Cannes 2024 Cinematography: Cameras and Lenses Used to Shoot 59 Films

‘All We Imagine As Light’

Dir: Payal Kapadia DP: Ranabir Das
Category: Competition

Format: 3.4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini was the primary camera. We shot some additional footage with the Canon c300 mkiii and the Canon C70.
Lenses: Cooke s4i

The Look: I find the ALEXA Mini to be the most flexible camera amongst the top range cameras. The shoot was primarily hand-held and the Mini seemed like the obvious choice. Coupled with the Cooke s4i’s, we were able to achieve a soft, more filmic look. Large parts of the shoot was at night and we were very happy with the results we got in low light conditions.

‘Animale’

Dir: Emma Benestan, DP: Ruben Impens
Category: Critics’ Week

Format: 8K 3RD RAW 
Camera: V-Raptor RED
Lenses: Zeiss Supreme

The Look: The format was 2:39, a western look set in Camargue, the south of France. We liked the spherical full-frame look — of course, we treated it in post-production with a lot of love and celluloid as an inspiration. But we also wanted harsh lenses because it’s a harsh story, with sandy, dusty, windy sets to make it seem organic and digestible. In a way, we achieved a modern look, not too romanticized and not too soft. 

‘The Apprentice’

Dir: Ali Abbasi, DP: Kasper Tuxen
Category: Competition

Format: 2K
Camera: ALEXA 35 (16mm part of the chip)
Lenses: Canon 8-64 Zoom, and Zeiss 16mm primes. We shot on 4K with Panavision PV primes for VFX plates.

The Look: Ali and I both went to the National Film School of Denmark. We were raised on filmmaking with a small footprint and a focus on story. We didn’t want to do a middle-of-the-road glammed-up biopic but rather something raw and real: a punk/rock bootleg biopic, an aesthetic mixtape of the 1970s and ’80s. So, we based our aesthetics on the news and archive footage from the time when news and documentary footage transitioned from 16mm to early analog video.

We tested both 16mm and loads of video formats and built LUTs to shoot on the ALEXA 35 using the 2K/16mm part of the sensor only. That gave us the beautiful latitude and colors of the new chip but also an opportunity to shoot on 16mm and video lenses. The Canon 8-64 zoom was our workhorse. We turned to 16mm Zeiss primes on a few occasions where we needed to be really small and for exposure or shallower depth of field.

We found a working style that was the most free I’ve ever felt with handheld, where I could move and frame completely to instinct. At its best, I wasn’t sure where I’d end up in a take, but I let the performance lead me. Instead of composing and building balanced frames, I just pointed the camera to the action.

The lighting concept was to do as little as possible. In the ’70s the 16mm stock was not very light sensitive, so we were keeping interiors and practicals quite dark and extra grainy. Lightning was most prominent when press was around, where the lighting was not to please the eye, but rather consisted of blasting redheads and sunguns from angles logical to the then-camera crews, creating double shadows and sometimes burnt-out foreheads. The approach was definitely challenging my instincts on a daily basis, from the beginning of pre production to the very last day of grading.

‘Armand’

Dir: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, DP: Pål Ulvik Rokseth
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: Super 16mm, Kodak 7219 500T film stock, which we scanned in 4K
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416
Lenses: 35mm Master Primes

The Look: Working with Halfdan on this project was a truly inspiring experience. Despite it being our first collaboration, we immediately connected creatively. Initially, we contemplated shooting digitally, but after some discussion, we decided to conduct a test on 35mm film to establish a reference for the show’s look-up table (LUT). Halfdan strongly felt that this aesthetic was the right approach for the film. One of the key challenges we faced was determining the ratio, especially considering the film’s long dialogue scenes and Halfdan’s preference for long takes without cutting. After careful consideration, we opted for Super 16mm due to its lightweight nature and ease of mobility, which was crucial for our shooting style. This also provided us with a manageable shooting ratio.

All our scenes, whether indoors or outdoors, were captured using Kodak 7219 500T film stock, which we scanned in 4K using an ARRIScan. Our choice of camera was the Arri 416, primarily operated handheld on a dolly to maintain the desired visual style. The decision to shoot on film was not without its challenges, especially considering the limitations it imposed, such as the shorter runtime per magazine and the need for a lower ratio due to budget constraints. However, these limitations encouraged Halfdan to explore the creative possibilities offered by shooting on film, leading to a more detailed approach to scene composition and actor direction.

Despite not conducting on-camera rehearsals, Halfdan invested a significant amount of time in pre-production working with the actors to refine the dialogue and block out scenes. This meticulous planning, combined with our reliance on natural light, particularly at the school location, allowed us to capture the evolving atmosphere as the characters’ journey paralleled the progression of natural light throughout the day.

To preserve the look established during the 35mm test, we relied on 35mm Master Prime lenses. This decision ensured a higher resolution and sharpness while minimizing the typical aberrations and characteristics associated with 16mm film, providing us with a wide range of focal lengths for creative flexibility.

‘The Balconettes’

Dir: Noémie Merlant DP: Evgenia Alexandrova
Category: Midnight 

Format: 1.85 ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: PVintage, Zoom Angénieux Optimo 17-80mm, Zoom Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm

The Look: We were searching for a timeless look, slightly vintage, but without implying a film style. We wanted beautiful and juicy colors while keeping true carnations, hence the choice of PVintage series. Also the story of the film required a frequent interaction between interior and exterior shot in boiling sun. The ALEXA 35 has this impressive dynamic range and beautiful texture which made it an obvious choice for the film.

‘Beating Hearts’

Dir: Gilles Lellouche, DP: Laurent Tangy
Category: Competition

Format: 4.5K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA LF, ALEXA Mini LF
Lenses: Minolta Rokkor / Caldwell Chameleon / Xelmus Apollo / Optimo Zoom

The Look: The film is split into two periods with 12 years between them. The idea was to use a 2.39 aspect ratio, the first one in S.35 spherical and the second in anamorphic. The spherical gave us proximity and lightness with the characters, while the anamorphic was colder and heaviest. As many do, we first thought about shooting in film, but the reality of production leads us to do it in anamorphic. Then my choice was the ALEXA LF, who allowed us to shoot full frame in spherical and anamorphic .

‘Being Maria’

Dir: Jessica Palud, DP: Sebastien Buchmann
Category: Cannes Premieres 

Format: 4K 17/9 X-OCN ST
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lenses: Zeiss Standard Speed  

The Look: It’s always difficult to shoot digital with argentic references. For this ’70s period film, an ambitious but low budget one, I wanted to work with a color scientist to help create the look. I also wanted to have no restriction in lighting. That’s why I chose a not-so-expansive camera combo: the Venice 1 is very good but yet out of fashion. Zeiss Standard Speed are lenses I love: small, pleasant sharpness (and a lot of lenses) and not too expansive ones also.

‘Bird’

Dir: Andrea Arnold, DP: Robbie Ryan
Category: Competition

Format: 16mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416
Lenses: Ultra 16 Primes, Canon 10-180mm zoom 

The Look: The Zeiss Ultra 16 range of lenses are the sharpest for 16mm, so that is a no-brainer when shooting on 16mm. I like using the zoom, as there was quite a bit of tracking after scooters, so the zoom was a quick way of reframing and giving energy, which is a big factor in Andrea’s filmmaking. 

‘Black Dog’

Dir: Hu Guan, DP: Gao Weizhe 
Category: Un Certain Regard 

Format: 35mm kodak 50D 5203 
Camera: ALEXA Mini, Sony VineAltaV.  
Lenses: Cooke Anamorphic/I, Zeiss MP.  

