‘The Brutalist’ Cinematographer Lol Crawley on Shooting 3.5 Hour Film on 35 mm: “What You See Is What We Shot”

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As a seasoned gamer who has seen his fair share of cinematic adventures, I must say that “The Brutalist” is a masterpiece that truly stands out. The three-and-a-half-hour run time didn’t phase me one bit, much like how László Tóth (Adrien Brody) braved through his own trials and tribulations.

As a devoted admirer, I can attest that the three-and-a-half-hour runtime didn’t sway cinematographer Lol Crawley‘s methodical approach when working on “The Brutalist.” Despite a modest budget under $10 million and having previously collaborated with director Brady Corbet on projects like “The Childhood of a Leader” (2015) and “Vox Lux” (2018), the unique directorial style he found in Corbet significantly influenced his concise approach to filming this project.

Crawley shares with The Hollywood Reporter that filmmakers find it surprising: creating an epic thematic movie on 35mm, managing both long runtime and intermission, all under $10 million. He notes that working on this project didn’t seem different from his previous collaborations with Brady, and there was no debate about the run time.

The Brutalist – This movie revolves around Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth, portrayed by Adrien Brody, who manages to survive the Holocaust and later settles in the U.S. His life is transformed by a wealthy industrialist he encounters. Interestingly, this film was captured using the less common VistaVision format, a high-resolution technique that made it possible to create 70mm prints for film festivals and screenings despite the fact that Crawley never filmed on anything larger than 35mm.

The film was completed within 34 days due to the director’s efficient approach. As Crawley points out, Brady is both mindful of time and practical, opting for minimal takes and limiting his choices. In essence, what you see on screen is what was filmed during those 34 days. Brady has a clear vision and many crucial scenes were captured in a single take.

One of those scenes — spoilers ahead — involves Felicity Jones’ character Erzsébet accusing Guy Pearce’s Harrison Lee Van Buren of being a rapist during a dinner party at Van Buren’s house. The sequence starts out calm but ends in chaos as she is violently attacked by Van Buren’s son (played by Joe Alwyn) and ejected from the house. Hungarian Steadicam operator Attila Pfeffer shot that sequence, which Corbet wanted to feel like a Steadicam-to-handheld-to-Steadicam shot. That scene was also a 360-degree shot, often lensed in single takes.

Crawley describes how Attila handled the Steadicam, mimicking its use as a handheld camera, with it suspended from his grip. In terms of arranging that particular shot, Crawley notes it was difficult but they skillfully concealed necessary elements, employing lighting as a disguise.

To assist Crawley in readying himself to capture some of the movie’s brutalist structures, Corbet provided him with a book detailing a specific architectural style. Crawley scrutinized the pictures within before setting foot on location. Additionally, he perused the artworks of contemporary painters such as Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper for inspiration.

For Crawley, the toughest moment came when he didn’t illuminate a particular scene at all, instead letting nature take center stage. During this moment, Van Buren leads his companions up the slope, intending to construct The Institute there.

According to Crawley, the scene spanned six pages, but was filmed in roughly 40 minutes due to the available light conditions. Since we aimed for a twilight-to-night ambiance without any harsh sunlight, once the sun went down, we had to wrap up everything within that timeframe. It’s truly impressive that we were able to complete it, given the talent and skill of our actors, as well as Brady, our director. If they hadn’t succeeded, we would have needed to return for reshoots, which could have caused lighting or weather inconsistencies.

In my gaming world, even the weather seemed determined to thwart us. While we were just scouting locations at the Carrara marble quarries of Tuscany, the day remained crystal clear. But when it came time for us, as László and Van Buren, to hunt down the missing marble piece for The Institute, a dense fog had mysteriously rolled in, shrouding the entire quarry.

He commented, “We utilized the abundant light present, and made full use of it, but our vision for that location differed. Upon arrival, we saw nothing at all. However, what resulted is the charm of the movie itself. That entire scene assumes a rather peculiar, dream-like ambiance.

He adds: “This is probably my favorite sequence in the movie, and it starts with these VistaVision images, almost like the photographs of Sebastião Salgado, where you see these South American mines where hundreds of people are working. It’s interesting, because it’s the environment where the most brutal act of the movie happens — where László is assaulted by Van Buren — but the landscape itself is also brutally attacked by humanity.”

Check out other stories that unveil how movies get made at THR.com/behindthescreen.

This tale was initially published in a special December edition of The Hollywood Reporter’s magazine. If you’d like to get the magazine, you can do so by clicking here to subscribe.

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2024-12-17 23:31