deep fried movies

Filmmaker: Was the plan always to do that exchange in basically three shots? You start with a tracking move to get Don over to Aaron from the police station, then there’s just the two overs. Or did you adjust the coverage when you saw that electricity you described between them?

Saulnier: It was always designed to be a Technocrane move to get Don in a profile out of the station and then kind of hinge with him and become a wider over the shoulder with Terry. And it’s not just about, you know, “Let’s have fun with Technocranes.” It’s about the continuity of the shot, how it evolves and only cutting when we want to. It’s a very elegant, simple move, but not easy to get either. For the rest of the scene when they’ve settled in [to their positions], I was actually inspired by a scene in [Saulnier’s previous Netflix film] Hold the Dark with Julian Black Antelope and James Badge Dale in a doorway. For that scene, we were able to do two cameras [at once], but I was inspired by the simplicity of, one setup per actor and let them talk. It felt so much like a Western to me—two guys talking before a very big event, and you could just feel the tension in the air. There might as well be tumbleweeds rolling in the background. It’s a seven-page scene [that corresponds to], I think, about five minutes in the movie. We did have three cameras rolling, but once they lock into their over the shoulders, I had no intention of ever cutting out until shit hits the fan. That’s not typical to cover a scene that way, but, to their credit, I got full support from the studio. While it’s a creative decision first and foremost, it’s also about efficiency. On Rebel Ridge, it was a big deal to get five pages shot in a day. Sometimes you can spend half a day on a shot and get into a quagmire with the technical nature of [filmmaking]. 

Filmmaker: With a two-hander scene like that, how do you choose which actor to shoot first?

Saulnier: I defer to the actors. Usually, it’s whoever has the heavy lifting verbally. In this case, I deferred to Aaron. That scene is sort of equal as far as dialogue and screen time, but it is Aaron’s big moment where he has to transform and come into his own and the chief has to shrink down a bit. When I work with actors I usually like to first get their input, but sometimes [the order is dictated] by my observations. Sometimes you have an actor who’s hot when they come on and you know take one or two will be good. Other actors may need to work up to a certain level. With the type of dialogue in that scene—and when you are doing sparse coverage—you need some time to get into the rhythm. I think we did between five and eight takes on both sides. You also do that just for variation. Once you have it and you’re safe, then you can play.

Filmmaker: What kind of notes do you give? Say you’ve got your safety take and now you’re playing. What do you tell Don Johnson?

Saulnier: Well, Don and I have a rapport, and he knows all my notes are like “Quieter. I want to feel the stillness.” He’ll always do that for me, then he’ll show me new things and I always end up using a hybrid [in the edit]. With Aaron, it’s a different dynamic. He came knowing the role and being a guardian of that role. He knew my aesthetic and my filmography, and we did not want to make a cornball action movie. With the words that Aaron’s given and the circumstances he has to carry out on screen, other actors might give in to that [action movie cliche] of whipping around over their shoulder and giving the camera a look. You know, being aware [in the performance] that he is an action star. He was very protective [of not going that route]. So, he would go hyper subtle—really quiet and dialed in. I would sometimes say things before a take like, “Let’s do some breathing in this one. Let’s see how your body can be in the background adding to the scene.” I even get involved with miking them. Intimate lavalier mics, when I can hear the actor’s breathe, will make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It’s almost like you are witness to the internal mechanisms of their fight or flight responses. It’s really, really engaging. So, yeah, we get granular, but with actors like this, I can also literally just say, “Let’s try one a little quieter.” Then I have fun in the edit, and I can really pick and choose and play off the other actors and make sure that there’s a good back and forth so that the comprehension of the scene, both verbally and emotionally, is fully realized.

On whether he’ll ever return to cinematography after lensing his first two films, Murder Party and Blue Ruin…

Saulnier: I don’t know. I’m open to it at some point, but it would have to be a smaller scale production where it’s just beneficial financially. With Blue Ruin, the whole point was like, “I’m wearing so many hats because then I don’t have to pay anybody [to do those jobs].” With something like Rebel Ridge, it’s a bigger  studio film. There was a three-camera velocity behind it and in order to protect myself from getting carried away or getting distracted by toys, I hired a true artist in David Gallego, who came in from Colombia to shoot the film. His filmography is just staggeringly gorgeous. He’s capable of these really composed frames but with hyper naturalistic lighting. He has a very artful visual style and that’s what I wanted. I knew we could go big and blow shit up and have fun on this movie, but I wanted the lighting to be very naturalistic. David was a very easy partner and a wonderful guy. If I can keep hooking up with collaborators like David Gallego, then I don’t see myself ever getting back behind the camera in that regard.