Marty Supreme and Long Lenses

[Daniel]

I am about 2/3rds of the way through the ASC talk about Marty Supreme. By the way, I had no idea until now that the ASC publicizes these sorts of chats.

Marty Supreme was shot on long lenses. Some of the widest scenes were anamorphic frames on 60mm or a bit longer if I recall the chat correctly. However, they went as long as 135mm.

I don’t think it struck me how so many frames were just the character’s head and clavicle until I heard that. Maybe that helped drive some of the intensity during the movie?

I enjoyed the film. Interesting choice.

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[dmullenasc]

Well, keep in mind that a 60mm 2X anamorphic is like a 30mm spherical in terms of horizontal view… but yes, the movie favors close-ups and long lenses. In a busy set, a long lens tends to shoot through foreground elements so you have a sense of the character being surrounded on all sides and yet also is isolated by the depth of field being shallower. On the other hand, it can also feel more “observational” in tone since the camera is not physically close to the action… however, this is offset by the exaggerated movement laterally as the camera pans, creating speed, and if the camera is tight on the face, you still get a lot of the intensity of the performance despite any distancing and flattening effect of the telephoto lenses. It also resembles how a live sporting event would be covered from the sidelines on longer lenses.

[Daniel]

Thanks, David. I will keep your comments in mind when I can catch the film a second time.

[Author]

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