Eduard Grau, ASC on shooting Passing, working with director Rebecca Hall, A Single Man with director Tom Ford, shooting Buried

Cinematographer Eduard Grau, ASC thinks it's important to take
risks in filmmaking because it sparks creativity and passion for
what you're doing. Passing director Rebecca Hall had worked with
Edu on several films as an actor, and trusted him to bring his
creative skill to her first directorial project. Based on the 1929
novel by Nella Larsen, Hall had been trying to get the movie made
for several years. She held firm on her vision from the beginning
that Passing would be a black and white film, and she wanted it to
be in the square 4:3 aspect ratio as a throwback to the movies of
the 1930's time period, so that the characters were more intimately
centered in the frame. Edu was excited to work on such an
exceptional film, in which cinematography is so integral to both
the look of the film and the storytelling narrative. Passing
explores race and identity in the lives of two former friends who
reconnect in late 1920's Harlem. Ruth Negga's character Clare is
passing as white while Tessa Thompson's character Irene is a
respected member of the black community. Hall wanted the film to
feel very restrained, as the characters are feeling under constant
scrutiny, and the story is told mainly through the women's faces.
Edu kept the shots close and intimate, with very natural lighting.
Edu grew up in Spain and became interested in cinematography in
high school. He went to film school in Barcelona and the UK. He
made a short film that went to Cannes, then had a chance meeting
with a producer at the Edinburg Film Festival. She passed his reel
to Tom Ford who needed just the right DP to shoot A Single Man.
Ford saw exactly what he was looking for in Edu's reel and asked
him to fly out to the U.S. It was Edu's first movie on 35mm, his
first movie in the United States, and his first movie with such big
movie stars. After A Single Man, Edu went on to shoot Buried
starring Ryan Reynolds, whose character is buried alive. He loved
the challenge of shooting Buried in an interesting way with such
extremely limited space constraints. You can watch Passing on
Netflix. Find Edu Grau: http://www.edugrau.com/ Instagram:
@eduardgrau Find out even more about this episode, with extensive
show notes and links: http://camnoir.com//ep149/ Sponsored by Hot
Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com Sponsored by Assemble: Assemble
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