Anora DP Drew Daniels Would Rather Do Things the Hard Way

Story by Joshua Encinias

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Cinematographer Drew Daniels on why he opted for the painstaking path of shooting Cannes-winning 'Anora' on 35mm film, embracing the challenges to capture the gritty realism of Sean Baker's working-class tale.

beat sheet

Daniels shot 'Anora' on 35mm film using anamorphic 1970s Lomo Round Front lenses and a Lomo 40-120 zoom, going with 'the more difficult option' to infuse the film with a retro aesthetic inspired by 'The Taking of Pelham One Two Three' and 'The French Connection'.
Baker wanted the film to feel like it was 'shot in 1974', and Daniels says the 'old' and 'milky' quality of the Lomo lenses gave it that gritty 'Pelham One Two Three feeling', while also drawing inspiration from the sumptuous visuals of Godard's 'Contempt'.

call sheet

Drew Daniels, Sean Baker, Mikey Madison, Brigitte Bardot, Owen Roizman, Jean-Luc Godard, Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globe, NEON, Anora, Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The French Connection, Contempt

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