[ad_1]
The documentary Invisible beauty offers insight into the life and long career of fashion model and activist Bethan Hardison. In fact, the film’s subject also serves as co-director alongside Frederic Cheng, speaking candidly about walking runways as a black model in the 70s to participating in roundtable discussions about racism in the fashion industry in general.
Mia Choffey Henry, the film’s cinematographer, talks about her ongoing admiration for Hardison and how she approaches photographing the fashion icon and her home.
See all the answers to our annual Sundance Filmmaker Interviews here.
director: How and why did you end up cinematographer on your film? What were the factors and qualities that led to your being hired for this job?
Henry: Through a series of personal and professional coincidences, I found myself crying alongside Bethan in her living room as we watched the fundraising buzz for the project. My first job as a cameraman was working on a documentary about the 1973 Battle of Versailles between French and American designers, in which Bethan was a model who walked this groundbreaking runway. All these years later, I was immediately drawn to Bethan as a subject and a magnetic personality, and found her legacy of work demanding diversity in the industry and giving voice to black talent extremely close to my own work and experience.
director: What were your artistic goals for this film and how did you realize them? How did you want your cinematography to enhance the film’s storytelling and treatment of its characters?
Henry: Although I primarily work in narrative and commercial work, for this documentary Fred and Bethan were looking for a cinematic and narrative eye to create the ‘present’ and [collect] interview material we wanted to capture to complement our archival footage and illustrate the film. I drew from my love of stark naturalism, celebrating beautiful, varied skin tones and inserting patient observational frames that bring intimacy to the subject.
director: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether it was other films, visual art, photography or anything else?
Henry: We took a lot of inspiration from Bethan herself, her historic and eclectic life and surroundings, her wealth of photos, footage and objects, all of which informed how we wanted to build our look on screen.
director: What were the biggest challenges posed by the production for these purposes?
Henry: Tight schedules, budgets and working without a large team meant I had to use what I had in my locations, small fixtures and available light. While all of these factors were constraints on the creative process, I allowed them to free us to insist on authenticity and unearthed magic on screen.
director: What camera did you shoot with? Why did you choose the camera you did? What lenses did you use?
Henry: Our director, Fred, had started shooting some footage before I started using the Canon C300 Mark II with the Canon 17-55mm lens. When we added another camera to the package, we needed it to match the look and sensor, so we used a Canon C70 and a few different EF zooms and prime lenses. I really enjoyed working with the C70 because of its form factor and low profile, as well as the flexibility in the log image to enhance our appearance in the class.
director: Describe your approach to lighting.
Henry: Working on subjects in the fashion world, we wanted to highlight natural beauty by using large soft sources whenever possible. I often pushed back soft lights when I was in small spaces and kept the natural contrast from being too full. We loved shooting in Bethan’s home for southern morning and afternoon light to create silhouettes in our shots.
director: Finally, describe the ending of the film. How much of your look was “baked in” versus realized in DI?
Henry: We collaborated with our phenomenal colorist Natacha Ikoli, who has a unique philosophy and approach to the emotional and technical side of color grading. We prioritized rich skin tones and created texture and depth in our images. Natacha beautifully perfects the job of balancing all the different source materials into one cohesive tapestry.
TECHNICAL BOX
Movie Title: Invisible beauty
Camera: Canon C70 & C300 Mark II 4k
lenses: Canon 17-55mm, Sigma EF 50mm
Lighting: LED modules
[ad_2]
Source link