CLOSE-UP / DARIUS KHONDJI AFC ASC / UNCUT GEMS
BEDAZZLED
Filmed predominantly on Kodak 35mm film, Uncut Gems, the highstakes, high-anxiety thriller directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, received critical acclaim and multiple awards after releasing in cinemas in December 2020 by A24.
64 | British Cinematographer | March 2020
A
long with its screenplay, direction, editing and central performance by Adam Sandler as New York jeweler Howard Ratner, the dazzling urgency of Darius Khondji AFC ASC’s celluloid cinematography also received much of the praise. The film follows Howard, a charismatic New York City jeweler and gambling addict, who is always on the lookout for the next big score. When a rare black opal enters his possession, Howard goes out on a limb with a series of high-risk deals that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime, whilst also performing the hazardous high-wire act of balancing business with tender family matters and a set of angry adversaries. Along with Sandler, the $20 film stars actors Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Mike Francesa, Idina Menzel and Eric Bogosian, with Canadian singer/songwriter The Weeknd playing himself, plus former professional basketball player Kevin Garnett portraying a fictionalised version of himself. Uncut Gems was chosen by the National Board Of Review as one of the top ten films of 2019, with Sandler winning Best Actor. The film also became one of A24’s highest-grossing releases, having made $47.7 million at the box office, before streaming worldwide, excluding America, on Netflix. “I loved the crazy, tension and psychological energy of Josh and Benny’s script and their study of Howard’s hardbitten character,” says Khondji, who was first introduced to the directing duo by his daughter, Marie-Louise, an associate producer on their 2014 movie Heaven Knows What. This connection led to
Khondji collaborating with the Safdies on Jay-Z‘s Marcy Me music video before being asked by them to shoot Uncut Gems. “This was an epic story of a man living a relentlessly crazy existence in the metropolis of New York City,” Khondji says. “Benny and Josh wanted to shoot on film, which I love too, so that was an easy win. But, they also wanted Uncut Gems to capture the realism of New York, with a garish and gritty look, inspired visually by the kinetic photography of filmmakers such as Robert Altman and the post modern architecture in the city, which I found rather ugly. I am more disposed towards glamorous and exciting visuals and quickly realised they did not want a pretty-looking result. “Also, the way in which they wanted to shoot Uncut Gems, with extremely long lenses, tracking shots using extremely long lenses, plus zooms, meant I was out of my comfort zone right from the start. I would never recommend any filmmaker to work like that. But, I like being pushed in ways I have not experienced before. So I accepted their enthusiasm, and my methodology was to let them shoot what they wanted, in the way they wanted to do it.” Principal photography began in September 2018, in New York City, concluding 29 production days later in November. Filming took place at exterior and interior locations around New York’s renowned Diamond District on 47th Street, which Khondji kept simple using available light or by filling the frame with front and top light. Howard’s jewelry shop – a brightly-lit environment, which needed a distinctive, gaudy palette of cyans, greens, pinks and bright whites – was constructed and filmed at Gold Coast Studios on Long Island. After extensive 35mm film testing, Khondji framed the action in widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio using Panavision C-series Anamorphic lenses – including 75mm, 180mm, 250mm and 360mm focal lengths – fitted to ARRI ST and LT cameras. Darius Khondji He selected just one AFC ASC stock for the production, Kodak Vision3 5219 500T, pushed by one stop at Kodak Film Lab New York, to help encourage the texture of grain in the image. “The choice of Anamorphic was a choice we made together,” he says. “After reading the script, and listening to Josh and Benny talk about the presence they wanted for Adam’s character, we thought it would be appropriate to