was crucial to convey that the group of girls felt like a pack of wild dogs. We tested different aspect ratios and found that 1.85:1 worked best for framing the three of them. We also wanted the visual treatment to evoke a coming-of-age film, making the characters feel young and full of life. This led me to choose Leica R lenses rehoused by GL Optics, which combined smooth, creamy skin tones with excellent contrast.
Filmmaker: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether they be other films, or visual art, of photography, or something else?
Tenorio: During the conceptual phase, Laura and I discussed a lot of Latin American cinema, such as The Holy Girl by Lucrecia Martel. We were also deeply inspired by the photography of Bill Henson. Additionally, we often talked about music and pop references from 2000s Argentina while keeping in mind the socio-economic context of those years.
Filmmaker: What were the biggest challenges posed by production to those goals?
Tenorio: The biggest challenge for me was the working hours. In Mexico, film crews usually work 12-hour days, with about 10 hours on set. In Argentina, the standard workday is 8 hours and 45 minutes, which meant only around 6 hours on set. They also don’t work on Saturdays. This required us to be extremely efficient. Laura and I spent long hours planning and drawing out about 90 percent of the film to maximize our time.
Filmmaker: What camera did you shoot on? Why did you choose the camera that you did? What lenses did you use?
Tenorio: We used the Arri Alexa Mini LF. I feel very comfortable working with Arri cameras. I don’t want to worry about camera settings on set—I need my focus to be entirely on ensuring the narrative and visuals work. Arri cameras provide me with that reliability.
We used a set of Leica R lenses rehoused by GL Optics, along with an Angenieux Optimo 30-76mm zoom lens and an Angenieux 25-250mm zoom lens.
Filmmaker: Describe your approach to lighting.
Tenorio: My main goal with lighting was to create believable atmospheres—spaces and situations that feel like they could exist. However, I wanted these “believable” atmospheres to carry a subtle strangeness or unease, adding tension to the scenes.
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to realize and why? And how did you do it?
Tenorio: The most challenging scenes, photographically, were a series of sequences that needed to feel like they were set during the blue hour, just before dawn. However, since we shot during the austral summer, the blue hour only lasted about 15 minutes a day. To overcome this, I divided the scenes based on location and their geographic orientation. Some were shot very early, others very late. For certain scenes, we worked with the remaining sunlight but used large setups of negative fill to rely only on the soft light bouncing off the sky. This encompassed five dialogue-heavy scenes that culminated in a small fire and meticulous planning with the assistant director and the team was essential.
Filmmaker: Finally, describe the finishing of the film. How much of your look was “baked in” versus realized in the DI?
Tenorio: Post-production posed a unique challenge as we were all working remotely—Laura was in Spain, our colorist Leo Fallas was in Mexico City, and I was in Canada. However, the film’s style was very clear from the shoot, so we were able to finalize the look in just a few sessions.
TECH BOX
Film Title: The Virgin of the Quarry Lake
Camera: Arri Alexa Mini LF
Lenses: Leica R, Angenieux Optimo 30-76 mm, Angenieux 25-250 mm HR
Lighting: Arri M40, Arri M18, Nanlux 1200, Aputure 600x, Aputure 300x, Astera Titan.
Color Grading: Leo Fallas, Fermento Color, DaVinci Resolve Studio 19
