House of Spoils haunting beauty: DP Eric Lin

The spooky thriller House of Spoils on Amazon Prime is about an
ambitious chef, Ana (Ariana DeBose) who follows her dream to open a
restaurant on a remote estate in the woods. She quickly realizes
it's haunted by the vengeful spirit of the previous owner. As Ana
battles stress, self-doubt, a skeptical investor, and kitchen
chaos, the ghost's sinister presence threatens to sabotage her
every step. When cinematographer Eric Lin met with directors
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (Blow The Man Down), they
presented him with several inspirational references by surrealist
painter Leonor Fini and Dutch painter Adriaen van Utrecht. Both
artists captured the unsettling feeling of eerie decay while being
surrounded by the natural world. Nature, rot and its influence on
bodies became the movie's core aesthetic. Films like Black Swan
(psychological horror), The Shining (single, oppressive location)
and Phantom Thread (artistic obsession) also served as inspiration.
Eric embraced the use of zoom lenses in the film. “Zooms are super
psychological and we tried to find ways that we would sneak them
in, because it has this very unsettling feel,” he says. Because Ana
is a chef, food also played a major role in the film. “I was
interested in trying to find a way to represent the colors that had
a feeling of decay- almost a mushroom, moldy look,” Eric explains.
“Because what comes from that decay is life, right? It's like
creativity is born through all this death and decay. And so I
wanted the colors of the film to represent that feeling.” He
created a LUT where the vibrant colors stood out while the browns
and greens stayed dull and earthy. The kitchen was really being
used to cook the dishes, and a food stylist helped to plate all the
ingredients. Second unit would then shoot the dishes as they were
presented to the table. House of Spoils was shot on location at an
estate in Budapest. The crew built a fully functional kitchen set,
allowing for meticulously planned lighting. The garden outside the
kitchen was also created by the production design team and the
greens department. The natural fog blanketing the estate's garden
provided the perfect eerie atmosphere, eliminating the need for fog
machines. Eric's passion for cinematography wasn't always his
career path. After studying at UC Berkeley, he switched gears to
study film in grad school at NYU. He managed to land a job as an
assistant editor, but cinematography was his true passion. Eric
shot music videos and independent films as much as he could on the
side. While shooting music videos and independent films, his
dedication paid off. The short film Missing went to the Cannes Film
Festival. Eric's cinematography is also in several Sundance Film
Festival projects, such as The Sound of Silence, Hearts Beat Loud,
and I'll Be Your Mirror (originally titled Blood). House of Spoils
is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Find Eric Lin:
www.eric-lin.com Instagram: @holdtheframe Sponsored by Hot Rod
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