Cinematographer Thomas Brémond on the French film Prosper
Not a traditional Cinderella story, director Yohann Gloaguen’s French-language comedy Prosper finds a forgettable Uber driver who discovers a dead passenger and, after trying on the deceased’s boots, unwittingly becomes possessed by the spirit of a flamboyant gangster. Cinematographer Thomas Brémond helped bring this comedic tale to vibrant life with a camera and lens package sourced from his longtime collaborators at Panavision Paris — and in the following interview, he shares the inspirations and motivations behind Prosper’s signature look.
Panavision: How did you become involved in Prosper?
Thomas Brémond: Prosper is Yohann Gloaguen's first film, and by chance the project's theme intersected with my photographic work. From the very first moment we met, our conversation flowed smoothly. We even ended up scouting locations at the [Parisian music club] New Morning, which became an important setting for the film.
How would you describe the look of the project?
In Prosper, fantasy intrudes into the very realistic setting of the main character's life as a chauffeur. So we had to build a universe that would allow a fluid back-and-forth between these two aspects, realism and fantasy.
The story takes place in the Parisian ‘Sape’ scene, saturated with bright colors. We had to pay homage to these colors, but while saturated, the image remains matte, with a long shoulder on its sensitometric curve.
The film is in the 1.85:1 format, but captured in anamorphic with an Alexa LF. The world behind the faces is therefore often very abstract in the magnificent [out-of-focus] blurs of the lenses.
Were there any particular visual references you looked at for inspiration?
Yohann Gloaguen came up with a strong visual reference, the Safdie brothers' film Uncut Gems, for its ‘dirty’ highlights and textured backgrounds. We also talked about Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and wanting to induce the fantastical elements by throwing the lens off center. The costumes and vehicles also conjure up references such as Francis Wolff and Reid Miles' photos and designs for the Blue Note [jazz record label] albums, and some of Roy DeCarava's images for the very dark nights, too.
What brought you to Panavision for this project?
I've been working with Panavision for a long time. Framing for a 1.85:1 release but shooting large-format ’Scope was a very strong choice that corresponded to Yohann Gloaguen's request, so we talked about it and then did some tests that finally convinced us.
What inspired you to become a cinematographer?
A chance acting experience as a child introduced me to film sets. I went on to become a photographer, although I'm also a great cinephile. The trigger was probably [director] Jacques Rivette's The Story of Marie and Julien, lit by William Lubtchansky [AFC], which made me aware of the power of light as a narrative tool.
What keeps you inspired today?
The answer is vast and could be different every day! I'm lucky enough to have received a beautiful script for a shoot at the end of the year, so I think about that a lot. In everyday life, inspiration can come from a surprising bounce of light between two buildings; in photographs by David Alan Harvey, Alex Webb or Josef Koudelka; the beginning of Emanuele Crialese's Golden Door, in which every Agnès Godard [AFC] shot is a great photograph. But I could just as easily have cited films by Terrence Malick, Andrea Arnold, Steve McQueen or so many others.
