Charlotte Bruus Christensen: Black Narcissus series director and cinematographer on doing both jobs, shooting A Quiet Place and The Banker

When Charlotte Bruus Christensen was approached to direct the three
part series Black Narcissus, she was doubtful at first. The
original 1947 film won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography,
and she was very aware of the film and did not want to remake it.
But when producer and writer Amanda Coe suggested she read the
original novel Black Narcissus, Charlotte was drawn to the story
and saw it as not remaking the movie, but rather reinterpreting the
book 70 years later with a 2020 mindset. Charlotte originally
wanted to direct the series and collaborate with a DP, but as she
delved more into the project, she knew how she wanted to interpret
the story, how scenes should be lit and framed, and she realized
that she wanted to both direct, be director of photography, and
operate the camera. Even before she thought about directing,
Charlotte always read scripts with a focus on performance and
discussed scenes with the director to better understand where to
place the camera. She feels she was most influenced by working with
directors who take on multiple roles, such as actor and directors
Denzel Washington and John Krasinski and writer/director Aaron
Sorkin. Charlotte feels being behind the camera while directing
brings the actors and the camera closer, capturing the performances
as one, and she had a very skilled and supportive crew. Charlotte
knew Emily Blunt and John Krasinski from The Girl on the Train, and
was excited to shoot the horror movie A Quiet Place, because she
had never worked in that genre before. To prepare, Charlotte
studied many classic horror movies, such as Jaws and The Exorcist
to get an idea of the visual language: the slower the camera moves,
the more creepy and suspenseful the film becomes. It was important
to her to maintain and protect the heart of the story, which is the
fragile family relationship as they try to survive an alien
invasion. The Banker, starring Anthony Mackie and Samuel L.
Jackson, is based on the true story of two property investors who
happen to be African American men in the 1960's. They concoct risky
plans to accomplish their dream in the time of segregation and
redlining. Charlotte wanted to portray the partners' wealth growing
through the properties they bought, such as shooting large rooms to
show the ceiling height. She liked working with director George
Nolfi and appreciated the humor and positive message of the film.
Charlotte Bruus Christensen: Instagram @charlottebruuschristensen
We’ve been lucky enough to have Charlotte on our show twice! Check
out our past interview with Charlotte Bruus Christensen:
http://camnoir.com/ep17-2/ See Black Narcissus, airing on FX on
Hulu: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/black-narcissus See The
Banker on Apple TV+ Find out even more about this episode, with
extensive show notes and links: http://camnoir.com/ep103/ Sponsored
by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com Website: www.camnoir.com
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