Deconstruction: Kneecap with director of photography Ryan Kernaghan ISC
Directed by Rich Peppiatt, the award winning film Kneecap tells the often chaotic and sometimes controversial story of three lads from Belfast that come together to form an Irish language rap group called Kneecap. In the film, the band members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ. Ó Dochartaig play themselves alongside more established actors including Michael Fassbender who plays Ó Cairealláin’s father. The film received six award nominations at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, winning the BAFTA for best Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer for Peppiat.
It was an astonishing script. On other films, for good reason, there are fairly tight constraints on the kind of aesthetic and the dogma that you would have. But on Kneecap, because it is so unruly, the camera could in effect do anything that we wanted and so that was really exciting.
Ryan Kernaghan ISC
From the outset it was clear to Ryan that he would need a camera that could deliver great images in low light, a camera that could work with probe lenses, anamorphic lenses and shoot at high frame rate. So, the camera chosen as the main camera was Sony’s VENICE 2. But the VENICE 2 wasn’t the only camera Ryan would use.
Key Insights:
- The clever use of a small camera in an unusual position can help to deliver an interesting point of view.
- A big change in a scenes lighting can be used to punctate or to create a shift in the dynamics of the scene.
- By shooting a headshot of a character through a cut out in a false wall where a mirror might normally be expected, you can create the illusion of seeing the characters’ own view of themselves in a mirror without having to deal with camera reflections or other issues.
Scene 1: Fruit Machine
In this scene it’s the first time the trio come together and JJ is making the case to Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh that they should start making music together. The three of them are in a bar, standing in front of a coin operated slot machine (fruit machine). To create an interesting view of this first time meeting Ryan and the crew opened up a working slot machine and placed a Sony A7S deep inside it, behind the rotating drums of the mechanism. Then the Perspex front panel of the machine was composited into the shot creating a unique view of the threesome.
To really sell the shot Ryan’s gaffer programmed Astera tubes with chase patterns that would emulate the sequence of lights from the slot machine and this created a fill light from below the camera. The key light came from a practical light fixture that was supplemented with Astera tube lights diffused using full grid (a type of strong diffusion fabric). In the background strings of fairy lights provided additional in shot background light. Nanlux 1200’s were placed outside the bar to create shafts of cool daylight streaming through the bars windows.
Scene 2: Christening
This is the opening scene of the film, it features a Christening that’s taking place in the middle of a forest, but the Christening is interrupted by an Army helicopter that thinks it’s discovered an IRA paramilitary training camp.
Ryan: “The VENICE being able to go to 3200 ISO was an absolute godsend”
The scene was scheduled to be shot at dusk, to represent dawn. For the searchlight on the helicopter a Philips Vari-Lite VL6000 (a high output remote pan and tilt light with a 6.4 degree beam) was mounted on a cherry picker so that it sat just above the forest trees and the colour temperature of this light was set to contrast nicely with the dusky ambient light.
Ryan “We were able to get this strange Renaissance painting with Michael flipping the bird to the helicopter”.
For the 15 years later version of the scene, where the adult Naoise is caught in a beam of helicopter light, a Nanlux 1200 spotlight was used. This fixture was triggered to turn off by a lighting cue and then at the same moment practical rave and dance club lights in the background were turned on.
This change in lighting transforming the whole look of the scene. The practical lights were supplement with Astera tube lights to provide the character modelling that Ryan wanted.
Scene 3: JJ as DJ Próvaí
It’s just before a gig and JJ is suffering from a lot of inner turmoil, he’s confused about his role in the band. He starts to take on his alternate persona as DJ Próvaí. For this scene Ryan wanted to take the films audience into JJ’s head as he becomes DJ Próvaí. To achieve this a false wall with a framed aperture to represent a mirror on a wall was built. Then, by filming JJ through this aperture, for the films viewers it appears as though they are seeing JJ’s own view of himself in a mirror.
Ryan operated the camera and then mimicked JJ’s actions as he puts on a balaclava with the balaclava being pulled over the lens as JJ pulls one over his head. The effect is completely convincing yet there were no complicated rigs and it involved nothing more than a bit of careful choreography of both JJ and Ryans action.
Cool blue/green light from an overhead practical light was the main light source and then to add colour contrast additional light with a sodium look/egg yolk yellow was added.
Scene 4: Final Gig
Ryan “The frame was going to be filled at various points with the characters so we had to choose lenses that allowed us a robust serviceable image that didn’t fall off too much around the edge. We decided to use Cooke Anamorphics because we liked the texture and the feeling of depth that the anamorphics gave us”.
This is the final climactic gig where the band is seen at the height of their powers and where Naoise’s estranged Father Arlo returns. To film the gig Ryan used 3 different camera teams and each camera was set up in a different mode. One camera was on a Moviebird crane and could sweep over the crowds, while the other two cameras were predominantly handheld, the motion helping to give the scene the energy that was needed.
There is a point in the scene where Naoise stage dives into the crowd and at this point he thinks he sees Arlo in the crowd. To create a big shift in the dynamics of this part of the scene Ryan used a bank of Cream Source panel lights programmed to create a strobe effect that momentarily illuminates the almost apparitional figure of Arlo, stationary in the crowd, starring at Naoise while the crowd around him are going crazy.
I think it's important to kind of ground the audience in what's in the room or at least give them the sense of what's in the room before you go too far off kilter with it, as we often do in Kneecap.
Ryan Kernaghan ISC
