Maximiliaan Dierickx SBC

A Blue Butterfly is a look into the world of Sentwali’s mind and by extension a gaze into one of the most horrific acts of inhumane and atrocious behaviours ever to have happened on this earth. The film addresses the genocide in Rwanda by showing the aftermath and the pain it has havocked in our main character’s mind. By doing so, without directly showing the genocide it demands us to fill in those blanks ourselves.

There’s no reason to deny it; the budgetary restrictions will limit us in time and equipment and crew, so it’s better to embrace those limitations and incorporate them into the deck from the very beginning. That way from the start we’re working more towards a unified whole in the creation of the film. Because of that reason, I have tried to assemble a deck that reflects a simple – but elaborate – setup in terms of lighting, framing and tools.

In general I would propose to go for a single source lighting approach, as this is financially feasible but more importantly because the harsh singular contrasts it creates is ever so fitting to Sentwali’s psyche and the look and matter of the film.

Our colours should show warmth and saturation in Africa, as opposed to London, which already owns a more monochromatic palette. That does not mean that our lighting should follow that same monotonous path, it can, but it should also be allowed to do the opposite. Break into the grey, the cold, and create an emotional contrast that differentiates the worldly.

Sentwali’s pain is hidden in nature and even carries a huge unspeakable shame with it as we do not only see what happened in Sentwali’s past is lived by him as a victim, but partially as an executer of the horrific events that came to be in Rwanda. That hidden nature, that shame should be reflected in both framing and lighting, as we never reveal him fully. We can do it in lighting by giving him contrast and make many parts of him invisible, but also by framing not too frontal on his expression, look for hidden angles or be too close so we can not fully grasp his face and emotion.

As mentioned before, the approach of Sentwali’s portrayal should prohibit us from framing him too frontal, too direct. There should be a slight revery in the framing, leaving the spectator to reminisce and forcing them to think and create their own interpretation of who he is, and what he is going through. All too often in modern productions the idea of the framing is to go as frontal as possible on the actors, leaving it to them to portray every emotion, even when a certain mystery is ought to be felt. I don’t believe that is how cinematography in general but especially in the case of A Blue Butterfly should be approached. The position of the camera, the choice to show and especially to not show certain features of an actor or a subject, will sometimes tell us a whole lot more than the direct “no thought given” approach.

The camera can be used a veil. Either the veil is lifted and we see hands on what there is to be seen, or the veil is obscuring our gaze into the matter, whereas the lenses will show us how thick the veil will be. With the veil, the spectator has to pierce through to catch a glimpse of what is behind.

By limiting ourselves to a manifest that we assemble together, we will find ourselves in a unity, a homogenous creation over the cinematography and the visual storytelling. This set of rules that we try to work and live by, will dictate the style of the cinematography and give this film its visual soul. 

This obviously is a work in progress, which will be made throughout the prep of A Blue Butterfly with the director. Nonetheless, I have already assembled some ideas, taking in account the productional challenges the film will face, as well as the creative approach of the script.

• • • We shoot available as much as we can.
    • Colour is to be added to differentiate the monotonous scenery with a vibrant emotion.
    • We go for a singular, strong, harsh lighting approach.
    • We rather underexpose than overexpose.
    • Black shadows are black.
    • We look for the best resolution, with a fine grain.
    • Backlit is key.
    • We use Tobacco filters with a fake white balance, to break away from the typical blue London vibe. Otherwise no filters.
    • London lacks colour. Rwanda is vibrant and abundant.
    • Nimbus is our handheld replacement. (see extra below)
    • To shoot coverage is to fail.
    • Accept the exception.