Wally Pfister (The Prestige) The Prestige
Pfister shot 75 percent of a period film handheld and it changed how the film feels
Wally Pfister's fourth collaboration with Christopher Nolan broke a fundamental assumption about period filmmaking: that historical settings demand formal, locked-down camerawork. Pfister shot the majority of the film with the camera on his shoulder, operating it himself throughout nearly the entire production. The approach was deliberate -- after the scale of Batman Begins, Nolan wanted something rawer. (nofilmschool)
"75% of that film is handheld, and even shots that are on a crane, I'm handholding the camera." — Wally Pfister, The Talks (2012)
"I guess maybe it is somewhat my point of view or my perspective because you certainly use an enormous amount of your intuition when the camera's on your shoulder." — Wally Pfister, The Talks (2012)
The physical demands were substantial. Pfister spent the first five weeks of production building the stamina to keep up with Nolan's pace while carrying the camera.
"After about five grueling weeks, I was finally able to keep up with the pace after sufficiently developing the muscles in my shoulders, upper and lower back." — Wally Pfister, American Cinematographer (2006) (paywalled, not verified)
Nolan gave Pfister unusual creative autonomy
Unlike many director-DP relationships, Nolan did not dictate shot composition or camera movement. He described the scene and the emotional intention, then let Pfister find the visual approach in real time.
"Chris never told me who to follow or where to point the camera. Instead, he told me, 'Go with your gut.'" — Wally Pfister, No Film School (2016)
"We were often showing 180 to 360 degrees in each location... It was a very documentary-like style, and I was helped considerably by the years I'd spent shooting docs and working in cutting rooms." — Wally Pfister, American Cinematographer (2006) (paywalled, not verified)
The result was a film that moves through Victorian London with the energy of a documentary rather than the stateliness of a costume drama. Scenes unfold in longer takes, giving the actors more freedom and finishing production three days ahead of schedule.
Pfister used Victorian lighting technology as his palette
In turn-of-the-century London, gas lamps and candlelight were giving way to electric fixtures. Pfister used that historical transition as his lighting strategy, progressing from warm practical sources in domestic scenes to the harsher electric illumination of Tesla's laboratory.
"Generally, we looked at visuals of turn-of-the-century London. We wanted that flexible lighting approach, but also lighting to reflect that era -- lots of practical lights and candles and overhead soft boxes." — Wally Pfister, No Film School (2016)
"I really enjoyed not being fussy with the lighting, letting things go raw at times, and sometimes not lighting at all." — Wally Pfister, American Cinematographer (2006) (paywalled, not verified)
Some scenes relied entirely on natural daylight with no supplementary lighting. Pfister drew visual inspiration from Vermeer and Caravaggio for their use of single-source illumination.
Gordon Willis taught Pfister that darkness is a tool, not a problem
Pfister cited Gordon Willis -- the cinematographer of the Godfather films -- as his primary influence, specifically Willis's willingness to let parts of the frame go dark.
"Willis was never afraid not to use a light. He was never afraid to use practical lights or whatever it took to bring the story to life. Honestly, he's my absolute hero." — Wally Pfister, No Film School (2016)
The approach served the film's themes. A story about deception benefits from a visual style where not everything is visible -- where the audience, like the magician's spectator, cannot see the whole stage.
The Oscar nomination confirmed the approach worked
Pfister received his second Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography for The Prestige. (He would win for Inception four years later.) American Cinematographer later ranked the film 36th among the best-shot films from 1998-2008. (wikipedia)