Autumn Durald Arkapaw had a good feeling about her first meeting with director Ry Russo-Young. The topic was the prospective feature film The Sun is Also a Star, and Russo-Young had specified Panavision anamorphic in her lookbook.
I'm a big fan of Panavision and the anamorphic format, says Durald Arkapaw, who was interviewing as a potential director of photography on the film at the time. What attracted me to the project, first off, was that it's a love story set in Manhattan. Woody Allen's Manhattan is one of my favorite films, and Gordon Willis' work is what drew me to cinematography. Ry and I definitely hit it off, and we couldn't see The Sun is Also a Star shot any other way.
Director Ry Russo-Young and DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw on the set of The Sun is Also a Star.
Durald Arkapaw graduated from AFI's cinematography program a decade ago, and The Sun is Also a Star is the third feature she has hitting screens in 2019, with Untogether and Teen Spirit released in February and April, respectively. All three films were shot with Panavision C Series anamorphic glass.
The Sun is Also a Star is a Warner Bros. film based on a successful young adult novel in which a physics student (Yara Shahidi) falls in love with a charming college-bound student (Charles Melton) despite her family's imminent deportation. Once Durald Arkapaw officially signed on to the project, she researched the history of the squeeze format, including the industry-changing Hypergonar lens invention by French astronomer Jacques Chr tien that sparked the origination of the CinemaScope process.
I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to that stuff, she says. I wanted to get my story in place for why it meant so much to us. With any job, what's important is having the cinematography work with the story so you feel something. You don't want to feel like you're watching a film.
The C Series lenses are very textured and vintage, and that's another layer that renders a more filmic image for me, she adds. I come from a film background, and I always like to beat up my digital a bit. Ry and I had seen YA films that looked very sharp and were a little too precious. The stories are good, but they didn't feel real to us. Most of our references were shot on film and naturally lit. We wanted our environments to feel like organic spaces where the actors could live and grow.
Durald Arkapaw and Russo-Young were also in tune when it came to framing and camera movement. Ry is very precise in execution, explains Durald Arkapaw. I gravitate towards a moodier, underexposed image, and often accentuate the flares. The C Series lenses are flarey and dreamy when shot wide open. I embraced that rather than trying to hide it. Given the title and the story, you always want to feel the sun around and what better way than to have the lenses flaring in interesting ways! I know them so well. I even have my assistant write down the serial numbers, and I ask for particular lenses. You know the sweet spot and you work with that. They have beautiful attributes, and you get these happy accidents.
One lens in particular, a 55 mm macro, comes in handy for beauty portrait shots. It's really creamy when it's wide open, and it looks great for complexions, Durald Arkapaw notes. When it's too sharp, you see skin irregularities and it's not as filmic. You end up doing a lot of post work to compensate. I prefer shooting wide open with this lens, because it already gets you to a good spot and there's beautiful light fall-off.
Durald Arkapaw operates the camera herself whenever possible. Being close to the actors, seeing it through my eyes and emotionally connecting, I get all of that when operating. If it doesn't feel real through the lens while I'm operating, I immediately offer something else up to the director that feels more inspiring.
Director Max Minghella's Teen Spirit, Durald Arkapaw's previous assignment, was also done with Panavision. Elle Fanning plays a shy teenager with dreams of pop stardom. This time, the C Series lenses came with the help of Panavision London.
I love working in London, and I often work with the Panavision London team on commercials, says Durald Arkapaw. But this was my first feature in the UK. I really wanted to shoot C Series for that film, and the teams from Panavision London, with the help of Rik DeLisle at Panavision Los Angeles, were really amazing in helping make it happen. I mostly shoot with Panavision glass, so they've been key collaborators throughout my career. The texture and flaring came in handy for rendering that story. I'm very proud of the film, and it just wouldn't be as successful without those lenses.
The Sun is Also a Star is currently in theaters. Durald Arkapaw's next film is Mainstream, a feature film directed by Gia Coppola currently filming in Los Angeles, starring Andrew Garfield and Maya Hawke, and once again supported by Panavision.
Europe Stories
04/11/2022
The best gamers know DTS Headphone:X technology ups their play. Now major magazines have caught on, too.
DTS Headphone:X technology creates immersive soundsc...
04/07/2022
Guy Parry-Williams, founder of Imedia8, takes a look at the value of video and immersive technology in helping companies reach a bigger audience
By Contributor...
04/07/2022
The series has been designed to drive high-power cine cameras such as the ARRI Alexa 35
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July 4, 2022
The series has been desi...
04/07/2022
Kaplan has previously worked at Technicolor and Company 3
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July 4, 2022
Kaplan has previously worked at Technicolor and Compan...
04/07/2022
The Assoication has also elected a new Steering Group, containing representatives from broadcasters and technology vendors
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July ...
04/07/2022
With public cloud ready to transform live sports distribution models right now, ...
04/07/2022
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
After hiring 9,000 people worldwide in 2021, Tha...
04/07/2022
3 questions to Bernhard Hanneken, Programmer of the Rudolstadt Festival...
01/07/2022
Thomson Foundation is celebrating 60 years of promoting excellence in journalism and to mark the occasion, we're offering six rising stars the chance to con...
01/07/2022
iWedias J r me Vial takes a look at the OTT landscape
By Contributor
Published: July 1, 2022
iWedia's J r me Vial takes a look at the OTT landscape
t...
