The Cannes Film Festival has finally come to an end, and the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, went to Blue is the Warmest Color (also known as La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitre 1 & 2). The film, a small intimate love story, made history for a number of reasons, including being the first Palme d'Or winner based on a graphic novel, as well as the first film shot on a Canon digital camera, specifically the Canon C300. Click through for more on the film and some clips below.
Thanks to Jon Fauer, ASC at Film and Digital Times for the heads-up, here are some clips from the film (unfortunately I can't seem to find anything higher quality):
An interview with the director and stars of the film:
The production apparently purchased two C300s from PhotoCineRent (who we have previously featured on the site for their BMCC rig setups) and two Angénieux Optimo 28mm-76mm zooms with Canon EF mounts. Why purchase the cameras instead of renting them? It seems the production lasted a very long time -- at least 4 months -- so it made more financial sense to buy the cameras and lenses rather than rent them over such a long period of time.
While most previous Palme d'Or winners have been shot on film, the last two years have seen films shot only on digital -- certainly a sign of the times. It's definitely interesting that the production chose the C300, most likely for its ease-of-use, low-light abilities, and flexibility on set, as they recorded internally to CF cards. The C300 is a frequent rental of choice for many productions, and is often a lower-budget alternative to the Arri Alexa. Though a camera usually has nothing to do with what people will think of the final film, a chief argument for many against using the C300 has always been, "What films have shot with it?" That question might finally have a legitimate answer in Blue is the Warmest Color.
Links:
[via Film and Digital Times]
