Interview with ‘Catching Fire’ Director of Photography Jo Willems
Belgium’s De Standaard recently interviewed Jo Willems, the Director of Photography for ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’.
There are quite a few bits and pieces, including some insight on the filming method used:
On joining the franchise:
‘In the past, I rejected some major projects, because it didn’t feel right, but I didn’t doubt [Catching Fire] for a second,’ Willems says. ‘I liked the previous movie very much and I wanted to work with Francis very badly … The first days of filming, I was there with shaky knees though. There I was, on the set of a million dollar project. I had underestimated that pressure. But as soon as I saw the first takes, I knew it would turn out right. I could relax after that.’
On the filming method:
‘There’s more camera work on the shoulder, making the takes seem more aggressive. For Francis and me, there was no doubt about making the movie on film. Digital is clean and sterile, but real film has more soul and emotion. The story is set in a distant future, so it had to look as real and authentic as possible.’
On meeting and working with Jennifer:
‘I was a little star struck at first, she really has a commanding presence. But she is so sweet and normal, so [that stark struck feeling] passed off very quickly. My nine-years-old daughter likes it though: when she visited me on set, she was able to meet Jennifer. She thinks I’m the coolest dad in the world right now.’
Thank you to The Hob’s reader Martha for providing the translation.
I really hope the shaky cam will come back for Catching Fire!
I think you’re the only one.
I love that he wants to be authentic…but it was hard for me to concentrate on some parts of the movie cause it was so shaky last time.
No. More. Shaky. Cam.
Am I the only one that didn’t really notice the shaking? Or at least at the parts that I did, it didn’t bother me in the slightest.
No you’re not alone!! I liked the shaky cam. It makes sense since Gary was trying put the audience in Katniss’s shoes!
I really only noticed it after people said it. Which was after I saw the movie lol. I actually thought it was pretty realistically filmed. Didn’t bother me either!
Me too!! I didnt even noticed it the first time I saw the movie! Then everyone started to complain….
Am I the only one jazzed about them using film instead of digital? That is a big deal! At least if the film sucks, it will look gorgeous. Oxymoron over here! Don’t poke me…
On shoulder filming doesn’t always mean skaky cam. Many films are filmed that way. The shaky cam is usually done on purpose. I get shaky cam during combat scenes, but I wasn’t too crazy about the shaky cam during the beginning of HG.
Exactly!
“Over the shoulder” doesn’t mean shaky cam, it just means from someone’s point of view.
But now that the not so related subject has been brought up:
I hated the shaky cam!
And the whole thing about it being Katniss’ perspective would make sense if some of the scenes with the shaky cam weren’t in places that Katniss was absent, such as inside of the cornucopia or after she fled (the whole scene with Tresh)
i love his comment about his daughter and that thinks he’s the coolest dad ever now. so adorable.
Hey yaY! Something Dutch! LOL.
I can actually understand this yay.
Happy to see someone from the BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg) doing his thing in Hollywood! Lets hope Flawrence uses the shaky (handheld) cam wisely and doesn’t abuse it. Now I actually liked it, but for the sake of all of you with weaker stomachs and a different taste in camera work, I hope he uses it wisely.
I don’t really understand the flack towards the shaky cam thing. It didn’t bother me at all and I actually felt even more like I was there, taking in everything and watching what happened all around me. Just like you would feel reading the book. But either way, I’m sure it’ll be an amazing movie.
the shaky cam did not bother me,it made it feel more real. If anything it drew me deeper into the characters.
For most of the time, the shaky cam wasn’t annoying. It actually made it feel realistic but some parts just felt too shaky like the fight on top of the Cornucopia and some of the running scenes in the arena. It still evoked the same emotion and terror of violence as it did in the book. And most people are right about on the shoulder filming, that does not always means shaky cam. A lot of movies are filmed over the shoulder. They only used shaky cam in the first film because of the violence against young kids. It will be toned down in this one because the violence is inflicted more against adults. I still hope they use it in this one but don’t erratically shake the camera beyond what our eyes can handle.