Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1505509
spiration was Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, and we wanted the same slow-burn feel with color that captured the richness of the Amalfi coast, that had the look of a painting — not a bright one, but a moody one full of contrast. We shot on the Arri Alexa, and I love old anamorphic lenses, so we did a lot of testing and playing around with the look in prep as (Bob and I) were based in Rome, and on weekends we'd go and walk all the steps in our lo- cations. We'd take a lot of photos and we both lost a lot of weight doing that." How tough was the shoot? "It was tough in terms of all the logis- tics. The Amalfi roads are so narrow and crowded. We also shot in Naples, and that was really tough. It's a rougher city that reminds me of New York in the '70s. Everyone was very cooperative, but it can be quite dangerous. In the end we were on-location for 72 days and I was living there for six months, from the start of prep to wrapping." What was the most difficult sequence to shoot?" "The whole ending was the most com- plicated, as we had to shoot it in a few different places in order to create one place, mainly because of our sched- ule and the locations. We had to pop around and redesign some buildings that we'd used before so we could use them again. It wasn't the plan but it's hard to get permits there, so it was complicated in that way. But the filming itself wasn't a problem." Where did you do all the post? "All here in LA, and I did a lot of it at my home, although we were set up on the lot at Sony for all the sound mixing and effects and so on. During COVID we began using Evercast, and I find it so helpful doing the editing with Conrad Buff. It's just the two of us in my home office, and we work as long as we want. No more commuting." Talk about editing with Conrad Buff, who's cut many of your films and who won the Oscar for cutting Titanic. His credits include Snow White and the Huntsman and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. What were the big editing challenges? "After all the movies together, we know each other pretty well and this one needed to find its footing and balance, especially as it's set abroad. It's all about finding the right pace and rhythm and tone, and I wanted that slow-burn, where the character gradually unravels and you peel back the layers. But there's also the pressure of keeping an audience really with you, in an era where movies often feel like fast food to me, so that was a big challenge." What was the most difficult sequence to cut? "Getting the ending just right is always tricky and I discovered it in the last of the test screenings we did. We shot three different endings, although I knew what I wanted, which was a little darker of an ending. I thought we had it, but then we reworked it after that test, and then the audience were clapping and cheering at the lighter ending, and you realize that people want to leave feeling good. You have to satisfy the audience, especially in a film like this where there's violence and darkness." You're well known for your love of location shooting and doing as much as possible in-camera. Fair to say you're not a big fan of working with VFX? "You're right. You need VFX on pret- ty much every movie nowadays, but I don't lean towards using them and I just don't have the patience to deal with the process. I usually work with VFX supervisor Rob Legato, who won Oscars for Titanic, Hugo and The Jungle Book, but he shot 2nd unit on this, and James McQuaide was the VFX super- visor. Most of the VFX were adding to and enhancing locations, so when we shot a vineyard that was supposed to be in Sicily, we used them to add the background mountains. As for the explosions in Naples, we did them live on-camera, but then used VFX to add to the plates, as I couldn't shoot on the streets in Naples, so we shot it in Rome and did plates in Naples. Something like that is where VFX are so helpful." Talk about the importance of sound and music to you. "It's hard to over-stress their importance and how powerful they are in the whole experience. I love music and sound de- sign, and they help color a scene and can transform it and make it stronger. They can tell a story, but I also think there's often a tendency to over-use score, and sometimes it's far more effective when you use music sparingly, or even not at all in places. I worked very closely with my composer, Marcelo Zarvos, who also scored Emancipation for me, about the storytelling, and then with the sound team at Sony, and it's one of my favorite parts of post." What about the DI? "I always work with Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3, and he and Bob, the DP, already worked very closely on the look and baked it into what we shot, along with the DIT. And I'm also very involved in the DI sessions." I hear you're doing a biopic about Michael Jackson next? "Yes, it's going ahead and we start filming this October. It stars his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as Michael, and Graham King, who did Bohemian Rhapsody, is producing, so it's very exciting." Dealing with some of the darker issues in his life will be tricky. "You're right, but you can't ignore them — and I don't want to. It's going to tell his story and the truth, and let the facts fall where they fall." www.postmagazine.com 13 POST JULY/AUG 2023 Actress Dakota Fanning was part of the 72-day shoot. Company 3 will handle the color grade.