How I Shot That: Camera Survey of 45 of the Top Fall 2025 Films

“Adulthood”

Dir: Alex Winter, DP: Christopher Mably, CSC 
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Zeiss Master Primes

The Look: I was looking for a graphic lens that retained clarity across the image, while still having a natural falloff. Master Primes also gave me a wide range of focal lengths and helped me tell the story while shooting in practical locations, where I didn’t have a lot of space. We also shot with two cameras for most of the film, and the vaster range of focal lengths allowed me to shoot similar focal lengths on two cameras utilizing the same set.  

“After The Hunt”

Dir: Luca Guadagino, DP: Malik Hassan Sayeed
Format: 35 mm (Kodak)
Camera: Arriflex Arricam ST and LT
Lenses: Canon K35 Lenses and Camtec Falcon Lenses

The Look: For “After the Hunt,” returning to photochemical film after working digitally for years was an intentional choice that deeply shaped how the story was told. Film has an organic, intuitive quality that digital can’t fully replicate. It’s rooted in a photochemical process that allows for nuance and subtlety. There’s a kind of emotional texture in film — imperfections and accidents that feel alive, much like the characters themselves. That tactile quality helped ground the story in something more human and instinctive.

When it came to lenses and framing, everything was driven by Alma’s inner world. We used selective focus, shadows, and even blur to isolate her visually. Sometimes her face isn’t fully visible, or it’s slightly off-focus. That was all intentional — to reflect her emotional ambiguity, her secrets, and her isolation from the world around her. The cinematography needed to mirror her moral tension and the choices she wrestles with.

Yale’s environment played a big role, too. The cold corridors, large lecture halls, and rigid institutional design were filmed with wide lenses to exaggerate scale and distance. The spaces themselves became characters — oppressive and impersonal. Our lensing and framing made those environments feel like emotional barriers, reflecting Alma’s alienation. Working with Luca Guadagnino, we didn’t “cover” scenes in a traditional way. He shot the edit in his mind, which meant every camera movement and composition was purposeful. We rehearsed scenes, felt out the emotional rhythm, then placed the camera where it best served the truth of the moment.

For me, cinematography is about emotional architecture — how space, light, and lens can express what characters can’t say out loud. Every choice, from the medium to the lens, helped us build a visual language that supports Alma’s journey and the film’s deeper moral questions.

“Ballad of a Small Player”

Dir: Edward Berger, DP: James Friend, ASC, BSC  
Format: ALEXA 35
Camera: ALEXA 35, RED Dragon 
Lenses: Second reef Corals 1.5x Anamorphic, Tribe7 Blackwings, Caludwell Chameleons, additional focal lengths 

The Look: For “Ballad of a Small Player,” I wanted the cinematography to feel intimate, psychological, and slightly surreal — something that could mirror Colin Farrell’s character’s disintegrating sense of reality. That’s why I chose to shoot with the ALEXA 35 and the Second Reef Corals 1.5x Anamorphic lenses.

The ALEXA 35 gave us incredible flexibility in terms of dynamic range and color depth. Its ability to handle delicate highlight roll-off and maintain detail in the shadows was essential, especially in the low-light, neon-soaked environments of Macau. It offered a clean, cinematic image while still retaining a kind of organic texture that I felt was crucial to grounding the story emotionally. The Coral lenses, on the other hand, brought exactly the kind of character I was looking for. Their 1.5x squeeze ratio gave us a unique aspect ratio that felt both intimate and slightly off-kilter — perfect for a narrative where perception is constantly shifting. I loved the way these lenses handled flares and bokeh; they added a softness and romantic distortion that helped externalize Colin’s character’s fractured mental state.

Ultimately, every technical choice was rooted in emotion. The Alexa 35 and Corals allowed me to walk a fine line between realism and abstraction — helping the audience step inside Colin Farrell’s character’s world without ever calling attention to the camera itself.

“Blue Heron”

Dir: Sophy Romvari, DP: Maya Bankovic, CSC 
Format: 3.2K ProRes 4444XQ
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Angenieux 25-250mm HR, Zeiss Super Speeds

The Look: The first half of “Blue Heron” takes place in the 1990s and we wanted the image for the entire film to evoke that era without being nostalgic or sentimental. After several tests at Keslow in Vancouver, as well as test trips to Vancouver Island and many hikes carrying many large zooms to see how locations would be rendered with each option, the Angenieux 25-250mm HR zoom with the Microforce on a slow setting became our main storytelling tool. Our shooting format meant it vignetted on the wide end, so we’d start it at around 32mm and often used a 2x extender for more reach. The technical workarounds required with this lens were worth it for the softer edges it had over the sharper modern options, and we embraced some of the breathing — we missed it when it was absent on the new zooms!

Inspired by Cassavetes, Altman’s “Short Cuts,” and largely by Sophy’s own home movies shot by her father in the 1990s, we wanted to give quotidian moments weight by drawing the eye to details of significance. Sophy’s father would shoot long, uninterrupted footage of his children doing ordinary things around the house, often zooming in to catch the details of their hands working on something or their reactions to one another, and I was moved by the love and fascination behind her father’s camerawork.

Our camera was always on sticks, but we kept the shots dynamic with a loose fluid head motivated by the cast’s action and this gentle zooming — always tightening in on what could ultimately be considered the essence of each memory. There were no filters used other than ND and the occasional Rota Pola to dial in reflections. When not zooming, we used Zeiss Super Speeds — they are a favourite of mine, clean and classic on faces, a saviour for low light scenes, and have beautiful bokeh.

“Carolina Caroline”

Dir: Adam Carter Rehmeier, DP: Jean Philippe Bernier, CSC
Format: R3D 8k 6:5 2x Anamorphic
Camera: RED V-Raptor X
Lenses: DZOFILM Pavo 2x Anamorphic (neutral version)

The Look: When Adam and I began discussing how we would like to tell Caroline and Oliver’s story, the first thing that came up was that we wanted to bring the audience physically close to them so they could experience their passionate connection, intimacy, and being on the run with them. We wanted to combine classic ’70s American studio style cinema with the raw feel of “vérité”/indie filmmaking. Adam asked me to capture the movie on anamorphic lenses with a camera package that would help us move faster. This was necessary due to a 25-day shooting schedule and the 92 on-location sets.

