Killers of the Flower Moon Explained — Martin Scorsese’s latest film is a masterclass in cinematography, and we break down what makes it so great, from lighting to VFX.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Killers of the Flower Moon
01:18 - Martin Scorsese develops the Epic
02:26 - Chapter 1: Camera and Lens Choices
05:34 - Chapter 2: Lighting
10:57 - Chapter 3: Visual Effects
13:17 - Takeaways

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MAKING OF KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is unlike anything the legendary director has made before. And yet the film is also a culmination of Scorsese’s favorite genres and techniques, all blended together in a seamless epic about the original American sin. In this video, we break down the breathtaking visuals that comprise Scorsese’s latest masterpiece.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON VISUALS

First, we look at the camera and lens choices Scorsese and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto made to accomplish Killers’ distinct style. Prieto and Scorsese opted for the Arricam LT and Arricam ST film cameras for most scenes. For daytime sequences, they shot on Kodak 5207 stock; while for the nighttime shots were on Kodak 5219.

For even darker scenes, Prieto switched to a Sony Venice digital camera, which performs better in lowlight. For the opening sequence, Prieto shot on an antique Bell and Howell hand-crank camera, which Scorsese already owned.

As for lenses, the duo opted for the anamorphic Panavision T-Series. Prieto felt these wide lenses were fitting for the flat landscape of Oklahoma. For the funereal shots of murdered Osage members, Prieto shot on a custom anamorphic Petzval lens, which is an extremely old piece of glass that gave the footage an antique feel.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON LIGHTING BREAKDOWN

Killers of the Flower Moon’s plot line is a journey into the heart of darkness, and Prieto wanted to represent this with the film’s lighting. For Osage-oriented scenes, Prieto shot using naturalistic light, emphasizing their connection to the land. As the film progresses and gets more and more bleak, the lighting gets harsher and more contrasty. This evolution was aided by Prieto’s choice in LUT. For the beginning of the movie, he used a LUT mimicking autochrome, an old color treatment. Near the end, he transitioned to ENR, which has less saturation and more contrast.

The lighting in Killers isn’t always naturalistic. There are certain scenes where Scorsese and Prieto went for more experimental imagery. These are some of the most striking images in the film, including Mollie’s sister’s death and Ernest staring out at burning crops.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON VISUAL EFFECTS

Scorsese’s number one priority when talking with VFX supervisor Pablo Helman was to have any VFX work be invisible. In other words, he never wanted it to call attention to itself.

As such, there is VFX throughout the film, but you wouldn’t know it. The VFX team primarily worked on expanding sets and matching the town’s look to historical photographs. But they also touched up actors, making the poisoned Osage women look sicker as time went on.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a testament to attention to detail, and a master of his craft working at the top of his game.


#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking

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♬ SONGS USED:

“Diary of a Taxi Driver” - Bernard Herrmann
“(Intro) The Sacred Pipe” - Robbie Robertson
“Salvation Adagio” - Robbie Robertson
“Not if its Illegal” - Robbie Robertson
“The Wedding” - Robbie Robertson
“Heartbeat Theme Ni-U-Kon-Ska” - Robbie Robertson
“My Land... My Land” - Robbie Robertson
“Reign of Terror” - Robbie Robertson
“Shame on Us” - Robbie Robertson
“They Dont Live Long” - Robbie Robertson
“Tribal Council” - Robbie Robertson
“Tulsa Massacre Newsreel” - Robbie Robertson
“Insulin Train” - Robbie Robertson
“Too Much Dynamite” - Robbie Robertson
“The Gallop, Chasse, Pas de Bourree” - Adam Nielsen
“Metropolis (A Blue Fantasie)” - Vince Giordano, Nighthawks
“Mollie” - Andy Stein

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Music by Artgrid ► https://utm.io/umJy
Music by Soundstripe ► http://bit.ly/2IXwomF
Music by MusicBed ► http://bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq

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