The Look: The camera transformed natural spaces and human landscapes altered by time in an objective way. We chose to document some of the stories of this land without intervening in the landscape. We conducted test shoots in the Gobi Desert and the town for some of the important parts of the script. We decided on the type of perspective we wanted to approach the characters in the film and the type of lighting we wanted to depict the spaces and scenes.

Because we had faith in the power of time and reality, we also opted for the most authentic natural lighting for the film’s imagery. So all our decisions regarding photography and lighting equipment were made in an attempt to achieve that goal. For example, we chose a 2.47:1 aspect ratio to tell the story, and we used a single focal length lens through almost the entire film.

We shot only at specific times of the day when the sun was at the same height in the sky and had the same lighting texture for specific scenes, even when a particular scene took several weeks to complete. This meant that shots requiring over 50 takes were common throughout the filming process. This and other details all contributed to the visual language of the film. 

‘Block Pass’

Dir: Antoine Chevrollier, DP: Benjamin Roux 
Category: Critics’ Week 

Format: 3.4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Atlas Orion set

The Look:  Shooting a small-budget feature is always a mix of artistic choices and constraints. At first, Antoine and I wanted to shoot on film with anamorphic lenses, but for budget reasons, we gave up on that idea and went with digital instead. We still managed to shoot tests with both 35mm film and the ALEXA on locations with cast, wardrobe, and make-up to edit our LUT and find the proper texture to add in post with Mathieu Caplanne, our color artist.

I did not have much choice on anamorphic lenses available at the rental house so I decided to bring my own Atlas Orion set, which I knew from commercials I had shot with. They have a strong anamorphic look, pretty fast and not too sharp. Since we were planning to add lots of texture in post, I didn’t mind they were not the sharpest nor the cleanest. They’re lightweight with modern housing, so easy and fast to work with for ACs. Those were two major points to me because we shot 80 percent handheld with super tight schedule mainly in low-sun conditions.

As for lighting, my gaffer Guillaume Payen came up with the idea of using maxi-brut as our main light to recreate the sun as soon as he read the script; this matched Antoine’s desire to feel the summer heat on screen. This was a first for me, since I’m used to working with HMI, usually, and I think this was a major choice for the movie’s warm tone. Likewise, makeup was also super helpful in adding sweat and gloss to our characters’ skins.

And this is a great summation of how I see my work. The look doesn’t just come from the DoP’s head. It’s a team effort, starting from the director’s expectations, but everyone’s input shows on the screen. Since every element we shoot — from the props to the wardrobe of the silhouette out of focus way in the background — has been chosen by collaborators and approved by Antoine during prep, there’s no doubt in the art direction on set, which leaves him space to focus on what matters most: story and performance.

‘Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point’

Dir: Tyler Taormina, DP: Carson Lund
Category: Directors’ Fortnight

Format: 3.4K Open Gate ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Hawke V-Lite Anamorphics (25mm, 50mm, 80mm) and Angenieux 25-250mm with Laowa rear anamorphic adapter

The Look: We tested a bunch of different lenses for this film because Tyler wanted to find a look that would be hard to place and difficult to describe. He was very attracted to the idea of using anamorphic lenses in an unorthodox way. The thinking was that we would crop the edges of a 2:35:1 frame and end up with a 1:85 image but still retain something of the “epic” quality afforded by the anamorphic character and bokeh. This tension offered a rough analogue to the mixture of familial warmth and stifled frustration experienced by the characters.

The Hawke lenses offered the beautiful skin tones and appealingly soft edges we wanted while still being controlled and not overly wonky in their distortion. Anamorphic zooms are of course hard to come by, so we rigged up one of my favorite Angenieux vintage zoom lenses with a Laowa anamorphic adapter and landed on a look for our zoom shots that feels both uncanny and delicate. The last touch was a Tiffen Gold Diffusion filter to lend a hazy quality to the images, which felt appropriate for a quasi-home movie about precious family memories hanging in precarious balance against the ever-shifting present tense.

‘The Damned’

Dir: Roberto Minervini, DP: Carlos Alfonso Corral
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: ARRI ProRes XQ 4.3K
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF
Lenses: Canon Rangefinder Primes TLS

The Look: Working in Montana’s harsh and unpredictable weather conditions, our natural choice was an ARRI camera system. In addition to its durability, the ALEXA Mini LF not only granted us a wide field of view but also helped foster a shallow depth of field while using wider focal lengths. This capacity allowed us selective focus while conserving the vast landscapes, which played an integral role. Close focus was also vital for capturing intimacy in key moments.

Initially, we had considered the idea of filming anamorphic but quickly found it was not conducive for our immediate approach. After testing several vintage lenses, we decided on ’60s Canon Rangefinder Primes, primarily using the 25mm lens throughout the majority of the film, with the 50mm lens reserved for select scenes. Aside from the technical benefits of speed, weight and compactness, we were drawn to the character and feeling of these lenses. They offered many aesthetic merits. We embraced their aberrations, distinct falloff, and textured bokeh. It was fascinating to see how the terrain reacted to the unique traits of these lenses. I feel that all these features helped cultivate the evolving scenery experienced by these soldiers. At times, I felt as though the subtle and natural vignette seemed to emit a pinhole-like gaze into a collective memory of war.

‘Desert of Namibia’

Dir: Yôko Yamanaka, DP: Shin Yonekura 
Category: Directors’ Fortnight

Format: XAVC-Intra 4K
Camera: Sony FX6
Lenses: Angeniuex EZ-1&EZ-2 (partially Angeniuex 25−250 HP)

The Look: We wanted to make this movie refreshing, as if you can feel a breeze blowing nicely throughout the film. The story had the sense of the lightness by itself and the main character, Yumi Kawai, has a litheness to her body movements. We didn’t want the audience to miss these. In order to catch these elements, I was sure that if the camera was too light, the picture would look too superficial. On the other hand, if the camera was too heavy, the picture would be too sluggish and dull. When I tried a combination of Sony FX6 and EZ series lenses, I found that it was perfect. The combination had just a right amount of the heaviness and lightness for this movie. I was instantly sure this combination would be able to bring the breezy wind through the movie and that’s when I made my mind to use this combination.

‘Dog on Trial’

Dir: Laetitia Dosch, DP: Alexis Kavyrchine
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 2.8K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini 
Lenses: Zoom Optimo 16-40 & Zoom Optimo 28-76

The Look: We chose these Zooms to have great flexibility on set, to be able to be very reactive, especially for all the moments with the dog.

‘East of Noon’

Dir: Hala Elkoussy, DP: Abdelsalam Moussa
Category: Directors’ Fortnight

Format: 16mm B&W film, 35mm Color Film, Digital
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416, ARRIFLEX 435, ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Ultra 16, Cooke S4/i

The Look: “East of Noon” adopts an allegorical form. It is a story within a story of a relatable take on the dichotomy of control and freedom. Presented as two spaces: East32, the gritty, dry, industrial relic; and the Sea, not just as a fluid landscape of water, sand and sky but as a longed for psychological state of total and utter freedom in opposition to fear and repression. The story moves back and forth between the real and the imagined. The world of the story is outside time and space. Film presented itself as the most natural option to achieve this feeling. The two realms are distinct in terms of film stock (16mm B&W /35 mm color), camera movement (rough/flowing movement), editing (sharp/smooth transitions) and character behavior (circular/graceful). 

