Erg Chebbi at noon. Hard cobalt sky against ochre — the cleanest shadow line I have shot. Shot in Merzouga, MA over the better part of a season — early-morning calls, single-camera setups, very little crew. The aim throughout was to keep the apparatus invisible and let the place do most of the work.
Available light. Available patience. The camera is just a witness.
Format was 35mm Anamorphic, framed at 2.39:1. We chose lenses that flatter skin in low light and hold up against hard sun without flaring out. Most days the call sheet was one page.
There is a temptation, in this kind of work, to over-light, to over-cut, to make sure the audience knows you are there. We tried very hard not to be there.
I see what others walk past. The camera is just where I happen to stop.
Cut to length over four weeks in a small room with one screen, one set of speakers, and a kettle. The grade was finalised on a Sony X300 in a darkened suite, with the director sitting two feet behind the colorist.