Alec Baldwin’s indie western comes three years after photographer Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot to death rust It was finally revealed to the public on Wednesday. The film was well received by audiences at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival, an industry-loved event known for highlighting the craft of cinematography.
Before the premiere, rustDirector Joel Souza and cinematographer Bianca Cline involved in in-depth feature after wrongful death lawsuit settlement hollywood reporter share their story of returning to the set to finish the film a year and a half after the accident. this rust The team and a filmmaker friend of Hutchins gave an impassioned speech at the Polish premiere, explaining how they went ahead with the film simply because the potential financial gain from a theatrical release would make the late cinematographer The teacher’s widower and son benefited.
rust It tells the story of a 13-year-old boy (played by Patrick Scott McDermott) in Wyoming in the 1880s who accidentally kills a rancher and escapes with his grandfather (played by Baldwin as the protagonist Harlan Rust). .
hollywood reporter Sitting down with Souza at the Camerimage show in Torun, Poland to discuss what people are saying about rust and his favorite shots created by his late friend and collaborator.
How do you feel when the film finally reaches audiences?
There was a palpable sense of relief because it had been a long road. I want to quote streets of firebecause all good quotes lead back to Walter Hill. “Are we going to do this or are we going to talk about it?” This feeling has been going on for a long time and I’m glad it’s there and can now exist independently of everything else.
While watching the movie, two things struck me. The first is that the cinematography is very distinctive and accomplished. How would you describe the aesthetic that Halyna has developed?
I used to do a lot of storyboarding, and I found that this led to a somewhat unhelpful relationship with my cinematographer. I wanted something more collaborative, to make the film feel more alive and spontaneous. So when I first met Halyna, we were committed to making this happen. She is interested in anamorphic looks utilizing extreme foreground/background compositions. we talked about days in heaven a lot of. There will be blood, No place for old people, gate of heaven. Halyna’s lookbook is filled with photography and paintings, many of which are about the smallness of people contrasting with the vastness of nature.
Then when Bianca came on we continued to do that. Obviously, they are very different people, but they have similar feelings. So I was able to take Halyna’s and my ideas and discuss them with Bianca. Bianca has studied Halina’s work extensively. not just in rustbut everything she did. It’s not that she’s imitating. It’s just that she has a very similar visual sensibility. Everything rhymes, if that makes sense. In the end, I think we looked very cohesive. It’s like they danced a duet a year and a half and two states apart. I think she put a lot of pressure on herself, but in the end, she really got through it.
I find it very appealing to see the high contrast lighting of the landscape, which always seems to be after dusk – a perpetual twilight blanketing the land.
This is definitely by design. We wanted to study silhouettes a lot, and we used that a lot in this movie. With high-contrast lighting, we wanted to create some enhanced reality in terms of how light actually works. It’s like there’s sunlight pouring in from every window at every time of day. We did.
Frankly, another thing that I immediately felt during the first few minutes of the movie was that initially seeing the characters brandishing guns was unsettling and unsettling.
I see. This is an interesting question. You know, it’s a Western that reflects life in the Old West and what we expect from Westerns. But I know it’s a weird thing for people right now, and it will be interesting to see how people react to it.
Alec Baldwin in “Rust.”
rust film production co., ltd.
Again, from my own experience, this feeling does go away at some point. You know, movies are movies, and we’re used to being drawn into stories—and that’s ultimately what happened.
Yes, that’s what making a Western is about, and frankly, it’s hard for me to unpack. But we were halfway through the movie, and when we came back to the movie, it was still the same story. In my daily life, I am a very anti-gun person. I always have been. I don’t like them. I don’t like being with them. They always make me feel uneasy. I hope people understand that because that was always my intention in the film. At the center of the story is the rifle that has been passed down through the generations of the family – ruining the lives of anyone who picked it up. I hope people don’t lose sight of this – these acts of violence are like throwing a stone into a pond and the ripples are gone forever. Four generations later, people are still paying the price for actions they didn’t even commit. But in order to tell the story, in the Western genre, these are the tools you need.
Considering I’ve also experienced that uncanny, unsettling feeling as a viewer, I can only imagine what it must be like to go back into a production and have to ask your actors to pick up fake guns again.
