Hoffmeister says the “Sundance audience was slightly confused, they didn’t necessarily understand why we held back on elements, but it was a conscious decision to distance and disconnect with the subject matter.” The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. “I have always found it interesting how simple things like a backlight and front light can almost change the storytelling,” he explains “When we see a twinkle in the eye and when do we not.” “Of course as DoP I had to sync up with that because that is his voice and my responsibility to set up the shots to create a canvas that would encompass the feeling of fragility and simplicity. He said Hood had a tight façade for his intentions of the film and wanted the frame to be unbreakable.
“We enjoyed not shooting too close with very contemporary cinematic photography at play,” Hoffmeister explains. Hoffmeister explains: “Katharine put life on the line, her existence working in a country where she blew the whistle on corruption and ultimately tried to influence history as it happened.”Īs such, Hood - whose most recent credits include Eye in the Sky and Ender’s Game- shared similar thoughts on the production values of the film.
Upon admitting she was guilty of releasing the information to the press, she was charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act. “My main interest was working with the lighting of the camera and interacting with Gavin Hood (who directed) to collaborate and enrich and shape the story so Knightly was at the centre but in a very subtle way.”Īt times bold, the film documents how Gun risked everything for what she believed in, claiming her actions were to cause awareness within the public’s conscience in order to increase political pressure and push for the conflict to be avoided. The creatives decided to consciously de-stylise the entire production to attract a bigger audience, which Hoffmeister believes made the depiction more accessible to people on an emotional level without spinning the true events. “The entire idea behind the style of the film is to not stylise the threat and thrill of Gun’s journey.” “When we started the creative discussion, we had to decide how do you tell the story so it is accessible to everyone,” Hoffmeister explains: “You can’t spin the story and we knew the moment we misused the story for entertainment we would create reverse propaganda. Hoffmeister: “All lighting decisions were based on Knightly” Shaping the lighting around the storytelling was key ensuring the London-set film offered the subtleties of the city as well as Gun’s moral conundrum. “All lighting decisions were based on Knightly her performance was real, vulnerable and unglamorous,” he adds: “We were driven by that and I wanted to make sure the lighting felt very real, subtle and gave a dramatic structure to the narrative.” He explains how important the composition and lighting process was to capture Keira Knightly - the iconic actress who plays the lead – ensuring she quickly becomes the understated emotional center of the film. The story depicts Gun, who in 2003 leaked information to the Observer about details regarding the illegal US campaign to spy on diplomats from the UN prior to the invasion of Iraq.Īttracted to the script and story behind one of modern history’s most courageous women, who risked her job and her freedom for the publics’ greater good, Hoffmeister says: “To me, lighting is another form of language” Official Secrets: Florian Hoffmeister BSC on setĬreating a raw and bold account of the true events around British whistle-blower Katharine Gun was challenging for cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister, who says crafting the film to offer audiences authenticity and emotion was pivotal from even before filming.
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