Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

A Different Type of Western

17/05/2022

Pair a British-born songwriter-director who's collaborated with musicians like Jay-Z with a Romanian cinematographer known for shooting intense dramas, and what kind of movie might you get? An American western, of course. But not just any American western. The Netflix feature The Harder They Fall, directed by Jeymes Samuel and photographed by Mihai M laimare Jr., is a table-turning, race-bending, music-rich western where Black actors play the cowboys (and villains) while the white actors populate the background. This depiction of the American West is one seldom seen on the silver screen, but one that nevertheless existed, as the film notes on its title card.

The Harder They Fall may be the first western M laimare has shot, but the cinematographer is no stranger to the genre, having grown up watching them on Romanian TV. I love westerns and feel that all filmmakers deep inside want to do a western at one point, he says. When I read the script, I got hooked to it right away. Music is such a big part of the process for Jeymes, and the script had so many music notes in it that it showed it would be a different type of western while still paying tribute to the genre itself. It had all the right ingredients to be special.

Samuel had a specific aesthetic in mind for the film and brought paintings by the African-American artist Kadir Nelson to his first meeting with M laimare. Nelson's work is vibrant, illustrative, and full of color, and Samuel desired to capture a similar style for the film's visuals. He wanted the look of the film to be a photograph printed on high-gloss paper, M laimare says. He wanted that saturation and high contrast and glossiness.

M laimare, in turn, found inspiration in Dutch photographer Pieter Henket's 2018 book Congo Tales, which featured large-format stills of the Congolese re-enacting popular folktales. Henket employed colored lights to achieve a similar kind of saturation and contrast found in Nelson's paintings. During the shoot, digital-imaging technician Eli Berg loaded images of both artists' work into his system as reference points. Thats how we got a lot of ideas like going deep blue in the shadows, M laimare says. Sometimes the inspiration might just be framing, but the whole idea of tweaking coloring in that way was pretty great.

After M laimare came aboard the project, plans were made in earnest to commence production, but then the coronavirus pandemic put the world on hold prior to the start of principal photography. We all thought it would be a few weeks only, but it turned out to be much longer, the cinematographer recalls. But then, three or four months after, I got a call from Jeymes. He was like, Okay, were going, are you ready?' I couldnt believe it. In a week I had to drive to Santa Fe!

Covid precautions forced the filmmakers to rethink all their traditional shooting methods. We all tried to figure out how to make a movie in the middle of a pandemic while being safe and dealing with all the extra gear, M laimare says. But it went incredibly fast. With all the restrictions, we had to learn to do things in a different way. We did only 10-hour days. It was hard to find time to have lunch, but on the other hand, you could feel that the crew was well rested. We never did crazy Fraturdays' or anything like that. When you have a rested crew, everything goes much smoother.

Samuel and M laimare decided that since they were making a western, it was a no-brainer to go widescreen and anamorphic. M laimare immediately approached Panavision, with whom he's had a long-standing relationship. The cinematographer is also a self-confessed fan of Panavision's Millennium DXL2 camera system. I remember trying it the first time when it came out, and one thing that blew me away was the [Primo electronic] viewfinder, he shares. I think its by far the best viewfinder on the market. I started on film, where you have your eye in the viewfinder the whole time. I cannot function otherwise. I operate and have a hard time looking at a monitor. I really need a good viewfinder, and the whole combination with the color science made it an absolutely perfect tool.

He also appreciates how DXL2 holds highlights. You know that you have at least three stops where you have recoverable image in the highlights, he says. It paid off well for us because the ground in New Mexico is so reflective. The fact that everybody was wearing cowboy hats made the perfect combination. We didn't need to fly silks, and we could shoot in the middle of the day in the harshest sun, and everybody would look great.

For 2018s The Hate U Give, M laimare had shot on DXL2 with a set of Auto Panatar anamorphic primes, which have a 1.3x squeeze ratio. For The Harder They Fall, the cinematographer says, I really wanted to find something similar to the Auto Panatars. My main concern was the loss of resolution when going to 2x anamorphic.

After an initial conversation with Dan Sasaki, Panavision's senior vice president of optical engineering, Dan asked me to come over, and he showed me a set of T Series modified to a 1.85 squeeze factor, M laimare continues. The 1.85x squeeze allowed the cinematographer to capture 5604x4320 images with DXL2, as compared to 5184x4320 when 2x anamorphic is paired with the camera. That extra resolution put my mind at ease. They were also a little softer and ended up having these amazing swirly bokeh there are so many interesting things about them. Dan showed me only two lenses, and I was sold on them right away.

