Early in Netflix’s “Maestro,” the audience sees a “God’s POV” shot of composer Leonard Bernstein (played by Bradley Cooper) waking up, running through hallways and arriving at Carnegie Hall. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique walks us through that opening montage and explains how it was Bradley’s “vision” to “open up” the film in that manner. “It was planned to be more linear,” he reveals, “but because of the motion and the freneticism of his character, it just became this sort of sloppy, messy thing that graduated into this miracle shot.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
The cinematographer continues on, “We were fortunate, really fortunate, that when we did tests, Bradley and I sort of planned out the very beginning of that scene, and that sort of went a long way to figuring out the entire shot from the bedroom at his apartment to the venue.” The scene was “complicated” because “there was a lot of light involved,” Libatique recalls, and it took “the better part of the day” to properly film it.
Since Libatique previously worked with Cooper on “A Star Is Born” five years ago, they now share a “synchronicity” with each other. “Any time you have an opportunity to work with somebody a second time, you get this shorthand,” he readily admits. “There’s a tendency that you get used to that you can rely on, so that more time can be spent on ideas and figuring out how to execute those ideas.” He adds, “You get to know somebody so well after making a film with them, especially when the film is successful. It shows [on the screen].”
Cooper was “very motivated” and “so driven” on “Maestro,” Libatique confirms. “I think his performance shows that, and I think his direction shows that.” For the record, Cooper stars in, directs, producers and co-writes (with Josh Singer) this film, which could net him four total Oscar nominations come January. As for Libatique, he is a past two-time Best Cinematography Oscar nominee for “A Star Is Born” (2018) and “Black Swan” (2010).
Also in our exclusive video interview, Libatique chats about filming in black and white and with a 1.33 aspect ratio for the flashback scenes, what it was like working “in a different realm” for the musical dance sequence, how they kept the orchestra moments visually riveting for the audience, and how Cooper delivered “one of the best performances I’ve ever photographed.”
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