The iconic imagery of Athena: In conversation with Matias Boucard

Cinematographer Matias Boucard discusses how he—and his team—achieved the breathtaking visuals of the latest Netflix sensation, Athena
The iconic imagery of Athena: In conversation with Matias Boucard

Flaunting its visual prowess in every scene, the Romain Gavras-directed French tragedy, Athena, utilises long, single-shot sequences to move the story forward. This creative decision not only adds to the style but wonderfully communicates a sense of urgency and chaos that’s riddled all over this explosive story which spins a Greek mythology-like take on pressing themes like police brutality and mob mentality. Matias Boucard, the film’s director of photography, has delivered an exhilarating visual experience that is likely to remain unparalleled this year.

In this conversation with Cinema Express, Matias recalls the preparation, the adrenaline rush and the efforts that made the film possible.

Excerpts:

At what point was the decision to opt for these long stretches made?

Romain had it in the script. When I received the script, it constituted of eight to nine individual sequences. From the beginning, we wanted to craft an immersive and real experience. We follow the point-of-view of a few characters who will explain the story to the audience. The idea was to make the audience a part of the riot.

What was your first reaction when you read the script?

I wondered how we were going to make it (laughs). I had so many questions—like the practicality, the numerous locations, shifting the action between locations. I wondered if it was possible. And then I told myself, “Just because you don’t know how to make it doesn’t mean that it is impossible.” I visualised all those shots in my mind to see how they would play out on screen and that helped. For instance, one aspect of sequence shots that I am not particularly fond of is that there will be times when the screen will look empty without action. Romain worked with the actors and me to perfect the rhythm of these shots and ensure that it didn’t look choreographed.

It must have been a tough task to make the choreography look natural.

It was all made possible with a lot of precision and practice. Also, we just allowed things to happen and tried to keep everything real. When you do everything—the stunts and the explosions—for real, the actors feel danger and it reflects in the scene. We chose to organise the chaos and didn’t try to control it.

How much planning was required to achieve this precision?

Romain, who had it all in his brilliant mind, explained to me all the sequence shots—and we spent five to six weeks rehearsing with a tiny crew. I was finding and designing the movement, without a Steadicam, gimbal, or drone. With the actors, ten policemen and twenty people in the mob at our disposal, we were just figuring out solutions, understanding the shots and constructing them. We then did an amateur, small-scale version of the movie in six weeks, which is enough time to make an actual movie (laughs). We learned how to shoot it first and then we brought more people in, rehearsed again, and then began filming. Yes, it is a lot of work, but at the end of the day, you just have one day with everyone filming the real scene—with hundreds of people and all the real fireworks—and the chaos is also real. You can’t choreograph everything; you just define what’s close to the camera and let everything else happen. We rehearsed for nearly 30 days and shot the film in 50 days.

How did you solve any roadblocks?

Simple. I was not trying to find all the solutions at the same time (smiles). The problems are not that complicated.

Really?

What I mean is, the fact that these shots are telling a story helps. It is not just about how technical the shots are. Yes, they are difficult to pull, and one needs training, teamwork, focus and decision-making skills, but in the end, what makes a shot work is the story it is telling at the moment. We were trying to free ourselves from the technical stuff and not think about the complications involved. We shot the whole film using old-school techniques and normal equipment. We achieved it using the 120 years of filmmaking experiences and stories that preceded us. Honestly, we didn’t make the film with an intention to make it look cool; we had a story to tell.

It is the emotion that matters. For instance, when you look at Karim and the chaos after he gets out of the van, as the camera comes outside, you realise the change in the location only after a while and the wow factor hits you. It is magic.

That sequence with the fireworks striking the police force is brilliant to behold.

Thanks! Among the challenges while filming the sequence was standing and operating the camera under real fireworks. For the first part of the sequence (that sees the police walk up to a bridge), we hired the biggest crane in Europe, put it on a truck, which drove backward, and the police had to assemble perfectly. It is all about the timing between the camera and the actors. It was achieved with rehearsal and visualisation, by combining all the small technical parts to form one giant sequence.

It isn’t an exaggeration to state that the opening sequence—which involves explosions, vans, action, dialogue and what not—is among the all-time great scenes in the action genre.

It was the most challenging sequence and we saved it for the last. We knew everyone—the crew, the actors, and the extras—would be completely trained and could achieve it easily by then. And guess what? We pulled it off with ease. All of us were super-trained in the process by then. It was not easy, but technically, you could say that the whole film prepared us to shoot the opening sequence.

What are some of your favourite sequences in the film?

It is hard to pick a handful but if I have to say, the image of Karim talking to his brother while holding a Molotov cocktail… There’s also the shot of Abdel lying on the floor towards the end. This movie is filled with such iconic shots! I can’t just pick one or two (laughs).

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