Director Craig W Macneill talks about shooting 'Lizzie' with Indiewire

Dir: Craig William Macneill
Camera: ARRI Alexa SXT
Lens: Vintage Cooke Speed Panchros

Macneill: “I had hoped to shoot on film since we were doing a period film, but, unfortunately, we could not for a variety of reasons. However, our DP (Noah Greenberg) and I know the Alexa well, and felt comfortable embracing digital on this, particularly given the tight 23-day shooting schedule. I didn’t want the film to look too sharp and crisp, though, which is a quality often associated with shooting in digital formats. I wanted there to be a soft, painterly quality to the image. Noah and I used vintage Cooke Speed Panchro lenses on a portion of a TV series we shot in 2016 and we were thrilled with the soft, immersive quality that they gave us, and knew that they would fit our desired look for “Lizzie.” Our plan was to keep the light neutral and clean with an emphasis on naturalism throughout. Our daytime interiors are dim and were motivated by soft window light; our nighttime interiors were often lit only by candles and flame which also allows for pools of darkness that obscure the frame. We wanted those pockets of darkness, many of which take up much of the frame, to feel textured and rich. We didn’t want to expose for safety and then ‘print down’ in post. In the end, we were happy with what we were seeing with the combination of the Alexa SXT and the Cooke Speed Panchro lenses.”

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