Cinematographer Jordan T. Parrott relied on Cooke Optics and Arri Alexa Mini to shoot “Chaperone”

Chaperone, the 2022 Sundance Film Festival nominee for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize, has been cinematographer Jordan T. Parrott. In this case, the DoP selected Cooke Optics Anamorphic/I for the shooting. “I’ve used Cooke’s Anamorphics for more than five years. Cooke combines a certain translucency along with a beautiful falloff and bokeh without being distracting. They’re a gorgeous blend of modern glass and Anamorphic character that holds up particularly well when used wide open at T2.3. The ability to be able to open up to such a wide stop was very important for Chaperone as I shot a lot of scenes at 2.3 and 2.8.”

Chaperone, from writer/director Sam Max, is the story of an unnamed figure (played by Zachary Quinto) that picks up a young man (played by Russell Kahn) in his car. As the two drive together, and settle into an austere rental house in the country, the details of their arrangement become guttingly clear.

“I interviewed with Sam, got the script and loved it,” said Parrott. “My style suited the story very well. We had a great collaboration. Much like myself, Sam is very methodical with lots of prep and discussion about how the characters are feeling, and how they explore the space.”

They decided to go digital with Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses mounted on an ARRI ALEXA Mini shooting at 2.8k at a 2.66 aspect ratio. he lenses and camera were provided by Abelcine New York. Parrott’s Anamorphic/i kit included the 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm.

For the confined space of the interior of an SUV, Parrott used a 40mm for inside shots and a 100mm for the passenger side view mirror shots of Kahn’s character. The DoP used natural daylight for day interiors and exteriors with a bit of negative fill, and had a simple lighting kit for the night interiors with Helios Tubes, a Skypanel S60, and Astera NYX Bulbs in the practicals.

“One of my primary goals, after reading the script and during prep, was that I wanted a weight and solitude to the composition in relation to the two characters,” explained Parrott. “There’s very little camera movement – only one dolly shot – Letting the actors carry the power of their performance.”

Riedel Communication
Game Creek Video cho