Josh Holloway in Duster In Duster, an impossibly cool wheelman (Josh Holloway) and a rookie FBI agent (Rachel Hilson) be part of forces to take down against the law boss (Keith David) in Nineteen Seventies Phoenix. If any of the inventive forces behind the HBO sequence ever questioned in the event that they have been correctly capturing the vibe of Nineteen Seventies pulp, all they needed to do was flip to cinematographer Paul Elliott for affirmation. Though born and raised in London, Elliott arrived within the States on the finish of the Nineteen Seventies and commenced working at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures as a digicam assistant. He crossed paths with cult B-movie figures like Albert Pyun and Fred Olen Ray, endured the tyranny of Ken Russell, shot second unit for the Coen Brothers and finally graduated to a protracted profession as a cinematographer with a various filmography that includes the whole lot from Star Slammer and Friday the 13th Part VII to My Girl and Soul Food.
With Duster’s complete first season now accessible on HBO Max, Elliott spoke to Filmmaker about his newest undertaking and his early days within the business.
Filmmaker: You’re from London and attended London Film School. How did you get from there to California?
Elliott: In movie college I directed and shot some movies, however whenever you depart you need to go and earn a dwelling one way or the other. So, I began working as an assistant cameraman on TV tasks and documentaries. One of the cameramen I used to help was [frequent Mike Leigh collaborator] Dick Pope. Then I met a lady and we obtained married. She was from California, learning [in London] and after a couple of years stated, “I’ve had enough of London and these rainy, damp winters. I want to go back to L.A.” I believed, “Well, they make movies in L.A., right?” At least they used to. [laughs] So, I immigrated. I obtained my inexperienced card and moved to Los Angeles. I simply began making telephone calls and joined NABET [National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians] and began working as an assistant cameraman on commercials and movies. I labored with a couple of English DPs right here on loads of non-union movies. they’d convey some fairly good English DPs out who may work non-union within the States. Brian Tufano was an excellent cameraman, Dick Bush was one other. I discovered loads by working with them. I all the time knew I needed to be a DP. You study a lot at movie college, however you’ll be able to study a hell of much more by really being on the set and watching how they’re doing it.
Filmmaker: How did you find yourself within the Corman orbit?
Elliott: It’s sort of humorous, as a result of individuals had heard of Roger Corman in England they usually’d say, “You go to L.A. and then you start working with Roger Corman.” So, I believed, “Yeah, you just go to L.A., pick up the phone and say, ‘I’m here’ then they hire you.” [laughs] I began working with him as a result of I obtained attached one way or the other with a French DP known as Daniel Lacambre, who lived in Paris. He’d executed a movie in Europe for Corman and Corman favored him. They would convey him out [to L.A.] to do their non-union motion pictures. So, I began working with him. The Lady in Red was one of many motion pictures. Another one was known as Humanoids from the Deep.
Filmmaker: I’ve seen that one.
Elliott: Oh my God, you’re losing your life. [laughs] No, they have been enjoyable to do. When you’re beginning out working within the movie enterprise, they’re all nice adventures. It doesn’t matter concerning the funds, it doesn’t matter a lot concerning the story, you simply need to get expertise. We had some enjoyable occasions, and I discovered loads from Daniel about capturing. The greatest movie Corman ever made was known as Battle Beyond the Stars. He obtained this studio up in Venice, California and constructed these units and spaceships. James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd have been engaged on it. Gale was a PA on Humanoids. James Horner, the composer, did Battle Beyond the Stars. It was an amazing place for individuals to start out. I moved as much as working on that film, which was nice enjoyable to do. Finally, you get to look via the digicam and actually really feel a part of what’s happening.
Filmmaker: Tell me extra about that Corman studio up in Venice. It was an outdated lumber yard earlier than he took it over.
