Posts Tagged ‘director of photography’

Nowhere Road plays upon the motifs and iconography of some of the most horrific films of the genre; films like Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left.  These slasher classics submerged you in a world that was totally unsettling.  They felt filthy…decrepit.  You could smell the decay as you entered the old Texas plantation house.  That’s how I wanted Nowhere Road to feel.  I wanted it to feel nauseating.

I tried to think of what made me most uncomfortable, photographically.  I continually found myself returning to old Polaroids from the mid seventy’s.  The format doesn’t weather well.  The color of these old instant mementos is garish and unflattering- a facsimile of life without truly capturing it. A crisp black and white photograph from the 1950’s can feel totally timeless.  Yet, a Polaroid from the 70’s is held hostage, captured by its era. There’s something disquieting about these images.  As I stare at the faces of these old photos, I wonder whether these people are still alive.  That’s how the photography of Nowhere Road should feel.

The choice to go hand-held was largely a necessity.  The confined quarters of the RV allowed very limited mobility.  This proved to be a creative asset, as the the location feels stifling, claustrophobic, and utterly inescapable.  It forced us to be very nimble with the camera, especially where reflections were concerned.   Our camera operator, Andrew Davis, worked absolute miracles in the coffin-like environment.  He was continually ready to try shots that I had abandoned as lost causes.  The mood of the film owes a great debt to his creative camera work.

The cramped quarters proved equally challenging for grip and lighting.  In order to stay agile and free-floating with the camera, our interior lighting had to be minimal… practical.  We needed the ability to see everything– floor to ceiling.  To meet this challenge we employed single tube Kino Flos and low wattage Soft White practicals.  Noah Dille (Additional Photography/ Gaffer) instantly got the feel for our approach.  Grip and lighting worked like ninjas, cramming fixtures into the tiniest crevasses, painstakingly shaping the light with the precision of artists. Noah’s lighting was fast, intuitive, and flexible to the frequent demands of our widening frame.

Zach Kramer’s Production Design cemented the look of the project.  I was fortunate enough to meet with Zach on at least two occasions during pre-production. Together with Ben, we spoke at length about the “feel” of the environment.  Having been brought on late in the game, I hadn’t yet built a “look-book” for the film.  I could only hope that my descriptions were sinking in… making sense.  I arrived on set to find the RV perfectly matched my mental image.  Every detail was there; the wood-laminate paneling, the dirty fishing gear, the remnants of a meal long forgotten. The brother’s environment had to feel completely tangible… and it did.

Throughout the entire process, my primary goal was to provide Director Benjamin Dynice with a photographic environment that was flexible enough to meet his needs… to tell his story.  Ben is exceptionally well organized. He entered the project with a keen sense of how he wanted the action staged and how he wanted the image framed. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans encounter obstacles.  Ben met these challenges head on.  He remained  resourceful and adaptive into the the wee hours of the morning (and beyond).  At points in the evening when I was exhausted and completely unable to riddle my way out of a photographic puzzle, Ben was clear-headed  and ready to make concise decisions.  Ben remained calm and rational when others might well have fallen to the chaos.

Nowhere Road was a rare pleasure. I think a very special “thank you” should be given to “the two Nicks” (Nick Huizing- Best Boy Electric and Nick Priess- Set Lighting Technician).  These two worked tirelessly the entire shoot.  When I was staggering to my car, exhausted and catatonic, “the Nicks” were staring down the barrel of an additional six hours of work.  I don’t know how they did it, but I’m tremendously thankful.  Additionally, I’d like to thank Morgan Jenkins (Steadicam Operator).  Morgan trekked out to a remote, desolate, desert location only to get rained out right before we began to shoot.    My hat’s off to the entire crew.  Thank you for making Nowhere Road such a rewarding experience.