Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw didn鈥檛 realize she was going to make history on 鈥淪inners.鈥 The Ryan Coogler film, now playing in theaters nationwide, marks the first time a female director of photography has shot a movie on large format IMAX film.
It was Kodak executive Vanessa Bendetti who texted her the news.
鈥淚 smiled at the thought,鈥 Arkapaw said in a recent interview. 鈥淚 felt very proud that Ryan gave me the opportunity.鈥
The format, a favorite of , has gained popularity in recent years 鈥 not just with directors but with . Coogler hadn鈥檛 originally sought it out for (he had planned on using 16 mm) until Warner Bros. executive Jesse Ehrman asked him if he鈥檇 considered large format, which gives moviegoers more resolution and a shallower depth of field.
鈥淛ust from an exhibition sense in this day and age with folks having so much access to streaming and watching so many things on their phones, itsa国际传媒 nice to have a format like IMAX that can be an experience you can only experience in the theaters,鈥 Coogler told The Associated Press.
Coogler and Arkapaw then began a testing process, looking at 70 mm IMAX prints of films like 鈥2001: A Space Odyssey,鈥 鈥淭he Hateful Eight鈥 and 鈥淭enet鈥 and consulting with Nolan and his regular cinematographer . Coogler quickly fell in love with the format and felt it was fitting for the larger-than-life, genre-bending film about vampires, the blues and life in the Jim Crow south in 1932.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 surprised that we were exploring large format,鈥 Arkapaw said. 鈥淲e shot on IMAX, but that was digital. We always talked about true IMAX being ... something that you see and you fall in love with.鈥
Her conversation with Hoytema made her even more excited. The Oscar-winning cinematographer told her not to worry about the size or weight of the equipment and to shoot the movie as she would with any other kind of camera.
鈥淗earing that straight off was inspiring and encouraging and we took that advice and just told our story,鈥 Arkapaw said. 鈥淚t was very freeing.鈥
In the end, they decided to employ a combination of IMAX film and Ultra Panavision 70, an even rarer format that Quentin Tarantino resurrected for This means different scenes have different aspect ratios, which Coogler himself broke down .
鈥淲e鈥檙e using these two formats for the very first time,鈥 Coogler said. 鈥淚t really complements the story, it really complements the setting and it really complements the filmmaking.鈥
One of Arkapawsa国际传媒 favorite scenes was one they weren鈥檛 even initially going to do on IMAX film because it was dialogue heavy and the cameras are notoriously noisy. But if her work on 鈥淲akanda鈥 taught her anything about Coogler, itsa国际传媒 that hesa国际传媒 always looking to push boundaries.
The scene is the introduction to Jack O鈥機onnellsa国际传媒 Irish vampire Remmick and the Choctaw trying to hunt him down, which they shot like a Western as the sun sets in the distance.
鈥淲e had a lot of beautiful crane work in that and some intimate stuff. Ryan loves a hallway, so theresa国际传媒 a Steadicam shot inside. Itsa国际传媒 very eerie,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 see that scene in any other format now.鈥
With 鈥沦颈苍苍别谤蝉鈥 out now, the hope is that audiences will seek out the special formats where they can, whether itsa国际传媒 IMAX film or digital.
鈥淲e want to bring people back to the cinema, get back to theaters,鈥 鈥沦颈苍苍别谤蝉鈥 star Michael B. Jordan said. 鈥淚 think this is a movie thatsa国际传媒 meant to give for the moviegoing experience鈥t takes you on a ride.鈥
The profession has come a long way since Arkapaw started exploring cinematography as a career path. It wasn鈥檛 too long ago that she said she struggled to find many women cinematographers besides (鈥淓ternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind鈥). And while there are more than there were 20 years ago, there are still barriers to be broken, including an Oscar win. Only three have been nominated: (who worked with Coogler on 鈥淔ruitvale Station鈥 and 鈥淏lack Panther鈥) was the first for 鈥淢udbound," in 2018, followed by for 鈥淭he Power of the Dog" and Mandy Walker for 鈥淓lvis.鈥
Arkapaw takes the significance of her landmark seriously.
鈥淚 heard a phrase that said you need to see you to be you,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 think for us females in business, the more women are able to shoot on large format, it will inspire the younger girls who maybe don鈥檛 think that they can get there.鈥
