Alfonso Herrera Salcedo's work wins Students Competition at Camerimage
Cinematographer: Alfonso Herrera Salcedo
Director: Max Walker-Silverman
A young, divorced cowboy gets a day with his daughter. Through losing his father he learns how to be one himself. A tale of forgiveness, in few words.
With Lefty/Righty, Max made a very simple and moving short film. The piece is at its core a family story containing elements of the western genre. Formally he set off to take advantage of the evocative locations and juxtaposed them with charmingly quirky scenarios that could speak for the quiet characters.
Since the world of the movie called for some form of stylization we knew we wanted to shoot on 16mm as the base layer for constructing the language of the movie. In the process of creating our own "contemporary western look", Max came across the V‑Lites and proposed them to me. We researched some of the films that had been shot using these specific set of lenses and we decided it was a good idea to give them a try to further achieve our ideal image.
This was my first time shooting anamorphic and I could not have asked for a better experience and result. I was a little nervous when I knew I had to use a specific viewfinder designed by Hawk for the Arri systems to shoot anamorphic on Super 16mm. Lenses and camera were coming from different vendors and we were only able to build the camera package a day before production. Yet as soon as we received the equipment, seamlessly exchanged the viewfinder, put up the first lens and looked at the image, I knew we had made the right choice of going with that unique format.
1.3x Viewfinder
One crucial part of the visual design was to have minimal movement. Max wanted the audience to revisit the same spaces with an equal point of view or frame but under different emotional circumstances. The framing had to precisely accommodate character and context to achieve its desired dramatic effect. The 1.3x anamorphic field of view combined with the 16mm depth of field provided the perfect balance between character and environment. It is a remarkably unique combination.
One of the most memorable experiences we had working with these lenses was the day we looked at the rushes for the first time. I remember immediately scrolling through the footage with Max and realizing the image rendition was unlike anything we had seen before. We had tested that same stock under various situations all with spherical lenses, so seeing the film through the V‑lites we could easily tell the unique qualities it gave us in terms of contrast, color rendition, depth of field, and field of view. The image had a particular richness that confirmed we had used a unique piece of optical engineering.
I have no doubt that Lefty/Righty would not be what it is and feel how it feels had we shot using any other set of lenses. I am grateful for discovering those wonderful lenses and to now have them in my visual palette for future projects. I highly anticipate the day I can incorporate them onto a new film again. Alfonso Herrera Salcedo
Watch the complete film here
Cinematographer Alfonso Herrera on the set of "Lefty/Righty“ with Director Max Walker-Silverman
Images: Vantage Film and www.leftyrightyfilm.com
