Cristina Dunlap (‘American Fiction’ cinematographer) on how positive audience reaction ‘means the world to all of us’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“American Fiction” absolutely dominated the film festival circuit, winning prizes everywhere from Toronto to Middleburg to Austin. “Getting to see the audience response was just incredible,” cinematographer Cristina Dunlap states about Amazon MGM Studios’ quirky movie from writer / director / producer Cord Jefferson. “We’re all so passionate about the film and so proud of what we made, and the fact that it’s resonating with audiences just means the world to all of us.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
This was Jefferson’s first feature film, and so much of his vision was established “when he was writing the script, whether he realized it or not,” Dunlap tells us. “So early on, I didn’t want to take him down any specific path right away,” the cinematographer explains. “I came to our initial meeting with a lot of ideas of sort of how I was seeing the film play out. Tonally, it’s a satire. But at its core, it’s really a family drama about complicated relationships … so I didn’t want to shoot it like a traditional comedy.”
Dunlap readily admits that they were able to film “American Fiction” in just 26 days. In other words, “We didn’t have a lot of time and couldn’t get all of the coverage that we dreamed of. So we sort of tried to find ways to cover the film in flowing steady cam moves and things where I could move through our extraordinary cast.” Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an author who discovers that he’s more successful when he writes more “Black.” The supporting cast includes Tracee Ellis Ross as his sister, Issa Rae as a fellow author, Sterling K. Brown as his brother and Leslie Uggams as his mother.
Two notable shots in the film are when Wright is “obscured by a white audience member” standing up at Rae’s book reading, and when Wright looks through a hospital window at Ross’ foot. The former blocking was inspired by a popular GIF of basketball player David Robinson, Dunlap divulges, while the latter is a bit like “Jaws” in that “the less you see, the more impactful it is.”
Also in our exclusive video interview, Dunlap chats about utilizing natural light vs. artificial light, how she wanted to “see the ocean through the windows” from inside the beach house, working under an “ambitious” time schedule, and being “proud” of the “challenging” shot between Wright and Uggams that takes place on the beach.
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