Visualizing ‘Django Unchained’

By MEKADO MURPHY

Andrew Cooper/The Weinstein CompanyThe cinematographer Robert Richardson on the set of “Django Unchained.”

The cinematographer Robert Richardson has partnered with some of America’s most high-profile and visually driven  directors. His accolades include Academy Awards for his work with Oliver Stone (“J. F. K.”) and Martin Scorsese (“The Aviator” and “Hugo”). Now “Django Unchained,” his fourth film with Quentin Tarantino, has garnered him another nomination, but Mr. Richardson says his job is always to put the director’s goals above his own.

“My career is based primarily upon finding a balance with a director and their vision,” he said, speaking by phone from Malibu. “And that means sublimating my own personal ego toward their material. It’s far better to shoot a good picture than a good-looking picture.”

Of course, Mr. Richardson’s directors tend to be interested in work that is both good and good-looking. His collaborations with Mr. Tarantino include the two-volume action spectacle “Kill Bill” and the explosive war movie “Inglourious Basterds.” With “Django Unchained,” a period mashup of the western and  blaxploitation genres that focuses on slavery, the director had ideas about the film’s look that would require a particular kind of photographic expertise. He trusted Mr. Richardson, who here discusses some of the elements and challenges that went into shooting the film.

Andrew Cooper/The Weinstein CompanyJamie Foxx, right, during the shooting of a scene from “Django Unchained.”

Emphasizing Colors

To capture the antebellum South in bold ways, Mr. Tarantino was drawn to bold colors.

“Most of Quentin’s film’s have a pop approach to the use of vibrant color, which is quite in opposition to the majority of work being done in cinema,” Mr. Richardson said. “That was a tremendous shift for me because I had to move from what I’m normally more prone to use, which is a muted palette, to one that’s fuller.”

Color is  difficult  for cinematographers to control, particularly in exterior shots. Mr. Richardson made sure that the film’s bright colors wouldn’t be distracting and pull the viewer’s eye in too many directions.

Andrew Cooper/The Weinstein CompanyThe crew shooting “Django.”

The Anti-John Ford

When it came to locations, Mr. Tarantino was not interested in the many vibrant landscape shots found in most American westerns.

“Quentin did not want to utilize these beautiful locations,” Mr. Richardson said, adding later, “He wanted them to be hints, a little bit of spice here and there, and then they were gone. He was not looking for John Ford.”

Instead, the goal was to have the locations push the narrative forward through montages, in which Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) teaches Django (Jamie Foxx)  how to be a bounty hunter. These scenes were shot in the mountains of  Wyoming. “We utilized the beauty of Jackson Hole, but without making it a postcard at every opportunity. Quentin’s work is not about scenics, it’s about words.”

Andrew Cooper/The Weinstein Company

Lighting the Night

Nighttime shots for cinematographers are frequently a challenge, particularly with film stock, which is still the medium of choice for Mr. Tarantino. One scene involves an evening encounter with an early version of the Ku Klux Klan. The sequence required some tricky lighting to capture images of torch-wielding characters on horseback along with hints of their surroundings. Giant lamps called “moons,”  hovering 145 feet above the ground, shined down on the set to illuminate the landscape. Other lights  on the side gave further texture to the location. “It is an extraordinarily complex and expensive lighting setup,” Mr. Richardson said.

The Weinstein CompanySamuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio in “Django Unchained.”

Interior Challenges

The lighting of some interior shots presented other challenges that came from choices in makeup and color tones. Samuel L. Jackson, who played the house slave  Stephen,  wore makeup to create a darker-skinned look and prosthetics to make him look older. Those additions  made him difficult to light in certain moments where he shares the screen with the plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

“Skin naturally reflects and moves in a way that makeup doesn’t,” Mr. Richardson said. “So we had to figure out a way to light him.” He and his team decided to put lights a little closer to Mr. Jackson to raise his light value. “Because the primary story circles slavery, of course every shot will, in one way or another, deal with the contrast of black and white. That was a balancing act. I hope we succeeded.”