American Cinematographer - September 2007 - 86

Filmmakers’ Forum
Shooting in “The Land of a Thousand Kasbahs”
by Stephanie Martin
Soldiers land in a village and scope out the area in a scene from The Objective, an independent film set in Afghanistan that was shot in Morocco.

hen I was first approached about shooting the supernatural war film The Objective, producer Jeremy Wall warned me that there would probably be no other women in the cast or crew of the production, which would be shot in some of the most remote locations in the Moroccan desert. When he went on to pitch the project as “Apocalypse Now meets 2001: A Space Odyssey,” I was intrigued. When he added that we had an 28-day shooting schedule in more than 30 different locations, and that all of my crew would be locally hired, I trembled. But I cast all reservations aside, and The Objective proved to be one of the most challenging and rewarding collaborations I have experienced to date. Written and directed by Daniel Myrick (co-director of The Blair Witch Project), The Objective tells the story of CIA operative Ben Kitch (played by Jonas Ball), who arrives in Afghanistan on a classified mission four months prior to the 2001 invasion. Kitch enlists six Special Forces soldiers to accompany him into the mountains of Afghanistan, where they soon

encounter an enemy they are illequipped to combat. The meetings Dan and I had during preproduction were instrumental in establishing the framework for our film. We drew inspiration from the photographs of James Nachtwey, YouTube war footage, and photos of Afghanistan and Iraq from the VII Photo and Magnum databases. The shot list we devised during this time served as a thematic foundation we returned to frequently during production. The camera style and production design were key in portraying the physical and psychological journey into the unknown. When the film begins, camera movement is fluid, with the camera primarily on sticks, Steadicam or dolly. As the soldiers venture into the desert, a handheld style predominates and is intercut with what Dan and I termed our “Desert POV.” The Desert POV represents the mysterious element that the soldiers search for and later try to escape; we achieved it with very wide, carefully composed dolly shots. As the story unfolds, the soldiers’ increasing despair is depicted via coverage on long

lenses, which also evoked the sense of being observed. The use of color also was essential in illustrating this journey. In the beginning, the color palette is saturated. Light sources here are electricity-driven, and our color scheme is drawn from both the production design and the available light sources. As the film progresses, the palette becomes less saturated and serves as another metaphor for the soldiers’ state of mind. Although production initially suggested shooting on high-definition video, we decided that film, with its superior latitude and reliability, was the best option, given that we’d be shooting in the desert in extreme and unpredictable weather conditions. We shot Kodak Vision2 500T 7218 for night exteriors and Vision2 50D 7201 for day exteriors and day-for-night work. Because extensive special effects would be used, production decided to finish the film with a digital intermediate. Two months prior to production, Dan, Jeremy, production designer Frank Bollinger and I headed to Morocco to scout locations. This stage of our process was very instructive because Morocco has such a rich filmmaking history. Every driver, waiter or storekeeper has an anecdote ready regarding Lawrence of Arabia, Kundun, Hidalgo, Gladiator or Ishtar. (Yes, even that last film remains a fond memory to many in Morocco!) Production support and equipment is on par with what you might find in Los Angeles. During the scout, we also got our first glimpse of the hospitable spirit of the Moroccans. In the middle of the desert, as we visited villages that are only now receiving electricity for the first time, people ranging from village elders to small children would always invite us into their homes

86 September 2007

Photos by Francis Dreis and Jeremy Wall.

American Cinematographer - September 2007

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