I don’t know if you’ve ever picked up a gun, but I’ve picked up a gun in the past. I didn’t grow up with them. Even holding something like this in my hand is very intimidating to me. The second time around, when we went back to production, we had this amazing armorer. We only use fake guns and everything is lifeless. They’re basically paperweights and can’t do anything. But our armorers still treat everything relentlessly and meticulously, like it’s real – because that’s how you’re safe and that’s how you should be. But even so, initially it was a big moment for everyone. Then, at a certain point, you get into the rhythm of filmmaking. These are actors for whom this is starting to become normal. But I can’t imagine this wasn’t a big deal to anyone in the beginning.
Did you talk to Alec Baldwin about the moment he had to play a gun-wielding character again?
I’m sure we’ve had conversations about this. I don’t remember their substance. But I have no doubt that this was an unsettling thing for him and an important moment for him.
‘rust’
rust film production co., ltd.
What was it like directing your actors once they returned? Many of them play characters who are touched by tragedy. Many of them hold a lot of weight in the story. I think when they came back to shoot the second half of the movie, they naturally wanted to know how everything they’d been through affected their performances.
It can’t be possible, right? I mean, it’s interesting, like Patrick McDermott, who plays young Lucas, he wasn’t in our initial round. You know, we have a long gap, and when people get into their teens, they grow like weeds and their voices change. Scheduling became an issue. So we had to tweak and recast that part. So Patrick didn’t bring any luggage, but he knew what was going on and his family knew what was going on. There was a lot of discussion about making sure everyone was comfortable. We can’t put that kind of pressure on a child, so of course we try to make sure he doesn’t feel anything.
Other actors like Devin Walker Heisel and Josh Hopkins are two of my favorite actors in the world and two of my favorite people. I can’t help but think that it really added extra weight to their performance. Hopkins, who plays Marshall, gives the performance of his life in this film. I love that people get to see this side of him and how good he is because he’s done a lot of comedies in the past, but he really has a big role in this movie.
But yeah, when everyone comes back, there’s an emotional component that wasn’t there before. We didn’t want to really delve into anything on set or we’d all be in tears all day long. But yes, it’s there. It’s in the eyes, you know? Frankly, you just can’t escape it.
Have you noticed a change in the way your star, Alec Baldwin, performs?
You know, it was hard for him. I think he’s been going through all his stuff. I can only imagine how difficult that must be. But we got through it.
‘rust’
rust film production co., ltd.
What do you hope for most right now?
If people don’t want to see this movie for whatever reason, they certainly don’t need to and I don’t have any hard feelings. But I hope people give it a chance – and if they do, they’ll take a closer look at the visual aspects, especially the cinematography. Because this is a very unique opportunity to see through Halyna’s eyes and see how she sees the world. The fact that so many people came back to finish the film for her is a testament to how much she is remembered. They came back and were in a very difficult and heavy place because they were so moved by her and it was important to them to get this done for her. A large portion of our company only knows Halyna’s name because of what happened to her—and I think that’s a shame. So if you watch the film, you’ll learn more about her as an artist through her eyes. This is what I hope for most.
Do you have a favorite clip of Halyna’s creation? rust?
There are many of them. Some of the horseback riding montages are absolutely beautiful. But I loved one of the movies we did together, where Frances Fisher’s character has just come to town and she’s standing in court and speaking to these fathers in this town. Her silhouette appears in the doorway and we have a long, slow push with about a minute of dialogue where we have the actors interleave at different lengths. It’s just a beautiful, powerful shot. But that’s not what we planned at all. The day was completely taken away from us due to the bad weather. So we had significant delays. We were originally going to do this sequence with about six different camera angles, but we just didn’t have the time. So Halyna and I got together and figured out a way to do that – which was very exciting for the photography team. They’re excited about it because we’re trying something cool and we all know it totally works. Sometimes you swing and think, “Oh my god, this isn’t working.” But this time, we stuck with it and it worked out perfectly. Afterwards, Halina put her arms around me and we almost skipped to the next scene because it was so exciting. To me, that shot will always be my favorite shot in the movie.
