Daniel Craig in Cowboys & Aliens. (Photo by Zade Rosenthal © 2011 Universal Studios)
When director Jon Favreau asked Matty Libatique, ASC if he was interested in shooting Cowboys & Aliens, the title gave Libatique pause. But reading the script allayed his fears.
“We saw it partly as an opportunity to pay homage to the classic Westerns of John Ford,” says Libatique. “We wanted to create a disciplined Western language, guided by imagery like Conrad Hall’s work on The Professionals and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
Favreau and Libatique had previously collaborated to great success on Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Libatique had recently finished Black Swan with Darren Aronofsky. His cinematography on that film, done in the Super 16 film format, would earn him his first Oscar nomination.
The production team initially envisioned Cowboys & Aliens as a 3D movie, and spent much of the prep time investigating the possibility of shooting it in a stereo format. But the grit and sand of the desert locations threatened the 3D mirror elements, and the preponderance of bright day exteriors in the desert made a digital format seem unwise. The cumbersome camera rigs were also a consideration, as was the fact that polarizing filters are not advisable on a 3D rig.
“The more we learned, the more we felt that 3D might hurt the film as a film,” says Libatique. “I felt that anamorphic 35 mm would work better with the way Jon handles performance and coverage. But the main reason we came to a consensus was that anamorphic allowed us to adhere to Western cinematic language.”
The script takes audiences into a Western world in the first act, and then slowly introduces science fiction elements as the story proceeds.
“In my imagination, I saw a Western made with today’s technology and today’s film stocks,” says Libatique. “Once we decided not to go 3D, all I wanted to shoot was film. We tried to keep the camera more patient. We didn’t do a lot of intricate gymnastics with the camera. I think we did a pretty good job of incorporating the Western influence while giving Jon what he needed editorially.”
The classic Western influence extended to composition. “We had conversations about how to frame people wearing hats, and where to place the horizon line for dramatic effect,” says Libatique. “It grew out of an enthusiasm for the films that led us to study the form. That was one of the best parts of making this film.”
Libatique used Panavision cameras and G and C series anamorphic lenses. “For me, the anamorphic format is that unmistakable depth of field,” he says. “The softness that you get behind the plane of focus on an anamorphic lens separates it and gives it texture beyond anything that spherical can ever achieve. I think that’s why Westerns are so painterly.”
In night exterior situations, Libatique chose KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219. In day situations, he generally used either KODAK VISION2 50D Color Negative Film 5201 or KODAK VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 5213.
“I have always loved 5201, and I wanted to get the best resolution out of day exteriors in Santa Fe that I possibly could,” he says. “I have done so much stock manipulation in my career. Here, I wanted to get the optimum fidelity possible from a film stock. I wanted a tree to be a tree. I wanted to see the gradations on stones.”
Libatique went with 5213 in situations where fickle weather made its flexibility more attractive. He also used KODAK EKTACHROME 100D Color Reversal Camera Film 5285 for scenes that depict the main character’s memories. He cross-processed the reversal film to create a striking look that features more saturation and contrast, and surprising colors.
“I know what to expect when cross processing,” says Libatique. “But there are always happy accidents. That has happened throughout my career. If you are aggressive, you are going to keep discovering things by accident. Frankly, that is something that is lost with digital formats – the organic happy accident that happens because of karma.
“That may sound ridiculous, but making a film is such a creative venture,” he continues. “To actually come up with good ideas, and then apply those ideas to technical knowledge, and then execute those ideas – and then something happens that is weird. And that weird thing becomes magical. That doesn’t happen in digital. When you’re trying to get a look out of digital, guess what? It looks digital and it looks manipulated.
“Ed Lachman once told me that the problem with digital is that it’s one flat layer,” says Libatique. “With film you are getting several chemical layers reacting against each other. In a flat field of pixels, you are never going to get that nuance and depth.”
The digital intermediate was done at EFilm with colorist Steve Scott, whom he cites as a key collaborator. Libatique had a good DI experience and was pleased with the results overall. He says his role is to insist on maximum image quality all the way through to print.
“I don’t use the DI as an opportunity to explore,” he says. “We shoot films with precision, with intent. I’ve already explored, when I was thinking about how to shoot the movie. I have already made all the choices. The DI is a great tool, and I don’t want to disparage it in any way. But I have a love/hate relationship with it. Those of us who remember what film is meant to look like need to monitor the situation, and demand the best.”
Libatique is currently in preproduction on The Wolverine with director James Mangold.
Cowboys & Aliens, which stars Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, opens in North America in July 29, 2011.
