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In the hands of Alfonso Cuaron,Romas black-and-whitefeels anything but desaturated.
Robbie Ryans work on Yorgos LanthimossThe Favouriteintroduced a whole new generation to the wonders of wide-angle lenses.
And Sean Bobbitt and Steve McQueen gavetheChicago ofWidowsa look as cold as Viola Daviss withering put-downs.
(SeeDonnie BrascoorAmerican Gangster.)
Another filmmaker might have adapted James Baldwins novel with such kitchen-sink realism, but thats not Jenkinss style.
The directorsfirst filmwas famously desaturated, but he has since become known for his intense colors and high contrasts.
HisBeale Streetis a romantic melodrama, and it needed a color palette to match the emotional peaks.
But thinking about love, and thinking about young love especially, what comes into my mind is warmth.
Memories of past loves, I think of reds and yellows and oranges.
Art from the past provided two channels of inspiration.
James and Barry have this language between them they can read each others minds, he says.
Compared to other film stocks, Provia is more unhinged, and very rich, he says.
Its kind of unexpected.
There was a romantic softness to it, too.
It took to the midtones and pushed them to a warmer place, says Laxton.
It would take a blue sky and push it to more of an aqua kind of color as well.
When the direct sunlight goes down, you get these lovely sort of bounces off of other buildings.
Theres a yellow reflection in Tishs skin that works quite well.
Theres a real deep-blue ambient soft light pushing down into Fonnys basement, Laxton says.
Another flash of cold light interrupts the warm atmosphere as Ed Skreins racist Officer Bell makes his first appearance.
Theres this really kind of eerie green fluorescent vibe coming out of the grocery store, Laxton says.
Its on Fonny and Tish, but only in backlight.
But not every scene presents this straightforward of a color story.
Theres something really unique to me about Tishs skin tone there.
Its very complex; its not one thing or the other.
If youre an actor of color, theres such a spectrum in there, says Laxton.
And thats what I wanted to double-check I was capturing in that close-up of Tish.
Theres a complexity to it that I find is almost symbolic of the movie at large.
