While it appears to be written in stone at this point that this is the year that PTA gets all of his long-overdue awards for One Battle After Another, there’s another film that honestly deserves to at least share the spotlight just as much.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was one of the best and most successful films of the year and might have done more to save independent cinema than any other project. A beautifully shot horror film with chaotic musical and comedic elements thrown in, one of the most notable aspects of the project was the large-format cinematography that helped it feel bigger than life.
In a long-form discussion put out by Warner Bros. and Panavision, we have a great video to explore that goes over how and why cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC, chose to shoot the film in 65mm and how its legacy was able to be achieved.
DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw Discusses Cinematography
As you can see in the long-form, wide-ranging, and completely fascinating conversation with cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC, and Panavision Senior Vice President of Optical Engineering Dan Sasaki, we get a host of insights into how Sinners was conceived, shot, and presented.
The discussion covers everything from early format experiments to shooting large-format IMAX film with lenses designed to have personality, texture, and what Autumn calls “steez.” A term which we’re certainly stealing and will be using for all cinematography discussions moving forward.
The conversation covers a lot more as the duo explores how a lens’s character can help shape performances, how format decisions evolve alongside story and VFX, and what it takes to push visual language forward while navigating studio-scale filmmaking.
Highlights of the Cinematography Conversation
You can follow along with some of the different sections of the video with these timestamps below.
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 00:30 – The Origin of “Grilled Cheese”
- 01:20 – Defining “Steez” in Lenses
- 01:59 – From 16mm Dreams to Large Format Reality
- 04:36 – Testing IMAX Cameras & Panavision C Series
- 05:43 – The Cinematographer as Artist & Manager
- 07:19 – Trust, Collaboration, and Creative Risk
- 08:59 – Autumn’s Proudest Shot in Sinners
- 09:53 – Lenses, VFX, and Preserving Steez in Post
- 14:42 – Navigating Studio Filmmaking
- 17:13 – Pushing Boundaries with Ryan Coogler
- 17:40 – “You Are Enough”: Advice for Emerging Filmmakers
- 18:49 – Developing a Personal Look
- 20:36 – Choosing the Right Film Format
- 24:27 – Lens Sweet Spots & Knowing Your Glass
- 25:32 – Closing Thoughts
You can also learn even more about the filmmaking process for Sinners on Panavision’s website here.
