Panavision and Warner Bros. have posted up a BTS video from Digger where director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Tom Cruise talk about the work of cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki ASC AMC and the visual language of the movie.
In this video, Iñárritu and Cruise discuss the bond between director and cinematographer, how framing and lens choice serve the story, and lessons Cruise has absorbed from cinematographers throughout his career.
It is perhaps a little odd that there are no actual interviews with Lubezki.
Digger was filmed in 1.50:1 (IMAX & VistaVision), with some scenes done in 1.85:1. Lenses used were custom-adapted Panavision H Series and Panavision SLZ zooms, as well as the Leitz ElLSIE. Chivo utilizes a 29mm focal length for a good proportion of the shots. For the extreme wides, Leitz rebuilt a 25mm ELSIE lens with completely new front elements and housing to create a custom 21mm wide lens for Lubezki
The film was primarily shot with a Beaumont VistaVision camera, but additionally the production also used the Sony CineAlta Venice 2 and ARRI Alexa Mini LF for B cameras. The Beaumont VistaVision camera only does one format: 35mm wide, eight perforations, 1.5:1. It is based on modified Mitchell movements from the 1950s.
“I wanted the film that people can lose themselves and wonder, as in a painting, where everything was informing the context of the character, and everything is in focus. There is nothing casual in every frame. I staged every scene to be building every one of the frames to serve the story and the characters the best way so the camera [would] have a beautiful universe to capture.”
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
The color grade is arguably a little unusual, but it was obviously done to create a certain look that they felt complemented the story.
Despite having some very big names attached to it, Digger has bombed at the box office, but that could arguably be because of a whole host of reasons.
If you want to find out more, there is a good article on the Panavision website.