‘Eat The Night’

Dirs: Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel, DP: Raphael Vandenbussche
Category: Critics’ Week 

Format: RED
Camera: RED Gemini + RED Komodo
Lenses: Cooke S4

The Look: I wanted to focus on skin tones, because it’s a story about love above the darkness of a cold city. I chose RED cameras for their intrinsic material. I love its grain at 3200isos. It was close to Tobias Zielony’s photographic work, which was one of our key inspirations. The Cooke S4 lenses are always on my side, loyal and great fellows in all situations. Thanks to TSF for giving us the opportunity to film with it. 

‘Eephus’

Dir: Carson Lund, DP: Greg Tango
Category: Director’s Fortnight

Format: 4K 6:5 X-OCN ST
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lenses: ARRI Master Anamorphics

The Look: Early on we decided that we wanted to shoot anamorphic for the field of view and aspect ratio in order to fit multiple characters in the frame at the same time. With the film having an ensemble of characters constantly moving in and out of the frame we were concerned with the distortion and softness that can come with some anamorphic lenses. Master Anamorphics are sharp across the frame so we didn’t have to worry about the edge of the image being distracting. After some testing we opted for a rear special flare kit and a Tiffen black satin to have a little more character and add a bit of a nostalgic feel.

Our film was a mix of day exteriors with direct sunlight and night exteriors with minimal lighting as a story element. We decided on the Sony Venice for its single stop NDs and dual ISOs. With clouds and changing weather conditions, having single stop NDs built into camera saved us a lot of time across our schedule. Instead of swapping filters endlessly, we could bump up or down between internal filters quickly. Additionally, the dual ISO was advantageous for night work giving us a little extra light when needed.

‘Everybody Loves Touda’

Dir: Nabil Ayouch, DP: Virginie Surdej
Category: Cannes Premiere

Format: ARRIRAW 4.5K /3.8K
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lenses: Zeiss Supreme Primes

The Look: The film tells the story of Touda, a young poetess and singer, a chikhat, raising a deaf-mute son in a small Moroccan village. She moves to Casablanca in search of a better future and confronts various challenges. Throughout her journey, the film also portrays contemporary Morocco, from the most remote villages to the high-rise buildings of Casablanca. It is a depiction of both a woman and a country.

We aimed to maintain a 1.85 aspect ratio and shoot spherical. Touda is constantly in motion, and through her journey, we follow her travels from smaller cars and modest interiors to wide, mountainous Moroccan landscapes, five-star hotels, expansive avenues, and numerous light, colorful cabarets where she performs. Given the need for Steadicam shots, handheld shots, and filming in both tiny interiors and wide landscapes, we opted for the ALEXA Mini LF due to its ergonomic design, sensor latitude, organicity, and the original ARRI texture. For lenses, we selected the Zeiss Supreme Primes for their strength in portraits and their ability to capture the beauty of the landscape while maintaining a contemporary character.

‘Filmlovers!’

Dir: Arnaud Desplechin, DP: Noé Bach
Category: Special Screenings

Format: X-OCN 4K
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lenses: Panavision anamorphic E series + zoom ATZ 70-20m

The Look: We wanted a fast and easy-to-work-with camera, very sensitive, as we wanted to use the zoom a lot. And the inside NDs where a big time saver.

‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’

Dir: George Miller, DP: Simon Duggan, ASC, ACS
Category: Out of Competition

Format: X-OCN 4K
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lenses: Panavision anamorphic E series + zoom ATZ 70-20m

The Look: “Furiosa” was my first collaboration with director George Miller and the scope and tone of the film was partly informed by George’s previous film, “Fury Road.” However, as a prequel, “Furiosa” expands on Furiosa’s story from a young age. Along the way, we discover new communities and new characters in the dystopian wasteland.

With the wider establishing exteriors filmed in the desert of central Australia, we wanted to shoot our characters amongst the stunning landscapes in high resolution and the ALEXA 65 was our first choice. We paired the ALEXA 65 with the ARRI Rental Prime DNA, which we found had great resolving power for the extreme wide shots while also rendering our actor close-ups and skin tones beautifully. The DNAs really shone in our low light interior stage work, when shooting wide open they have a creamier quality with a nice fall off to the edges.

The cameras were constantly moving with the characters and vehicles. One of our ALEXA 65s lived on our Edge Arm tracking vehicle and another for all crane and dolly work. When we needed to go more nimble, we used the ALEXA LF, Red V-Raptor, and Red Komodo for Steadicam, hand-held, and rig shots. With the many cameras, formats and lenses used to achieve George’s vision, it all cut and color-graded seamlessly together.

‘Gazer’

Dir: Ryan J. Sloan, DP: Matheus Bastos
Category: Cinema De Demain

Format: Kodak 16mm film
Camera: ARRIFLEX S16 
Lenses: Arri/Zeiss Ultra 16, Master Primes, and Ultra Primes

The Look: “Gazer” is a mystery thriller inspired by the paranoia thrillers and neo-noirs from the masters of New Hollywood: Coppola, Scorsese, Schrader, De Palma , Hitchcock, as well as the modern titans of independent filmmaking like Aronofsky, Coen Brothers, and Lee Chang-dong.

Unlike a traditional neo-noir film, we lean into to a very naturalistic, grounded and character driven approach to the cinematography. My director, Ryan J. Sloan, and I committed to a mostly naturalistic look to the film, both in its use of lighting that feels motivated by the real world, and a camera movement that is motivated to reflect environment that we find our protagonist, Frankie (played by Ariella Mastroianni, who produced and co-wrote the film along with Ryan). This results in a film that’s mostly handheld when we are out in the world, but when we are in her home, the camera is still and without motion, and usually shot wider as well.

The choice to shoot the film on Kodak 16mm one was made early and it was a non-negotiable decision from the beginning. While this might not be the popular choice for a film shot on a shoestring budget, because we shot the film on nights and weekends over the course of two years, we were able to carefully budget the amount of film we were planning to use and lean into more creativity due to our lack of other resources. 

‘The Girl with the Needle’

Dir: Magnus von Horn, DP: Michał Dymek
Category: Competition 

Format: 4.5K Open Gate ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lenses: Leitz HUGO

The Look: We chose the ALEXA Mini LF because its visuals best suited our approach in which we wanted to pull the viewer into a film with the feeling of a scary fairytale. It was visually inspired by an old photograph from the early 20th century and documentary photos related to the story of one of our main characters.

We chose the 3:2 format, also known as 1:50 — which is a format taken/borrowed from still photography. To shoot in this aspect ratio, we chose the most extensive mode in ALEXA, i.e. open gate — guaranteeing the maximum resolution of our image. During preparations, we also considered other formats, but 3:2 turned out to be the best. It helped us to show more of the architecture in the frame, which is meant to be overwhelming in our film. Through vertical framing, I wanted to create an all-encompassing feeling that alluded to our protagonist’s emotional state. I am a fan of using the character of Large Format cameras, which provide standard optics with additional space and air in the frame in close-ups.

Another strong statement was the decision to use black and white; during the first reading of the script, I didn’t see a single second of the color film in my head. Black and white was in the DNA of this story. Usually, black and white builds the viewer’s distance from the film being watched. It creates an image of an inaccessible world from a bygone time that no longer exists. We wanted to change this feature of black and white and work in such a way that the world presented in this film was as sensual and perceptible as possible on the screen. Black and white helps you easily travel back in time when making a historical film.

