Carl Herse
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
untitled oakland project - first impressions
TONE
MOVEMENT
this story drives forward from it's opening frame. the camera should propel the plot as an engine, an embodiment of the city's unstoppable transformation & collin's race to freedom from probation. while the lighting and design of the film should be a naturalistic, the camera movement should feel more impressionistic to visually communicate an atmosphere of heightened realism.
collin is operating with a timeline - the camera should express his anxiety as the pressure builds with his countdown
CHALLENGING SHOT DESIGN
the characters inhabit a world that's irising inward towards them. with careful shot design, familiar shot sizes can be made more challenging for the viewer. depending on the goal of the moment, different approaches can convey this pressure - such as tightening the composition beyond what would normally feel comfortable for the audience
or weighing the focal point of the composition to one side of the frame
pulling the subjects towards the edges of the composition
framing with healthy headroom
or by cutting a subject you'd otherwise expect to see, leaving the viewer challenged to confront & consider the moment
PERSPECTIVE
collin and miles are close, but their individual perspectives are shifting - as is the city they grew up in. as a companion to challenging shot design, moments of an unexpected change in perspective can heighten the subjectivity the viewer experiences with individual characters. the technique could be reserved principally for collin, or used throughout to demonstrate how various characters observe their world
perhaps at some point, the perspective can shift to that of miles & ashley's son
THE SUBJECTIVE LENS
lending itself to the established intention for motion, the camera should sometimes feel like it's chasing our characters, responding to their action rather than anticipating it
PRACTICAL VEHICLE WORK
obviously an enormous volume of the work in this film will take place in and around the moving truck. i 100% think this should all be captured practically via a variety of insert car, process trailer, and / or car mount work, including night photography. it's important to feel all of the energy & ambience of the city, and as much as possible try to find unique shot selections that not only keep the scenes from feeling repetitive, but drive the story without feeling overly stylized for the sake of stylization
COLOR & LIGHTING
while the lighting should evoke realism, it still needs to be expressive. it shouldn't be perfect.
the imperfections in real spaces make things evocative in a realistic way - it will be super important to heighten the character of practically lit space and embrace the flaws
i'd love to do as much with practical lighting sources as possible - from a design standpoint that would mean installing and dressing practicals into our locations and using them to create a baseline aesthetic based on where we are narratively
based on first reading, i believe an appreciation for imperfection should drive the look of this film. the camera should be active, exploratory, and challenge the audience. differentiation in eye-lines and coverage between characters, and a reactionary perspective to action should set the tone for this world.
texture, color, and movement should be embraced to enable our narrative to float between heightened realism and impressionistic surrealism
