SMILE, RELIC & NIGHT SWIM DP, Charlie Sarroff
Welcome to the Nick Taylor Horror Show!
As always, each episode of The Nick Taylor Horror Show explores how today's horror filmmakers are getting their movies made while deconstructing their methods and career strategies into practical insights that you can use on your own horror filmmaking journey. This includes their creative processes, funding resources, favorite books & tools, key life lessons, and much, much more.
Today’s guest is Charlie Saroff, a cinematographer who has quickly established himself as a powerhouse in the horror genre.
Charlie's breakout work on Natalie Erika James' Relic garnered widespread acclaim for its haunting atmosphere and masterful visual storytelling. This success led to his collaboration with Parker Finn on Smile and his upcoming work on the Smile sequel.
In today’s episode, Charlie and I dive deep into the craft of horror cinematography, and strategies for creating tension and fear through visuals. We also get into his keys for successful collaborations between directors and DPs and Charlie shares valuable advice for filmmakers looking to enhance their overall visual storytelling skills.
Here are some key takeaways from this conversation with Charlie Saroff:
Utilize Misdirection. Scares often rely on the element of surprise. When crafting shots that elicit fear or tension, use decoys and misdirection to direct the audience’s attention in one direction so you can surprise them from another. This is largely achieved through composition and lighting. This relies on the principle that what the audience doesn't see is as important as what they do see. By manipulating their expectations, you can create a more impactful scare. For example, using dark corners or areas of the frame to hint at something lurking just out of sight can build suspense and heighten the eventual reveal. This, of course partially relies on editing but starts with what’s on screen.
Plan but Be Flexible. Charlie says that no matter how much you plan at best 90% of it will go right while the other 10% will be complete chaos. It’s important to put yourself in a position to leverage that chaos. Thorough prep with shot lists and storyboards is crucial, however, it’s equally important to remain open to spontaneous opportunities that arise on set. David Lynch advocates for being fully present on set to recognize and maximize visual opportunities that present themselves serendipitously. While planning ensures you have a roadmap and backup plan, being flexible allows you to adapt to the changing dynamics of a scene, which can often lead to unexpectedly brilliant shots.
Test your gear, test your look. Testing is crucial to understand how different lenses and cameras perform under various conditions and to ensure consistency in your film's visual style. Charlie conducts thorough camera and lens tests to determine the best equipment and experiment with different desired looks and uses the results to determine which gear to use before he makes his final selection. He will even go so far as to test out how different paint colors read with different lenses and cameras. This thorough testing process ensures the film's visual consistency and quality.
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