All formal assumptions were very important to us, however the most important thing for me and Magnus, when working together, is to remain honest to the emotions embedded in the script. The form, lighting, and camera work were subordinated to the emotional path of our main character.

‘Ghost Trail’

Dir: Jonathan Millet, DP: Olivier Boonjing SBC
Category: Critics’ Week

Format: 6K X-OCN LT
Camera: Sony Venice, Panasonic S1H
Lenses: TLS Mamiya 645

The Look: The film is based on true stories so it was key for Jonathan Millet and myself to find the right balance between realism and the thriller aspects of the film, between the personal story of Hamid and the scope of his quest. We chose the Venice for its colors, the internal NDs, and the high sensitivity we knew we would need for certain locations. I really like the Mamiya 645 lenses because they are beautifully imperfect. I love the way they render faces. 

‘Good One’

Dir: India Donaldson, DP: Wilson Cameron 
Category: Directors’ Fortnight

Camera: ALEXA Mini (Blackmagic Pocket 4K as b-camera for some scenes)
Lenses: Zeiss Super Speeds, Angenieux Optimo 17-80

The Look: This movie is about relationships, and we wanted the cinematography to help the nuances of the script and the performances to shine through. We thought a lot about how scenes could play in wider, long takes, and how the camera could follow certain characters or track between them. One of our key rules was that when in doubt, we would stay on Sam and be in her world. In terms of camera, the ALEXA just produces the best, most flexible image and it’s great for filming daytime exteriors. And the Zeiss Super Speed lenses are my favorite because they just have this special quality that felt right for this story — they are sharp but have a bit of a classic feel. Our entire setup was designed to be very lean so that we could move easily while trekking through the woods.

‘Holy Cow’

Dir: Louise Courvoisier, DP: Elio Balezeaux
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 2.8K PRORES 4444XQ
Camera: ALEXA mini LF (s35 crop)
Lenses: Lomo Roundfront anamorphics, Lomo Foton 

The Look: Louise told me that the movie was a lot about finding a balance between a traditional and a modern rurality. We had to find a balance in our cinematography, a place between naturalistic feeling, grounded to a social reality, and a more engaged, stylized image. She had a lot of American, Western-like references and she knew she wanted to shoot anamorphic for the physicality between people and space and its ability to magnify the young people we were filming and the Jura’s landscape.

We shot with Lomo Roundfront Anamorphics, which looked perfect for what we wanted — they have a very on-point distance to the characters, a lot of smoothness, and also wild flairs which we decided to play with. It brought warm skins and a unique softness that allowed us to be very contrasting in post and get deep blacks and very shiny highlights without being harsh on the actors’ skin. I used them a lot around 4 – 5.6 because the depth of field felt right at this stop and felt less “vintage,” while keeping their organic feeling.

We only had two lenses, a 75 and a 50 (that I used with a 2.0 extender) and we loved the constraint and rigor it gave us. We mostly did still shots and pans except for the more “documentary style” sequences where I used a handheld spherical Lomo foton zoom. I loved how with these lenses, hard, almost documentary lights (bright sun, industrial tubes, LEDs) felt really cinematic. We mostly chose the Alexa for its organic grain at 2000 iso. In color grading, we wanted to find a very strong contrast with a smooth feeling, hard suns, very dark nights, warm skins, bright and shiny colors.

‘Horizon: An American Saga’

Dir: Kevin Costner DP: J.Michael Muro
Category: Out of Competition

Format: 6K Red Raw HQ (.r3d) 
Camera: Red V-Raptor 
Lenses: Leica Summilux 

The Look: We chose the 1:85 format over the anamorphic this time because we wanted the opportunity to use every ounce of negative that we could muster to give the viewer the detail of the spectacular nature of the Highcliffs and the colors that you find in the American Southwest. The color files were made exclusively for the “Horizon” saga. The entire film has been printed onto actual film negative: an “analog intermediate” whereby each scene has actual film grain. 

‘In His Own Image’

Dir: Thierry de Peretti, DP: Josée Deshaies
Category: Directors’ Fortnight

Format: 4K ARRIRAW
Camera: Alexa 35
Lenses: Summilux and Angénieux 25-290

The Look: You never know exactly if you have the right tools until you actually shoot for a couple of days, no? On this project, I had the luxury to shoot the actress in real locations many months before film started. In fact, some of those shots are in the film, and that feels really good. I still think preparation is something that is not explored enough if you want to look at a project as a prototype and not a recipe. I always smile when interviews ask me what I shot on; is that very important?

When I was a kid, we had T-shirts from a Super8 company that said, “It’s not the size that matters, but how to use it.” Now it seems pretty sexiest, doesn’t it? The film name is very oversized, like it could make you very self-aware (“A Son Image”). But I think it questions how we receive images today — any kind of image, from religious icons to black-and-white family photos to a fictional film.

‘The Invasion’

Dir: Sergey Loznitsa, DP: Piotr Pawlus 
Category: Out of Competition

Format: Blackmagic RAW, ARRIRAW
Camera: Blackmagic Cinema Pocket 4k, ALEXA
Lenses: Celere HS, Olympus Zuiko OM, Vivitar 

The Look: We used two types of cameras, the ALEXA Mini and Blackmagic Cinema Pocket 4K. We created some shots in a safe area and then I did another shoot in Donbas near the frontline. So for that I decided to use a Blackmagic camera. I had experience with it, so I knew it well, and I needed to have equipment that we could move quickly with. 

‘Kinds of Kindness’

Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos, DP: Robbie Ryan
Category: Competition

Format: 35mm anamorphic
Camera: ARRICAM ST 
Lenses: Panavision primo AL set/ c series /atlas

The Look: We wanted a clean, sharp, but still characterful look to “Kinds of Kindness,” so after lots of testing we settled on mainly the Panavision Primo ALs, which we liked. They are big lenses but have got a great quality around the whole frame. We also used the Atlas 21mm anamorphic which helped us get the wider aspect Yorgos likes shooting in and looked nice. 

‘The Kingdom’

Dir: Julien Colonna, DP: Antoine Cormier
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: ARRIRAW 4K 2:1 
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Canon K35 25-120mm and Canon K35 Prime Lenses

The Look: We exchanged several references with Julien, and it quickly became clear that we were both very drawn to the texture and look of the 35mm 2-perf format, which also fit the time period of our film: a scorching summer in Corsica in the mid-90s. So we considered shooting on film, but fairly quickly, for economic and practical reasons (the majority of the cast being non-actors), we had to switch to digital. The ALEXA 35 emerged as an obvious choice due to its highly “film-like” response, providing great flexibility and latitude in handling highlights, which were often quite harsh in our outdoor scenes, while also allowing deep shadows with a “smoky” aspect reminiscent of film.

The use of internal camera textures was also a plus, especially on set. After several camera tests during prep, including some scenes shot in both Super 16mm and ALEXA 35 in some of our sets, we were able to create a solid look that followed our footage all the way through to color grading. We were fortunate to combine this color and texture exploration with a beautiful Canon K35 25-120mm zoom lens, which also brought its own set of aberrations and character to the image, while allowing us to extensively use motorized zooms, a key camera language in our staging.

Same idea with the lighting — we identified our desire for an approach that was heavily influenced by existing elements, based on our locations. Whether it was the blazing Corsican sun for our outdoor scenes or large lights coming from our windows for our indoor daytime scenes, these allowed us to minimize technical equipment on set. The production design team, led by Louise Le Bouc Berger, did an amazing job, especially in finding practical lights from our time period, which often served as the initial source of motivation for our lighting. I would also like to commend the exceptional work of the makeup team, which gave a unique texture to the sheen of sweaty skins, as well as the outstanding work of Caroline Spieth for her costumes, which truly contributed to the authenticity of the film.

