From Doctor Sleep to Crawl: The Cinematography Behind 8 of 2019’s Most Eye-Popping Horror Films

Brett Jutkiewicz on Ready or Not

The Approach: Ominous, visceral, and darkly textured

How They Did It: I spoke with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett early on about creating a shifting visual perspective, starting with the idea of an unspoken presence in the home. We used Steadicam extensively in the beginning of the film to give everything a bit of weightlessness, like the camera is being moved by an unseen force. Even the static shots have some movement in them, slowly pushing in to create an uneasy, anticipatory feeling. Once the “game”—in which the newlywed Grace (Samara Weaving) is hunted by her husband Alex’s (Mark O’Brien) family—begins, I introduce handheld camerawork, starting with a moment with Alex that transitions from a tripod to handheld within the same shot as he jumps up to find Grace. Once Grace realizes what’s happening to her, we’re handheld with her the rest of the movie. This is the other, human perspective—the intimate, visceral, reactive camerawork that anchors us in the experience of this young woman’s nightmarish journey.

The Takeaway: I hadn’t worked in horror much before this film, and there is certainly an art to photographing moments to elicit a reaction from the audience—whether it’s a jump scare or a feeling of anticipation. But my biggest takeaway is that regardless of genre, if you let the emotion inherent
in the material guide what you’re doing, you can create something dynamic and immersive. I also learned that fake blood and camera equipment don’t mix very well.

Tech Box

Shooting days: 26
Camera: ARRI Alexa Mini
Lenses: Cooke S5/i
Lighting: ARRI, Quasar Science, Sourcemaker, LiteGear
Picture post/DI: Deluxe Toronto/Chris Wallace

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