Robert Richardson had the task of showing us 1969 Hollywood -- through the lens of then-classic TV and filmmaking styles. He also had to play revisionist history. So how did the long-time Tarantino collaborator choose which film stock could do all that?
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood was a movie that reaffirmed Tarantino's voice as one of the few filmmakers who can get an original movie greenlit these days. There are so many things going on inside of this movie that it takes repeated viewings just to absorb surface-level ideas.
It's hard to imagine all the thought and care that went into shooting it. Lucky for us, that was Robert Richardson's job.
Check out this exclusive clip of him talking film stock and let's chat more after the jump.
Richardson's Cinematography Choices In Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
When Robert Richardson was getting ready to shoot the movie, he had to figure out if he wanted to shoot in 70mm or 35mm. He went with both. And more.
Richardson and Tarantino knew that the movie was going to cover a period of Hollywood where film stock and colorization were pretty divisive. People were both one-upping each other and trying for larger Cinemascope-y visuals. They were also churning things out in smaller formats for television.
So to get all of this period accurate, Richardson and his director would have to shoot on every stock necessary. They were able to find 16mm Ektachrome to use for the black-and-white scenes. They shot on Super 8 as well.
70mm and 35mm were used for the main scenes set during 1969 Los Angeles, featuring stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. Each shot was decided based on the texture, look, feel, lenses, and time.
Finally, the filmmakers also had to decide on which stock to use for which specific aspect ratio, since the team bounced back and forth between 2.40, 1.85, and 1.33.
To go more in-depth on the making of the film, the Blu-ray arrives December 10.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is now available on digital and will be out on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, 12/10.
Audiences will be treated to more than 20 minutes of additional scenes and other exclusive behind the scenes content that will be available on in-home release. Premium collectible packaging will contain 7” vinyl record with two of the soundtrack’s grooviest tunes(complete with turntable adapter), a collectible vintage poster for the Rick Dalton film Operazione Dyn-o-mite!and an exclusive new MAD Magazinemparody of the Rick Dalton TV series“Bounty Law,” Lousy Law.
4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY AND DIGITAL BONUS MATERIALS
Over Twenty Minutes of Additional Scenes
Five exclusive behind the scenes pieces including:
Quentin Tarantino’s Love Letter to Hollywood
Bob Richardson – For the Love of Film
Shop Talk – The Cars of 1969
Restoring Hollywood – The Production Design of Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
The Fashion of 1969
DVD BONUS MATERIALS
Over Twenty Minutes of Additional Scenes
CAST AND CREW
Writer and Director: Quentin Tarantino
Producers: David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
Executive Producers: Georgia Kacandes, Yu Dong, Jeffrey Chan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Brad Pitt (Ad Astra), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Margaret Qualley (TV’s “Fosse/Verdon”), Timothy Olyphant (TV’s “Justified”), Austin Butler (TV’s “The Shannara Chronicles”), Dakota Fanning (TV’s “The Alienist”), Bruce Dern (The Hateful Eight) and Al Pacino (The Irishman)
SPECS
4K Ultra HD: Feature: 2160p Ultra High Definition 2.39:1 | Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD MA
Blu-ray: Feature: 1080p High Definition 2.39:1 | Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD MA
DVD: Feature: 2.39:1 Anamorphic Widescreen | Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital
