Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw reflected on her work in Sinners at the Camerimage film festival and explained how the project represents a resurgence of large-format film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she described her experience filming Sinners and what led her to become the first woman to shoot a 65 mm film in IMAX.
Although Sinners is set in Jim Crow–era Mississippi, it was not filmed in the state; Louisiana offered a variety of suitable backdrops, and the location was crucial to the film, while there were financial considerations when picking Louisiana. Arkapaw went on to describe why shooting in Louisiana was so important, noting that “we’ll go out to the desert because it has a flat horizon that kind of mimics what was on the page for the script.”
While others take inspiration from different films, for Arkapaw, the creative process was centered on deep conversations: she recalls the initial talk with Coogler not focusing on references, but rather on pushing “the visual style and being brave.” Arkapaw agreed, “You get the biggest emotional response from the audience.”
When addressing the technical aspects of the film, Arkapaw shared that the team was originally going to use a 16 mm for the wide shots, but after testing the 65 mm, “You don’t go back. It’s just so beautiful.”
She highlighted two scenes in the film: a demanding musical sequence staged in a juke joint, noting the whole interior sequence was shot in one day on IMAX 15-perf and a Steadicam. She praised her team, explaining that “there’s a lot of kind of logistics we had to work out in order to make that feel like one cohesive, fluid motion.” When describing her favorite shot of the whole film, she decided that “for me it’s the farmhouse sequence, when Remmick [Jack O’Connell] jumps into frame and is introduced to the audience.” She described the shot as “mini-Western” and “timeless.”
Arkapaw’s work blends stylistic choices from the past and present, and her commitment to revivalism emerges in her dedication to shooting on celluloid. Her dedication is present in her large-format films and deeply emotional approach to storytelling—combining the technicality of cinematography with human-centered narratives. Overall, her comments illustrate a complex reality: real momentum for women behind the camera, tempered by ongoing questions about how fully the industry is willing to invest in their stories.
Leave a Comment