Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC once again finds himself in the awards season conversation--this time for two movies that are as different from one another as anyone could imagine: Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures) and Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Studios). They are also on opposite ends of the continuum of collaboration for Prieto--Barbie being his first time working with director and co-writer (with Noah Baumbach) Greta Gerwig, and Killers of the Flower Moon continuing a creative bond that goes back a decade with its director and co-writer (with Eric Roth) Martin Scorsese.
Prieto’s history with Scorsese goes back to the 2013 release, The Wolf of Wall Street, and extends through such features as Silence and The Irishman, as well as the limited series Vinyl. Prieto is a three-time Best Cinematography Oscar nominee--the first for Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, and then for Silence and The Irishman. Those three films also earned Prieto nominations for the ASC Award, as did director Julie Taymor’s Frida.
Prieto noted that the priority on Killers of the Flower Moon was to fully do justice to the Osage story. At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons, Killers of the Flower Moon is driven by a screenplay from Scorsese and Roth based on David Grann’s best-selling book of the same title.
The film, recalled Prieto, was “evolving constantly. The script itself was shifting, changing, research was ongoing.” Initially the plan was to focus on FBI agent Tom White (a role taken on by Plemons) but that shifted to a script centered on the romance between Ernest and Mollie, with the former’s greed--fueled and masterminded by his uncle, William Hale (De Niro)--leading to tragedy, and underscoring a harrowing chapter in American history that had otherwise been given short shrift.
Paramount in Prieto’s mind was being respectful of the Osage culture, which prompted him to do extensive research. He and Scorsese wanted, for example, to make sure indigenous rituals were accurately represented, a prime case in point being the burial of Lizzie (Mollie’s mother). “We learned that burials happen when sun is at its zenith--typically the time of day cinematographers avoid,” related Prieto. “It’s not very flattering for faces. Things tend to look flat.” Still Prieto grappled with that in order to accurately depict the culture.
This quest for accuracy also translated into Scorsese and Prieto embracing an anamorphic widescreen format to capture the magic of the vast Oklahoma landscapes, coupled with an authentic period look. Prieto shot primarily on 35mm film using Arricam LT and ST cameras with Panavision T-series anamorphic lenses and Petzval anamorphic lenses. A Sony VENICE camera was used for select digital scenes while a Phantom Flex camera was deployed for super slow motion sequences. And hand-cranked newsreel footage was captured on Scorsese’s personal 1917 Bell and Howell camera.
The Panavision T series lenses were modified with optics from yesteryear so that the look wouldn’t come off as modern. Thus a more vintage feel was attained to better reflect the era of the story. Film lent a texture of the classic Westerns to the narrative. And film, noted Prieto, best captured the colors of nature, with scenes of Osage life conveyed in a naturalistic manner. Motion picture negative provided “incredible color depth,” said Prieto, citing for example the richness of greens in the trees.
Prieto assessed that the range of cameras gave him “the best of both worlds. We could shoot on film with its richness, texture and grain” while digital “allowed me to shoot under very low light conditions” when necessary.
The commitment to Oklahoma itself--and indigenous talent--permeated the process, according to Prieto. This was corroborated by supervising location manager Mike Fantasia whom SHOOT earlier connected with during an American Film Market discussion session. Fantasia was brought into the process early on and noted that Scorsese prioritized being true to the Osage Nation story. Part of that included the steadfast pledge to shoot in Oklahoma despite overtures from elsewhere, including Georgia where a significant amount of financial incentives could have been realized.
Fantasia added that Scorsese established a bond of communication with the Osage community, recalling a dinner with some 100 Osage leaders who were free to ask questions of the director, voice their concerns, make suggestions and be part of the moviemaking process. Furthermore in crafting Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese and Roth as writers not only adapted Grann’s non-fiction book but also, said Fantasia, incorporated elements of the family stories that Osage Nation members shared with them, adding a personal intimacy and authenticity to the feature narrative.
Killers of the Flower Moon wound up hiring assorted Indigenous people spanning the cast, art department, locations, production and wardrobe. The latter category in particular tapped into the historical wisdom and artistry of Osage elders. Dozens of Osage people appeared in the movie, with Fantasia adding that he knows a number of indigenous artisans who as a result of the film have embarked on industry careers. The bottom line, related Fantasia, is that Oklahoma, particularly the community of Pawhuska, has been changed “for the better” thanks to Killers of the Flower Moon.
Prieto affirmed that Scorsese wanted to share that despite everything that happened in our history, Osage culture is still “alive and thriving--and we should celebrate it.”
Barbie
While prepping Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma, Prieto heard from Gerwig about her pending project, Barbie. Prieto said that Gerwig had reached out to him in the past to discuss prior films, but the timing and circumstances didn’t work out. He still harbored the hope that they would one day come together--and that finally came to fruition on Barbie.
“My first thought was that a movie about Barbie is normally not something I would jump on immediately,” said Prieto. “It’s not the kind of movie I’m attracted to, that I would even want to go see in the cinema.” But with Gerwig directing and co-writing with Baumbach, Prieto knew “without reading the script that this is something I wanted to do.”
