Conversations with a DP Article # 1

DP - Zachary Galler

(The Grudge, Briarpatch, The Act, Manhunt :Unabomber, The Ticket)

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Hi Zack, thank you for indulging in this with us. Firstly I would like to congratulate you on the release of 'The Grudge', its on of the finest horror movies I have seen in recent times. Ever since I saw the trailer of Grudge, I have looked up the DP for the film, and have followed your other works, and I admire them from the bottom of my heart. As a DP myself, I am always looking for inspiration from other sources, and your work has been a big part of that in recent times.

For this article , am going to throw a bunch of questions at you and you can be as technical as you like.

I understand how sometimes it gets difficult for us to explain our work without being technical, that is exactly why I am starting this series on my website, where DPs can speak their mind freely and as technically as they want.

So let's get started.

How were you approached for 'The Grudge' ? Was it a director choice, was it Sam Raimi that liked your style of work ? How did it all unfold ?

I started talking about Grudge with Nick Pesce after we finished up his film 'Piercing'.  We had a great experience working together, definitely a special collaboration.  Despite our working relationship and desire to work together, it was both of our first studio movie, so I still had to jump through hoops to be hired - I actually had to have many interviews with studio executives over the course of a couple weeks (one even while 'Piercing' was premiering at the Sundance film festival) before I could finally convince them I wouldn't mess up their movie!

How did you prep for 'The Grudge' ? What was you interaction with Nicolas like in the initial stages and what referencing did you guys do?  

We prepped by talking and sharing images a lot, and watching movies.  Nick is a wonderful director to work with because he is very collaborative, and is open to hearing ideas and capable of molding them into his own style, instead of immediately shutting them out. This helps to streamline shooting (sometimes) and also helps develop a deep trust - if I make a suggestion that he doesn't like, I know its for a good reason, and vice versa.  We watched a few movies, but the one we watched the most was David Fincher and Darius Khondji's se7en.  We loved the look and pacing and shot choices.  We also watched Panic Room (also Fincher), Prisoners (Vileneuve), and then a few horror movies to look at how specific "scares" were executed.

Tell us a bit about your choice of primary equipment for 'The Grudge', why did you make those choices ?

From very early on, Nick knew he wanted to shoot 'The Grudge' on anamorphic lenses.  I frequently work with Panavision, and I love their anamorphics, so we used a few different sets of theirs for our different storylines/threads within the movie.  We shot Alexa mini, with T series, g series, and primo anamorphic glass. 

In recent times, The Grudge is one of finest looking horror films that I have seen. And its not just the production design, the way you have lit the film is a treat. As a DP, I would really love to know your approach to lighting this film. What fixtures you used for lighting the actors, what sort of gels/filters you preferred, whatever technical knowhow you can throw at us.

I wanted to have each storyline have a distinct look and feel, so besides the lens differences, we also did some color and lighting differences. The movie is dark and gritty, so that is always going to be the first deciding factor, but I wanted certain threads to have a little more warmth, or be a little cooler.  The thread featuring the older people is slightly softer units and warmer, and the main thread with muldoon (andrea riseborough) is cold and harsh (whenever possible) this one is also greener, while everything else has lots of yellow.  There is also no "moonlight" in this world - all night is sodium vapor motivated.  that is always one of my first decisions when figuring out the world a movie should inhabit - is there moonlight in this world?  

Tell us a bit about your interaction with your colorist. How you guys plan a look, do you guys create a LUT during pre, how do you go about finalizing your look that goes out to the audience ?

We got to work with a great colorist at fotokem in LA named Kostas Theodisou.  He is a master of darkness and contrast and really helped elevate the look of the film.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to spend a ton of time in the theater with him, and Nick had to do a lot of the supervised color, because I was on a TV show in New Mexico.

And finally, 10 tips to all young DPs out there, that you have personally learned in all these years of working. Could be anything from your commandments that you follow while working?

These are personal to me, and many may disagree, but let me think...

• Always try and understand the reason for the choices you're making, and trust your instincts.

• Don't compare yourself to others on social media.

• Take care of yourself while shooting - you don't need to be out drinking with the crew.(save it for the wrap party!)

• Learn lighting.

• Learn everyone's names.

• A camera is a camera is a camera is a camera - the gear doesn't make the DP

• Counterpoint - its still important to understand new technologies and how they can help you achieve your goals.

• Take crew safety seriously all the time - aside from the obvious moral reasons, and that these people are helping you play make believe, you get better results from a happy and healthy crew.

• This will be especially true now, but keep as many people and as much gear off the set as possible - remember the actors have to act in there, and less distractions can mean better performance. (Which ultimately is more important than anything else.)