Adebenojo seen above on the set of I Am Not Your Negro)

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CREATING THE OLD AND THE NEW

ACROSS THE POND / MARK LONDON WILLIAMS

“THE THINGS OF WHICH BALDWIN SPOKE WERE NOT AS MUCH IN THE PAST AS THEY CLEARLY HAVE RESONANCE IN THE PRESENT.” THAT WAS CINEMATOGRAPHER HENRY ADEBONOJO TALKING TO US ABOUT LAST YEAR’S ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARY ON AUTHOR JAMES BALDWIN, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO.

Adebenojo (seen above on the set of I Am Not Your Negro) was of course referring to Baldwin’s work, and how its themes were once again finding currency in an increasingly riven America. But he was also talking to us about the small crew he used for NY shoots, as one of three credited cinematographers on the film, for “some contemporary images that in some cases paralleled the archival materials to be used and in other case gave life to Baldwin’s words.”

To find imagery, in other words, to connect both past and present. Adebenojo also talked about the tools he used for those new visuals, including a decision to go with Canon lenses, “in part based on familiarity and practicality. (Director) Raoul Peck mentioned wanting to shoot in 4K. I suggested the possibility of pairing the Canon lenses with the Panasonic GH4 and an external recorder which I also had on hand… It worked out well for us because we had a lot of ground to cover in the space of the week we had for that phase. For the second phase of shooting which included the portraits of African American faces of a variety of hues, I opted for the combination of the Canon C300 MK2 and a set of Canon Cine Primes. It has been my experience that Canon glass has a rendering that is warm and inviting in a way that suited the photographic mood that Raoul was looking for.”

And it is with all those finely overlapping and aesthetic observations of Adebenojo’s - the practical use of digital tools, the feel of original “glass”, the attempts to recreate old looks, and brand new ones - that we welcome you to this first “Across the Pond” column for British Cinematographer.

As for our charter in this space, it echoes the observation of Henry Braham BSC, DP on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’, that “modern day filmmaking is about being very, very fluid and very flexible, and it’s about responding to the moment.”