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Johnny ABI FARES – Director of Photography
‘Waiting for Beirut’ is a 35mm feature that we started to shoot more or less two years ago. I am the director of photography in it. We are practically working on different stories at the same time, with different moods. We are creating many sets (interiors and exteriors). This is why we must consolidate some kind of dominance within the images, for each of the topics, which means we have warm and cold frames throughout the film. We also alternate the contrasts, depending on the mood of the characters that we are shooting.
The film is tough somehow when it comes to continuity since we have been shooting a couple for some time now, and there are shots that have lengthy time gaps between them. Because laboratories in Lebanon are not used to do color correction for feature films and because we want to save money, we try to get the best image possible on the set using filters and good contrast.
The experience with Chadi on this film is, let’s say, very original. The film is evolving as we go along. We have started with a precise language which developed into something more complex, building links within the different stories.
We discuss each scene before shooting it, if it possesses the language and serves the theme of the film.
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