Illuminating Vision: The American Society of Cinematographers Unveiled

As part of your preparation for the Nosferatu

feature, you penned a novella. How did that endeavor facilitate the development of your concepts for the film?

I’m constantly sifting through ideas during my ‘notes’ period, but I felt compelled to tackle some significant themes. Albin Grau, the [producer and production designer of the original film] was an active occultist who I believe genuinely believed in vampires — or, at least, psychic vampires. Thus, I sought to comprehend his thoughts and how that might have influenced the narrative. I also aimed to understand what our Van Helsing character, von Franz, could have contemplated during his era, considering his perceptions of hysteria and medicine. Additionally, [I was scrutinizing] the folklore surrounding Transylvanian vampires at that time and investigating ways to create a mythology consistent with all of that information.

Most crucially, I contemplated, ‘Who are these characters, and how can I develop their backgrounds to make them relatable individuals?’ I also intended for our adaptation to center on Ellen’s story. Earlier adaptations of Nosferatu typically commence as Thomas Hutter’s story, or Jonathan Harker’s, before evolving into Ellen’s narrative, but I aimed for it to remain her story from the beginning. Our film’s prologue is derived from the work I accomplished with the novella.

It took several years for you to bring this film into production, but I assume the long development period allowed for meticulous planning and that the successes from your earlier films provided you with greater influence as a producer and access to more resources.

The fundamental intention behind what I was aspiring to accomplish didn’t really shift, but my capabilities to realize [that vision] altered significantly — thanks to the influence, as you mentioned, to create the film on my terms, along with enhanced technical skills that helped me convey [and realize] what was in my imagination. That wouldn’t have been possible had I attempted the film a decade ago.

How would you characterize your collaborative dynamic with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke?

I attended drama school, so the only aspect I am certified in is working with actors, yet I made my living in my 20s and 30s within the art and costume departments. Therefore, my strengths, during the communication and what I’m requesting, reside in those three areas. I did not study photography, nor did I attend film school, thus while I’ve gained considerable knowledge over the years, Jarin will always possess a superior grasp of the technology. It’s only since Nosferatu that I’ve even felt at ease holding a camera or adjusting the tripod.

Jarin and I have matured together as individuals, as parents, as filmmakers — we have been collaborating since I was 25. I recognize that with some of my directing peers, they design the shots while the DP lights them. With Jarin and myself, it is highly collaborative. Particularly with this film, when we were discussing straightforward scenes with minimal dialogue, we would be in my apartment in Prague, collaborating to determine what the shots would entail and sharing our different [approaches] — selecting the best ideas from each other. Following that, Jarin would create small thumbnail [sketches] that he’d send to our storyboard artist, Adam Pescott, who would subsequently develop very detailed storyboards.

In scenes that contained extensive dialogue, I would work with the actors in a rehearsal space, and Jarin would be there [framing things] with his phone, experimenting with various ideas. At times, I might take the phone, and we would both be looking for ways to enhance the staging.

What are your interactions like with other department leaders, such as production designer Craig Lathrop and costume designer Linda Muir?

I’ve been collaborating longest with Jarin and my editor, Louise Ford, but I’ve also worked alongside many other team members for numerous years, so we are quite familiar with one another. Because Nosferatu required a decade to come to fruition, the look books I developed for various locations, characters, costumes, and everything else were exceptionally comprehensive and detailed. However, collaborators like Craig and Linda can enhance my ideas exponentially with their own research and the expertise they contribute to their respective fields. I can be a bit more precise about certain niche aspects with Linda, as the [human] scale of her role as the costume designer allows us to delve into details like buttons. If I did that with Craig, it could lead to a complicated situation — in his domain, making an adjustment could necessitate tearing down sets into tedious pieces or attaching components to hinges to allow for camera mobility. Nonetheless, they understand my preferences, so usually, there aren’t many disagreements; it tends to revolve around elevating our aspirations through collaboration.

AC previously covered Eggers’ films The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman, all of which were shot by Blaschke.

You’ll find our complete production narrative on Nosferatu — with Blaschke detailing his cinematic approach — in the January 2025 issue of AC.

The cinematographer also took part in an upcoming episode of ASC Clubhouse Conversations, which will be released soon.