How BAFTA and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Ari Wegner shot The Power of the Dog
By Dan Meier
Published: February 25, 2022 Updated: February 28, 2022
How BAFTA and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Ari Wegner shot The Power of the Dog
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Heading into Oscar season, The Power of the Dog leads the pack with an impressive 12 nominations, including Ari Wegner ACS for Best Cinematography. In a recent blog post, Panavision broke down the shoot on New Zealand's devastatingly beautiful South Island.
Set on a cattle ranch in 1920s Montana, Jane Campion's Western drama tells the story of two brothers whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of a new wife and son. Jane's always ready to find something better, says Wegner. She's never going to settle, which is such an inspiration. She's always willing to ask, Even if that's what we planned, does it work? Is it good?' It was a real pleasure to work in that way.
Wegner describes the look of the film as restrained and deliberate. I don't know if you'd call it classical,' but there's a real respect for traditional filmmaking and crafted lighting, she says. The word unadorned' kept coming up. If there was something we could get rid of, we would. If the shot would work without movement, then why move? If it would work with less light, why add more?
Director Jane Campion and star Benedict Cumberbatch The shoot was serviced by Panavision Auckland with Ultra Panatar large-format anamorphic optics, chosen in part for the support the company offers. I've worked with Panavision quite a bit in the past, since film school, notes Wegner. They're always my first point of call. I love that whatever city you're in, you can find support from Panavision. It gives you safety and strength to know you're never going to be left in the lurch.
Glass is always a big factor, she continues. Choosing lenses is such a big part of the process, and it's really important to have options. Working with Panavision, there's the whole range from contemporary to vintage and technically correct to what I'd call funky.' We shot with Ultra Panatar 1.3x anamorphic, and obviously that's not something you're going to find anywhere else.
The cinematographer recalls initially deciding to shoot in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio before the film started telling us it wanted to be widescreen. Ultimately 2x anamorphic felt too strong for the look Wegner and Campion were going for. When I mentioned the 1.3x anamorphic to Jane, that was really exciting for us, because it was a bit of the best of both worlds, spherical and anamorphic, Wegner explains. Plus, a vintage lens is always a lovely thing to have on a period movie.
Ari Wagner and Jane Campion line up a shot The beauty of the location also proved important for Wegner to capture with the scope demanded by the South Island scenery. When you go somewhere so gorgeous, it's the burden of a cinematographer to try to capture it in a way that feels as epic as it is when you're actually standing there, says Wegner. We wanted to shoot the landscapes in a sensual way, as if they were a body lying down. Jane often described the hills as sexy,' which they are. It was important for us to wait for the right time of day when the light would shade across them and reveal the contours.
She describes falling in love with long lenses, a favourite tool for Campion. I hadn't really appreciated the power of long lenses in terms of what they can do for the storytelling - that you can stack up layers not just for visual prettiness, but actually to serve the story, explains Wegner. I also love what a long lens does to people in the landscape, in that they can appear more similar size than they would be on a wide lens.
Finally Wegner outlines the technique of focusing on a tiny detail and then opening up again, creating a sense of scale and contrast, a feeling she likens to exhaling, to be in a claustrophobic frame and then breathe out.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
28 Jan 2026
VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
How BAFTA and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Ari Wegner shot The Power of the Dog
