Set in 1950s France, The Deep Dark (Gueules noires) follows a group of coal miners who are commissioned to escort a professor through dangerous depths to retrieve measurements. After becoming trapped by a series of landslides, the unwitting crew soon discovers the terrifying reason why no one's traversed these caves in a hundred years.
Written and directed by Mathieu Turi, The Deep Dark bears a neo-noir quality skillfully crafted by cinematographer Alain Duplantier, who shot the feature with Primo 70 optics. Here, the cinematographer shines a light on how he and his collaborators captured a story that takes place almost entirely in the dark.
Panavision: How did you become involved in The Deep Dark?
Alain Duplantier: I had already collaborated with Mathieu Turi for his film Meander. Preparation is an important creative stage for Mathieu. He nourishes and enriches his film very early on. He questions the narrative, the strength of the characters, the atmospheres, etc. And of course all these questions inevitably invite a questioning of the image. It is therefore a collaboration which opens quite unusual and particularly interesting fields. Mathieu and I thrive on this approach. The staging draws on the photography, and the photography builds on the narrative and emotional issues of the film. Also, my very expressionistic personal photographic work provided a photographic intention that Mathieu really liked.
How would you describe the look of the project?
Duplantier: The Deep Dark takes place over two periods. Mathieu and I wanted each of these periods to be clearly identifiable.
The first was in 1850. The working conditions for miners then were terrible humidity, dust, darkness, long working days punctuated by explosions, landslides and floods. We wanted to recreate the harshness of these conditions and get as close as possible to what these miners really experienced. The multiple illustrations that we consulted, the testimonials, the site visits, etc. gradually guided our choices. Using the kerosene lamps of the time for our lighting quickly became obvious, but this strong choice did not allow us to convey the full depth of what we had before our eyes. We had to find a way to restore the detail of a completely black universe inhabited by men covered in black. We wet the walls, brought shine, made the skins shine, greased the clothes, and finally used smoke to find depth. We are all very proud of this part, as much for the visual result as for the collective commitment of everyone.
The second part takes place in 1950. The work of the miners is quite similar to that of 1850, but electricity brings a radical change. The coal galleries are then lit by lamps placed on the ceiling every 5 meters, and the miners use headlamps integrated into the helmets and powered by batteries placed in remote boxes, attached to the belt. I suggested to Mathieu that we could use these headlamps as main sources. This was the opportunity to establish a natural and obvious evolution while preserving, once again, the reality of this second period. It was also important that we fully adhered to this choice and understood the issues, because Mathieu's staging would have to integrate the fact that the actors themselves were going to be the carriers of our light sources.
Now we had to find the ideal lamp. With Franck Barrault, my gaffer, we chose caving lamps equipped with two LEDs, one with a wide flood beam and the other a concentrated spot beam. It was necessary to be able to control them remotely to be able to maintain control of the density and mixing of the two beams. Franck collaborated with the company Art Tech Design to equip these lamps with drivers compatible with LED diodes and to design the boxes that the actors would wear on their belts which contained the batteries, the driver and the CRMX device, allowing Franck to manage the lights live' for each actor. The concept worked very well and the actors played the game admirably, being aware of their additional responsibility. The visual effect produced by the headlamps in the coal mine mixed with the ambient lights works wonderfully.
Much of the action in this second period also takes place in a limestone mine with white rock walls. The mere effect of the headlamps is striking in both realism and mystery. The choreography' of the light beams in the darkness, the cast shadows running on the walls almost on its own construct the oppressive atmosphere of this moment in the film. The intensity of the actors could then be fully expressed. Thus, the anxiety, claustrophobia and fear that we experience in the film found their source as much in the action, the interpretation, as the atmosphere that we had imagined.
What brought you to Panavision for this project, and what attracted you to the specific lenses you chose, the Primo 70s?
Duplantier: I have collaborated with Panavision on numerous occasions, and each time I've been able to count on the wise expertise of the technical staff. Of course they know their cameras and their lenses, but above all they understand the emotional issues of the image and how one lens more than another is able to respond to them.
For The Deep Dark, we had to find optics capable of handling extreme highlights without generating flare, or flaring in a very measured way. We tested several series of optics, and quite quickly the Primo 70s satisfied us completely. They remained efficient in all the extreme situations we faced. Very few flares, beautiful substance in the skins, depths in the blacks, very beautiful bokeh, and little chromatic aberration or distortion.
What originally inspired you to become a cinematographer?
Duplantier: I have always liked to bring to life my perspective on things, people, situations. I started with film photography, and the play of distance and proximity has always fascin
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
10/06/2026
DAZN-owned digital-media company launches three fan-first series leaning into cr...
