Authors — Filmmaker Staff
-
“A Love Letter to South London”: DP Olan Collardy on Rye Lane
Two recently-heartbroken 20-somethings spend a day kindling an unexpected romance in Rye Lane, Raine Allen-Miller’s debut feature with a script by Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia. As Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah) galavant through South London’s Peckham neighborhood, they begin to mend lingering wounds from past relationships and inch closer to the prospect of falling in love again. Cinematographer Olan Collardy discusses his desire to subvert rom-com conventions, Rye Lane‘s “eclectic mix of influences” and the challenges of shooting the film’s boat rendezvous scene. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 27, 2023 -
“We Had To Protect the Chemistry of the Cast Whilst Maintaining Social Distance”: DP Aaron McLisky on Talk to Me
Twin brothers (and YouTube filmmakers) Danny and Michael Philippou have crafted a ghost story for the influencer age with <i>Talk to Me</i>, their feature debut. When a mummified hand comes into the possession of a group of Australian teenagers, they record members of the group falling under a supernatural spell—channeling the dead when they clasp the hand and utter the requisite incantation: “talk to me.” However, if they allow the spirit to possess their body for more than 90 seconds, they effectively allow the entity to control their mind and body for eternity. With a crowd of teens recording the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 27, 2023 -
“Vodka Is Very Good for You” | Justin Chon, Jamojaya
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? COVID had a deep impact on every aspect of film making during the production of Jamojaya. We couldn’t even get dry ice on Oahu, Hawaii because there were supply chain issues. The biggest issue we had was securing locations. Fears of lawsuits and/or liability made building owners very hesitant. We needed a conference room with windows. Ultimately, we repurposed a […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 27, 2023 -
“The Gorgeous Light of LA Sunsets Always Seemed To Come Too Soon”: DP Derek Howard on The Tuba Thieves
The very real news story of tuba thefts occurring at a series of Southern California schools is the inspiration for The Tuba Thieves, visual artist Alison O’Daniel’s feature debut. Yet the film isn’t really about these odd crimes, focusing instead on abstract notions of sound and what is means to “listen,” particularly as it pertains to the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing experience, a theme that has fueled much of O’Daniel’s artistic output. The film’s cinematographer, Derek Howard, discusses how being an outsider to LA helped him capture the city more honestly, the benefits of his documentary background and the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 27, 2023 -
“We Lost Quite a Bit of Time Waiting Out Lightning Storms”: DP Brian Lannin on The Starling Girl
Seventeen-year-old Jem Starling can’t help but feel out of place in her fundamentalist Christian community. The only person who seems to understand her is Owen (Lewis Pullman), her church’s youth pastor. He’s more than eager to get close to Jem (despite being a married man), making for a complicated relationship that will inevitably bear harsher consequences for Jem than her older male counterpart. Brian Lannin, the film’s cinematographer, discusses his collaboration with director Laurel Parmet (who also happens to be his fiancé), the Kentucky shoot’s unpredictable weather and the film’s most difficult scene to shoot. See all responses to our […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 27, 2023 -
“One of Our Sets Burned Down” | Chloe Domont, Fair Play
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? One of our sets burned down the week before we were supposed to film there. It was a bar location at a theater warehouse. We were like, “Okay, what now? We don’t have a set.” It was also tricky because we were filming at another part of that location already, and another company move would have killed us that day. […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2023 -
“We Had to Be Extra Quiet Moving Around”: DP Filip Drożdż on Pianoforte
Founded in 1927, the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition provides the dramatic stage for Jakub Piątek’s Pianoforte. Tracking some of the talented performers from around the world entering the competition, Piątek’s crowdpleasing documentary, which premiered at Sundance 2023, is lensed by his longtime collaborator Filip Drożdż, who discusses his work on the project below. 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? Drożdż: I’ve known the director, Jakub Piątek, for a long time. We used to work on many different projects together […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2023 -
“A Rom-com That Knows Exactly What It Is”: Editor Victoria Boydell on Rye Lane
Director Raine Allen Miller brings a fresh feeling to the traditional romcom with Rye Lane, her Sundance 2023-premiering film set to drop on Hulu later this year. Following accountant Dom (David Jonsson) as he spends a day walking-and-talking around south London, a la Before Sunrise, with free-spirited costumer designer Yas (Vivian Oparah). Below, editor Victoria Voydell discusses her work on the stylish feature debut. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Boydell: I had mentioned to my agent that I was […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2023 -
“What Would the Spirit of These Influences Feel Like in Orange County?” DP Michael Fernandez on The Accidental Getaway Driver
Collateral meets The Desperate Hours against the backdrop of issues of Vietnamese immigration and assimilation in this Orange County-set thriller that marks the feature directorial debut of music video director Sing J. Lee. Below, cinematographer Michael Fernandez discusses his work in filming this Sundance 2023 premiering thriller, in which an elderly Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage by three recently escaped prisoners. 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? Fernandez: I had a built a relationship with the director over the last […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2023 -
“We Could Have Easily Ended Up Without Any Protagonists” | Jakub Piątek, Pianoforte
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? One of the obvious obstacles for us was lockdown. We are telling a mosaic story with different protagonists and, during the process, we found out that we couldn’t visit some of them because of COVID and really long quarantines in some countries. We asked our friends from the Film School in Łódź for help and built local teams to replace […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 25, 2023