Elliott: It was an amazing place to shoot however a small studio. I believe we had one thing like $3 million for Battle Beyond the Stars, which was some huge cash. Jim Cameron got here up with a entrance display projection system for it. I believe he ended up taking up as an artwork director after they fired the [original] artwork director. There have been little spaceship units and overseas lands and peculiar little creatures. There was this restaurant close by the place we’d go for lunch, and no one would change out of their outfits and make-up. You’d go by there at lunchtime and there have been all these aliens sipping drinks as a result of they couldn’t eat with their make-up. We all the time needed to really feel just like the digicam was floating in these spaceships. So, we had a jib arm. As an operator it was enjoyable as a result of I used to be all the time floating a bit of bit, transferring the digicam. It was by no means locked down. I used to be only a younger child. It was on movie, after all, and I believe we have been capturing with T1.4 lenses. Daniel would generally string up a bunch of sunshine bulbs within the ceiling [just to get enough light]. I bear in mind he had pink, yellow and clear gentle bulbs and would combine them, and we’d shoot vast open on these Zeiss Super Speed lenses. Corman was well-known for maintaining issues on schedule. If you have been not on time he’d come and take a look at the script, rip out a couple of pages and say, “Now you’re back on schedule.”
Filmmaker: You talked about Dick Bush. He shot a couple of movies for Ken Russell, together with one you labored on for New World—Crimes of Passion. You have any good Ken Russell tales?
Elliott: That film was fairly raunchy. They wouldn’t launch it as we shot right here [in America], although in Europe they did. It was a dressmaker by day/hooker by night time, performed by Kathleen Turner. We had this scene, which wasn’t within the American model, shot in a bed room set. Kathleen Turner had picked up this police officer, introduced him again to her room and handcuffed him to this steel headboard. He was bare and she or he was fairly bare, and a truncheon was concerned. I’ll let your thoughts wander for the remainder of it. There wasn’t any sound being executed within the scene and Ken introduced in these large audio system and performed some very discordant Bartók music, The Miraculous Mandarin, deafeningly loud, and we cleared the set due to the character of the scene. Poor Dick Bush. He was a conservative Christian sort of man and was led to imagine the scene wouldn’t be this raunchy. He refused to shoot it. So, Ken Russell was working the digicam, I used to be the assistant and we have been the one individuals on the set. Ken’s zooming out and in like loopy, the music is getting louder and louder, she is on high of this police officer and it’s getting crazier and crazier, and Ken simply retains capturing. If I bear in mind proper Kathleen had these excessive heels with steel stiletto factors they usually have been gouging this man up, however Ken needed to maintain going. Kathleen Turner finally stated, “That’s it, Ken. You’ve got enough.” Ken stated, “No, no, no. I want to do some more.” And she stormed off and went to her trailer. She was executed.
Ken may very well be very imply. I bear in mind he fired the manufacturing designer on the street at night time in entrance of all people. He was waving his cane: “You’re fired! You’re fired!” We did this one scene up within the Hollywood Hills, and Anthony Perkins is enjoying this loopy man within the bushes watching [Turner’s] residence at night time. It’s Friday night time. We’d labored all week. Dick lit the entire road for a large shot. [Turner’s] automobile pulls in, parks after which we went and did closeups of the automobile, closeups of her going within the residence, and several other closeups of Anthony Perkins within the bushes. It was getting towards the tip of the night time, so that they’d wrapped all of the lights from the massive vast shot to the truck. Just earlier than we completed the closeup, Ken says, “Oh Dick, I needed to get a wide shot of the street without her car in it for another scene. I think we have to redo that wide shot.” And everybody seems at him like, “What!” Then he says to Dick, “You know what I need, don’t you? I’ll see you Monday morning.” And he walks off. (laughs) So, all the crew is now actually sad as a result of they’ve obtained to get all of the lights out and lightweight the vast shot of the road once more.
We additionally had this fascinating wedding ceremony on that shoot. Ken Russell obtained married. Anthony Perkins obtained some sort of license and was the minister to officiate. We went to the Queen Mary and there was a giant social gathering, like a wrap social gathering and a marriage social gathering, and Ken Russell obtained married. He was unusual to work with as a result of within the morning he’d be actually grumpy. You have been there at eight within the morning able to shoot, and if an actor got here in 5 minutes late, he’d scream bloody homicide at this actor in entrance of all people. Then at lunchtime he would drink wine in his trailer [and be in a better mood]. He was by no means that near me. We’d discuss concerning the work, however not a lot. One day after lunch he got here out of his trailer and we’re on the road about to set one thing up. He sidled over to me, put his arm round my shoulder and stated, “Well, dear Paul, what do you think we should do this afternoon?” It was the scariest factor since you simply didn’t know what he was going to do. You needed to be cautious about being on Ken’s flawed aspect.