01/07/2022
Amazon has won the rights to Tuesday night games, with BT Sport airing Champions League matches on Wednesday
By Jenny Priestley
Published: June 30, 2022 Upd...
01/07/2022
Organisation also appoints two new members to its executive board
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July 1, 2022 Updated: July 4, 2022
Organisation also appo...
01/07/2022
Co-founders Peter Thum and Hanno Mahr will become advisors to the company, which will remain in Monheim an Rhein
By Jenny Priestley
Published: July 1, 2022
...
01/07/2022
Awards celebrate the innovation and craft of the industry's R&D teams by recognising some of the standout products and solutions on display in Amsterdam
By...
01/07/2022
Strong support from the broadcasting sector for the Revised Draft Text for the W...
01/07/2022
EBU Members primed for summer of top women's sport...
01/07/2022
HMS Industrial Networks AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of HMS Networks AB (publ), has today acquired all shares in Global M2M Pty Ltd, located in Melbourne, Aust...
01/07/2022
Fujifilm announces price increase for select Fujifilm-manufactured LTO Ultrium d...
01/07/2022
How EBU Members rallied to help keep Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC on air...
01/07/2022
The future is bright for the Revised Draft Text for the WIPO Broadcasting Organi...
01/07/2022
EBU President and Vice-President re-elected with two new members joining the Exe...
30/06/2022
30th June 2022 Golds comedy murder mystery Murder, They Hope led by Johnny Vegas...
30/06/2022
30th June 2022 DAVES EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS will return at the Edinburgh Festiv...
30/06/2022
New reports on Low- and High-band Spectrum Needs Deliver Complete 2030 5G Spectrum Vision for Governments and Regulators
30 June, London: The GSMA today releas...
30/06/2022
Verizon Consumer Group CEO Will Make Her Debut Keynote at the First MWC Las Vegas; Register Now For Early Bird Ticket Offer
30 June 2022, London: Get ready for...
30/06/2022
TVBEurope meets Gal Oz, co-founder and CTO of AI video technology company Pixellot, to learn how theyre transforming the way sport is produced
By Jenny Priestl...
30/06/2022
The two companies are reportedly planning to split the UK broadcast rights as part of a new deal with UEFA
By Jenny Priestley
Published: June 30, 2022
The ...
30/06/2022
Numerous companies are circling the broadcaster ahead of privatisation
By Jenny Priestley
Published: June 30, 2022 Updated: July 1, 2022
Numerous compani...
30/06/2022
Including Little Simz, It's A Sin, We Are Lady Parts, Cabaret, Boiling Point, Opera North's Rigoletto & Many More
30 June, London, UK. The South Bank ...
30/06/2022
Published On: June 23rd, 2022
--
--
--
--
data-orig-src=https://www.sg...
30/06/2022
Stockholm, Sweden - Mobile operator Three Sweden ( Three') has selected Net Insight for synchronizing its 5G network. The companies have worked in close coo...
30/06/2022
Channel 4 News is boosting its award-winning foreign coverage with the appointment of two new correspondents.
Secunder Kermani, the BBC's Pakistan and Afgh...
30/06/2022
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
This technological project - in the new sec...
30/06/2022
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales announced today the creation of S3NS, a P...
30/06/2022
RT continues to champion Women's Sport with historic first ever broadcast o...
30/06/2022
The Main Stage is set for Friday nights in the summer on RT One.
The first programme features Lyra, Rejjie Snow, Villagers, Cormac Begley,Mark Feehily and DJ...
30/06/2022
Ikegami Europe Announces Unicam UHK-X750 4K-UHD HDR Studio Camera posted: 30/06/2022
Accompanying image shows a perspective view of the new Ikegami UHK-X7...
30/06/2022
European broadcasting and cultural industry call to Europe: Save our Spectrum...
29/06/2022
London - 29th April 2022 - The BBC, Channel 4, Paramount and UKTV have announced their intention to join forces to tackle the current production management skil...
29/06/2022
Stranger Things took the action and suspense to a new level when Season 4, Vol. ...
29/06/2022
La emoci n cuando dos raperos suben al escenario para una batalla de freestyle e...
29/06/2022
The emotional moment when two rappers take the stage for a freestyle battle is i...
29/06/2022
More podcast creators than ever are switching their mics on with Anchor. With this comes more chances than ever for listeners to fall in love with new shows. An...
29/06/2022
It was June 2019 when director Baz Luhrmann first approached cinematographer Mandy Walker, ACS, ASC about collaborating on the new biopic Elvis. I was extremel...
29/06/2022
Media is moving faster than ever, and the stakes for holding consumer attention are extremely high. As new platforms reshape the definition of entertainment, pr...
29/06/2022
We've surpassed our initial expectations and are thrilled with the levels of...
29/06/2022
The BFI calling for the industry to invest at least 1 per cent of all production...
29/06/2022
Born and brought up in India, he is already a long-established user of Optocore ...
29/06/2022
Clear-Com is pleased to announce the appointment of Calvin Long to the company's renowned Applications Engineering team. Based in the Southeastern region of...
Autumn Durald Arkapaw had a good feeling about her first meeting with director Ry Russo-Young. The topic was the prospective feature film The Sun is Also a Star, and Russo-Young had specified Panavision anamorphic in her lookbook.
