Echo: Breaking barriers with Kira Kelly, ASC

Echo continues the journey of Maya Lopez, a skilled fighter who was
first seen in the Marvel series, Hawkeye. After the death of her
father, Maya escapes Kingpin's gang by returning to her Choctaw
Nation home in Oklahoma. It's the first Marvel series to feature a
Native American character and explore indigenous culture and
history. As Maya Lopez, Echo star Alaqua Cox breaks barriers as a
deaf, indigenous amputee. Cinematographer Kira Kelly, ASC enjoyed
crafting a Marvel story that didn't require a rigorous backstory
from previous Marvel movies or shows. The script included
depictions of the history of the Choctaw, including the Choctaw
creation myth. “What starts the pilot is the creation myth of the
Choctaw people, which had never been shown before,” says Kira.
“Sydney Freeland, our director, made sure we did it in a very
respectful way, and a way that was authentic to (the Choctaw.)
Being able to be part of that visual storytelling is not something
that you get to do every day.” Different parts of Echo are
separated by a specific look and feel. Most of the series was shot
using anamorphic lenses, but Kira chose 12 and 20 mm spherical
lenses to depict the beginning of the Choctaw nation at the dawn of
time. For Maya's world in New York, Kira used darker and more
desaturated lighting. She and director Sydney Freeland agreed that
once Maya goes back home to her roots in Oklahoma, deeper, more
saturated colors should be part of the visual story. Kira enjoys
lighting, and a big part of it is speaking with the production and
set designers about what can be built in naturally for success
later. She purposefully changed the treatment of the light between
the characters of Fisk (Kingpin) and Maya. For Fisk, she played
with a direct, single source side light on his face that created
more falloff and emphasized shadows to question his loyalties and
motivations. Echo was Kira's first experience shooting extensive
action sequences and working with a large second unit. She
particularly enjoyed recreating the Choctaw Powwow in Oklahoma for
the final sequence at the conclusion of the series. The crew had
visited the real powwow on a scout, and some of the dancers were
hired to perform for the show. “It was a really emotional sequence
because we got to be a part of this thing that people who aren't
Native American never get to experience. We had created this space
for it and the people who are a part of it came up and said, 'This
is like a real powwow. You guys created a powwow.' And so it was an
honor to be part of something that was visually fulfilling and a
great challenge.” Kira is partnering again with director Sydney
Freeland for her film, Rez Ball, coming this fall. Hear our
previous interview with Kira Kelly. https://www.camnoir.com/ep67/
Find Kira Kelly: https://www.kirakellydp.com/ Instagram:
@kirakellydp Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras www.hotrodcameras.com
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