Director Steve Pink and cinematographer Bella Gonzales on the indie film The Wheel

The Wheel is about a young couple whose marriage is in crisis. They
decide to retreat to a house in the woods to try to work out their
differences, where they meet another couple who seem to have it all
figured out. As they get to know each other, all four characters
prove to be flawed and complicated. The Wheel is the first romantic
drama Steve Pink has directed. He's known for his work on comedies
such as High Fidelity, Grosse Pointe Blank and Hot Tub Time
Machine, and he was thrilled for the chance to direct a drama.
Steve cast actor Amber Midthunder (Prey), who had worked with
cinematographer Bella Gonzales a few years ago on a short film,
Prayers of a Saint. Steve admired her work on the short, and asked
Bella to be the DP for The Wheel. It was during the summer of 2020
and most film productions were still shut down, so it was appealing
to work with a small cast and crew that could stay in a bubble
together to shoot a true low-budget indie drama for 18 days. They
found a summer camp location in the mountains outside Los Angeles,
and after a short two week prep, Steve, Bella and the 20 person
crew drove up, with their own cars packed with equipment. Steve
even used some of his own furniture, with some of the female cast
member's costumes provided by his wife's wardrobe. For
cinematographer Bella Gonzales, the movie was about finding moments
and figuring out the heart of the movie. Every visual decision was
based on what emotion the characters were feeling in each scene. It
wasn't about getting the perfect shot, it was all about capturing
the moods of the characters and the drama of complicated
relationships. They had a circle of trust with the actors and the
camera crew to create intimacy. Bella and Steve embraced the
limited scope of the location- being able to shoot in the small
area of the woods and the house made their creative decisions very
easy. The crew was so small that everyone was extremely involved
and invested in making the film great. Find The Wheel on VOD such
as AppleTV+ or other streaming services. Find Steve Pink:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0684336/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Instagram:
@alsostevepink Find Bella Gonzales: https://www.bellagonzales.com/
Instagram: @bellagonzalesdp Find out even more about this episode,
with extensive show notes and links: http://camnoir.com/ep181/
Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com The
Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook:
@cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Twitter: @ShortEndz