◗ A Fierce Friendship to adjust to weather changes. Luckily, we had a very good summertime with very good weather; it wasn't bad at all, and it really paid off for the film to take this natural approach." "Making a movie for Disney, they will give you anything you want," Lowery submits. "This wasn't a case of deciding to go natural because we didn't have the budget or resources; it was a decision that was made to best tell the story. Our rule of thumb was that turning on an 18K was a little bit of a failure on our part. We did have to light a few days because of rain, and there was a sadness to that. We wanted to capture things as they were; we wanted to treat these kids as kids and create a context for them functioning in the real world. Our schedule was based entirely around the rising and falling of the sun, and we picked locations and angles based on daylight and natural shadows." "I've done a lot of work in New Zealand," Bazelli says. "I've always liked it there. The landscapes - and the light, especially in the mornings and the evenings - are just beautiful. The specifics of that climate constantly create fantastic, interesting and very beautiful clouds. The sky is always Above: Bazelli finds a frame looking into a car. Right: Pete struggles to feel comfortable in his new surroundings after he's brought out of the forest. 44 September 2016 American Cinematographer