‘Limenov: The Ballad’

Dir: Kirill Serebrennikov, DP: Roman Vasyanov
Category: Competition

Camera: Sony Venice 2:35
Lenses: Tribe S7t 

The Look: The Sony Venice, together with a small attachment Realto, gave us endless possibilities with handheld camera. We always blocked and shot with very long shots, where all the edit happened inside the frame, so the size and weight of the camera was crucial. 

‘Marcello Mio’

Dir: Christophe Honoré, DP: Rémy Chevrin
Category: Competition

Format: ARRIRAW 4.6K
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: Leica Summilux 18 TO 135mm, Zoom Optimo 28-340 ET 30-80

The Look: The choice for the look of the film had to show softness on the skin, no contrast off the darks, summer lighting with a mix of soft green on the wardrobe and set, a nice summer green for outside, as well as great beauty shots on the actress. 

‘Megalopolis’

Dir: Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Mihai Mălaimare Jr., ASC
Category: Competition

Format: 6.5K ARRIRAW & 4.5K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 65, ALEXA LF and ALEXA Mini LF
Lenses: Panavision Sphero 65 and Panavision Panaspeed lenses

The Look: In the first conversation we had about “Megalopolis,” Francis mentioned an IMAX release to showcase the film’s grandeur. We tested quite a few cameras, reviewing everything at the IMAX headquarters in Los Angeles. Although most cameras could handle the resolution for the additional big screen, there was something about the ALEXA 65 that I thought would be best to capture the rich and expansive elements of the film. In my mind, IMAX is synonymous with 65mm. It’s like in still photography where medium format 120 film has such a distinct feel and look, the depth of field, focus on only one eye and the 80mm lens that has the same field of view as a 35mm in Super 35.

“Megalopolis” is not set in a specific time frame, and this allows us to mix old and new elements and techniques. 65mm is not a modern format, but we combined futuristic elements to give it a complex feel and look, which Francis describes as “poetic reality.” The interplay of light and shadow was also applied to evoke different emotions and atmospheres. For the main unit, we had two ALEXA 65s and an ALEXA LF for high speed frame rate. Second unit had an ALEXA Mini LF. We chose a combination of Panavision Sphero 65 for wide range, alongside detuned Panaspeed lenses. Our main aspect ratio was 2:1 with selected scenes changing to 1.43:1. I think 2:1 is a fascinating ratio. Francis likes it because you don’t have to go too wide in order to see the actors’ hands, as compared to 2.39:1. I also see it as a tribute to Vittorio Storaro’s Univisium.

‘My Sunshine’

Dir & DP: Hiroshi Okuyama
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: ARRIRAW 3.4K Open Gate, 3.2k ProRes 4444, BlackmagicRAW Ultra HD
Camera: ALEXA Mini, AMIRA, BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Lenses: ARRI Ultra Prime

The Look: “My Sunshine” is a skating film set in a snowy countryside. Since this project began with limited funding, there should have been only few options to choose a camera, but before shooting, I decided to submit this project to the Asian Project Market held at the Busan International Film Festival and won the ARRI Award, so they provided me with the opportunity to film this using an ARRI camera, which I was already familiar with. The ARRI camera was extremely stable, both in the snow and on ice, and there was never a moment when I felt uneasy. The wide latitude of the camera allowed me to control the grading of snowy landscapes, which are prone to white-outs.

Drawing my childhood experience of learning figure skating for 7 years made it possible to shoot the skating scene by bringing the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera with Ronin to the ice rink while I skated so that it was possible to capture characters with a documentary-like flexibility and dynamism. As both a director and a cinematographer, the ARRI camera and the Blackmagic camera have always been reliable partners for me; they give me the mobility I need to shoot the images I envision.

‘Niki’

Dir: Céline Sallette, DP: Victor Seguin
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 6K
Camera: Sony Venice
Lenses: Panavision PVintage

The Look: There’s an elegance to Panavision lenses that highlights the actors. As our intention was not to use additional lights, I chose the Venice for its sensitivity and because we needed fast and soft lenses to compensate the sharpness of the camera. The focus roll off intensified by the full-frame recording (PVintage are S35 lenses) gave the film a pictorial identity.

‘Norah’

Dir: Tawfik Alzaidi, DP: Shaun Harley Lee
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 2.8K 4:3 ProRes 4444 XQ [2X Desqueeze]
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic Primes

The Look: “Norah” is a character piece that explores the importance of self expression in ’90s Saudi Arabia, when art was banned. Our primary visual theme sat in the stark interplay between the light and darkness in the desert environments, in the idea of what it means to be truly seen. Characters bring aspects of themselves from the darkness into the light both literally and figuratively.

The film is set across three time periods, we opted for the Master Anamorphics for our ’90s sequences which helped isolate characters in the scale of the Alula landscapes and then used Master Diopters to bring the camera in close and get inside our characters heads when need be. We then brought in spherical Master Primes shooting Super16 crop mode for the ’80s sequences and spherical Open Gate for the films 2018 final sequences.

‘Oh Canada’

Dir: Paul Schrader, DP: Andrew Wonder
Category: Competition

Format: 4.6K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF Monochrome
Lenses: TLS Wonderspeeds, Arri Rental ALFA Anamorphics

The Look: The film takes place across several time periods using a variety of formats and styles. The present feels like mahogany, warm with deep shadows shot on two ALEXA 35s with my personal uncoated Zeiss Wonderspeeds that were rehoused and customized by TLS. The past varies between the ’60s — faded like “Fat City” — shot with the ARRI 35 and ARRI Rental Alfa Anamorphic Lenses (mainly the 32mm); there’s also a mosaic of other periods captured in black and white on the ALEXA Mini LF Monochrome also using Alfa Lenses. Besides the tonality of the monochrome, I was able to get a different feeling from the lenses by mixing in the LF sensor.

I am a big fan of ARRIRAW. I have an exposure system that can be very extreme on a sensor and prores falls apart under the stress of it. Being an ALEXA Mini owner, my jaw dropped when I started testing and discovered that I could go twice as far with the A35. I use a lot of different filtration and I’ve always been frustrated with digital’s ability to handle them. Now, with the A35, so many of the tools I started with on celluloid are back in the game.

The entire film was recorded with G5733 — nostalgic texture baked in as well.

‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’

Dir: Rungano Nyoni, DP: David Gallego
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 3.4K Open gate mode
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Panavision P-Vintage 

The Look: In this second collaboration with director Rungano Nyoni, our approach to the visuals started from the search for an emotional state experienced by the main character and is affected by the discovery of a childhood trauma that has been silenced by cultural canons. According to this premise, darkness was the central axis of the narrative decisions that we made — from the darkness itself, everything that has not been possible to decode as a society and where silence has taken over fear.

For this reason, we needed to have a Hi Speed ​​Vintage optic from Panavision, which has an appropriate character and texture to allow us to see those characteristics of the same optic in the dark and give relevance to the blacks, since the practical lights were going to become unique lighting sources in certain spaces. The combination with ALEXA mini allowed us to record the skins at these low light levels.

‘An Ordinary Case’

Dir: Daniel Auteuil, DP: Jean Francois Hensgens
Category: Special Screening 

Format: ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: XELMUS APOLLO

The Look: I always carry out tests with the director to determine which camera/optical pairing is best suited to the film. In this case, the ALEXA 35 for its flexibility and textures, combined with the Xelmus Apollo for its distortions and very close minimum point, were the natural choices.