10/06/2026
Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Jason Dino as Southwest Regional Sales Manager USA, covering Southern California and the Southwest region. Dino joins...
10/06/2026
An 11% decrease in number of global broadcast deals reflects the organization...
10/06/2026
The Women Without Boundaries Awards recognize women whose work is advancing the future of media, broadcast, AV, workplace technology, digital experience, and re...
10/06/2026
Today is match day minus two for FIFA and HBS. On Thursday, there will be two ma...
10/06/2026
SES is supporting broadcast distribution of the world's biggest football tou...
10/06/2026
NDI has announced that BirdDog has become the first hardware manufacturer to achieve full NDI 6.3 compatibility across its complete lineup of cameras, encoders,...
10/06/2026
Vince Caputo and Scott Carter, winners of the 2026 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Post Produced Audio have been announced as presenters for the 2026 SVG Advanced A...
10/06/2026
FOX One today unveiled a slate of new product features and enhancements designed to elevate the viewing experience for fans on the official streaming platform o...
10/06/2026
Primary production partners Dome Productions and Raycom Sports once again played...
10/06/2026
The Women in Sports Filmmaking Experienceship is an immersive professional devel...
10/06/2026
The league has expanded its HSAN architecture for the NBA Finals to manage more ...
10/06/2026
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Cosm Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. PT. The event will strea...
10/06/2026
The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield have announce...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has released TR-06-4 Part 8, a new specification for RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method. The specification creates a mecha...
10/06/2026
Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, supporting live medical proc...
10/06/2026
A still from The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki (Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
By Lucy Spicer
Have you checked out our Sundance Film Festival 101 list yet...
10/06/2026
Get Hands-On with Interfaces & Mic Preamp Brands
If youre after a new interface or preamp, then GearExpo UK is the place to be! Well have a whole host of au...
10/06/2026
November 13-14 2026, The Midway, San Francisco
Following their recent rebranding, MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo) have officially announced thei...
10/06/2026
Debut instrument free for limited time
deFORM is the debut release from newly founded developer ebbandflow, and it's being offered as a free download fo...
10/06/2026
Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast
10 June, 2026
Media releases
WATCH THE TRAILER
Smash-hit survival series Alone Australia drops its highly anticipa...
10/06/2026
DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH ...
10/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS Rohde & Schwarz is showcasing THORIS at ILA 2026: A sovereign, end to end counter...
10/06/2026
MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern drive...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
10/06/2026
Media buyers and sellers can now compare YouTube reach from computer, mobile, an...
10/06/2026
Accedo, Humans not Robots, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have announced the launch of Ecoflow X. Formerly an IBC Accelerator project, ...
10/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced that James Smith has joined the company as General Manager...
10/06/2026
At the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for live medical procedures s...
10/06/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media, and entertainment managed services, today announced the launch of its Content Exchange platform powered by Or...
10/06/2026
Klvr will showcase how venues, integrators and production teams are rethinking disposable battery usage at InfoComm 2026 (Las Vegas, June 17-19, booth #N6311). ...
10/06/2026
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by incorporating a new feature, RIST Satellite-Hyb...
10/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
How to watch every ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports
Where is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 availabl...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
P RLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care'...
10/06/2026
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upco...
10/06/2026
Wuppertal June 10, 2026
Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular ConferenceAt the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Li...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Showcases New Mobile Experience, Collections and Games Vision in APAC
Product
10 June 2026
GlobalSouth KoreaJapan
Link copied to c...
10/06/2026
Back to All News
Ready to Join? The Netflix Fan Club Arrives at Cannes Lions
Business
10 June 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Download all assets
N...
10/06/2026
Chemists snap together complex 3D molecules from highly reactive radicals-without losing their shape Scripps Research team develops stereoretentive radical-radi...
09/06/2026
Kiswe announces an expanded long-term partnership with ONE Championship (ONE), t...
09/06/2026
SiriusXM will broadcast FOX Sports' English-language commentary for all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 through July 19, available to subscribe...
09/06/2026
EVS has announced it is changing its corporate name from EVS Broadcast Equipment to EVS, reflecting the company's expanded portfolio beyond broadcast equipm...
09/06/2026
Fox Corporation and the NFL have announced a multi-year agreement to bring NFL c...
09/06/2026
FOX Sports and ReachTV, an airport media network, have announced an agreement to...
Set in 1950s France, The Deep Dark (Gueules noires) follows a group of coal miners who are commissioned to escort a professor through dangerous depths to retrieve measurements. After becoming trapped by a series of landslides, the unwitting crew soon discovers the terrifying reason why no one's traversed these caves in a hundred years.
