Page 9 - Fujifilm Exposure_30 Archangel_ok

“There’s not too much I can say at this point about my photography on this film because I’m in the midst of tim- ing it, which I consider to be as impor- tant as my work on the original photog- raphy. All I can say is that it is a period film, taking place at the beginning of the 20th century. It is about the lives of two
people (Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Gregorie) ‘behind closed doors’, and the action all takes place during one night.”
According to Gautier, the style of the film is very specific and very formal in terms of the art direction, sets, costumes and photography.
“The lighting is entirely artificial, there is nothing naturalistic about it. The poised camera movement is either via track- ing shots or on the zoom. We filmed it in Cinemascope and, by the way, we used Fuji on the entire film.
“I always operate the cam- era. It is totally absurd to sep- arate the two. It is one vision only, one person’s choice of composition or movement.
I decide the rhythm of the
camera. I see the lighting and I watch the actors as the scene unfolds and can alter the camera slightly to adjust to that. I also operate so that I can forget about all the technical problems and just concentrate on the scene.
I sort of become a spectator.”
Does ‘formal’ and ‘specific’ mean
the use of storyboards?
“Not at all! I detest storyboards. It
makes everything scholarly and stilted. It ruins any possibility of spontaneity or originality. You become prisoner to these drawings and it crushes any new ideas you might have. Except for a special effects film, I believe it is a mistake to use storyboards.
“You have to be free to create on the spot. Also, during the shoot, I am thinking about how the sequences will be edited, so I shoot in a way that gives the editor other options or alternatives.”
Gautier likes to draw parallels between music and his love of improvisation.
“To me, the relationship between film and music is very close. The way I photograph a film - working with the direction of the light and the way it falls on the subject - is like playing a piece of music, with its rhythm and tempo, its shades and tones.
“During pre-production and ‘prep’, you study what you are going to do, but when it is time to shoot, you know it so well that you are free to interpret in a new way and create something spontaneously, like in jazz.
Says Gautier: “All the musicians together play off one another and create something different and original through improvisation. My job, as Director of Photography, is the same as orchestrating a piece of music. It is not cerebral or intellectu- al; it is something you can sense and feel. “And those feelings that you’ve created are what makes those lasting impressions. That is what’s most important.” ■ MADELYN MOST
Gabrielle was originated on 35mm Fujicolor Motion Picture Negative
Photos: On the set of Gabrielle; Left: Kerry Fox and Mark Rylance in Intimacy
Fuji Motion Picture And Professional Video • Exposure • 7