He then read the script, loved it and started to have regular conversations with Gerwig and on occasion with production designer Sarah Greenwood. But those largely weekend Zoom sessions had to end when Prieto got deeper into Killers of the Flower Moon. Still, considerable groundwork was laid in terms of visual references, and the notion of creating two worlds--Barbieland and reality. Furthermore, Barbieland was a real world for the characters residing in it so a delicate balance had to be attained of doing justice to that reality while giving a knowing nod to how a child would visualize all this. It’s akin to giving it the feel of a miniature world in kids’ eyes while not making it look like miniatures so that the characters could believably exist there. And of course there’s also the real adult world where the Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling versions of Barbie and Ken, respectively, end up going.
Upon wrapping Killers of the Flower Moon, Prieto tackled those worlds in concert with Gerwig, Greenwood and others. Barbie also marked Prieto’s first collaboration with Greenwood who turned out larger than life sets yet all the while constructing them in consideration of how they should be lit, which proved invaluable to Prieto. Gerwig, he said, wanted to give the feeling of Barbieland “kind of being like in a box,” with a feel at times hearkening back to movie musicals of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. With painted walls at times used as backdrops, including a painted sky, and cutouts of mountains in the distance, there was an artificial toyland feel that at the same time still had to connect realistically with the characters.
Prieto went with the ARRI Alexa 65 for Barbie, gaining the advantage of a large sensor so the depth of field would be shallow like when you’re shooting a miniature. Again, lending a miniature feel to the proceedings but not so much so. Gerwig, explained Prieto, didn’t want the backgrounds to disappear or be mushy and poorly defined. The Alexa 65 was paired with Panavision System 65 large format spherical lenses. The camera captured a very sharp and pristine look but the lenses provided a softness to them. Thus for example the faces would have a natural softness within a perfect pristine-like environment. Prieto sought a balance between sharpness and softness.
Prieto wanted the camera emulating what Barbie discovers--like a real world with imperfections, in which she finds beauty. There is beauty in imperfection, a revelation which leads Barbie to choose the world where she ultimately resides. And that extends to the roles we ultimately choose. “I am Kenough,” said Prieto, echoing a line in the movie which has become famous. “The movie is a profound meditation on what it means to be a man or a woman--or anything in-between and around gender,” affirmed Prieto, describing the process as an examination of the roles we grew up learning, what they mean. “The journeys of Barbie and Ken are very touching and moved me a lot--even with Ken discovering that patriarchy isn’t as great as he thought. He doesn’t necessarily want to be president of everything and dominate.”
It’s a discovery Prieto said he’s made over the years working with smart, thoughtful women like Taymor, Gerwig and Greenwood. The DP added that his mentor was cinematographer Nadine Markova from Mexico City. Prieto shared that he enjoyed the creative feminine energy from Barbie, including having Gerwig as a boss. “It felt great to relax our expectations of masculinity and wear pink on Wednesdays,” he smiled, adding that he felt empowered by “throwing these other notions of what it is to be a man out the door.”
Prieto’s work with Scorsese, Gerwig, Lee and Taymor adds to a filmography which also includes collaborations with such filmmakers as Ben Affleck on Best Picture Oscar winner Argo, and Alejandro G. Inarritu on Amores Perres, Biutiful, 21 Grams and Babel.
Napoleon
Napoleon (Apple TV+) is the ninth film that Dariusz Wolski, ASC has shot for director Ridley Scott, the first being the 2012 release Prometheus. Wolski’s track record with Scott is reflected in part at Camerimage where his cinematography over the years has been recognized with a nomination for a jury award in 2015 for The Martian, in 2020 for the pilot for Raised by Wolves, and Golden Frog nods in 2021 and ‘23 for The Last Duel and Napoleon, respectively.
Wolski said of Napoleon, “I will probably never be able to do anything like this again--all the horses, extras, great actors,” the opportunity to do a big screen biopic that is a historical spectacle yet unified by the intimate relationship--and a personal struggle for dominance--between Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) and his wife, Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby). Also it’s far from the traditional epic where the protagonist is lionized. Phoenix brings to the screen a Napoleon who is insecure, immature, impulsive and in many respects hardly the stuff of legend.
We see Napoleon’s military triumphs and debacles, perhaps the most visually inspiring depiction of the former being the Battle of Austerlitz, ending in Russian forces retreating over a frozen pond while a bombardment of cannon shells plunges them into an icy grave. Wolski noted that physical effects supervisor Neil Corbould was instrumental in creating the lake just an hour’s drive from London.
Wolski said he’s grateful to have developed a shorthand over the years with Scott, helping them to take on varied challenges. Hollywood, related Wolski, is famous--or more accurately infamous--for an environment where you’re afraid to mess up, knowing full well you will get punished for it. People thus understandably go to great lengths to “behave by the book,” to protect themselves from messing up. By contrast, “Ridley is amazing. He’s always willing to take a chance. He’s a gambler inside. ‘Let’s try it.’ He makes you feel comfortable in taking chances which enables you to be more creative.”