Filmmaker: In addition to veterans like Dick Bush, you labored with some nice DPs who have been simply beginning out. On Trick or Treat (1986) [featuring a cameo from the late Ozzy Osborne], you shot second unit for a younger Robert Elswit.
Elliott: I had assisted Rob on a movie known as Waltz Across Texas, one in all his early options. I used to be all the time on the lookout for good cinematographers and will inform this was an A-class cinematographer. Then, when he did Trick or Treat, he had me do some second unit. It went very effectively. I haven’t seen him in a very long time, nevertheless it was an excellent relationship.
Filmmaker: Around that point, you’re most likely getting the bug to maneuver up and begin capturing your personal movies. Your first half dozen options as a DP have been all with Fred Olen Ray in a three-year span. How did you get attached with him?
Elliott: You’re proper, I needed to maneuver up. I’d been working and doing a little second unit, however I needed to be the primary DP. I had a good friend from London Film School who was American. He was in an modifying room in L.A. engaged on one thing and Fred was subsequent door. Fred had shot a part of this film known as Biohazard and needed to end the remainder it. He was asking, “Does anyone know a DP?” And my good friend stated, “Yeah, I went to film school with a guy who is a cinematographer.” So, that’s how I met up with Fred. I believe I used to be paid 100 {dollars} a day, however I’d’ve executed it for nothing. It was nice simply to lastly be in cost. I bear in mind on the primary day everybody’s coming to you asking questions. Where are we going to stage? Where’s the rehearsal? Where’s the digicam going to go? Where are the lights going to go? You’re requested loads of questions and all of the sudden you understand, despite the fact that you’ve been studying this, all of the sudden you’re the one chargeable for it.
I bear in mind Fred took me apart after the second film and stated, “You know, there were a couple of shots that were soft. So, we are thinking maybe we pay you $75 instead of $100.” I’d been an assistant incomes $500 a day or one thing. I stated, “Well, Fred, I’ll tell you this. I’ll agree and knock off some money if the shots are soft, but when the shots are good I should get a bonus.” He went, “Okay, never mind. We are fine.” [laughs] He would promote the movies primarily based on the poster. It was superb. He obtained David Carradine and Lee Van Cleef to be on this movie [1986’s Armed Response] and raised one million {dollars} for it. I obtained to shoot some scenes in L.A. in downtown Chinatown at night time. We wetted it down. We had these coloured lights. It was a shootout scene, and it was really good as a result of it had some manufacturing worth. I may really put a few of that scene on my reel. When you’re beginning out one way or the other you’ve obtained to construct a reel up as a cinematographer and it may possibly’t be tacky stuff.
There was one other film with Fred the place we have been within the yard of a home in Beverly Hills with a machine gun and the way we obtained away with it, I don’t know. It’s an evening shoot and we’re firing off this machine gun and didn’t get one telephone name from the police. Fred’s made a profession out of it. He makes low funds motion pictures, however he retains making them and will get to direct. So, good for him. And it was good for me to get a begin. I may make errors on small motion pictures. You’re studying about lighting but additionally studying learn how to work together with the director, with actors, and learn how to deal with a crew. I discovered nice classes on these motion pictures with Fred.
Filmmaker: You have been already a longtime DP by the point you began capturing some second unit for the Coen Brothers and Roger Deakins. How did you get that gig?
Elliott: Roger and I had the identical agent on the time, Sandra March, a beautiful English lady. I used to be busy doing HBO motion pictures. I had simply completed capturing a movie known as And the Band Played On (1993), which received an Emmy for the perfect tv movie of that yr. I used to be nearly to complete capturing that in L.A. and my agent known as and stated, “Roger is doing this film called The Hudsucker Proxy in North Carolina. They need quite a bit of second unit. Are you interested in doing it?” And I stated, “Well, if it’s for Roger, absolutely.” We did rather a lot. I believe I used to be there 5 weeks. Sometimes, I solely labored three days per week, however we had some implausible units to gentle. Dennis Gassner was the manufacturing designer. With the Coen brothers, they storyboard all of it. So, it was fairly clear what I wanted to do, however I used to be nonetheless nervous about it in a means as a result of it was like the top of filmmaking. It was Roger and the Coen Brothers, and I simply felt like the whole lot I did needed to be completely the perfect it may very well be. Sometimes on motion pictures you suppose, “Well, if I had more money and more time I’d do something a little different.” On The Hudsucker Proxy I couldn’t use that argument. If I wanted it, they’d give it to me. Being second unit, the schedule wasn’t loopy. Sometimes I’d shoot on units that Roger lit and generally we’d shoot on issues he hadn’t lit in any respect. Sam Raimi directed the second unit. He is such a inventive and humorous man. Even although it was storyboarded, he had his interpretations of that.
