By Oliver Webb
Greedy People follows the residents of a small island town who navigate a murder and the discovery of a million dollars. Featuring an ensemble cast which includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lily James, Joey Lauren Adams, Himesh Patel, Simon Rex and Tim Blake Nelson, Greedy People is released 23rd August in the US.
Where did you train as a cinematographer?
Eric Koretz: I received my MFA in cinematography from AFI, American Film Institute.
Who are your DOP heroes?
Eric Koretz: I admire so many great DPs out there. To narrow it down, Deakins for everything he's done, Frasier for Dune and his crazy chances in Batman, Robert Elswitt for everything but particularly his last series Ripley... There are too many more to name though.
How did you first get involved with Greedy People?
Eric Koretz: My agents at Innovative Artists first brought me the script. I loved the mix between crime drama and comedy in it... then I watched Potsy Ponciroli's first film Old Henry and loved it. I met with Potsy and we clicked, we spoke the same language on the film and had a similar sense of humor. I knew he would make a good film, he's incredibly talented. It was a small budget so it's even more important to be sure about the script and direction before you head into the film.
What were your initial conversations with director Potsy Ponciroli about the look of the film?
Eric Koretz: Well for one, we discussed how to portray the tone of the film. It's a dark crime drama mixed with comedic elements so striking the balance between the scenes was important to figure out. During the first couple weeks of prep, I built a lookbook for the movie. We found reference images together for characters, scenes, locations, colors, and framing and put them into the book. Since I hadn't worked with Potsy before, the lookbook helped me figure out Potsy's tastes and build our language for the film. The next is finding locations that fit our vision and adapting our visual language to those spots. On a shorter film schedule like this one, we'd go to the locations and photo storyboard the shots. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of time for exploration once you're on set with such a short schedule.
Did you look at any creative references?
Eric Koretz: I think tonally there aren't many films like this one so it was a matter of finding parts from films we liked and mixing it together. The most prominent references of tone were from the Coen Brothers; especially No Country for Old Men which is extremely dark but has funny elements throughout the movie. Our references were all pulled from darker, dramatic films and we felt the comedy would just come through.
Which camera and lenses did you select, and why?
Eric Koretz: We used the Sony Venice, Sony Venice 2, and the Hawk V-Lite anamorphic lenses. Early on we knew we wanted to shoot it anamorphic and use the widescreen frame to tell the story. We were only allotted a small budget for the camera package, but the rental house, Camtec in Los Angeles, was an amazing partner and worked hard to get us everything we needed.
What was your approach to lighting?
Eric Koretz: The shoot was all on location with no set builds except for a couple of pickup days that I wasn't available for (after principal photography). I like the locations to dictate how the scene should feel, with lighting to at least feel like it starts from a realistic source (being through the windows or a light fixture) and then see how I can elevate it and make it pop from there. We used that philosophy through the shoot with a mixture of LED and HMI lighting either through double diffusion or bounces. I wanted the lighting to feel natural but heightened for this film.
How long was the duration of the shoot? / What was the most challenging shot to capture in the film?
Eric Koretz: The shooting schedule overall was extremely challenging. When I first signed on, the shoot was 29 days but due to budget, we ended up at 24 which was extremely ambitious. The local North Carolina crew was great though and pushed through. When you have a tight shoot schedule, having the shots storyboarded or shotlisted is a necessity. That way when the actors show you something different on set you can pivot but always have the shotlist to fall back on.
What did you enjoy most about working on the film?
Eric Koretz: We had a good time despite the budget/location challenges and the actors were incredible and fun to work with and had a great sense of humor. Overall, we just had a good time and it’s important to enjoy your time on set!
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