‘The Other Way Around’

Dir: Jonás Trueba, DP: Santiago Racaj
Category: Competition

Format: 4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: COOKE S4i + Cooke Zoom Varotal i FF 30-95mm 

The Look: We chose the ALEXA 35 because we like the new feel of skin tone reproduction compared to previous ALEXA models. In my opinion, ARRI has achieved more complex colors that are closer to the skin shot on film. I also like its wider dynamic range, which sometimes allows me to spend more time on the actors and less on working on light control.

I have also found in the combination of this camera and Cooke lenses an excellent tool to get closer to faces and their textures in a very natural way, and this was essential for me. After some tests, we decided to also use the Zoom Cooke Varotal 30-95 for full frame, which although it produces a more yellow tone than the primes, achieved excellent texture and smoothness.

We also did some tests to see the effect of the Nostalgic G733 texture in projection and decided to select it during filming for all the footage. Together with the selection of the lenses, it added to the material a somewhat denser sensation in its colors, in the appearance of the materials that we believe reinforces the realistic sensation of natural interiors.

‘Parthenope’

Dir: Paolo Sorrentino, DP: Daria D’Antonio
Category: Competition

Format: ARRIRAW 4.6K 16:9
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: ARRI Signature Primes

The Look: After discussing the feeling of the film and doing the first scouting sessions with Paolo, we decided to use the ALEXA 35 for the incredible latitude of its sensor and the exceptional color rendering. The great sensitivity to light and the exceptional detail in the highlights allowed me to be daring in the lighting and exposure choices. The lenses, which we had already used together, turned out to be suitable for our needs because of their extraordinary softness and transparency. I believe that the tools we used helped me to try to convey the same sensation of concreteness and elusiveness that’s embedded in the story of “Parthenope.” 

‘Queens of Drama’

Dir: Alexis Langlois, DP: Marine Atlan
Category: Critics Week 

Format: RED RAW 4K Anamorphic x2
Camera: RED GEMINI
Lenses: Technivision Zeiss Anamorphic + 150mm Elite, Zoom Angenieux 25 – 250 with bloc anamorphic

The Look: With director Alexis Langlois, we wanted to work around the idea of technicolor and crafted the image like a 2000s Technicolor. Zeiss Technovisions, with their flares, softness, and slight distortions, were ideally suited to carry an imaginary picture of classic ’50s cinema. The Angenieux zoom lens was modified to give an oval bokeh, bringing a real sense of brilliance and sparkle to the scenes, accompanying the characters’ trajectory towards stardom and the world of show business. Finally, we liked the RED’s color noise and color rendering, which enabled us to achieve a modern saturation. We had to find a balance between an image that evokes the golden age of musicals and a popular culture that is more akin to the TV talent shows and music videos of the 2000s. To achieve this, we did a lot of filtering, alternated PAR and LED lighting to represent TV sets, and pushed our chroma tools in color grading. We needed a flamboyant, generous image to convey the dramatic trajectory of our two heroines in the world of music.

‘Santosh’

Dir: Sandhya Suri, DP: Lennert Hillege
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 3.8K ProRes
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF 
Lenses: ARRI Signatures Primes

The Look: We aimed for a genuine and unembellished appearance, avoiding lenses that caused flares or added a romantic feel to the image. The use of a large format helped us avoid using overly wide lenses. Our goal was to capture a perspective that didn’t demand too much attention yet allowed for authenticity to shine through.

‘Savanna and the Mountain’

Dir: Paulo Carneiro, DP: Duarte Domingos
Category: Critics’ Week 

Format: 16mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX SR3 
Lenses: Canon 6.6-66mm, Zeiss super speed s16

The Look: Our primary objective was portability and readiness for shooting. We allocated time to wait for the optimal lighting conditions and meticulously set up each scene. We opted for shooting on film for several reasons, including budget considerations and the desired aesthetic. Shooting digitally would have necessitated a bulkier setup, compromising portability. Additionally, film offered a unique representation of reality, particularly capturing the green color of the Barroso region. For lenses, we selected the Canon 6.6-66mm for its versatility and Zeiss Super Speeds to handle low-light situations.

‘The Shameless’

Dir: Konstantin Bojanov, DP: Gabriel Lobos
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 3.4K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: ARRI Master Anamorphics

The Look: We shot “The Shameless” in real locations in Kathmandu, Nepal, in tiny alleys and small, cramped interiors with small windows. We felt quite early on that this was a story we wanted to tell in the 1:2.39 aspect ratio — for some reason I often thought about this film as a kind of Western.

We wanted to use Anamorphics but we weren’t keen on much edge distortion and other typical anamorphic characteristics that the director Konstantin Bojanov thought would distract away from the story. The Master Anamorphics were the natural solution: there is almost no distortion and sharpness is very even across the frame. These are lenses that don’t draw attention to themselves, yet they have a beautiful three-dimensionality to them. They are also very fast, which helped a lot because our light package was not very big.

‘Simon of the Mountain’

Dir: Federico Luis Tachella, DP: Marcos Hastrup
Category: Critics Week 

Format: Apple Pro Res 4444 4K UHD
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Zeiss Superspeeds 

The Look: In my preparation talks with the director, Federico Luis Tachella, we wanted “Simon of the Mountain” to feel real and natural in every aspect. We had a very tight 15 days to shoot the entire movie, and for most scenes, we would be working with non-actors, many of which had mental or physical particularities. With this in mind, we felt we needed to go 100 percent handheld with a very compact camera setup to be free to adjust during the shoot and capture as many unplanned happy accidents as possible. We chose the ALEXA Mini stripped to the bare minimum with Zeiss Super Speed lenses.

Having said that, we didn’t want the movie to feel like an improvised documentary but rather a more observational and choreographed handheld camera. We would try and choreograph the scenes in as few shots as possible without cutting to achieve this realism we were looking for. We also wanted a camera that was observational to what Simon (Lorenzo Ferro) was going through, to feel the movie through him, and being handheld, I could be up close and make smooth adjustments to the frame during the take, which helped us capture the subtle shifts in his character. Our goal was for the camera, lighting and color correction to accompany the story in the most subtle way, adapting to the energy and emotion of the scene as an observer, but at the same time feeling like you are right there.

‘September Says’

Dir: Ariane Labed, DP: Balthazar Lab
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 35mm film, 16mm film
Camera: ARRICAM LT, ARRIFLEX 416, Canon EOS-3
Lenses: ARRI Master Primes & UP16

The Look: The script revolves around a black hole, a mystery, which splits the film into two parts and turns the characters’ lives upside down. The idea was to make these different parts visually distinct, with the first part in Super16 in 1.85 format and the second in 35mm 2 perforation. The change is subtle but gives the visual sensation that “something has changed.” The image becomes clearer, and the viewer subconsciously becomes part of the investigation; the frame becomes wider, and the characters confront each other and camp out on either side of the frame.

The 16mm and 35mm 2 perforations also had the advantage of favoring great depth of field, the right balance of textures and also acceptable shooting times per magazine. In the end, shooting on film, mixing 16mm and 35mm was a real joy. There’s always this feeling with film that the medium works for us, that it’s not up to us to shake-up the medium to make it interesting.

