Pawel Pogorzelski participated in a live, interactive interview as part of RED’s Behind the Look Virtual Cinematography Series in April 2020. This Q&A is an excerpt from that conversation with Naida Albright, Filmmaker Liaison for RED.
Pawel Pogorzelski is known for his critically acclaimed work on director Ari Aster’s Midsommar and Hereditary. His work can next be seen in the features Nobody and False Positive, both premiering in 2021. Pawel spoke with RED about his artistic process and the importance of preparation.
How do you begin a project?
At the beginning, I try to dive into the director's mind. First, reading the script as a viewer is something I learned at AFI. The first read is very special; it’s the only time you get to think of the story just as the audience does. I make emotional notes and try not to think visually. Then, I have my emotional notes ready when I get to work with the director to find their vision, so I can start meshing them and bring my ideas to life to support that vision.
Where do you go from there? How do you begin testing?
I begin camera testing very, very early on; it's a lengthy process. We reach out to the camera houses and I try to have a broad picture of the film in my mind so I can integrate that into the test. I'll set up a test room wherever and I try to test every single camera that's out there. I emulate the look that’s going to be close to what we're looking for. After we shoot test footage, I watch it with the director so we can choose which we're going to use and create the look. There’s a lot going on and we have to make these decisions early.
How do you determine the combination of lenses and camera?
After testing, we do a blind projection for the director on the big screen. That's very, very important and I've had to push to get this step. It is very important to watch these tests on the big screen. During this process you don't know what you're watching – it’s just a number on the slate. Mostly, it's tiny little differences that you're watching, but sometimes there’s a bigger response. Through this process we narrow it down and decide on the camera and lenses we’re going to use. It’s more of an emotional response than technical. When we have chosen, then I'll do the technical research about what the cameras.
When do you start to work with the colorist?
I start pushing production to hire the colorist right away so we can create a LUT together. Once we've chosen the camera, and I've done these tests with the lens that I've chosen. We send test footage over to the colorist and we start creating a LUT. I usually like to work with one, or two LUTS max. It is like a film stock; you choose one film stock for the whole movie and the rest of it I do it in camera or with the lighting or the subtle changes.
Why is choosing a sensor like choosing a film stock?
To me, that's exactly what it is. I've always loved photography, playing with different film stocks and testing them, pushing them and learning what each stock looks like. I think that if they made a film stock, it has to look different and must be different. So, I carry that on to the digital world. There are a lot of digital cameras that are different film stocks, and they react differently to the light and they process the light and the process the sensors.
Pawel explains why he doesn’t think of Hereditary or Midsommar as horror movies.
One of the most interesting things in Midsommar is that your switching between formats.
We chose the MONSTRO and had the large format lenses. I wanted it to look different than when they arrived at the village. The script felt darker to me. There was a sense of doom, and then they get to a new place and there is a “rebirth”, so I wanted to have its own feeling. It was a storytelling tool for us.
How early do you decide upon the aspect ratio and whether you’re going anamorphic?
The anamorphic choice is made very early on, and the choice is made in discussion with the director. On Midsommar and Hereditary it was clear it was going to be 2 :1 aspect ratio and we really liked the spherical right off the bat. On Nobody, it was anamorphic. When we don’t’ know what to use, we test. Sometimes it’s a technical vs a creative decision. Most of the time we have a good idea about the 1:85 or 2:1 aspect ratio or widescreen, and then it becomes a decision about the look and what the lenses are and what available technically. And the LUT augments it all.
You have said that storytelling is everything. With that in mind, what is one piece of advice you have for emerging filmmakers?
The pressure to go fast is real. The time that I take lighting a scene is time that the director loses with actors. Your lighting doesn’t need to be perfect, but no matter what, it has to be a service to the story. You have to have a plan, a path, to help the director. You need to think about how you can do it faster, and if there can be alternatives. It’s important to give actors and directors the time the need.
Pawel Pogorzelski participated in a live, interactive interview as part of RED’s Behind the Look Virtual Cinematography Series in April 2020. The above Q&A is an excerpt from that conversation.
Writer/Director: Naida Albright
Filmmaker: Pawel Pogorzelski
Producers: Loren Simons, Felipe Mozqueda
Associate Producer: Jessi Laday