We started shooting in the forest with the Nat Love Gang, and the way that swirly bokeh looked was quite amazing, he adds. A 12mm H Series spherical [lens] would have given a wider field of view, but looking at the widest T Series and what it was doing to those trees and the falloff and
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/a-different-ty...
See more stories from panavision

Most recent headlines

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

28/03/2024

Sinclair Selects Embrace as Its Media Orchestration Engine

PARIS Embrace, a developer of advanced automation and orchestration software solutions, has announced that Sinclair Broadcast Group has selected Embrace's P...

28/03/2024

Nielsen and Circle City Broadcasting Renew Local TV Measurement Deal

NEW YORK Nielsen has a multi-year renewal with Circle City Broadcasting, Indianas only locally owned and operated broadcast and digital news media network, for ...

28/03/2024

JVC to Demo Its First Ever 40x Zoom PTZ Camera Series at 2024 NAB Show

LAS VEGAS JVC Professional Video has announced that it will debut its new KY-PZ540 Series PTZ Cameras with 40x zoom at 2024 NAB Show (Booth C4720)....

28/03/2024

Brightcove Launches Cloud Playout 2.0

BOSTON Brightcove has announced the launch of Cloud Playout 2.0, a platform that the company said will offer customers new ways to create linear channels, monet...

28/03/2024

NBC Sports Chicago to Air First-Ever Animated Real-Time Local Sports Telecast

The Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago have announced a collaboration with the NHL to bring fans the first-ever local animated real-time sports telecast....

28/03/2024

The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional

The Best News Coverage is Real, Live, Balanced, Professional Andy Marken March 28, 2024 0 Comments Hero image source News of the World, Perfect Wo...

28/03/2024

Smoke and Mirrors: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Smoke and Mirrors: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South Af...

28/03/2024

Muvhango: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Muvhango: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African web...

28/03/2024

Gqeberha: The Empire - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Gqeberha: The Empire - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sout...

28/03/2024

Skeem Saam: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Skeem Saam: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African ...

28/03/2024

House of Zwide: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

House of Zwide: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on The South Africa...

28/03/2024

My Brother's Keeper: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

My Brother's Keeper: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The So...

28/03/2024

Uzalo: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [video]

Uzalo: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [video]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African websit...

28/03/2024

Scandal!: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Scandal!: Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African web...

28/03/2024

Umkhokha: The Curse - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Umkhokha: The Curse - Wednesday's episode, 27 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South...

27/03/2024

UKTV sets up second series of Dream Car Fixers for Yesterday and UKTV Play

Wednesday 27 March 2024 - UKTV has commissioned a second series of Dream Car Fixers (6x60) for leading factual channel Yesterday and free streaming service UKTV...

27/03/2024

Inside the Archives: It's Lights, Curtains, Action When Sundance Films Become Stage Productions

By Jen Scott It's time to unwrap those noisy candies and put your phone on ...

27/03/2024

Paving the Way' for Spotify's NextGen Scholarship Recipients

Spotify is committed to amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, and that starts with empowering the creators who will shape our industry's future....

27/03/2024

Sencore and Showfer Announce Collaboration at NAB 2024, With a Brand-New Content Management and Distribution Solution

Las Vegas, NV, April 14-17, Booth W2401 Sencore, a leading provider of profess...

27/03/2024

Living Black, the longest-running Indigenous current affairs television program in Australia, returns for its 21st year with new guests

Living Black, the longest-running Indigenous current affairs television program ...

27/03/2024

I Am L3Harris - Sam Bonelli

I'm proud to be a woman in aerospace making an impact on our world and among my peers, team and future generations of women in STEM....

27/03/2024

Bitmovin to Show Live Encoder Running on Akamai Cloud at NAB Show

DENVER Bitmovin has launched its Live Encoder running on the Akamai Cloud Computing, optimizing live streaming and reducing total streaming costs by up to 90%, ...

27/03/2024

Hulu Launches on Disney+

BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has officially launched Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S. in a move that brings together the extensive Disney+ and Hulu librar...

27/03/2024

WJLA Studio A Revamp Features Brightline Lighting

WASHINGTON D.C. WJLA, Sinclair Broadcast Group's flagship TV station in the nation's capital, has revamped its Studio A news studio with lighting soluti...

27/03/2024

NCAA: March Madness Sees Strong Audience Growth

The NCAA has released figures showing that the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and the Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship both saw...

27/03/2024

Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus GmbH Brings SRT Live Streaming to the Mountain Attack with 5G and URSA...