The modern mechanic and the exceptional close focus of the Pavo anamorphic, paired with the small V-Raptor X body & eND PL mount, gave me the option to operate the camera handheld, without a matte box, in tight cars as if I was using a Bolex or DSLR. It gave me a lot of freedom to be extremely close to the actors during intimate scenes. It also allowed me to shoot dynamic action scenes with fast whip-pan and shaky handheld without any rolling shutter due to the “X” global sensor.

Two tools made this workflow work perfectly. First, the Fookus Pookus camera backpack allowed us to keep the camera even smaller without the need for a on-camera battery or video sender, and the Ignite digi brackets made the switch between studio, handheld, and gimbal under two minutes. The mix of the Pavo’s beautiful swirly bokeh, reminiscent of the ’70s on the filmlike RED global shutter, felt like the perfect bridge between the ’70s & ’90s styles we were looking for. Aside from that, it’s this workflow that ultimately gave us the freedom to tell the story exactly how we wanted.

“Christy”

Dir: David Michôd, DP: Germain McMicking
Format: 6.5K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 65
Lenses: ARRI PRIME DNA 65mm

The Look: Christy Martins’s is both an epic and intensely personal story. This film covers 20 years of Christy’s life from her beginnings as an amateur boxer in West Virginia to becoming the pre-eminent female boxer of the ’90s, and her ongoing fight to survive an extremely violent and coercive controlling relationship. With director David Michôd, we wanted to find a format that would help the cinematography mine the deep emotional elements of the story, complement the epic stadium fights, and be beautiful but simple and unseen. We felt the larger format of the ALEXA 65 paired with spherical glass would be perfect for this.

We loved how the camera combined with the Prime DNA’s rendered the arguably beige and boxy world of the ’90s in such a soft and simple way. We found the bigger field of view of the 65’s sensor and great advantage in our often very tight locations, and the way it inherently brings the subject closer to you, it felt more real and dimensional, ultimately expressing more emotion. Our often go-to lens was the 65mm, which we loved how it capture Sydney in close up, all the innocence and excitement in her incredibly nuanced performance. When we got to the larger set pieces of the stadium fights, the benefit of the larger format, I think, are obvious. I think you feel the action in the ring in a more experiential way as you’re so close to it, and feel the sense the scale of those big venues, all the exhilaration and fear.

One thing we didn’t expect was that the weight of the camera actually helped shooting the various fight scenes. When there are a couple of fighters going at it, a ref and a couple of camera operators, there’s a surprising amount of movement in the ring. As we were always handheld on these scenes, the extra mass of the 65 seemed to help cushion the image and help it flow.

“The Currents”

Dir: Milagros Mumenthaler, DP: Gabriel Sandru
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lenses: Zeis Ultra Primes, Angénieux 24–290 mm

The Look: In “Las Corrientes,” the story follows the protagonist as she struggles to live with her anxieties while trying to keep them hidden. The film explores her inner emotional world, which had to be translated into a visual language — subtle and restrained. It also depicts the unpredictability of her character. The camera was intended to support the story in a natural way, without drawing attention to itself. We aimed to find the right balance between what the camera reveals on its own and what the characters convey. Our goal was to tell the story using a few but long takes. Working in this manner demands precision in framing and movement — whether through a pan or zoom. I chose to work with the Ultra Primes — a wide set of sixteen high-speed fixed focal length lenses — which, to my taste, combine precision, restraint, and color contrast that I needed. Even though we didn’t need the entire set, it was reassuring to know that we could cover every shot, even in tight spaces. Additionally, we used the Angénieux 24–290 mm, primarily for shooting the lighthouse sequence.  

“Erupcja”

Dir & DP: Pete Ohs  
Format: 1080p Magic Lantern RAW
Camera: Hacked Canon 5D Mark III
Lenses: Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L and 85mm f/1.4L

The Look: This is the sixth feature I’ve shot on this camera, which I’ve owned since 2012. The Magic Lantern hack unlocks the RAW recording capabilities, which gives plenty of color information for my colorist Hanna Rudkiewicz to do her thing. I try to not overthink anything I don’t have to when making these films. As long as ‘good enough’ is also ‘good,’ then I’m good.

With a 5D, we just looked like tourists in Warsaw, which made filming all over the city a breeze. We also had the sense we were doing some French New Wave/’70s Polish cinema vibe, so any rougher edges of the final image was an aesthetic we were happy to embrace.

“Eternity”

Dir: David Fryene, DP: Ruairi O’Brien 
Format: 3.3K ARRIRAW, 2x Anamorphic
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: We used the Hawk V-lite anamorphic lenses for all but three shots. When we needed to get extra wide, we used an Atlas 21mm

The Look: I shot a TV show where the previous DP had decided on Hawks, and I really loved the flavour of them. Hawk lenses can be very glossy, but they don’t feel over-perfected. I always like to feel fingerprints on the image if that makes sense, and these lenses have a very human quality. We knew we would be looking to emulate films of the past, and they very much helped to evoke a bit of sixties tonality. Myself and David, the director, had both independently come to The Graduate as a reference, and these lenses felt like they were close to that. We knew that a huge part of our look would be created in the grade, and we worked with colourist David Tomiak to build a look. So his work, combined with production designer Zazu Meyer’s creations, really came together through this glass.

“Exit 8”

Dir: Genki Kawamura, DP: Keisuke Imamura
Format: 4.5K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35, Sony a7  
Lenses: ZEISS SUPER SPEED LENS

The Look: This film was shot mostly in underground passageways. These are inorganic spaces, so the key challenge was how to evoke a sense of both reality and unreality within them. I debated whether to pair the ALEXA 35 with modern or vintage lenses. Would a modern lens with high resolution enhance the surreal quality of the visuals? Or would a vintage lens bring a stronger sense of realism to the white tiles and fluorescent lighting? In the end, I chose the vintage Zeiss Super Speed lenses. They worked well with the underground setting and, I believe, had a positive effect on the overall look.

For the ocean scenes, I wanted to achieve a shallow depth of field, and this camera-lens combination allowed me to capture exactly what I had in mind. Since the film is based on a video game, the opening scenes are shot from a first-person perspective. For those shots, where the camera had to be mounted on a helmet or the actor’s body, we used the a7.

