Objects Are Closer Than They Appear A gritty short film based in Cairo
“We decided on the 32mm and we only had that on set. It was handheld, I operated it, and I had iris remote controller on my right handle for quick iris pulls, cause we went outside the balcony, I had to pull – in some takes- from T.2 all way to T.11 , the beautiful quality of glass really helped hide that big pull.”Mostafa Sheshtawy , Director of Photography
Lens/Camera Information
Lens series: S4i
Focus length: 32mm
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85
Cameras: ARRI Alexa Mini
Format: Digital
Rental Company: Focus Rentals Cairo
DOP Information
Director of Photography: Mostafa Sheshtawy https://www.instagram.com/msheshtawy_/
Production Information
Production: Objects Appear Closer Than They Are
Producer: Marwa Tammam, Khaled Moeit
Director: Ahmed Sobhy
Colourist: Walter Cavatoi, C.S.I./ICG
Production Company: Patchwork Productions, Hand Print Films
Distributer: Film Khana, Tamer Mohsen
When the director approached me with the one shot idea , my biggest worry was the lens. I will choose one and that will be it. We were questioning between 25mm and 32mm , Cooke S4 has always been my choice while shooting with Arri Alexa. I think that combo produces the most realistic image that still has beautiful characteristics that do not take over the visuals, like a specific bokeh or very soft edges or any of that.
The project is taking place in real time, in middle class Cairo, where it’s very gritty and there will be a lot of movement. It’s a handheld project, so 25mm showed the movement a bit too much and close up shots weren’t my favorite. We decided on the 32mm and we only had that on set.
It was handheld, I operated it, and I had iris remote controller on my right handle for quick iris pulls, cause we went outside the balcony, I had to pull – in some takes- from T.2 all way to T.11 , the beautiful quality of glass really helped hide that big pull.
We did 6 complete takes, and around 25 incomplete ones.
Coloring this project was a big challenge to think about cause we change locations and lighting often and no cuts, Walter Cavatoi was always the colorist up for the task from day one, this is my fourth collaboration with him and he did a wonderful job on this film.
This short film is intended for festivals and just had it’s world premiere in Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival 2023.