‘Marty Supreme’ Cinematographer Darius Khondji Used Haze Machines to Create a 1950s New York Look
In “Marty Supreme,” Timothée Chalamet plays the titular character, an underdog who is convinced that table tennis is his ticket to success. Set in 1952, Marty is a hustler working at a shoe store, where he pretends customers’ sizes are out of stock to upsell them on pricier pairs. On the side, he’s always looking for his next get-rich-quick scheme.
Director Josh Safdie and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Darius Khondji brought the frenetic world of “Marty Supreme” to life. Khondji let Safdie’s script, which was co-written with Ronald Bronstein, guide him. No stranger to shooting period films, Khondji, who is nominated for an ASC award and an Academy Award for his work on the film, worked closely with production designer Jack Fisk, and was inspired by the photography of the era, particularly that of Helen Levitt.
“Most of the conversation was that the greediness of New York was a big thing for us, that we wanted New York to look like it could have been at the time, in the ’50s, so I put haze in the streets [for] pollution. There is always a layer between the actor, and we photograph through these layers,” Khondji says.
Gwyneth Paltrow plays faded movie star Kay Stone, who’s wooed by Marty’s hustling ways. Thetwo first cross paths at the Ritz Hotel in London in a scene where Marty watches her regally enter the dining room as Khondji’s camera follows, gliding along with her. Shortly after, Marty calls her room.Khondji credits Safdie’s vision and ideas when it came to framing. “He’s the one coming up with this very modern, exciting idea that Gwyneth was going to be in a room, Timmy was going to be in a different room talking to each other, and shoot it at the same time, live.”
Towards the end, Kay sees through Marty’s ways and has a frank conversation with him about his “dreams.” Khondji relied on a 360mm anamorphic Cinemascope lens to shoot not just that, but most of the film. Distance was important, and the 360mm lens could provide that.
“Everything we shot was very observed. You wanted to observe them from a distance.” He filmed at the actor’s height to emphasize that. “We’re observing them, whether we’re behind or in the front, we’re really on their face,” he says.
Director Josh Safdie and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Darius Khondji brought the frenetic world of “Marty Supreme” to life. Khondji let Safdie’s script, which was co-written with Ronald Bronstein, guide him. No stranger to shooting period films, Khondji, who is nominated for an ASC award and an Academy Award for his work on the film, worked closely with production designer Jack Fisk, and was inspired by the photography of the era, particularly that of Helen Levitt.
“Most of the conversation was that the greediness of New York was a big thing for us, that we wanted New York to look like it could have been at the time, in the ’50s, so I put haze in the streets [for] pollution. There is always a layer between the actor, and we photograph through these layers,” Khondji says.
Gwyneth Paltrow plays faded movie star Kay Stone, who’s wooed by Marty’s hustling ways. Thetwo first cross paths at the Ritz Hotel in London in a scene where Marty watches her regally enter the dining room as Khondji’s camera follows, gliding along with her. Shortly after, Marty calls her room.Khondji credits Safdie’s vision and ideas when it came to framing. “He’s the one coming up with this very modern, exciting idea that Gwyneth was going to be in a room, Timmy was going to be in a different room talking to each other, and shoot it at the same time, live.”
Towards the end, Kay sees through Marty’s ways and has a frank conversation with him about his “dreams.” Khondji relied on a 360mm anamorphic Cinemascope lens to shoot not just that, but most of the film. Distance was important, and the 360mm lens could provide that.
“Everything we shot was very observed. You wanted to observe them from a distance.” He filmed at the actor’s height to emphasize that. “We’re observing them, whether we’re behind or in the front, we’re really on their face,” he says.