“Frankenstein”

Dir: Guillermo Del Toro, DP: Dan Lausten 
Format: For “Frankenstein,” we used 6.5 k mode with the Thalia lenses. We did a 95% crop so used a bit less of image but recorded the full sensor.
Camera: ALEXA 65
Lenses: Leica Thalia lenses

The Look: Guillermo and I want to make a classic film with a modern expression with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. So we chose a large format camera, the ALEXA 65, and used 95% of the full sensor. The most beautiful lenses for large format filming are, in my opinion, Leica Thalia. The only problem may be that Thalia and Alexa can be too sharp, so we used a diff. filter on the back of the lens, this filter flares out a little and has a beautiful effect on the skin tone, but does not touch the black in the image. And we love black. We shot the whole movie with the Alexa 65, even when we used the steadicam. It is a heavy and big camera. But operators Gilles Corneille and James Frater, along with 1st AC Doug Lavender, did a fantastic job on the movie. I’ve used the Leica Thalia lenses on several films, but have mixed them with other lenses, so “Frankenstein” is the first film where those are the only lenses used. 

“Fuze”

Dir: David Mackenzie, DP: Giles Nuttgens 
Format: 4.5K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Master Primes Anamorphics

The Look: They allow us to work with a very limited amount of light and are sharp top and bottom of the frame and fully right and left with significant aberrations, either in color of drop off of sharpness towards the edges. Speed of shooting was a very important requirement for the film. 

“Gavagai”

Dir: Ulrich Köhler, DP: Patrick Orth
Format: 4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Vantage Hawk Anamorphics

The Look: We used anamorphic lenses because the story involves the making of a film adaptation of Medea. The frame story and the film-in-film part merge together. 

“La Grazia”

Dir: Paolo Sorrentino, DP: Daria D’Antonio
Format: 4.6K 16:9 ARRIRAW Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Leitz Hugo, Angenieux EZ-Series

The Look: “La Grazia” is the story of a President of the Republic at the end of his term — a man who cannot forget a lost love, and who is forced to confront reality by re-examining his relationship with truth. Paolo and I often thought of Lucian Freud’s paintings — his intense portraits that explore vulnerability and intimacy, the sense of mortality, and the passage of time that his work evokes. Everything felt deeply aligned with our intentions. The ALEXA 35 and Hugo lenses supported my search for a dense, textured image. I focused particularly on detail and skin texture to evoke a strong sense of presence and tangibility — in contrast to the rarefied, suspended quality of the memory images that frequently interrupt the narrative and transport the protagonist elsewhere. 

“Hamlet”

Dir: Aneil Karia, DP: Stuart Bentley, BSC
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: ARRI DNA Masterprimes, various zooms

The Look: We shot a lot of the film at night in a 360-degree environment, so it was important to have a camera package that could deal with the low-light conditions in which we were shooting. We also wanted something small and lightweight, as most of the film was shot with a handheld camera.  

“Hedda”

Dir: Nia DaCosta, DP: Sean Bobbitt
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Canon Xtall Express Anamorphics, Hawk C Series Anamorphics

The Look: The look of “Hedda” and the equipment used to realise it came from discussions with Nia as we worked through the script. Given the era and location, it was felt that a classic anamorphic look would give a nod to the past, whilst a near constant movement would give a contemporary feel. To achieve the movement, we relied heavily on the Trinity system operated by the master of Trinity: Simon Wood. The speed, agility, and steadiness of the Trinity were contrasted with handheld sequences as the story dissolves into chaos.

The choice of lenses was simple, as I had been wanting to work again with the Canon Xtall Express Anamorphics. In particular, the 50mm close focus — my favourite lens. Its flattering funkiness and imperfections were a perfect match to the emotional complexities, glamour, and contradictions of Hedda Gabler. It was used almost exclusively for Hedda and her point of view. The Hawk C Series were used for the early scenes, with their optical stability contrasting with the optical instability of the much more characterful Xtall Expresse’s imperfections, mirroring the steady emotional unraveling of the lead characters. The final look of the film was to have a rich, lush, filmic contrast with a warm golden feel slowly drifting into a cold starkness as the chaos reigns. Colourist Tom Poole had created a beautiful custom shooting LUT, which led seamlessly into his flawless final grade with its rich filmic look.

“A House of Dynamite”

Dir: Kathryn Bigelow, DP: Barry Ackroyd
Format: ARRIRAW. Ratio 1:185 
Camera: ALEXA 35. Camera equipment from TCS of Brooklyn New York.
Lenses: 3xAngenieux Optimo T2.8. 24-290mm zooms Angenieux Optimo 15-40mm t2.8zoom Angenieux Optimo. 28-76mm zoom Angenieux Optimo. 45.-12mm zoom. Full set of COOK S4/I T2 prime lenses

The Look: The story begins way back in 2007, when I received a call from Kathryn Bigelow. That was the beginning of this long journey that we’ve taken via four films that brought us to “A House of Dynamite.”

We originally chose to shoot our first film, “Hurt Locker,” on Super 16 Aaton cameras. Four cameras shooting simultaneously, discovering, creating a style that evolved over these years. For “House of Dynamite,” I wanted to use the trusted COOKE s4/i lenses that I have chosen or most projects. I love to look at them, and I know, though we might not use them throughout the film, they will give us a great look on a handheld shot or for wider angles, et cetera. But the workhorse is the Angenieux Optimo 24 to 290 T2.8 zoom. Mounted on the dolly with a 3 or 4-foot slider. or on boxes low to the ground. This is the lens I feel most comfortable with when not hand-holding.

I put my eye to the eyepiece, my left hand on the zoom, no remote zooming, always done in the hand. Responding to the story, searching out those “looks and smiles” of the performers that we are here to capture. Searching for that moment – a gentle movement can make the story come alive. The camera team, Gregor Tavenner, Kathrine Castro, and myself. I try not to impose the A cam. B cam. C cam approach, we’re all there to capture the story, each operator knowing what’s necessary and capturing magical takes that allow the scene to come alive, the ingredients for Kathryn and editor Kirk Baxter, so they can shape it into the finished film.

“If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You”

Dir: Mary Bronstein, DP: Chris Messina 
Format: 35mm & 4.6k ProRes4444, 4K
Camera: Arricam LT, ALEXA 35, Sony FX9
Lenses: Zeiss B-Speeds, Cooke Cinetel 25-250mm, Laowa Probe 24mm 

The Look: We wanted the look of the film to be colored by Linda’s subjective experience — in a sort of limbo between dream and reality. The camerawork and lighting choices were guided by that general principle. The camera stays physically very close to Linda, and so much of the look of the film is really about her face; so in that respect, Rose’s performance also had a big influence on the look of the film, as the camera is reacting to and following the energy of her performance. We didn’t want the film to feel “too slick,” so we tried to keep the rough edges, keep the camera feeling alive, and to avoid any computer-generated effects by shooting all the elements practically.