Finally there’s the “black hole” moment. We had the intuition that this moment had to be very special: to break away from the usual cinematic temporality. We came up with the idea of shots with a long shutter speed, but it caused a real tension — treating the whole sequence like that meant taking a narrative risk. Also the complexity of the sequence and the tight schedule left no room for experimentation. So I suggested that we do both! We set up a 3D-Rig, inspired somewhat by how Hoyte von Hoytema, and used it to combine different cameras. Except that here we used two film cameras! Our ARRICAM LT on one side and a Canon EOS-3 on the other so that we could take the photos with the exposure time we wanted. Ariane, the director, had a remote and could take the pictures whenever she wanted from the combo.

In the end, the final cut mixes photos from the EOS-3 and moving images from the ARRICAM LT. So we have 3 formats in the film: 16mm, 35mm 2 perforations and the 35mm 8 perforations of the pictures!

‘The Story of Souleymane’

Dir: Boris Lojkine, DP: Tristan Galand
Category: Un Certain Regard 

Format: 3.4K OPENGATE ARRIRAW / 1.5:1
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Zeiss Super Speed MkIII (25 and 35 mainly)

The Look: The first thing that Boris (the director) told me was that he wanted reality to affect the cinematic apparatus, so we had to find ways to leave space for city life to interfere with the process of filming.

In terms of cinematography, this meant reducing the crew to its minimum and evaluating in prep what that minimum was for each scene. The setup was flexible: for a few scenes, I was alone, but the core crew was composed of Haruyo Yokota (1st AC) and myself. A bigger location required the help of Florian Gomez (gaffer) and two sparks. The bicycle scenes were prepped and shot in collaboration with Jonathan Ly (key grip). These scenes were challenging because we had to follow Sangare, who plays Souleymane, as he was cycling in the busy streets of Paris, without blocking off traffic. This entailed zigzagging between cars, riding on bicycle lanes and sidewalks. We devised a “pull configuration” in which I sat with the camera on the back of a long-tail bicycle and rode ahead of Sangare, and a “push configuration” where I sat in the front box of a cargo bicycle and tailed him. It was shaky, but it gave us the immersive, bustling sensation we were looking for. 

Sticking with Boris’ desire to embrace reality, we shot in locations where we had less control over the light. I had to rely on available sources, often switching things off to give shape to the image, framing the light rather than lighting the frame. I chose a camera I knew would work in most situations, and that I could keep on my shoulder for two months: the ALEXA Mini. I like putting S35 lenses that just cover the full sensor of the Mini to get texture at the borders, and when looking for a spherical S35 set that is lightweight, fast and beautiful, I often turn to the Zeiss Super Speeds

‘She’s Got No Name’

Dir: Peter Chan DP: Jake Pollock
Category: Out of Competition

Format: 4.6K ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA 35 
Lenses: ARRI Signature Primes with Impression Filters, Zeiss Planar, Petzval, Deakinizer

The Look: “She’s Got No Name” covers several time periods, but we wanted it to feel modern. I referenced mid-century avant-garde photographers in search of “period-specific modernism,” which included expressive shadows and bold angles.

Using the ALEXA 35 between ISO 500 all the way to 6400 with six different ARRI textures, varying strengths of Negative and Positive Impression Filters, as well as eight different types of diffusion created subtle, organic variations in the look. Even the black-and-white flashbacks are differentiated based on emotion and perspective. I wanted the feeling of different film stocks and old glass but needed the full range of the Signature Primes. We developed the LUT based on how Kodachrome reacts to cooler mixed color temps.

Peter Chan is a very intuitive director and always gives the actors freedom to develop the scene, so I need to be flexible to all the changes that happen. Having this visual foundation and LUTs in place freed me to respond to the emotional impact of each scene and create lighting and camera angles that enhanced those ideas. Getting the look 95 percent right in camera not only helped the director and editor but was useful for the actors. They saw how much care went into the images and got very excited, which translated into greater trust and richer performances.

‘Sister Midnight’

Dir: Karan Kandhari, DP: Sverre Sørdal
Category: Directors Fortnight

Format: 35mm Film
Camera: Panavision Millennium XL2
Lenses: Panavision Primos

The Look: It’s hard to sum up in a few words how these tools helped us tell the story because it’s so complex, intricate, and emotional, but shooting on film enabled us to tell the story in the way we wanted to visually express it. With hard light, rich colors, different (but subtle) changes within the images as the story progresses by processing the film in various ways (normal, push and pull).

I think it’s absolutely beautiful how celluloid deals with hard light, so knowing we could go as hard as we dared was satisfying. I might have gone a bit too far in places, but I would rather do that than to play it safe, safe is boring and why would anyone want to be boring.

Shooting with Panavision cameras and lenses was a natural choice for both me and the director. Panavision, and specifically Lee Mackey at Panavision, has been of utmost support to me since the day I stepped into the industry. But of course, it is what these tools bring to the visuals that is paramount. The Panavision Primos are, for me, classic cinema. When I close my eyes and think of movies and moving images that are iconic and close to my heart I can imagine they had a Primo capturing the mise-en-scène. The Primos, combined with 35mm film, were the first of many hairs on the brush we needed to paint this film with.

The Millennium XL2 was an absolute workhorse and it performed beautifully in the blazing heat of our set build on location, also nicknamed ‘The Tandoori oven’ during the shoot.

‘The Surfer’

Dir: Lorcan Finnegan, DP: Radek Ladczuk
Category: Midnight 

Format: ARRIRAW 4K
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: P-Vitage, Panavision Portrait 50mm, Zeiss 10 mm, Entaniya HAL 200 6.0mm Fisheye Lens 

The Look: Initially, the movie was supposed to be shot on Super 16mm, but due to difficulties with developing the negative in Australia, we decided to go digital and achieve the filmic look through color correction. Visually, we were inspired by the ’70s, hence the idea of using film stock. We aimed for a nostalgic retro aesthetic, driven by the protagonist’s memories of childhood. For this purpose, we chose Panavision P-Vintage lenses, which we mixed with very wide lenses like Zeiss 10mm or Entaniya HAL 6.0mm Fisheye Lens. We wanted the optics to change along with the character’s transformation, gradually undergoing distortion.

The main cinematographic challenge was to create a sense of heat. We knew we would be shooting outdoors with high contrast lighting. The Australian sun, which also reflected off the ocean, posed a challenge. We used the ALEXA 35 camera to shoot the movie, which seemed appropriate due to its exceptional dynamic range.

‘This Life of Mine’

Dir: Sophie Fillières, DP: Emmanuelle Collinot 
Category: Critics’ Week 

Format: 4K RAW
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lenses: Zeiss Ultra Prime

The Look: I like Sony’s color management, and as I had very few projectors, the double ISO of the Venice 1 was very useful indoors. What’s more, it’s not a very bulky camera, and when paired with Zeiss ultra prime lenses, the whole package remained light. The whole film is shot on the shoulder so it was important to strike a balance between aesthetics and weight! I also like a lot the softness of the ultra prime lenses. With this series of lenses, you get a very nice rendering on the skin.

‘Three Kilometers to the End of the World’

Dir: Emanuel Parvu, DP: Stavila Silviu 
Category: Competition

Format: 4.5K ProRes444
Camera: ALEXA Mini LF
Lenses: Zeiss Supreme Prime

The Look: Our aim was to meet the aesthetic references that Emanuel and I chose for this story. After several tests with Alexa Mini LF and several lenses, we paired the camera with Zeiss Supreme Prime for their subtle and gradual focus fall-off. The reliability of the camera and its color science gave us the ability to capture crucial skin tones and nature textures in high temperature and humidity conditions, as the shooting took place in The Danube Delta. The ALEXA sensor combined with supreme lenses deals very well with highlights and, at the same time, in tricky low-light conditions.

