Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC, discusses her career path, from studying art history to finding her passion in film, inspired by DP Ellen Kuras. She emphasizes how early independent projects with like-minded collaborators were crucial for developing her unique taste and style, which she applies consistently across both small and large-scale productions like The Last Showgirl and Sinners. Arkapaw details her hands-on process of developing custom lenses with Panavision's Dan Sasaki, tailoring them to her preferred aesthetic, including her signature underexposure technique. She also touches upon the production challenges and creative freedom experienced while working on Marvel's Loki (Season 1) and the complex lighting setups for Sinners, particularly the train station scene and the experimental use of Ektachrome film.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw discusses her early inspirations and career trajectory.
Inspired by Ellen Kuras: She was deeply inspired by Ellen Kuras, discovering her work on the film Blow, which gave her confidence as a woman entering cinematography, a male-dominated field at the time (around 2001-2002).
Kuras's expressive and personalized work resonated with Arkapaw, leading her to research more female cinematographers.
They are now friends, having connected through their shared commercial agent and a commercial project where Kuras directed and Arkapaw shot.
Art History Background: Arkapaw initially studied art history at LMU with aspirations of becoming a museum curator or working in a gallery.
She found early museum jobs boring as they didn't allow for personal expression or storytelling.
A genre film course sparked her interest in film, leading her to realize cinematography offered a more expressive photographic role.
Her art history studies, including ancient art, informed her understanding of framing, composition, color, and texture, which now feed into her film medium.
Arkapaw believes that smaller projects were pivotal in honing her craft and taste.
Film School and Early Mistakes: Her time at AFI was crucial, providing numerous opportunities to shoot. She notes that while film school teaches, real learning comes from working on actual sets.
She made a micro-budget feature film with her thesis group between her first and second year at AFI, which won an award at Raindance.
This experience, shot on 35mm with friends of similar tastes, allowed her to make mistakes and learn in a supportive environment, freely developing her style.
Collaboration and Consistent Approach: She cultivated relationships with collaborators, like director Gia Coppola, sharing similar creative tastes and references.
This collaborative foundation on indie projects, fashion films, and music videos enabled her to experiment and refine her taste.
She approaches all projects, regardless of budget (e.g., The Last Showgirl versus Sinners), with the same filmmaking mindset, focusing on storytelling rather than scaling her "DP brain" to fit the budget.
Lens Development and Filmmaking for "The Last Showgirl" [00:16:01]
Arkapaw details the collaborative process of creating custom lenses for her films.
Panavision Relationship: She has a long-standing relationship with Panavision and lens designer Dan Sasaki.
Her early preference for anamorphic lenses, inspired by films like Manhattan and The Last Emperor, led her to experiment with various Panavision lens sets during low-budget projects.
This extensive testing helped her understand different lens characteristics (field curvature, fall-off, bokeh, flare) and develop her preferences.
Custom Lenses for "The Last Showgirl": For The Last Showgirl, shot on 16mm, Sasaki made custom spherical lenses because she didn't have existing favorites for that format.
The film's distinct look, which garnered attention, was developed through R&D and testing with Sasaki and her focus puller, Ethan McDonald.
The process involves Sasaki creating a lens based on her shooting preferences (stop, field curvature, bokeh, flare color), followed by extensive testing and adjustments through collaborative discussion.
The discussion shifts to the challenges and opportunities of working on a larger scale like Sinners.
Using "Oppenheimer" IMAX Lenses: For the IMAX sequences in Sinners, they utilized the specialized 50mm and 80mm Panavision IMAX lenses originally made by Dan Sasaki for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
These limited lens options forced creative choices, which Arkapaw believes often enhances filmmaking.
She also requested Sasaki to make a new Petsval 80mm lens specifically for Sinners.
IMAX Decision and Audience: The decision to shoot in IMAX for Sinners came from the studio, driven by audience analytics, a "whiplash" shift from initial plans to shoot on 16mm.
Arkapaw emphasizes the immersive experience of true IMAX film projection, which she differentiates from digital IMAX.
Director Ryan Coogler, a fervent IMAX fan, helped align the filmmaking team with the IMAX audience experience.
Color Grading and Preservation of Film Look: Working with Costas Theodosiou, Christopher Nolan's finishing colorist, at Photochem, was crucial for maintaining the film's intended look in DI (Digital Intermediate).
