Ari Wegner: The other woman behind ‘The Power of the Dog’

Next week, Ari Wegner could make Oscar history. The 37-year-old Australian has a very good shot at being the first woman to win an Academy Award for best cinematography for helping create the indelible images of “The Power of the Dog” alongside director Jane Campion.

Together, Campion and Wegner battled the extreme conditions of the New Zealand landscape to transport audiences to a desolate ranch in 1920s Montana and create an unforgettable piece about human fragility. Some of the images, like a shot of two actors silhouetted through a barn door, are the kinds that aspiring filmmakers are already studying.

And they might have never met were it not for an Australian bank commercial. Campion, an Oscar-winning auteur, had never done a commercial before, but she said yes to that one and hit it off with the young cinematographer. Yet it was still an adrenaline rush for Wegner to get a call from Campion a few years later about a potential project to adapt Thomas Savage's 1967 book. She went out that day, bought it and read it.

Wegner was already making a name for herself with work on films like “Lady Macbeth” and “Zola.” But while the visual languages of the films were distinct and impactful, they did have one thing in common: They were all lower budget, independent fare.

“The Power of the Dog” was in a different league and not just because of Campion's involvement. Here they would have the backing of Netflix. The streaming company gave Campion a budget that she’d never had the chance to work with before. “It was like working with the Medicis,” Campion said.

Wegner and Campion got a year of prep to drive around New Zealand, scout locations, learn about the landscape and discuss every aspect of the film, from small technical details to the themes and values they wanted to...