The idea from the beginning was always to shoot on film, but I also felt like, for certain scenes, how we wanted to light them, and how quickly we wanted to be able to work, that I’d be able to get better results shooting portions of the film digitally. We tested a lot of combinations of formats and lenses and ultimately decided — for a variety of reasons, but mostly because the look just felt right — to shoot 35mm film. I decided to use the ALEXA 35 for the digital capture because I felt most confident that we could get it to match well with the film.

I was attracted to the Zeiss B-speeds cause it felt like they were from an era that included a lot of the films we were referencing. We generally avoided any warm light in the film, and I didn’t want lenses with warm flares. The B speeds avoided that and felt more neutral and cool compared to a lot of other vintage lenses. The Cooke 25-250mm Zoom is a lens I just really love and I try to use on every project.

“Is This Thing On?”

Dir: Bradley Cooper, DP: Matthew Libatique ASC, LPS
Format: 8K 3.2, 1:66 aspect ratio
Camera: Sony Venice 2
Lenses: Olympus Prime Lenses housed by Zero Optic

The Look: The language of the film started with the foundation of composition. Bradley and I spent a lot of time testing ahead of the film and landed on a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. The Venice 2 open gate sensor allowed us to maximize focus fall off in our interiors and minimize it through changing the sensor size in our exteriors. The lens choice was made after we settled on the 40mm as our hero focal length. The Olympus 40 proved to have the vibe and quality to contribute to the naturalism we strived for in the light. Ergonomically, this camera allowed me to adjust exposure and depth of field while rolling through the internal NDs, and keep interruptions to performance to a minimum.  

“It Was Just An Accident”

Dir: Jafar Panahi, DP: Amin Jafari
Format: 6K REDCODE RAW (R3D),SUPER 35
Camera: ALEXA Mini, RED KOMODO
Lenses: Samyang VDSLR & ARRI/Zeiss Ultra Prim

The Look: In this film, only the opening scene was shot with the ALEXA Mini and Ultra Prime lenses — solely due to specific post-production requirements. The rest of the film was captured with the RED KOMODO and Samyang lenses, a combination that quickly became more than just a technical decision — it became part of the film’s visual language.

What made the RED KOMODO ideal for this project went far beyond image quality. Its compact size, quick setup, agility, and ability to work discreetly in public spaces allowed us to create a film that felt simple, yet deeply real. Despite its small form, the camera delivered precisely the level of visual performance we needed. In one nighttime scene, our only light sources were car headlights and existing street lights. With heavier equipment, we simply couldn’t have filmed that moment quietly and without drawing attention. But with the KOMODO and Samyang lenses, we not only achieved proper exposure but were able to preserve the emotional atmosphere of the scene.

Pairing the KOMODO with Samyang lenses allowed us to work with a minimal crew and extremely limited gear, which was essential for this project. Many of the actors were non-professionals, some stepping in front of the camera for the first time. The simplicity and speed of our setup helped reduce pressure and allowed us to capture more natural and unaffected performances.

In films like “A Simple Accident,” where guerrilla filmmaking is the priority, mood and emotional presence are often more important than technical perfection. My goal was to let cinematography serve the story — to support storytelling through the camera without being held back by heavy gear or large teams. Ultimately, these tools didn’t just do the job — they helped us feel it, shape it, and see it. In this film, the camera wasn’t just a recording device — it was part of how we saw the world.

“The Kiss of the Spider Woman”

Dir: Bill Condon, DP: Tobias Schliessler 
Format: Sony 8.6K 3:2, X-OCT ST and ARRIRAW OG 4448×3096 
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF and Sony Venice 2 
Lenses: ARRI LF DNA Primes and Cooke Panchro Classic FF Primes 

The Look: The film unfolds between two very different realities — an Argentinian prison in 1981 during the Dirty War and a vibrant Technicolor dream world where Molina retells the story of his favorite old Hollywood musical, “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” to his cellmate, Valentin.

For the prison scenes, I used the Alexa Mini LF paired with Arri LF DNA Prime lenses to achieve the raw, filmic quality I was seeking. I love the shallow depth of field and minimal distortion of large-format lenses, and I chose the 29mm and 35mm for close-ups to create a deeper sense of intimacy in the emotional scenes. We shot these scenes handheld with Easy Rigs, giving the actors freedom of movement within the confined space.

Our objective for the Technicolor sequences was to make them as authentic to the musicals of that era as possible. We conducted extensive testing of all available digital cameras and lenses, side by side, using a simulated Technicolor LUT created by my colorist, Stefan Sonnenfeld. The Sony Venice 2 emerged as the best choice, capturing the vibrant colors of our sets and costumes while preserving the natural beauty of skin tones. Complementing this setup were Cooke Panchro FF Prime lenses and Tiffen Black Satin Diffusion Filters, which produced a softer vintage aesthetic while maintaining sharp focus throughout the frame—a hallmark of the Technicolor aesthetic.

It was a rewarding challenge to shoot such distinctly different worlds, and I’m incredibly grateful to Bill Condon for giving me the opportunity to collaborate with him once again.

“Kontinental ’25”

Dir: Radu Jude, DP: Marius Panduru 
Format: iPhone 15 Pro
Camera: iPhone 15 Pro
Lenses: iPhone 15 Pro Lens

The Look: The decision to use the iPhone 15 Pro was driven more by artistic intent than technical considerations. Its portability allowed us to work efficiently with limited resources, shaping the minimalist style of the film. This simplicity influenced most of the creative choices. Without heavy equipment, we had a more dynamic and spontaneous workflow. This stripped-down approach became integral to the film’s identity, reinforcing the connection between storytelling and aesthetics — resulting in a film that feels both grounded and emotionally resonant.

“The Last One For The Road”

Dir: Francesco Sossai, DP: Massimiliano Kuveiller 
Format: 16mm
Camera: Arri 416 
Lenses: Zeiss Ultra 16

The Look: We chose to shoot on 16mm because we wanted an image that felt more grounded and less digitally refined. The grain of 16mm brings an expressive, imperfect quality that helps make the environment more believable and the characters feel closer to the viewer. It wasn’t about nostalgia, but about finding a visual language that suited the tone of the story.

Using film had a direct impact on the atmosphere of the piece. The color rendering, the way natural light was captured, and the presence of shadows all helped build an image that felt consistent with the narrative world, without being distracting or overdone. The result is an essential, functional aesthetic that supports the story.