So, that’s the place I first obtained attached with Roger and since then I’ve labored with him fairly a bit on totally different movies. There was a film known as Anywhere But Here with Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman. Roger had completed capturing the film and went off to do one other undertaking. Then in modifying they realized they wanted some extra scenes, or rewrote scenes, so he requested me if I’d are available in and shoot them. There was one other film for HBO known as The Sunset Limited, a Cormac McCarthy play. Tommy Lee Jones was directing it and performing in it with Samuel L. Jackson. It’s only a two-hander in a room for 90 minutes, nevertheless it’s Cormac McCarthy so it’s very fascinating phrases that they’ve to talk. I obtained a name after I was at Office Depot shopping for some envelopes and it’s Tommy Lee Jones. And I’m pondering it’s a joke at first, as a result of I don’t know Tommy Lee Jones. But he says, “I’ve got this film and Roger Deakins told me I need to call you,” which was very gratifying.
Filmmaker: Let’s get into some Duster. You’ve been working with HBO courting again 35 years to early Nineties Tales from the Crypt episodes. They’ve all the time had an aversion to letterboxing, even into the streaming period. With Duster, you’re capturing Panavision G Series anamorphics with some T Series in there as effectively, however you’re utilizing a 2.0 facet ratio. Was {that a} restriction imposed by HBO?
Elliott: We pushed for [2.39] and I believe [series co-creator] J.J. Abrams was into it too, so far as I bear in mind, however I don’t suppose HBO went for it.
Filmmaker: Did you take into account simply pivoting to spherical?
Elliott: I simply thought anamorphic was a sensible choice for the interval look. I really haven’t had loads of expertise with anamorphics. I’m not typically loopy about them. I like good spherical lenses. Actually, we did have to get an extra set of lenses as a result of they constructed this excellent FBI workplace set, nevertheless it had loads of straight traces and we put these anamorphics on a large shot and it was like, “Oh my god!” The horizontal traces have been so bent and warped. We contacted Panavision they usually despatched us some comparable trying [spherical] lenses known as VA lenses. Whenever we might do vast photographs within the FBI workplace, we might use the VA lenses.
Filmmaker: Josh Holloway’s wheelman will get a memorable character introduction. He speeds towards digicam on a desert street and slides inches from the lens in order that his automobile’s “Duster” emblem is in close-up.
Elliott: J.J. all the time talked about how the present began off as an thought the place this telephone sales space within the desert is ringing. A automobile drives up, the motive force will get out and solutions the telephone and now he’s on a mission. That picture began the entire sequence. We shot the present in New Mexico, so it’s not too arduous to discover a stark desert street that goes off to infinity. They put the telephone sales space there and we picked a street so the solar was in the suitable path, and we may shoot it within the morning. The solar was three-quarter backlit, which is what I needed, and possibly even get some flares from that angle. J.J. is fairly eager on flares with anamorphic lenses.
We had this concept that the automobile rushes up from being a small dot within the distance proper into the lens, and the phrase “Duster” is sort of filling the frameinches from the lens. Well, the query is how do you do this? You can’t safely have a automobile drive up and find yourself inches away from the lens. On The Hudsucker Proxy, [main unit] shot one thing in reverse and I used to be round once they have been doing it and I believed, “That’s such a great idea.” So, I urged to the director, “Why don’t we shoot this in reverse? We can put the Duster inches from the lens and then back the car up as fast as we can.” It was a crane shot, so we crane up because the automobile backs up. Then it’s nearly learn how to make it look actual. First, the motive force needs to be excellent. Second, when a automobile comes shut like that and stops, the automobile dips a bit of bit on the finish and there’s some mud. So, what we did was earlier than the automobile reversed we mainly bounced the automobile [by having a crew member push down on the front bumper] and created some mud, then backed the automobile up and the shot labored. It was the introduction to the Duster, which is like one other character within the sequence.
