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JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 www.postmagazine.com 17 POST MAR/APR 2023 guys — some of the stunt guys are being lit on fire! You don't want to miss because every time you miss, things can go wrong." Can you talk about the original soundtrack? "Tyler Bates and Joel Richard, with Dylan England, who does a lot of the club music for us — an inde- pendent composer that comes in between those guys. I think this is my favorite music yet with all the themes. I love the tribute to the Spanish guitar, and we mix it up…The Rolling Stones to some pret- ty classic French stuff." Yet, the soundtrack comes across as having a very modern feel? "We want that. That's what Tyler's note was like: 'What's Tyler Bates 2025, not Tyler Bates 2014?' It's always asking like, 'What's Chad's next movie?' That's what's good about Tyler. If you look at his work, it's always building — some kind of atmo- spheric world building. There's always a tone and an atmosphere to it. Almost like the Blade Runner theme — it's taking you out somewhere and it's very unique to the movie. I think that's why I've always kind of restrained from needle drops in the past, because you want to be iconic and you want to be unique to your project. I'm proud of my composition team." The color grade really helps create this stylized world. "My colorist, Jill Bogdanowicz at Company 3, she is one of the biggest people in my post life, because I have to know how far I can stretch these things. Dan gives me the great foundation, but it takes Jill and DaVinci Resolve, (which) has come so far. There are colors in this movie that I couldn't even have done in the last movie. "Dan and I talk about that a lot. Dan gets me. I would like to think Dan loves me, but I push. Most DPs, if they are getting ten setups a day, that's a big day for them. I'm pushing to 30 to 50 setups a day…plus a look (that's) better than most action movies…I will spend four months working on our color palettes. We know that we're not going to get purples and pinks on the day, but if Dan gives me the shape and he pushes his reds or magenta that way, I know a DI can crank it. I know I can bring up Dan's blacks even more. Look at the set pieces. I'm in massive convention centers and museums. I have to know my DP's limitations. Dan can't put flags and hard cut lights on these these massive, wide, anamorphic shots. I know I'm going to have to just take that shape and enhance it. But then, when I get into the character studies and the close ups, Dan's in there and he's really shaping. You can tell, the Keanu half-face and half-lighting, and all that stuff — that takes a lot of work and time." In hindsight, what have you learned as this franchise evolved? "I think it starts with me. It comes out of me thinking, 'I should have foreseen that. I should have done something. How do I get to be better?' It's just, how do you do better at everything? How do you see it clearer in your head? How do you pay more attention to do certain things on-set? "I think the thing I learned the most is, everything matters. That's the greatest thing about this job — every little thing you learn, every little thing you read or you see, or every interpersonal interac- tion you have is a case study…I guess the biggest concern is, pay attention, attention to everything. Don't be too limited. Just pay attention. "I do John Wick (films) because there's no other gig that I've been offered that allows such free- dom, and it allows you to evolve." Do you get a break or are you on to your next project? "We're always working on something. That's the best part of having really-good people working for me. The answer is: I'm going to jump right back into work." Arri's Alexa LT was used for the 103-day shoot.