Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1536119
o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 1 3 the people who are doing the work behind their computer screens in a different country at a later point in time. So they understand the storytelling, the message, her lighting, her lenses, what the film does. It was really interesting. For instance, we heard from some of our VFX partners that they had to retrain people on how to work with film, because digital has been around and predominantly been used for such a long time. A lot of the younger compositors were like, "What is this? What do you mean 'dust busting' and all that?" It was very different and very challenging, but also very rewarding. James Alexander: Aer filming for weeks in the swamp, the culmi- nation of that part of the production was Remmick's death scene. We of course had spoken to Ryan about what he wanted to see, and it was storyboarded and visualized. We then collaborated with the special effects, special-effects makeup, and stunts teams—being in- terwoven with production design, costume design, cinematography, and everything else up to that point. Those final things that we filmed in the swamp were with the stunt people in the water, with pyro, prosthetic makeup, and all that kind of stuff. I was a huge horror fan as a kid, so interacting with that practical makeup and all of the blood, guts, gore, flames, and horrify- ing stuff that came along with it was such a thrill. But the real reward, I think, is the culmination of the communica- tion that we had up until that point. Of course, Ryan drives every- thing. But when Ryan's dealing with other things, I see visual effects as a nexus of communication—we want to bring in all of the other departments and work with them as collaboratively as possible, so we can achieve the very best results. It's always challenging—it's really tough to keep all of those plates spinning. But when it comes together—as I think it did in that scene— it's so cool to see. I think it's the communication between the de- partments, the collaboration, and bringing everyone together that is the most satisfying part of the job. What did you enjoy most about being a part of this project? Michael Ralla: With Ryan, it's the collaboration and trust. He's a phenomenal filmmaker, so you know no matter what, it will be a Michael B. Jordan & Ryan Coogler on location in Louisiana. good film. To me, it's the human component behind the camera. We were really looking forward to going on set every day, and Louisiana is not an easy place to shoot a film—the weather, alligators walking on set, and all of that. Ryan knew everyone on set and their names, and that to me is really the biggest component of this. You can feel that in the final product. That's the one thing that, in my opinion, film captures that digital may not—the quote unquote "vibes" and all of that. People would say the blood, sweat, and tears, but I think to me, it's more heart and soul that goes into this. Which really transcends onto the audience, it seems, because you can feel what's happening. To me, that's also one of Ryan's superpowers. He's got this un- usually high level of emotional intelligence where he can not just feel what Michael [B. Jordan] feels in this moment on set, but he actu- ally feels what the person is feeling, who Michael is playing. And that gives you these extraordinary performances. James Alexander: My favorite experiences on this film were when we shot nights in the Louisiana swamps. The exterior for the Juke it- self was in an area right next to a bayou. There were literally alligators cruising by, feet from video village. It was really challenging to shoot there. As the sun goes down and the lights come on, the bugs come out. We developed systems to get through the night with bug repel- lent and all kinds of equipment. But I think that challenging filming environment really brought everybody together. Michael and I were fortunate that we got to work together on this, which is undoubtedly the coolest project that I've ever been involved with. I'm so proud of the work that we did together. I got to work with one of my greatest friends. We drove to the set every day together. We would wake up early, have a cup of coffee, put on some heavy metal, and talk about the plans for the day. That would naturally evolve into, "What problems do we have to solve today? What challenges do we have to deal with? What's coming up next? Who can we support, or who do we need to get in touch with?" So just being able to still be friends at the end of it is no mean feat. We're very lucky to be able to work together as enjoyably and efficiently as we have done.