The goal was to preserve the characteristics of the film print—black levels, colors, highlights, shadows, and density—across all deliverables (HDR, Blu-ray, digital projection).
Extensive testing, including projecting film, hair, and makeup tests, ensured the digital versions accurately reflected the film print.
Arkapaw describes her experience shooting the first season of Marvel's Loki.
Pandemic Challenges and Creative Freedom: Production for Loki was interrupted by COVID-19, leading to a six-month hiatus, but the team continued prep remotely.
This project marked a new venture for Disney/Marvel into episodic streaming, allowing filmmakers significant creative freedom.
The show aimed for a cinematic movie-like feel across its six episodes, with Arkapaw shooting all of them, which she described as exhausting but rewarding.
Fincherian Influences and Production Design: Arkapaw and director Kate Herron shared similar visual references, including David Fincher's Zodiac and Blade Runner.
They successfully advocated for incorporating ceilings into many sets, a costly but visually impactful choice that provided a full, weighty environment for the actors and cinematographer.
Her collaboration with production designer Kasra Farahani was key, as his brutalist architecture references aligned perfectly with her vision for lighting the sets with dark, mysterious shadows.
Arkapaw explains her approach to lighting, aiming for a naturalistic yet stylized aesthetic.
Collaborative Lighting Design: She works closely with her gaffer, Brian Bardellini (over 10 years), and production designer, Hannah Beachler, to integrate lighting seamlessly with the set design.
Practical sources like Edison bulbs and kerosene lanterns were incorporated for historical accuracy in Sinners.
Her preference is for top light, which allows for faster movement on set and creates an immersive environment.
"Unlit" Look and Diffusion: Arkapaw strives for lighting that appears "unaffected" or "unlit," even though it involves complex setups.
For the barn in Sinners, they used gym balls bounced with T12s into double-diffused unbleached muslin to create a soft, warm light.
She often uses multiple layers of diffusion (e.g., half soft frost, grid, magic cloth) to achieve the desired softness and avoid harsh reflections on skin tones, paying close attention to how light interacts with different complexions.
Underexposure and Consistency: Arkapaw consistently underexposes by two stops on the key light for faces and day exteriors, whether shooting 16mm or 65mm IMAX.
This technique creates depth in skin tones and ensures a cohesive look between dark interiors and bright exteriors, preventing a jarring transition.
She uses a spot meter and a "cheater meter" (a DSLR like a 70D) for reference, calculating exposures to maintain her vision.
The Complex Train Station Scene in "Sinners" [01:09:12]
A detailed look at the elaborate setup for the train station sequence.
Recreating a Period Train and Environment: They shot at an actual, operational train station in Bogalusa, Louisiana, but the period-specific train had to be added in post-production.
Hannah, the production designer, meticulously art-directed the depot to fit the historical period.
VFX and SFX teams collaborated on a smoke machine that could run on the tracks to simulate train exhaust for wide shots.
Controlling Daylight: To ensure consistency across multiple scenes and dialogue within the train station, Arkapaw chose to block out natural sunlight.
This involved using large 40x40 black solids on construction cranes to create a controlled environment, then bringing in artificial lights to recreate desired sun effects and shape.
Previs with the VFX supervisor, using tools like Unreal Engine to plot sun paths and overheads, was essential for planning.
Logistical Challenges: This setup required significant permitting for heavy construction cranes and extensive green screens along 200 feet of track.
The weather in New Orleans added further complexity, requiring frequent pivoting.
Arkapaw discusses the unique use of Ektachrome film in the movie.
First-Ever 65mm Ektachrome: Kodak made Ektachrome film for 65mm specifically for Sinners, a first for the industry.
The idea came from Ryan Coogler and their line producer, and Kodak's Vanessa Bendetti helped make it happen, despite it being a late addition to prep.
Challenges and Usage: Ektachrome is a 100-speed reversal film, requiring a significant amount of light.
Arkapaw waited for the perfect day exterior conditions on the last day of shooting the mill set to use it.
The Ektachrome footage was used in a montage at the end of the film, capturing textural, portrait-style shots of the workers, reflecting the film's personal and ancestral inspirations.
The projected print of the Ektachrome footage was described as "beautiful" and "striking."
