NFS: Hello, Shawn! Bau: Artist at Battle has acquired constant acclaim throughout its competition run. Are you able to inform us about your artistic method in visually telling this story?
Sean McNamara: Hello Jason! One of many early issues that leapt out to me when studying the script, and inspecting Joseph Bau’s life and art work, was his means to remain constructive whereas enduring a few of the worst horrors one may think about. Joseph used art work and humour to maintain his sanity and to deliver aid to these round him within the camp. After all, the subject material is in direct distinction to levity. I needed to signify each of those worlds present and visually inform the story by means of his eyes.
NFS: Are you able to discuss concerning the collaboration between you and director Sean McNamara? How did you align your creative visions for this undertaking?
SS: I cherished working with Sean. He has a larger-than-life character, with a great deal of expertise to attract upon. On each undertaking, I at all times really feel it’s my accountability to adapt to the director’s imaginative and prescient and elegance. Fortunately, with Sean, it didn’t take a lot adapting. He is an efficient communicator, very collaborative, and was open to artistic concepts and enter. To get ourselves aligned, we spent as a lot time in prep as attainable simply speaking about concepts and inspirations. We’d discuss pictures and take a look at different films for concepts. For instance, Sean actually favored the look of the movie Mr. Jones, and it grew to become an enormous inspiration for our type. We didn’t have time for storyboards, however we did stroll by means of the extra sophisticated scenes shot by shot on location. That was an effective way to get ourselves aligned.
NFS: What was essentially the most difficult side of engaged on Bau? How did you navigate or remedy these artistic problems?
SS: The primary large problem was time! Irrespective of how a lot time you may have, it by no means seems like sufficient, however in our case, we had 19 days, so we had been having to shoot in a short time. This was resolved by thorough prep and robust time administration on shoot days. My very skillful workforce at all times works 110%, and we introduced in a 2nd unit for a few of the days the place they might decide off smaller scenes that we couldn’t get to. We had been additionally met with conventional Canadian winter climate, as a big snowstorm rolled within the evening earlier than our largest exterior day within the Jewish ghetto and continued all through the taking pictures day. After all, this was a logistical battle on prime of time restraints, however in the long run, I cherished the addition the inclement climate had on the footage.
‘Bau: Artist at Battle’ BTS Credit score: Influence 24
NFS: The tone of Bau is emotionally layered. How did you employ mild, framing, or motion to reinforce that complexity?
SS: Given the feelings at play in Bau, it typically felt like we needed to stroll a tightrope to get the tone proper. We couldn’t be too heavy – that wouldn’t be true to Joseph’s story – nor may it’s too mild, which might solely diminish the horrors of the focus camps.
I had to take a look at every scene and see the place I may add some emotional layers. For instance, there’s a scene the place Rebecca and Joseph sneak a dance within the snow in between the bunk homes of the focus camp. It’s this second of reprieve for them, and I needed to imitate this with the digital camera motion. I received the digital camera mounted on a jib so it may dance together with them. Concurrently, I didn’t change the lighting as I by no means needed the sense of concern and dread to completely disappear. For this specific scene, the digital camera motion, similar to their dance, was regardless of their settings.
In scenes that known as for darker emotional layers, I might push for extra uncomfortable framing selections like heart punching or brief siding. I’d darken the world and elongate the shadows. In the direction of the tip of the film, because the warfare is winding down, I began pushing stronger beams of sunshine by means of the home windows as if the solar was lastly beginning to shine on these caught within the camps.
NFS: How would you describe your visible type, and the way do you adapt it throughout movies like Bau, Buddy Recreations, and The Dangerous Seed Returns?
SS: Visually talking, we couldn’t be speaking about three extra totally different films! The throughline between the three talked about is that I’ve at all times approached initiatives wanting to permit the director’s imaginative and prescient to be my information. I believe it’s key to recollect it’s their film and I’m there to assist execute it. That isn’t to say that I’m not bringing my very own imaginative and prescient and creative concepts – I’m simply ensuring my imaginative and prescient for the movie not solely aligns with the director’s however ideally helps elevate it.
As for a constant type, I might say I lean extra in the direction of realism than surrealism with my lighting selections. I prefer to construct upon or modify what’s already there on the set, reasonably than block out all of the pure mild and begin from scratch. In the case of framing, I believe it adjustments with each undertaking and with each scene. I’m at all times asking myself questions resembling, “How a lot of the world do I need to present in every shot?” “Is that this character imagined to be remoted at this second?” “Who has the facility proper now?” And naturally, the standard pondering of comedy often performs higher within the wider pictures, whereas drama is commonly within the close-up.
As they are saying, know the foundations so when to interrupt them.
‘Bau: Artist at Battle’ BTS Credit score: Impact24
NFS: Did you depend on any specific gear or expertise whereas taking pictures Bau?
SS: Early on in prep, we determined we needed to go anamorphic for our glass, so we prepped a set of Atlas Orions, and I then matched them with three Angeniux zooms (Optimo 15-40mm, Optimo 28-76mm, and the 24-290mm) that labored with an anamorphic adaptor. Including a rear-element anamorphic adaptor to a spherical lens isn’t an ideal match to an actual anamorphic zoom, however they received shut sufficient that I used to be pleased to take them. We shot on Purple Cameras and had a complete of 4 our bodies. We constructed A and B cam for studio and handheld, C cam was constructed completely on the Ronin 2, and D cam went to 2nd unit. I additionally introduced out my drone (Mavic 2 Professional) for just a few pictures.
For digital camera motion, we ran with two dollies (Peewee 3 and Fischer 10), a Ronin 2, and a jimmy jib that was left partially constructed so it may very well be pulled onto set rapidly. Having a Ronin 2 gave us a distant head to be used on the jib, after which may very well be rapidly reconfigured to be used on Steadicam-style pictures.
NFS: What sorts of tales or genres are you most excited to discover subsequent?
SS: I might like to do a sci-fi or interval movie. I need to sink my enamel into a movie the place I’m creating a visible world that may really feel utterly new and attention-grabbing. I simply really feel like there may be a lot extra room to discover in these genres. That being stated, I’m not going to show down a undertaking if the script is sweet and I just like the director. Each undertaking is a chance to study and enhance.
‘Bau, Artist at Battle’ BTS Credit score: Kama Sood
NFS: Is there the rest you prefer to readers to find out about your work?
SS: I admire anybody who takes the time to take a look at something that I do, and please be happy to achieve out to me by means of my web site or Instagram, the place I’m at @shawnseifert. I’m pleased to reply any questions, and I’m at all times looking out for my subsequent undertaking, irrespective of how large or small.
And I’d like to provide an enormous shout-out to my digital camera, grip, and electrics workforce. With out them, I wouldn’t be capable of do what I do. Thanks, everybody!