This wasn’t just a stylistic choice. The format also influenced the rhythm of shooting and how we worked on set, encouraging a more focused and deliberate approach. In that sense, film became a narrative tool in its own right.

“The Lost Bus”

Dir: Paul Greengrass, DP: Pål Ulvik Rokseth 
Format: ARRIRAW 2.8K – but 16mm extraction
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Canon 8-64 super16mm zoom and panavition spherical

The Look: When I think about Paul’s style, I always come back to the idea of observation, of lightness, of letting the story unfold without manipulation. The camera should never impose itself — it should be there like a quiet observer. One of the first films Paul asked me to watch was “Don’t Look Back.” Dylan in hotel rooms, on trains, backstage — the way the camera floats inside the scene, as if it simply belongs there. That sense of presence, without forcing itself, became a touchstone for me. When you approach a true story this way, it becomes about staying true to the documentary eye Paul is so known for. It’s like asking yourself: If you only had one chance to capture this scene, where would you stand? When do you move, and what do you move to? Sometimes you pan from one character speaking, not exactly sure where you’ll land — or even if the shot will land well. That uncertainty forces you to really stay with what you’ve moved to, rather than flicking away too quickly. It creates material that can live and breathe in the edit, because it has the weight of attention. Technically, the Canon 8–64 on the Alexa 35 gave me exactly that possibility. It has the nimble, flexible feeling of a 16mm zoom on the shoulder, allowing me to stay with the scene as it unfolds. I’m not locked into a lens choice before we begin — instead, I can observe and adjust the field of view as things happen, the way a documentarian would. That freedom keeps the storytelling rooted in what’s right in front of the lens. The shot becomes less about design and more about bearing witness — about being there, in the moment, and trusting that the truth of the story will reveal itself if you don’t get in its way.

“Lucky Lu”

Dir: Lloyd Lee Choi, DP: Norm Li, CSC
Format: 16mm
Camera: Arri 416 Plus 
Lenses: Arri Ultra16 

The Look: For “Lucky Lu,” we wanted a super minimal, nimble, and non-invasive approach that also was able to beautifully capture the vibrant textures of New York, especially in Chinatown. 16mm was the obvious choice for us. The story is essentially about a struggling Taiwanese immigrant working as a delivery driver in New York, who has to reckon with his past while dealing with the mounting pressures of the present. We wanted to juxtapose frantic energy with moments of isolation and contemplation. Generally, we wanted to stay claustrophobically close to him, even with the expansiveness of the city. If we weren’t close to him physically, we wanted to convey the feeling of being surveilled and watched from a distance using telephoto lenses, shooting through crowds and vehicles.

To contrast this feeling for a pivotal point in the film, we also wanted to show how someone who is in crisis can also seem invisible to their surroundings as well. For the most part, we used minimal lighting to enhance the plethora of mixed light sources existing around the city, and often just needed to use negative fill to create appropriate contrast levels. Celluloid has a magical quality and handles mixed and low-light situations very well. We also finished in 4K resolution from 6.5K scans using a Lasergraphics Scanstation, which also helped to retain the filmstock’s original dynamic range, clarity, and shadow depth.

“Miroirs No. 3”

Dir: Christian Petzold, DP: Hans Fromm
Format: 4K
Camera: ALEXA 35 
Lenses: Cooke S4

The Look: The ALEXA is a predictable and reliable Tool with a great latitude. The Cookes are charming lenses which, although they are not the most crisp lenses, always seem in focus, and they don’t reveal too many unwanted details on faces. They also serve a beautiful bouque.

“Motor City”

Dir: Potsy Ponciroli, DP: John Matysiak 
Format: 4.6K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Master Anamorphic

The Look: “Motor City” is an action-thriller set in 1970s Detroit. From the outset, we wanted a film that embraced the grit and texture of ’70s cinema; we saw it as an opportunity to create a graphic novel bathed in neon. Reunited with director Potsy Ponciroli (Old Henry), we once again approached the visuals with intention and restraint. The camera rarely moves unless the story demands it. We leaned into wide compositions — letting the actors breathe while allowing the city, and the weight of the world, to press in. We built our own night. Detroit had to feel like it was breathing — fogged windows, sodium-vapor glow, amber bouncing off chrome. We scouted obsessively for locations that felt iconic upon first glance. Neon signage, cracked glass, wet asphalt — these weren’t flourishes; they were essential to the world we were creating. Much of our lighting was built around practicals and reflections: overhead halogens, streetlights in puddles, reflections of cars.

Our look development began with 35mm tests (Kodak VISION3 5219 and 5207) to establish a palette and texture that felt timeless. Working with Walter Volpatto and his team at Picture Shop, we translated that look to the Alexa35, blending photochemical inspiration and imperfection into our digital workflow. Film gave us grain, shadow, and weight; digital gave us speed and efficiency, especially during the extensive night work. The result, we hope, lives in two worlds — analog in spirit, modern in execution. We weren’t just shooting grime — we were shooting psychology. The tension had to feel like it was always on the verge of unraveling. Motor City may live in a heightened world, but the consequences are real. The pain is earned. And the light —however fractured — still manages to get through.

“My Father’s Shadow”

Dir: Akinola Davies Jr, DP: Jermaine Edwards 
Format: Super 16mm
Camera: Arri 416 & Arri SR3
Lenses: Carle Ziess S16mm super speeds

The Look: “My Father’s Shadow” explores the emotions and interactions between parent and child — a father trying his best to teach his children how to navigate the world. I tried to capture the feeling I get when I return home to my own children after a long period away, attempting to fit back into their routines and schedules. That sense of displacement can be overwhelming. The loss of time spent with them, the guilt that lingers — I wanted that to bubble beneath the surface and then erupt. It’s a release of pressure we all feel, even without knowing the history of Nigeria. In Lagos and Ibadan, feedback comes almost instantly and constantly, putting you on a path you’re forced to react to. The deviation from the path is what you’re on screen, the intimacy, nuance, and time of a country changed by a single day. We had ten rules — a visual manifesto — that we followed. I would sit in the space we were about to shoot and try to find the rule that best suited it. This became a great tool to steady myself, especially early in the shoot. We used 7203 and 7219. Film is magnificent. Paired with the people and places in front of the camera, it would have been very difficult to get it wrong. Love you, Miles & Florence. Thank you, Rachel Dargavel  

“Nouvelle Vague”

Dir: Richard Linklater, DP: David Chambille 
Format: We shot on both 35mm Film black & white Kodak 5222 and Sony 6K X-OCN ST
Camera: Arri IIC & Sony Venice 2
Lenses: Sets of vintage Cooke, Angenieux and Kowa lenses

The Look: This is the story of Godard shooting “Breathless,” told in the style and spirit of Godard shooting “Breathless.” So I felt compelled to use the appropriate tools to evoke the style of the French New Wave, to transport the viewer into a film shot in 1959. Film stock gave us references in terms of contrast, texture, and grain.

