In the opening scene of Robert Eggers NosferatuEllen (Lily-Rose Depp) sobs in bed, then rushes to the window to look at the shadow of the demon Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) who has attracted her.
The complex camera movements required to track Allen’s movement from bed to window in one shot required a layout of the bedroom that “made no sense,” recalled director of photography Jarin Blaschke. It has an L-shaped configuration, with its walls opening on hinges to accommodate camera movement.
Blaschke, who has worked with Eggers on all of his previous features, is no stranger to telling a story that takes place primarily in darkness. “I learned that we have to have contrast,” he said. “You have to put something near the window [when indoors]. you have to work hard [as opposed to soft] Light.
Incorporating the supernatural in a believable way requires a combination of practical and digital effects. To capture Count Orlok’s silhouette, Blaschke shot reference photography, although the final shadows were created through visual effects. To depict Ellen suspended in the air as O’Rourke’s soul is consumed, Depp “walked up the ramp before her feet entered the frame, and then a second later the camera stabilized to reveal her feet,” Book said. Raschke explained. The micro-ramp was then digitally removed in post-production.
This story first appeared in the December Independence issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
