One Shot: How a childhood funeral sets up 'Frankenstein's' rise and fall

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In Guillermo del Toro’s retelling of Mary Shelley’s haunting classic, a pivotal event in Victor Frankenstein’s (Oscar Isaac) life is the death of his mother, Claire (Mia Goth), in childbirth.Her passing ignites Victor’s obsession with mastering mortality through science, which culminates in the formation of The Creature (Jacob Elordi).

“This moment is very depressing,” cinematographer Dan Laustsen says of Claire’s funeral, filmed in Scotland using a telescopic camera crane and a somber palette.“We’re floating just above them carrying the coffin with the camera shooting straight down,” he says.

“And everything is cold and blue but we have red in there as a contrast color.” Laustsen’s choice of a large-format Arri Alexa 65 and a 24mm Leitz Thalia lens allowed a visual style that captures emotional close-ups without compromising the grandeur of the environment.Softening the digital image was a diffusion filter mounted behind the lens, an effect the cinematographer suggests “breaks up the highlights and skin tones in a very beautiful way.” In shaping the kinetic camera language, Laustsen says, “We wanted to move and paint with the camera so we could go closer to the actors with a wide angle.

It’s an organic way to make a movie that I think works really well with the way Guillermo likes to tell a story.”Get exclusive awards season news, in-depth interviews and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis straight to your inbox.By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy.

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