The Venice 2, with its versatility, allowed us to shoot in all lighting conditions and, after color grading, to come as close as possible to the organic feel of a 35mm print. Ultimately, it was the lenses that contributed the most to our aesthetic. We needed softness, halation, glow — in short, we wanted to play with the flaws and optical aberrations of the gear from that era, the very imperfections we noticed and admired in New Wave films. Each of our lenses was different, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. By carefully selecting them for each shot, we came as close as possible to the freewheeling, vibrant style of Breathless.

“Olmo”

Dir: Fernando Eimbcke, DP: Carolina Costa
Format: Open gate 4.6K ARRIRAW (framing 1:85)
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Panavision Ultra High Speeds

The Look: For this story, we chose the ALEXA 35 paired with Panavision UHS lenses to visually express the balance between brokenness and tenderness, death and softness. These choices emphasize the contrast between light and shadow, reflecting the emotional weight of the characters, particularly the conflict between father and son.

The story unfolds over a single day, with 75% of it set inside the same house. Here, time itself becomes a character, shaping the way light moves through the space. The ALEXA 35’s wide dynamic range preserves details in both highlights and shadows, allowing the light inside Salgado’s home to feel filtered and soft, bouncing off the hot ground outside, yet broken by harsh hits — hot spots that symbolize the reality pushing its way in.

The Panavision UHS lenses add a subtle softness to the image. Shooting wide open brought a tenderness to the visuals, while the gentle contrast allowed shadows to retain detail — never fully concealing what lingers in the home. At times, a shallow depth of field isolates the characters, reinforcing their emotional detachment. As the day transitions outside, we feel that shift inside. Light is not just a visual element but a narrative force — the passage of time mirrors growing tension. The contrast gradually tightens as the warm afternoon glow gives way to deeper shadows. Yet, shadows are never fully black; they always contain presence, the weight of the unspoken.

Beyond the home, these tools continue to shape the visual journey of Olmo and Miguel. The shift from a confined, suffocating space to the vast unknown of the city is reflected in a richer color palette and stronger contrast. The deep, saturated tones create a world both tangible and surreal, marking a transformation in both setting and emotion. The speed of the lenses and the darkness of Las Cruces at night also made sense budgetary and logistically. With these tools, we created a visual grammar that evolves with the characters.

“Peter Hujar’s Day”

Dir: Ira Sachs, DP: Alex Ashe 
Format: 16mm
Camera: ARRI SR3 
Lenses: Cooke and Canon 16mm zooms

The Look: It was Ira’s vision from day one to shoot film for this intimate ’70s New York period piece. Collaborating during prep only deepened our appreciation for images that couldn’t have been created digitally. When it comes to texture and extremes of exposure, film has qualities that have not yet been reproduced by digital sensors or post workflows. By extremes of exposure, I am talking less about dynamic range and more about the way it renders values that are truly overexposed, or the subtle ways the image begins to break down when you are walking the line of significant underexposure. Other analog details like roll-outs found their way into the film as well. We shot on an arri sr3 with an Alan Gordon 2k video-tap and a Shogun monitor/recorder for playback on set. Day interiors were shot on 250D, Day exteriors on a mix of 50D and 250D, and all night scenes were shot on 500T. Because 16mm is inherently very grainy, especially 500T, I generally like to shoot with sharp glass. Certain softer lenses which might be beautiful on 35mm or digital can make 16mm look low resolution. For both creative and logistical reasons we had to favor zoom lenses over primes and both the Canon and Cooke zooms we used were sharp and performed well wide open. Whenever I’m shooting a project entirely on zooms I still try to be intentional about my focal lengths and will set the lens to 25mm for example and move the camera if necessary rather than shoot 27mm here and 22mm there. I think it gives the film more coherence in the end.

“Pillion”

Dir: Harry Lighton, DP: Nick Morris
Format: ARRIRAW, R3D, ProRes Raw
Camera: ALEXA 35, Red Komodo X, DJI Ronin 4d
Lenses: Canon K35s and Canon FDs

The Look: We shot the bulk of the film on the ALEXA 35. I chose the camera because I really wanted to be able to use a lot of available light and be very reactive in my choices. The latitude of the camera means that lighting with practicals and window sources becomes genuinely possible. We had a lot of tracking work and couldn’t afford long runs of track, so we used the Ronin 4D, and used a RED Komodo X with a DJI Ronin RS4 for low-fi steadicam-style shots and small-scale rigs, which allowed us to work really quickly and deliver a lot of production value on a really tight budget.  

“A Poet”

Dir: Simón Mesa Soto, DP: Juan Sarmiento G.
Format: 16mm
Camera: Arri 416
Lenses: Ultra 16, Canon Zoom 10.8-250mm

The Look: Simón and I have been dreaming of shooting our films on celluloid since we started working together 11 years ago. This time around, finally, the stars aligned budget-wise and we could shoot on 16mm.

We had 100 rolls of film and shot very few takes. Our approach was like a punk documentary, where everything was thoroughly planned but made to look as though the camera just happened to be there observing and capturing “a documentary about old poets,” as Simón often said during the shoot. Hence, the use of zooming during the shot and a very dynamic handheld camera.

“Rental Family”

Dir: HIKARI, DP: Takuro Ishizaka 
Format: ARRIRAW 4.5K
Camera: ALEXA LF
Lenses: Leitz HUGO

The Look: “Rental Family” called for capturing those fleeting, almost imperceptible moments of magic that exist within everyday life. My approach was to preserve authenticity rather than stylize, allowing the natural mood and atmosphere of Tokyo to define the image. Filming in the city presented a number of logistical and spatial restrictions, which meant I needed a camera system that offered both flexibility and depth for refinement in post-production. The ALEXA LF, shooting in ARRIRAW, provided that foundation — delivering exceptionally robust image data with the latitude required for precise color work and tonal control. Large-format capture carries particular significance in Japan, where we often work in extremely confined environments. On this project, I couldn’t remove walls or modify locations, so the format allowed me to achieve a wider field of view while working with longer focal lengths. That combination helped me stay physically closer to the actors, minimizing distortion and enhancing intimacy. The Leitz Hugo lenses were a perfect match for this approach. They reproduce skin tones and light with remarkable honesty, yet introduce a gentle, almost intangible quality — a touch of cinematic magic. Wide open, the Hugos deliver a subtle softness that keeps the image lyrical and human, without sacrificing clarity or definition. 

