Cinematographer Ari Wegner is only the second woman to be nominated for the Academy Awards’ Best Cinematography category. The first was Rachel Morrison on Mudbound (2017), and now it’s Wegner’s turn with The Power of the Dog. The cinematography of the film was aimed to emphasize and power and pure intensity of the 1920s landscape with minimal usage of green screens. Read more about the making.
2nd woman for Best Picture nomination
Following her colleague Rachel Morrison, Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner has been nominated for Best Cinematograph in Oscars 2022, becoming only the second woman to do so in the award’s 94-year history. Morrison has earned her nomination back in 2018, for her work on Mudbound (2017), making her the first woman ever nominated in that category. Now Wegner has established this great achievement even further for her work in The Power of the Dog. Werner’s work includes films such as Lady Macbeth (2016), True History of the Kelly Gang (2019), and Zola (2020).
Meticulous but simple cinematography
“The Power of the Dog,” which is a western psychological drama film written and directed by Jane Campion, was premiered at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival before a limited theatrical release and Netflix debut. The film leads the 94th Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. It has also received seven nominations at the 79th Golden Globe Awards. DP Wegner has stated that the pre-production took months, from searching for locations to carefully planning the camera angles, finding the right lighting, and all of the other decisions that go into shooting the film to serve the story.
The art of landscape cinematography
The Production took place in New Zealand, even though the story takes place in 1920s Montana. Wegner said this gave the team opportunities to get very creative, and elevated the challenges as well, by becoming something of an illusionist with photographs as landscape backgrounds on the soundstage, rather than relying on green screen and computer images. This reminds us of the filming strategy of Chloé Zhao’s Eternals, which was shot indie-style with minimization of green screens. Indeed, The Power of the Dog contains impressive shots of the old wild-west landscapes combined with marvelous and powerful scenery.
Shot on ALEXA LF with Panavision Ultra Panatar 1.3x Anamorphic
Wegner shot The Power of the Dog on two ARRI ALEXA LF cameras paired with Panavision Ultra Panatar lenses, with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. “Going into such an ambitious project with extreme weather exteriors and low light interiors, I knew I needed a sensor whose technical limitations I was very familiar with, so I could push it right to the edge of its capabilities without going beyond” Wegner stated on an interview for IndieWire. Also, she added: “When paired with older lenses, a modern sensor I think is particularly beautiful. We chose the Ultra Panatars. Not only do they allow for beautiful landscapes in widescreen but also gorgeous rendition of faces, which precisely describes the two of the things that excite Jane and I the most: complex people in vast landscapes”.
The Power of the Dog is now on Netflix. Watch the trailer below:
