For ‘Rush’ Ron Howard Turns to Vintage Lenses
This racing film set in the mid-70s was partly shot with period appropriate glass
Rush is just released film that chronicles the famed 1976 rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. In order to properly capture the look and feel of that time period, director Ron Howard and cinematographer Dod Mantle looked to vintage lenses on modern bodies.
All told, Rush has a relatively modest budget for a major movie, just $40 million. And according to a report by IndieWire, Mantle combined new bodies with old lenses. He used the Arri Alexa Plus, Alexa Studio, and Canon EOS C300 for cameras, and then vintage lenses including the Baltar that was used in the Godfather.
That’s not to say there weren’t plenty of modern techniques used in the film, too. Mantle also mounted tiny cameras inside the stars’ helmets, put miniature IndieCam GS2Ks all around the inside of the cars, and even donned fireproof gear to shoot inside a recreated crash. The film is also interspersed with historical footage from the actual events.
Regardless of the historical verisimilitude, Howard and Mantle must have done something right. The first crop of reviews for the film seem extremely positive.
(via Reviewed Cameras)