“Retreat”

Dir: Ted Evans, DP: Luciana Riso 
Format: 4.6K 3:2 OG ProRes 4:4:4:4
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Panavision Primo, Portrait 75mm, PV zoom 26-300mm

The Look: “Retreat” is a story set within a deaf community. The most important premise for me when choosing lenses was finding the right balance between softness and sharpness. I wanted the image to carry an overall gentle quality — especially in the skin tones —while maintaining enough sharpness to guide the viewer’s gaze to the brightness of our characters’ eyes. After testing Panavision Primo against the Vintage Super Speeds, I knew the Primo’s were the right choice. Beyond achieving what I was after, I was drawn to their soft focus fall-off, which had almost a watercolor quality — a good match for our rural location.

One of the biggest challenges on this film was the considerable number of scenes we had to shoot each day, with very little prep time. I needed a camera that could be both versatile and responsive to the fast pace of our lighting setups. Having worked with the ALEXA 35 before, I knew its latitude would serve me well, especially for the work we aimed for later in grading. Together with colorist Greg Fischer at Company 3, we developed a LUT that preserved a pleasant, natural, and above all “healthy” look. Ted has a clear and creative approach in which visuals and sound coexist, I found this very inspiring. Certain key moments in the film needed to express a heightened emotional sensitivity — a gentle disorientation. For these, we turned to the 75mm Panavision portrait lens, which translated the internal sensation into the image. We also used the Primo V zoom 26–300mm to bring rhythm and movement to the more dynamic scenes, a perfect tool for working under a fast-paced schedule.

“Roofman”

Dir: Derek Cianfrance, DP: Andrij Parekh 
Format: 2-perf 35mm
Camera: Arricam LT
Lenses: Panavision Primo, Portrait 75mm, PV zoom 26-300mm

The Look: 2-perf 35mm was the perfect choice for this budget-challenged indie period film; I love the grain and texture of the image, and the 2-perf format allows 8 minutes of footage on a 400′ roll. Derek and I are both committed to an actor’s process and performance — and I find that shooting film helps to reduce the apparatus of filmmaking; the crew is smaller and we move much faster than with digital. You instinctively trust the medium, so you aren’t spending time picking at an image at a monitor.

And for that, it’s more communal- I’m looking through the eyepiece, the 1st AC is right next to me pulling focus off of the lens barrel, and Derek is right there with his small 5-inch monitor. For me, shooting film allows for a more intimate and organic set experience, as it’s about the camera and actors, without all the monitors and respective tents. There is a “ready, set, go,” moment versus rolling endlessly, which actors adore. And the texture, the grain, speaks for itself. We’re not chasing the “film look” in the DI. We’re actively making it on set!

“Saipan”

Dirs: Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, DP: Piers McGrail 
Format: 2.8K ARRIRAW, 16mm Film, Betacam and MiniDV
Camera: ALEXA Mini, Arri SR3, Sony DVW790, Sony Handycam
Lenses: Panavision G-Series and Panavision Zooms

The Look: We shot multiple formats to replicate footage from the period (2002), but the majority of the film was shot on the ALEXA. We went for the anamorphics as we felt they helped to bring style and scale to scenes that were predominantly taking place in hotel interiors. Alongside the lens choice, we generally worked off a dolly and tracks to keep the energy high, often in combination with in-camera zooms. One of the key challenges on Saipan was maintaining the illusion that everything was shot on a Pacific island when, in reality, most of the locations were in Ireland, with some studio interiors and a small splinter shoot in Tenerife. I feel that the lenses helped a little to bake in an overall look and join it all together, alongside some clever VFX work, production design, grading — and some lucky weather conditions. The film is essentially dealing with a relatively minor event that grew into a dramatic spectacle, and I think the visual approach leans into that – it’s a film about a football team in a hotel that is shot in the style of a thriller. 

“The Secret Agent”

Dir: Kléber Mendonça Filho, DP: Evgenia Alexandrova
Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini, ALEXA 35 
Lenses: Panavision anamorphic B-series 

The Look: The ALEXA 35 as the main camera was a very quick choice of mine. Its vast dynamic range, as well as the typical ARRI film style look, felt just right. The director Kleber Mendonça is passionate about the film fabrication process, he likes the technic behind the filmmaking to be seen on screen. This impacted our choice of lenses when we screened the tests I did. Panavision B-series anamorphic lenses were created around the years when the film’s story takes place. They have some charming aberrations like particular flares or the management of high contrast borders, which made the image look imperfect. To enrich the cinematographic language, we also used zooms and some specific technics like Split Diopter.

“Sentimental Value”

Dir: Joachim Trier, DP: Kasper Tuxen, DFF 
Format: 35mm
Camera: ArriCam LT
Lenses: Cooke 5/i

The Look: We found them for “Worst Person in the World” and loved them so much we wanted them again. They are sharp but still charming, real and gentle, especially in close-ups.

“Sirât”

Dir: Oliver Laxe, DP: Mauro Herce
Format: S16mm, ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35, ARRI 416
Lenses: Ultraprime and Angénieux

The Look: We like working with S16mm, using a latent and imagined image versus working with images that are closer to the final result, as in digital. Additionally, “Sirat” is a film shot almost entirely outdoors during the day, with the sun vertical, and nothing still surpasses the ability of analog to capture highlights, texture, and color.

“The Smashing Machine”

Dir: Benny Safdie, DP: Maceo Bishop 
Format: Standard Def Digital, 16mm Film, 65mm Film
Camera: Ikegami HL-59, Arri 416, IMAX
Lenses: Super 16 Zooms – Zeiss 11 – 110 mm, Angeniuex HR 7–81mm, Cooke 10– 30 mm Canon 8–64mm Fujinon 25–100 mm Fujinon 80–250 mm 

The Look: We chose to shoot on 16 mm film for a few reasons. To begin, this film is a period piece, taking place in the late ’90s and early 2000s. The texture, color, and general analog nature of film felt like it would complement the subject matter well. In addition, a few of the films director Benny Safdie had referenced during our prep period (“War Room” and “Sherman’s March”) were shot on 16mm film, and we loved their look. It also occurred to us that the form factor would help us with the way that we wanted to move around in the world we were creating. The whole idea of us having to fight our way in to “get the shot” was a concept that we developed during prep. Shooting with these cameras allowed for what felt like authentic movement in Marr Kerr’s world. 

