Frederick Elmes on The Dead Don’t Die
The Approach: Bringing a fresh take to zombies while paying homage to George A. Romero and others who came before us
How They Did It: By using a mix of new technology, including our large-format camera and sophisticated visual effects, and vintage moviemaking tricks like older, less perfect lenses and day-for-night photography, we created a unique hybrid. Understated performances were important to director Jim Jarmusch’s storytelling, and I wanted to echo that with the camerawork. I tried to make the photography very honest and straightforward, so when Adam Driver and Bill Murray sit in the police car and refer to the fact that they’re acting in a movie, I didn’t blink.
Can You Bear It?: We chose the town of Fleischmanns in the scenic New York Catskills as our location, and blended into the community well—until one night, we had unwanted visitors. The Catskills are in bear country, and there was quite a commotion in the pouring rain one evening when a mother black bear and cubs visited us on set. We were on the last shot, and I couldn’t figure out who was blasting an air horn outside the set door. It turned out that the ADs had determined they could hold the bear family at bay for a few more minutes if they distracted them with the noise, so we were finally able to finish shooting. Now it was up to the crew to figure how to wrap with the bears watching us.
The Takeaway: I was happy to find common ground with the production by using old-fashioned tricks such as day for night, reversing the camera, and changing the frame rate to help ease the schedule and reduce the number of visual effects. At the same time, I helped Jim create the look and style he wanted, and we were able to reference some of the films we loved.
Tech Box
Shooting days: 35, including two days of second-unit work
Cameras: ARRI Alexa LF, shooting ProRes 4444 Lenses: ARRI DNA unmatched lenses (created from various vintage still camera lenses)
Lighting: HMI and LED Picture post/DI: Chimney Group; Joe Gawler, Harbor Picture Company
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