Filmmaker: The most spectacular a part of that to me is the stunt driver backing up on the suitable trajectory at that velocity.
Elliott: Yeah, he was going very quick however he was excellent. We had 4 Duster autos. We had a stunt automobile the place they modified the engine. We had a handbook transmission one and an computerized one. Then we had an attractive inside image automobile for Josh to drive round in. He’s really an excellent driver. That opening shot would’ve been the stunt automobile.
Filmmaker: Tell me about lighting the FBI workplace. It’s on stage, so that you’ve obtained a Translight out the window and one thing within the ballpark of 250 Arri SkyPanels, one above every of those ceiling squares.
Elliott: Yes, each panel has an Arri SkyPanel S60 LED gentle via some diffusion materials, which is stretched out and stapled. They needed to grasp all these lights in place, then construct the set round them. Every gentle is run via a dimmer board, so we will management each one in all them individually by way of coloration temperature and depth.
Filmmaker: What are you pushing via the home windows for daylight?
Elliott: We had Arri T12s, that are tungsten lights. We had a truss on the market with a T12 for every window. It’s speculated to be Phoenix within the summertime, so there’s scorching gentle coming via. We really began out utilizing a bit of little bit of atmospheric smoke within the set. We favored the look, nevertheless it was nearly unimaginable to maintain a really gentle smoke stage on this large stage. It simply didn’t grasp. It can be thick after which skinny out throughout a protracted take. If it obtained too heavy the Translight obtained too muddy outdoors. There was a brand new filter I examine, a Tiffen Black Fog, which took the sting off it a bit of bit. J.J. was very concerned and appeared on the dailies on a regular basis. He had a sure look he favored for this FBI workplace and utilizing that filter with out utilizing the smoke was the way in which to go. It was a very good set to shoot on. It was very graphic. I believe they spent one million {dollars} on that one set, which is sort of some huge cash for a TV present.
Filmmaker: In episode two there’s a diner scene between Bilson and her FBI colleague performed by Asivak Koostachin. You’ve been doing this a very long time. You should have lit dozens of diners. How do you method a well-known kind of location at this level in your profession? You went with some fairly heavy shadows from the blinds and a really heat total look.
Elliott: Well, a few of that’s the Nineteen Seventies look. I really lit this present greater than I usually would. I believe Nineteen Seventies [filmmakers] tended to gentle extra. Nowadays, with HD digital cameras, generally you simply stroll in and shoot it as it’s and use the accessible gentle, which might be an fascinating look too. For the diner we had some massive HMIs out the home windows that have been gelled fairly heat. I didn’t use a lot fill gentle in any respect. It’s principally simply the window lights and let the shadows be what they’re. So, it’s fairly contrasty. This was an amazing outdated diner, nevertheless it appeared horrible [before we shot it]. It had actually fallen into disuse, however they mounted it up and put new practicals in there.
Filmmaker: What kind of gel would you utilize for that have an effect on after which what would you place your digicam’s coloration temp at?
Elliott: I’m tempted to say this can be a half straw on the HMI after which we warmed up the entire thing. Maybe we put the digicam to 4000 Kelvin or one thing like that. I’d typically do this simply to heat up the entire thing. There’s additionally an evening scene on this diner. The manufacturing designer actually needed to go together with pink, white and blue by way of interval manufacturing design colours. I had this concept after we have been scouting that I’d put pink outdoors the home windows. So, I put a line of Astera tubes on the surface of the constructing. With Asteras you’ll be able to coloration them something you need, and I made them pink. There was pink neon on the entrance of the constructing as effectively. I additionally put some Arri S60s on the roof simply on stands that I additionally coloured pink. So, when we’ve got this scene of [Holloway] strolling out of the diner and getting in his automobile, there’s this pink wash behind him. I requested the visible results individuals, “No one’s crossing the frame. Can you just take these lights out later?” And they went, “Oh, it’s no problem. Absolutely.” So, I may put a bunch of lights on the roof they usually eliminated them in publish.
Filmmaker: Another nice location is the parking storage the place Holloway and Hilson meet up. You’ve been working in New Mexico for years. You ever shoot there earlier than?