“Sound of Falling”

Dir: Mascha Schilinski, DP: Fabian Gamper 
Format: ProRes 4:3 2.8K
Camera: ALEXA Mini, Sony FX6 
Lenses: Cooke S2/3 Rehoused TLS

The Look: “Sound of Falling” eschews the classic narrative structure, instead associatively linking scenes set on one and the same farm in different decades over the last hundred years. We wanted to create a world of images that feels like a stream of memories. We were looking for a certain blurriness, a veil of forgetfulness that has covered the memories. We tested and experimented with several approaches and found that a pinhole camera effect came closest to how such a memory could look like.

In combination with the very light-sensitive Sony FX6 Camera, the hole could be small enough to still have a certain clarity. But it was still too blurry to shoot the whole movie like this, so we only used the pinhole “lens” for certain moments, sometimes for whole scenes. We also had the pinhole camera on the GFM GF-8 crane and even on a drone. At other times, we created blur effects by manipulating still photo lenses to blur only a selective area. We’d found a few different effects that we found interesting and then used them by feel. After we had found this palette of effects in preparation, we decided on the main optics. We found that the character of the Cooke S2/3 lenses fit well with this atmosphere. They make a very accentuated bokeh, in contrast to the homogeneous bokeh of more modern lenses. We found that this gives you a more interesting background, as if a ghost from another time were lurking in the blur.

“The Testament of Ann Lee”

Dir: Mona Fastvold, DP: William Rexer
Format: 35mm
Camera: Arri LT, ST and 435
Lenses: Sigma Cine, Classics, Aizu and Angenieux Zooms

The Look: Mona and I knew from the start that this story had to be shot on film. Mona and her partner, Brady Corbet, are committed to using the beauty and complexity of film to tell their stories; “The Testament of Ann Lee” truly benefited from our decision. I picked the Arricam LT and XT cameras for our main package and the Arri 435 for our second unit, shooting 3 perf 35mm. After watching initial dance rehearsals, I was convinced that we needed to shoot a wide-screen aspect ratio in order to maximize the impact of the choreography. We landed on 1:2.40, planning for a 70mm blow-up and release.

One of our considerations for choosing our lenses was how much candlelight we would be using, and our desire for a consistent, pleasing bokeh. We compared 8 sets of lenses, and then selected the Sigma Cine and Classic lenses. They had the right amount of character, were beautiful, and performed outstandingly. Mona and I wanted to stay away from the ordinary; we dug deep into our film references, watching films like “The Tree of the Wooden Clog” and “All My Good Countrymen,” but primarily, we relied on non-film references; old masters like Caravaggio for our inspiration. We lit environmentally, using candles and daylight as the justification for our sources, and we kept a small crew that could work collaboratively. We worked in 4 countries (Hungary, Sweden, USA, and England) and assembled an amazing crew in each.

This was an extremely unique experience for me, the coming together of so much talent and collaboration. It was a labor of love and passion made possible by: Celia Rowlson-Hall’s stunning choreography, Daniel Blumberg’s genius score, Sam Bader’s detailed design, Gosia Karpiuk’s elaborate costumes, Sam Ellison’s instinctual operating, and Sofia Subercaseaux’s nuanced editing. Mona created a family of artisans, and we, like the Shakers, worked because we were inspired.

“Train Dreams”

Dir: Clint Bentley, DP: Adolpho Veloso ABC, AIP
Format: 4.6K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Kowa Cine Prominar Spherical Lenses, Zeiss Super Speed Lenses, Angenieux Optimo 12x Ultra 26-320mm

The Look: We shot “Train Dreams” using mostly natural light, fire, and candles, so the ALEXA 35’s extended dynamic range was essential. Having 17 stops gave us the freedom to really commit to that approach without losing detail — especially in scenes where we were pushing the contrast to the limit, like interiors lit by a single candle or firelight in the woods. That’s where the Zeiss Super Speeds really made a difference. Shooting wide open allowed us to work with very minimal light while keeping the noise level consistent and the image clean at a constant 800 ISO. It meant we could stay fully in the world we were creating without breaking the atmosphere by adding artificial lighting.

For the daytime scenes, we used the Kowa Cine Prominar spherical lenses. They really helped bring out the richness of the natural landscape — enhancing colors and textures in a way that felt true to the environment. And their flares, especially with the sun, were just beautiful — something we leaned into a lot throughout the film. The camera’s size and flexibility also made it a great match for Clint’s style. He likes to keep the set minimal and open, giving actors space to move and improvise freely, so handheld was a big part of our visual language. The ALEXA 35 allowed us to stay close to the characters without getting in the way. All of it came together to serve the story — we wanted everything to feel grounded, intimate, and alive, and this setup really helped us get there.

“A Useful Ghost”

Dir: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, DP: Pasit Tandaechanurat 
Format: ARRIRAW Open Gate 3.4K
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lenses: Zeiss Super speed mk3

The Look: “In A Useful Ghost,” director Ratchapoom created a world that floats between the surreal and the realistic. One of the most fun and challenging parts of working on the film was figuring out how to visualize that world together. I was interested in bringing a sense of artifice to the look through lighting, color, composition, and image texture while always mixing it with something natural, so it wouldn’t feel overly surreal. These ideas gradually came together as we explored locations and collaborated with the production designer to shape the world of the film.

After testing the lens, I found that the Zeiss Super Speeds offered a great balance of contrast and softness, not too sharp, which supported the half-dreamlike, half-real tone we were aiming for. This matched the approach we took with the lighting, framing, and composition, all of which were designed to create a distance from reality and make the audience feel that they are watching a story within a constructed world.

We applied the same thinking to the aspect ratio. We chose to shoot in 1.66 because we wanted to have a visible frame, something the audience could feel was there, without making it too narrow and limiting for the landscapes and compositions we wanted to capture. I shot ARRIRAW Open Gate on the ALEXA Mini. I had originally planned to use the ALEXA 35, but ended up shifting some of the budget into lighting, which was such a key element in building the atmosphere for this film.