American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 59

Opposite: French protesters atop a wall at Athena, their housing-estate " fortress, " await
another clash with police. This page, from top: Karim (Sami Slimane) leads the showdown at
a press conference; the mob steals a police van; the group speeds off to Athena.
team to arrive. By the time principal
photography began, the crew
had essentially shot a strippeddown
" practice " version of the
entire film.
Though the opening shot
takes advantage of modern
camera-movement platforms -
employing a Steadicam, a drone
and a Freefly Movi Pro - Boucard
and Gavras sought to limit the
film's grammar to a more vintage
vernacular. " We wanted to think
in terms of classic cinema movement:
pans, tracking shots, crane
shots, " explains Boucard. " We
didn't want to run around with a
small camera or use something
like an FPV [First Person View]
drone. Those tools can be cool,
but if there was any move that felt
like it was done by a CGI camera,
we got rid of it. "
Executing the Prep
Once principal photography
began, Athena shot in sequence
- with the exception of the
opening oner. That sequence was
saved for last, when the cast and
crew - including the many extras
from the Parc aux Lièvres housing
project near Paris that stood in
for the fictional Athena - were
working at their apex. " By the
end of the shoot, we were all so
well-trained and had rehearsed
so much that we were completely
ready, " says Boucard. " The actors
and the extras were part of it,
too. They understood that if they
bumped the Steadicam, we'd
have to redo the entire take, so
they had to protect the camera. "
For the opening sequence, the
crew focused on a single shot per
day, typically attempting 15 to
20 takes. The degree of difficulty
was further compounded on the
first day of shooting for the sequence,
when Gavras' preferred
take came an hour before sunset.
That meant that to preserve lighting
continuity, each subsequent
day's ideal shooting period crept
closer and closer to dusk. Boucard
labeled that dwindling window
" money time. " He explains,
" We would rehearse over and
over and shoot takes throughout
the day, but when I said, 'Now it's
money time,' everyone knew we
only had two or three more takes
to make it happen and nobody
could mess up. "
Mixing Equipment
Though the goal was for the various
pieces of the opening shot
to blend together seamlessly,
Boucard and Gavras agreed that
this mission didn't require a singular
set of tools. Portions were shot
with both the Arri Rental Alexa 65
and Arri Alexa Mini LF, and with
Angénieux Optimo zooms, Tribe7
Blackwing7 Binaries and a 30mm
Leitz Thalia. " Romain didn't want
to be too dogmatic, and I didn't
want to compromise on any of
APRIL 2023 / 59
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF NETFLIX.

American Cinematographer - April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2023

Contents
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 1
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - Contents
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 3
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 4
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 5
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 6
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 7
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 8
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 9
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 10
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 11
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 12
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 13
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 14
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 15
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 16
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 17
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 18
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 19
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 20
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 21
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 22
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 23
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 24
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 25
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 26
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 27
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 28
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 29
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 30
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 31
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 32
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 33
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 34
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 35
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 36
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 37
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 38
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 39
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 40
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 41
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 42
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 43
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 44
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 45
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 46
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 47
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 48
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 49
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 50
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 51
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 52
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 53
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 54
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 55
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 56
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 57
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 58
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 59
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 60
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 61
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 62
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 63
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 64
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 65
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 66
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 67
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 68
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 69
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 70
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 71
American Cinematographer - April 2023 - 72
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American Cinematographer - April 2023 - Cover4
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