27/03/2024

Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second

Instant Latte: NVIDIA Gen AI Research Brews 3D Shapes in Under a Second Isha Salian March 27, 2024 0 Comments The LATTE3D model rapidly transforms tex...

27/03/2024

NAB Show Exhibitor Insight Matrox Video

TV TECH: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2024 NAB Show? TVT: What will be your most important product news? TVT: Ho...

27/03/2024

I knew there were cameras, lighting, some buttons and microphones involved': How Crew Room Academy is inspiring the next generation

TVBEurope hears from some of the students who took part in Crew Room Academys Sc...

27/03/2024

Adobe reveals Gen AI solutions for content supply chain

Elsewhere, Adobe revealed a new feature in Adobe Firefly, which uses the companys generative AI to easily apply the structure of an existing image to newly gene...

27/03/2024

Best of Show Awards for 2024 NAB Show entries close soon

The awards, from industry-leading brands of Future plc, provide a great opportunity for companies to stand out at one the most attended shows in the industry B...

27/03/2024

Meet the director of IT and operations

By TVBEurope Staff Published: March 27, 2024 CueScript's director of IT and operations, Meghan Tyler, tells TVBEurope about how she started her media c...

27/03/2024

CueScript Poised to Transform the Prompting Experience wi...

CueScript, the leading developer of professional teleprompting solutions, is poised to transform the prompting experience with a line-up comprised of world firs...

27/03/2024

BeckTV to Focus on Systems Integration for Sports Venues...

Visit Beck TV at 2024 NAB Show at Booth C4035 BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast media industry, will showcase its facility design, enginee...

27/03/2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE master Control and Orchestratio...

arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, is cutting through the complexity of live production ...

27/03/2024

KRK Launches ROKIT Generation Five Studio Monitors

As the unwavering cornerstone of professional audio monitoring for over three decades, KRK earned its reputation through a rich history of innovation and precis...

27/03/2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024

Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists, and creators of all types, is excited to...

27/03/2024

OpenDrives Reinvents Media Industry Infrastructure Invest...

OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, will unveil its new Atlas platform and busi...

27/03/2024

Pixotope NAB 2024 Virtual Production Showcase Shapes the...

Pixotope, the leading software platform for end-to-end real-time virtual production solutions, is ushering in a new era of immersive storytelling at NAB 2024. A...

27/03/2024

Dolby Atmos-enabled CMP Studio Tackles Immersive Mixing W...

Like many in the industry, Multi-platinum, Award-winning Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Songwriter and Musician Clint Murphy's latest work has been consumed by ...

27/03/2024

Ateliere Creative Technologies Unveils the Future of Medi...

Ateliere Locations: AWS Partner Village W1343 F, W1343 S and Fontainebleau Hotel Contact: Arianna Ruvalcaba, Arianna.Ruvalcaba@ateliere.com Century City, Cal...

27/03/2024

Imagine Enables Unified Control of Hybrid On-prem and Clo...

At the 2024 NAB Show (April 14-17, Las Vegas Convention Center, booth W2467), Imagine Communications is making it easier for media companies to efficiently oper...

27/03/2024

LG Studio Series DVLED Displays Make Virtual Production A...

LG Business Solutions USA, a leading innovator of cutting-edge display technologies, has introduced LG Studio Series DVLED, a new family of advanced giant-scree...

27/03/2024

ZTransform Appoints Bob Hawkanson as SVP of Sales for Nor...

Systems and solutions provider continues team expansion and accelerates nation-wide growth strategy ZTransform, a leading technology systems and solutions pro...

27/03/2024

Appear Showcases Groundbreaking Live Production Technolog...

Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate its innovative solutions for contribution, remote production and distribution at NAB S...

27/03/2024

Grass Valley expands PHABRIX T and M inventory with QxP p...

Test & measurement innovator, PHABRIX, has announced that Grass Valley has expanded its already-extensive inventory of PHABRIX test & measurement (T&M) equipmen...

27/03/2024

Arrow Media Targets High-Efficiency Story-Telling with Li...

Arrow Media, an award-winning producer of documentary, factual and non-scripted content, creates high quality programming covering a wide range of subjects. Est...

27/03/2024

Planetcast Expands OTT Solutions with Acquisition of Switch Media

SYDNEY & DELHI Planetcast Media Services, a leading media technology services provider in India and Southeast Asia, has acquired one of its key partners, Switch...

27/03/2024

Sony Pictures Expands its FAST Business

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has announced plans to launch its portfolio of free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels on LG Channels, Samsung...