STACK NZ May #73

FEATURE DVD & BD

SHOOTING IN 70 MM

The Hateful Eight is Quentin Tarantino’s eighth film, but his first to be shot in 70mm, or more precisely Ultra Panavision 70 – a super widescreen process which provides a more detailed image. "It’s the widest image possible, 2.76:1,” the director explains. "We knew we were going to do it in 70. Bob Richardson, my cameraman, and his assistant went to Panavision to have a look at what was available in lenses for 70mm, and they saw these big, giant dinosaur lenses on a shelf, which were the Ultra Panavision 70 lenses that were used to shoot Ben-Hur , It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Battle of the Bulge . "They hadn’t been used since 1966, but they got the lenses and tested them out and they just needed a little readjustment." Tarantino notes that aside from the cumbersome nature of the lenses, shooting in 70mm proved no different than 35 or 16 as far as shot set-ups were concerned. "The frame is the frame," he says. "The only limitation that I could see was we didn’t have a zoom lens, so I used a crane as though it were a zoom for the most part. "If I'm staging a scene, I don't use a monitor. I describe what I want

but it was something he wanted to explore, too, and I ended up being completely gratified by both the experience of doing it, the end result,

For the record, Roth is great in the film, even if there are unavoidable similarities with the Iglourious Basterds and Django Unchained star. The Hateful Eight

DVD & BD

and the opportunity to get to know Ennio Morricone.” As far as filming in 70mm was concerned, Tarantino notes

represents a couple of firsts for Tarantino as a filmmaker. As well as being his first film shot in the 70mm

Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray

and Bob Richardson puts the camera there. I'm doing the same thing, just dealing with it as it goes on the day."

that aside from the weight of the camera, his shooting style didn’t change, and he credits the diligence of his camera crew in overcoming any problems. “I realised I wouldn’t be doing any Steadicam or handheld shots with that camera, so we basically used a crane like a Steadicam dolly.” The director confirms that The Hateful Eight will be presented in the ultra-widescreen 2.76 aspect ratio for its home entertainment release. “I do like on a Blu-ray or DVD, and even back in the old Laserdisc days, the black bars on the top and the bottom of the screen, because it emphasises the frame.” As a staunch supporter of film over digital cinematography, it isn’t surprising that when it comes to his own personal film collection, Tarantino prefers physical media to a digital download. “If I just have it on my DVR, I don’t feel that I have it!” he exclaims. “It’s just there. Until I transfer it to a videocassette or a DVD, it’s not mine. I’m all about my film archive, whether it’s 35mm or 16, DVD or Blu-ray, I need to physically have it. It’s not mine until I have it physically in my possession.”

widescreen format (see sidebar), it’s his first movie to feature an original music score – a masterful composition by the legendary Ennio Morricone, for which the veteran received an Academy Award earlier this year. “I love Ennio Morricone – he is amazing, and we’d flirted with the idea of working with each other before,” says Tarantino. “I’d never really wanted [an original score] before and I’d even resisted the idea, because I didn’t want to give anyone that sort of control over the tone of my movie. Film buffs will recognise music cues from numerous other movies throughout Tarantino’s work, from Twisted Nerve in Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Cat People in Inglourious Basterds , to Exorcist II: The Heretic and The Thing in The Hateful Eight (both Morricone scores, incidentally). “I’ve never considered the other movies I’ve done as having secondhand scores,” he should have its own music. “When you have that little voice… that’s your talent’s way of trying to communicate with you, so I thought it was worth exploring," he adds. “The maestro wasn’t 100 per cent sure, says, “but a little voice in my head was telling me [ The Hateful Eight ]

Ratio 1.85:1

Ratio 2.35:1

• The Hateful Eight is out May 25

Ratio 2.76:1

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