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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
and Bob Richardson puts the camera
there. I'm doing the same thing, just
dealing with it as it goes on the day."
Ratio 1.85:1
Ratio 2.35:1
Ratio 2.76:1
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
represents a couple of
firsts for Tarantino as a
filmmaker. As well as being
his first film shot in the 70mm
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
says, “but a little voice in my head
was telling me [
The Hateful Eight
]
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,
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,
and the opportunity
to get to know Ennio
Morricone.”
As far as filming in 70mm
was concerned, Tarantino notes
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.”
•
The Hateful
Eight
is out May 25
Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray
SHOOTING
IN
70
MM
13
FEATURE
DVD
&
BD
DVD
&
BD