Elliott: No, I hadn’t. I liked it. It’s obtained these nice openings within the cement partitions with the cross and the dots. For a number of the vast photographs we simply used accessible gentle and let the surface blow out. In nearer two-shots it was typically simply accessible gentle as effectively. Sometimes the perfect factor to do is to not mess with it. If it seems good with the accessible gentle that’s there, simply shoot it. When we did the overs and [tighter] protection, I actually needed to push to not gentle it in any respect and simply go together with accessible gentle, however the director felt it was a bit of too extreme. So, I ended up bringing a bit of bit of sunshine round for his or her faces.
Filmmaker: Let’s end up with some automobile rigging. You used a Zephyr, which is mainly like a Biscuit Rig nevertheless it’s electrical and never fuel.
Elliott: It’s a really low flatbed trailer with a Tesla engine. It’s silent, it’s electrical and it may possibly go quick. You simply drive your [picture] automobile onto this factor and it has a pod that the (stunt) driver sits in. The pod might be moved. It might be within the entrance, on the suitable or left nook, on the aspect.
Filmmaker: It is a stunt driver controlling the automobile from the pod, however there are nonetheless actors within the automobile performing. So, you’ll be able to’t simply go 80 in that factor. What’s the quickest you’ll go within the Zephyr.
Elliott: On this present, possibly 50.
Filmmaker: My favourite automobile scene is the episode 5 chase, the place Holloway and his passenger are chucking fireworks at their pursuer.
Elliott: It’s one in all my favourite scenes within the present. We wanted this lengthy chase downtown at night time. I didn’t need to should put up 50 condors lighting all of it. It would’ve appeared horrible. So, I requested the placement supervisor, “Is there an area downtown where we can do a chase where there’s enough available light that I don’t have to light it?” I’d gentle the individuals within the automobile, however not [the streets]. She confirmed me a spot downtown, which was nice. It went beneath and on high of a giant bridge and you possibly can see the town within the background. It had loads of totally different textures to it. I shot a take a look at and there was sufficient gentle with the cameras we used [Alexa Mini LFs]. So, we shut down that space in Albuquerque for a pair nights and the entire chase was shot there.
This was extensively storyboarded as a result of it was difficult. They’re firing weapons at one another and run out of bullets. They’re going to a Fourth of July social gathering, so that they’ve obtained fireworks behind the automobile. One difficult shot was a shot trying again on the unhealthy guys and fireworks are being thrown from off digicam to hit the entrance of the automobile and the windshield. We did assessments with fireworks and picked the sort that we needed. There’s an insert automobile main the unhealthy guys, and the results persons are on the again of that automobile furiously lighting up fireworks and tossing them. When we rigged the digicam on the unhealthy man’s automobile for aspect and entrance photographs, we have been initially going to make use of LED lights and have them flash as in the event that they have been fireworks, which I used to be by no means thrilled about as a result of there’s a particular look to fireworks. It’s so a lot better [to use real ones], the way in which they explode and the sparks fly. Because we have been on the Zephyr, the actors don’t should drive. So, for the aspect photographs we’ve obtained somebody within the again within the pod driving this automobile and have the insert automobile main and throwing actual fireworks, so we will really see the fireworks hitting the entrance of the windshield from aspect photographs. It was a difficult scene. As I stated, it was extensively storyboarded however what tends to occur is you storyboard the scene you’d like to see, then understand you’ve obtained 27 totally different photographs with automobile mounts and also you’re by no means going to get that [in the amount of time you have]. So, then you definately undergo the storyboards and say, “Well, do we need this? Can we combine these?”
Filmmaker: Well, Paul, that’s all I’ve for you. I recognize you humoring me and speaking concerning the outdated Nineteen Eighties B-movie days. I grew up on loads of these and nonetheless have an incredible quantity of affection for them.
Elliott: I used to be simply working as a digicam operator on a pilot that Nicolas Winding Refn was doing in New Mexico that Darius Khondji was capturing. We obtained chatting in between setups about what I’d labored on and [Winding Refn] was fascinated. I believed, “Why would he be interested in these movies?” But he’d seen all of them. He went, “Oh my God, you worked on this! You worked on that!” I’m amazed how a few of these motion pictures nonetheless have an actual life to them.
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