If you’re a fan of cinematographerDan Laustsenand want to hear howNightmare Alleywas made and the way he works withGuillermo del Toro, I’m about to make you very happy. Shortly beforeNightmare Alleywas released, I landed an extended and wide-ranging interview with Laustsen. During the forty-minute conversation, Laustsen broke down the making ofNightmare Alleyand shared some great stories. Some of the things he talked about included how they figured out the way the film would look, why they used the Alexa 65, why they tried to lightBradley Cooperwith the other characters in the movie, how they decide where the camera will be placed and when it will move in the shot, what it was like shooting the 3rd act first, and more. In addition, with Laustsen having worked on everyJohn Wickfilm but the first, he talked about how he works with directorChad Stahelski, what it was like filmingJohn Wick 4in Berlin and Paris, what it’s like filming the big action scenes everyone loves, and so much more I can’t list it all here.
If you’re not familiar withNightmare Alley, the film was adapted by del Toro andKim MorganfromWilliam Lindsay Gresham’s1946 novel of the same name. The novel was previously made into a film in 1947 withTyrone Power, but wasn’t as faithful to the source material. Del Toro’s version stars Cooper as Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, an ambitious con man who learned his craft working at a seedy traveling carnival. As he gets more successful, he teams up with Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who may be more dangerous than he is. The rest of the all-star cast includesRooney Mara,Toni Collette,Willem Dafoe,Richard Jenkins,Ron Perlman,David Strathairn,Clifton Collins Jr.,Tim Blake Nelson, andMary Steenburgen.
RELATED:Exclusive: Guillermo del Toro Breaks Down the Making of ‘Nightmare Alley’ in 45-Minute Video, Including What Was In His 3 Hour 15 Minute Cut
Check out what Dan Laustsen had to say in the player above and below is a full list of everything we talked about.Nightmare Alleyis now playing in theaters and I strongly recommend checking it out while it’s playing on a movie screen.
