‘Maria’ Cinematographer Ed Lachman Breaks Down the Party Scene, Using a Steadicam and Shooting Black and White

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Greek-American opera superstar Maria Callas is the subject of Pablo Larrain’s latest feature. “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie, picks up with Callas at the end of her life, as she mourns the end of her career.

The film, now streaming on Netflix, is mapped with flashbacks showing snapshots of her stardom; performing at La Scala and other opera houses around the world, adored by millions, and her private life, named being wooed by shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

Cinematographer Edward Lachman used various film stocks to differentiate her story. 35mm was used for the main narrative, 16mm was used for her imagination, and 35mm black-and-white for her memories.

Speaking with Variety for Inside the Frame, Lachman explains why shooting on film was his preferred choice. “Film is like oil paint and digital is like watercolor,” he says, “Because we’re referencing different periods from the thirties to the seventies, it important that we shot on film to represent the world that she was part of.” The scene where Callas meets Onassis for the first time takes place after one of her performances is a memory. “I call [this scene] a moving proscenium.