We chose this wide format because we wanted to split the shot through production design or actors positioning, allowing ourselves to have two separate “worlds” in the same shot. We decided to use less artificial light so I bounced or cut the natural light for a warm soft look but with a strong chromatic contrast of the character’s costume color. The maximum aperture and dynamic range of this combo was real helpful, as it was challenging to capture, for the interior shots, the full village life, to let the viewer see out of the windows to the paradise, which our character is imprisoned in by social conventions and expectations.

‘To a Land Unknown’

Dir: Mahdi Fleifel, DP: Thodoras Mihopoulos
Category: Directors’ Fortnight

Format: 16mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416 plus
Lenses: ARRI/Zeiss Ultra 16 prime lenses 

The Look: The narrative negotiates a theme that is universal and timeless in many respects, so together with the director, we choose film as a format. The aim was to achieve a rough quality in the cinematography, reminiscent of documentary works from the ’70s and early ’80s, so we decided on 16mm.

It was agreed that the camera position will stay on the side of the actors, led by their action, and emotions and the editing will be based on a minimal structure. The handheld perspective was an organic addition, in the way 16mm and documentary aesthetics blurred. A large part of the scenes is done with natural light only, which is a style that characterizes most of my works. Also, a key element was the Athenian light in combination with the close ups on the actors, which provided us with a unique film quality in the image. This was acknowledged during our camera tests, where I could see the director smiling behind his monitor.

‘Universal Language’

Dir: Matthew Rankin, DP: Isabelle Stachtchenko
Category: Directors’ Fortnight

Format: Super 16mm
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416
Lenses: Zeiss 16 super speeds, 11-165mm Canon zoom

The Look: Matthew’s work seems inextricably tied to 16mm so it was an inevitable choice (to my great delight). We both have an innate love of 16mm and the texture it brings to an image. What I love about 16mm is it instinctually brings you to somewhere that isn’t quite aligned with reality because you can feel the medium; on a sensory level you know you’re being transported somewhere else.

We really wanted to create a silent character with the camera, pointing the viewer towards details that don’t necessarily seem to be central in that moment: a distracted child in the classroom not listening to their teacher. For this, we used a zoom that went to a longer focal length because we often had locations where we knew we would want to get as close as possible to our characters even though we were, for example, on the other side of a highway from them. We are often far from our characters, who are lost in an architectural maze of beige and gray. I wanted to be able to sometimes be close to them yet keep a physical distance, which such a telephoto zoom allowed us.

It was also important to have the super speeds on hand which were perfect for our architectural shots throughout the film. Although I have great affection for the zoom we used, it did have many aberrations, especially on the longer end. We spent much time lugging the camera up scaffolding so we could get perfectly rectilinear shots. We wanted to create a sort of rigid geometric world with the available architecture — a true ode to the brutalist wonders of Winnipeg and Montreal.

‘Visiting Hours’

Dir: Patricia Mazuy, DP: Simon Beaufils
Category: Critics’ Week 

Format: ARRIRAW 4.6K OG
Camera: ALEXA 35
Lenses: UltraScope Lenses

The Look: Our previous film with Patricia was a film noir, shot almost entirely at night, with a very assertive raw image. “La Prisonnière de Bordeaux” is quite the opposite: a daytime film for which we were looking, above all else, for softness, kindness, a richness of color on the skin, and delicate attention — a film about faces.

I started by doing some tests on 35mm 2 perfs, which seemed to me the best medium for retranscribing the richness of skin tones, for that special, almost carnal material that gives the actors such a particular vibrant, living presence. These shots serve as a basis, a reference for modeling the digital and trying to find a material, not the same material as the film obviously, but to build a feeling, a belief — to feel that the bodies, the faces, are there.

I shot the same shots with an ALEXA 35 and a few sets of lenses, all old and anamorphic. I love what anamorphosis does to digital; it breaks up, blurs, flares and distorts these neat little alignments of pixels that I otherwise find a little too tidy.

The UltraScope series combined with the texture of the ALEXA 35, which was a little pushed, came to me quite quickly. We continued the work in color-grading, using small touches, working on the skins, adding a little grain and twisting the highlights. We paid particular attention to colours, which I find tend to fade naturally in digital. We had in mind Sirk’s or Fassbinder’s colors, very vivid, full saturated colors. Colors that become a part of the characters. All these small steps complement each other and finally a new material emerges, hybrid, moving, fragile.

‘The Village Next To Paradise’

Dir: Mo Harawe, DP: Mostafa El Kashef
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 2.8k ARRIRAW
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Zeiss Ultra primes

The Look: Shooting in Somalia is really hard and a tough thing to do. We were shooting in high temperatures and in extreme wind and I needed a camera that could sustain itself and that is durable and could take extreme situations without failing. I also had very little light; that’s why I wanted a camera with a high dynamic range that would help me in low light places and also to compensate when shooting external shots. I don’t think there’s a camera that could deliver such quality and durability in such a location like the ALEXA. The director and I needed a camera that would give us the image we wanted but at the same was handy and wouldn’t break. 

‘Vivre, Mourir, Renaître’

Dir: Gaël Morel, DP: David Chambille
Category: Cannes Premieres

Format: 4K and 6K X-OCN ST 3:2
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lenses: Kowa Full Frame Primes

The Look: I didn’t want this movie to look too crisp and sharp for several reasons. This is a moving ’90s story about young and passionate people that are striving desperately to live with desire. So, the lenses I used aren’t flawless at all. They are soft on the edge; they have a strong and swirly bokeh; each lens has its own poetic aberrations, the warm flare is really specific. To me, these organic lenses were behaving like the characters, and were the right choice.

Nevertheless, the stop is a critical artistic setting, and so we used the Kowa FF. I needed a camera with a great sensitivity to be able to shoot at the best stop for each scene in any light situation. That’s why I chose the Venice.

‘When the Light Breaks’

Dir: Rúnar Rúnarsson, DP: Sophia Olsson
Category: Un Certain Regard

Format: 16mm Film
Camera: ARRIFLEX 416 Plus
Lenses: Primes, mainly ARRI Ultra 16 & ARRI/Zeiss Ultra Prime. Zoom Angenieux 11.5-138mm 

The Look: When filming with Runar it is (almost) always on film, which fits with the visual expression of how Runar tells his stories. Choosing 16mm, we aimed for the rawness and the sensibility that it can provide. It matches our young main character Una and what she goes through while we follow her closely over the course of a long day from one sunset to another, a day where Una’s life changes drastically.

We wanted a realistic and truthful feeling with the cinematography while still keeping it delicate and partly (hopefully) poetic. This is one of many reasons that we chose the ARRI Ultra 16 primes together with the 16mm film and shot mainly on Kodak 250D.

‘Wild Diamond’

Dir: Agathe Riedinger, DP: Noé Bach
Category: Competition

Format: ARRI ProRes 3.2K
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Atlas Orion SE + Zeiss Superspeed

The Look: We chose to shoot this movie in 4:3 (1.33 aspect ratio) because it was the director’s strong belief that this aspect ratio would depict the narrowness felt by the main character. I suggested we shoot anamorphic (Atlas Orion SE), still keeping the 1.33 ratio, to add a vertical and liquid feeling to the bokehs, which would balance the 1.33 ratio and give a more accidental and painterly feeling to depict the character’s emotions.