ErinLaing.com

This shot was done at night.

Arek, the young boy who plays Max in the film, was such a trouper on set. He had a lot of lines and actions to remember and pulled everything off without a hitch. Also in frame is the wonderful WildWords board game.

This was one of the last shots we did… we were in a huge hurry to get a lot of shots done in very little time… nevertheless I think it still looks great.

I’ve been talking to my DP, Shane Geddes, about the lighting for Birthday Girl. I’ve been trying to find a visual reference for the look and feel I have in mind and was reminded of P.T. Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love. I forgot how great this movie was. It was shot by Robert Elswit, of Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck fame. There’s a pretty interesting article about him here. I love the use of natural light in PDL and how the whites pop, not only on the clothing but in the backgrounds as well. The film has a very dream-like quality. Anderson has some pretty intricate camera work going on. I believe it’s mostly shot with a steady cam - which is not so much the style I’m going for but certainly works for this film. A lot of my shots will be done using tracks and dollies. The effect of this, in my opinion, adds weight to the look and feel of the film. Birthday Girl is not a conventional narrative, often jumping from one scene to the next, giving the film an almost disjointed sensibility. There is however a narrative thread which runs throughout and I want to compensate the flightiness of the script by using structured, grounded camera work.

Here are some stills that inspired me.

I love the light reflected on Sandler’s shoulders…

the way the light hits the table….

And the naturalness of it all.