Page 5 - Fujifilm Exposure_5 The Wings Of The Dove_ok

PHOTO: JEAN MARIE LEROY (SYGMA)
“I think Iain decided on me because of Jude and had liked how I’d created images that weren’t traditional period pieces. That’s been my label ever since. For me the director more than the script is always the first reason for choosing a pro- ject. I have to say that I’m not interested at all in guns and special effects. Would I go to Hollywood for, say, Rambo 4? I really don’t think so.”
Although he has directed a couple of docu- mentaries (Rink-Hockey and Un Anniversaire), Serra thinks it’s most unlikely that he will ever move away from feature films... “well, certainly not for the moment anyway.”
Serra admits to being a long time fan of Fujicolor: “I’ve done at least 20 features on the stock and started using it about three months after it first came on to the market in Europe. It’s more glamorous, tends to make women look bet- ter and is more adapted to the way I work. That said, it’s always good to have a choice.”
He’s also not afraid to point out what he sees as the pros and cons of the UK way of working: “You have wonderful art departments, much bet- ter than in France. But this must also be the only place in the world that doesn’t have a grip crew working directly alongside the DP.
Also I have problems in the UK with some of the labs. I think the French have a better process of grading. Here in England it is - how should I say? - a little more primitive.”
Serra’s most vivid memory of The Wings Of The Dove was not so much a problem but more of a professional challenge. “I have never liked using 12Ks and cherry pickers when shooting at night, but we had an important night sequence, the car- nival, which would be about 15 minutes long. What I wanted were torches and fire. I absolutely didn’t want to light from above so what you see is all the light coming from floor level, mostly fire ... but we did cheat a bit by using a little tungsten,” he admitted, somewhat shyly. ■ QUENTIN FALK
The Wings Of The Dove, Map Of The Human Heart and parts of Jude were originated on Fujicolor Motion Picture Negative.
Photos main: Eduardo Serra, opposite page: Funny Bones and inset left to right: Mari De La Coiffeuse, The Wings Of The Dove and the Jude poster. (BFI Stills & Posters)