Anora’s distinctive style: cinematographer Drew Daniels

Anora is the story of Brooklyn, New York exotic dancer, Anora, who
meets Ivan, the son of a Russian oligarch at the strip club. They
impulsively marry, and once the news reaches Ivan's parents, their
henchmen kidnap Ani in order to force her and Ivan to get the
marriage annulled. Anora won the 2024 Palme d'Or at Cannes, and is
a potential 2025 Oscar nominee. Cinematographer Drew Daniels first
started working with director Sean Baker on the film Red Rocket.
Drew was a fan of Baker's for years- he liked his sensibility and
humanity, and his unconventional ethos behind his filmmaking
approach. Drew attended the University of Texas film school, where
filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater are alums. He
appreciated the UT film program's independent, DIY approach. When
Drew had the opportunity to work with Baker on Red Rocket, he said
yes before he even read the script. “What's so refreshing about
working with Sean is, you're flying by the seat of your pants, but
you're also the leader of this passionate little rag tag army,”
says Drew. Drew and Baker began talking about Anora during the
editing of Red Rocket. Baker had a very specific idea of what he
wanted, so they began testing and research scouts very early,
driving to locations and discussing the movie before the script was
fully written. Rather than an extensive shotlist, Drew and Baker
scouted and blocked out scenes on the shoot locations. The film's
striking imagery, from gritty urban landscapes to opulent mansions,
was shot on Kodak 35mm film with Lomo anamorphic lenses. “Anora is
different than a lot of Sean's films, because Sean's films often
deal with people who are on the fringes, or people who are in a
lower socioeconomic standing,” says Drew. “It takes on oligarch
wealth and opulence, so it needed to be a bigger, more magical
format- something that will fully embrace the scope of that
mansion.” Choosing to film on 35 elevated the story of an exotic
dancer like Ani into something beautiful and elegant, but Drew also
wanted to reflect her attitude and scrappiness. He and Baker were
influenced by 1970's New York films such as The Taking of Pelham 1
2 3, to find the right amount of gritty imperfection. “Sean is a
social realist filmmaker, but he wants his films to have a look and
style,” says Drew. “He's very visual, and we constantly talk about
the edit, the pacing, the energy, how it's going to cut.” Find Drew
Daniels: Instagram @drewalandaniels Anora is currently in theaters,
on VOD, and will be available to stream on Hulu. Sponsored by Hot
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