In that vein, Wolski said he’s learned from Scott to not be afraid to take chances but also to not fear “being spontaneous” and having “the confidence that there’s always a solution to a problem, now matter how difficult it seems to be.” And the answer is “not necessarily throwing money at the problem” but being smart and resourceful.
Wolski deployed the ARRI Alexa Mini LF for Napoleon, with Panavision Vintage 65, Panaspeed and Angenieux EZ-1 and EZ-2 lenses. He was equipped not only to take on sweeping battle scenes but also private moments between Napoleon and Joséphine. Wolski noted that for the latter there’s a freedom encouraged by Scott to be “discreet with the camera” so that the actors “can do what they want to do.” As a cinematographer, he facilitates that, using multiple cameras to capture her side and his side in case something unexpected happens. He said that Scott and Phoenix are open to creating during the process. “They play on coincidence, improvisation. Every take a little bit different." Scott, assessed Wolski, is a master at knowing what he’s shooting with multiple cameras, aware of all the possibilities and what and how they will work in the big picture. This applies to intimate personal scenes as well as the many intricacies and angles of filming monumental military battles with numerous cameras simultaneously.
Wolski’s filmography with Scott also includes Exodus: Gods and Kings, Alien: Covenant, All the Money in the World and House of Gucci. The cinematographer’s body of work additionally extends beyond Scott with four entries in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Dark City, News of the World and Crimson Tide. The latter--directed by Tony Scott (Ridley’s late brother)--earned Wolski an ASC nomination as did the Paul Greengrass-directed News of the World, which also garnered a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination.
As for what’s next, Wolski is slated to lens the historical drama Nuremberg, directed by James Vanderbilt, and starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, as well as Oscar nominee Michael Shannon. Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay based on Jack El-Hai’s book, “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist.” Vanderbilt made his directorial debut with Truth and is also known for writing and producing the David Fincher-directed Zodiac.
Priscilla
Philippe Le Sourd, ASC, AFC reunited with writer-director Sofia Coppola on Priscilla (A24), a feature based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir, “Elvis and Me.” This is the third film on which Coppola and Le Sourd have teamed--the others being The Beguiled and On the Rocks, both shot on 35mm film. By contrast, Priscilla marks Le Sourd’s first time shooting a feature digitally. He deployed an ARRI Alexa 35 camera with Panavision Super Speed and Ultra Speed lenses.
Le Sourd found that digital--while prompted by budgetary considerations--creatively afforded him the opportunity to more fully explore colors, manipulate them and tap into their impact as a way to help reflect the emotional state of characters, particularly Priscilla, in the story. Shooting digitally, Le Sourd could see what he captured immediately, enabling him to fine tune density, contrast and color more on the fly if need be--all toward the end of conveying something about each character. He enjoyed having the freedom to do this rather than be confined to just replicating imagery from the 1960s. Thus Priscilla graduated from period piece to one which advanced story and characters--grounded in the reality of the era but not at the expense of being expressive in terms of the spirit of the moment and where the characters were emotionally and mentally. There was more room for interpretation on Le Sourd’s part--not just a visual approach beholden to trying to approximate images of Elvis and Priscilla together back in the day.
This character-driven approach led Le Sourd to find ways to convey the loneliness and isolation experienced by Priscilla (portrayed by Cailee Spaeny), which Coppola wanted to capture. As in their previous collaborations, Le Sourd and Coppola had extensive conversations during pre-pro about the script, the scenes, the visual language they wanted to create. “When you receive the script, you have to do your homework,” related Le Sourd who noted that he knows Coppola and understood where she was coming from in terms of Priscilla’s character--a girl who’s trapped and trying to escape.
Prior to taking on Priscilla, Le Sourd had a smattering of digital lensing experience on a commercial. That gave him a taste of the flexibility he could tap into, being able to explore what he got faster on set and adjust accordingly. And for Priscilla he had a best-of-both worlds scenario by being able to bring a filmic feel to digital, in part by adding some grain in DI. Le Sourd and Coppola also turned to lensing on 16mm film for select scenes, including the wedding of Priscilla and Elvis (played by Jacob Elordi).
Le Sourd shared that he’s learned the power of simplicity from Coppola. Her writing is simple and direct, guided by a strong voice--the same voice that guides the filmmaking with scenes shot in a very natural and simple way. In the process, she provides an insightful focus which in this case was Priscilla Presley’s point of view.
Le Sourd’s POV has also proven to be invaluable. His body of work includes most notably Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster which earned both Best Cinematography Oscar and ASC Award nominations in 2015.
(This is the 10th installment of a 16-part series with future installments of The Road To Oscar slated to run in the weekly SHOOT>e.dition, The SHOOT Dailies and on SHOOTonline.com, with select installments also in print issues. The series will appear weekly through the Academy Awards gala ceremony. Nominations for the 96th Academy Awards will be announced on January 23, 2024, The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024.)