This has created a community feel around the picture, which has been reflected in the box office.
It has also placed a significant spotlight on the films DoP,Autumn Durald Arkapaw.
An indie scene vet, Durald Arkapaw previously worked with Coogler on the Black Panther sequelWakanda Forever.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw
She also pulls back the curtain on her tight collaboration with Coogler and the complexities of shooting large formats.
I last saw you in 2022 in Poland after youd just shot Wakanda Forever.
Im assuming you went into Gia Coppolas The Last Showgirl pretty soon after that?
AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW:I shotPantherand took a break because that movie ran for a year.
In 2024, I went fromThe Last Showgirldirectly intoSinners.
That was interesting and fun becauseShowgirlwas also shot on film, 16mm.
Ryan actually sent me the script forSinnersthe night before my first day of shootingShowgirl.
DEADLINE: Did you read it?
DURALD ARKAPAW:If Ryan sends you something he wrote, you read it.
I knew he was writing something personal, but didnt know the specifics.
I read it that night and couldnt put it down.
I was very excited and sent him a long email with my thoughts.
He replied, Good luck on the shoot.
And it did feel like good luck.
What a great piece of writing to read and be inspired by when youre about to shoot on film.
DEADLINE: WithSinners, youre gaining a lot of attention.
People are loving your work, making explainer videos on socials, and shouting you out.
DoPs usually attempt to stay out of the limelight.
How have you found this?
DURALD ARKAPAW:This time is special because its a very personal story for Ryan.
So there was a great deal of weight and responsibility we carried with us behind the work.
Ryan wrote something on the page that we dont see often, especially when it comes to our community.
We took that very seriously when making the film.
DEADLINE:Sinnersis set in the South.
Im from London and recently traveled through the South for the first time.
People say this a lot, but there really is something in the air down South.
you could feel the history.
Thats hard to bring to the screen.
But you guys managed it.
Do you have a connection to the South?
Hannah, our production designer, also lives in New Orleans.
I have a personal connection to the city.
My great-grandmother is from Mississippi, and my father was born in New Orleans.
I shot a commercial there in 2016, just after I had my son.
The house I once knew as my grandfathers no longer existed.
It was interesting to return as an adult and mother.
My aunt was on set as an extra in the grocery store scene.
Ryan put her in the movie.
My cousins also came to visit and got to meet Ryan and Michael B. Jordan.
Ryan brings you those kinds of opportunities that allow for intense discourse.
I ended up emailing my aunt, asking about my great-grandmother and how we ended up in New Orleans.
She sent me back census documentation and family tree history I didnt even know about.
New Orleans has its challenges with the weather.
A lot was going on for all involved.
It feels very rewarding that people are responding in this way.
DEADLINE: Form and philosophy are inseparable in this film.
All of the experimentation is born out of what the story is trying to say.
With a visual approach like that, at what stage are you getting involved in the project?
Then the studio called him and asked if we were considering large format.
He called me afterward to discuss options and mentioned his interest in the 2.76 formatThe Hateful Eightused.
So I arranged a screening with the lovely Andrew Oran at Fotokem of some 70mm clips.
We looked atThe Hateful Eight,2001: A Space Odyssey, andTenet.
We did 35mm and 65mm camera tests out in the desert and watched them projected.
We both fell in love immediately with 2.76 and 1.43 and decided to move forward with our favorites.
He also had to figure out the best and most elegant way to do that with his actors.
The end result, crafted by Ryan and our editor Michael, is seamless and beautifully done.
DEADLINE: I think you guys found a great rhythm for the ratio shifts.
That moment outside with Jack OConnell, where the screen expands, has stayed with me.
I remember that exact moment on set.
We spoke with our VFX supervisor and did what was needed on set to make that happen in post.
DEADLINE: Those night scenes are crazy.
I imagine it was so difficult to light those scenes?
Howd you go about it?
That is very important to me.
We shot all our night exterior work on location by a river.
Hannah built a three-walled lumber mill set for both day and night scenes.
When youre dealing with a vampire story, shadows and darkness are essential.
You dont want to show everything, its paramount to create mystery in the frame.
Ryan makes brave decisions in our filmmaking process.
Which allows me to as well, and take big swings.
He appreciates the darkness and the importance of lighting becoming a character in the film.
DEADLINE: One of the scenes people are discussing most is the surreal music scene in the juke joint.
Did you shoot with the music on set?
Howd you pull it off?
DURALD ARKAPAW:We did shoot with the music.
Its a wonderful evolution in prep with a shot like that.
We had storyboards for this sequence.
Then we worked with VFX to create a previs that helped guide all departments.
So many departments were involved.
Its a pretty amazing collaboration.
Having people respond to it so emotionally means the world to everyone involved.
What did you take from that film?
Its so emotional and affecting that you cant stop thinking about it?
ThatsThere Will Be Bloodfor me.
Its one of my all-time favorites.
The visuals and the music are so tied into the characters and storytelling, its unforgettable.
You feel it in your bones.
So when I read this script, it was an immediate callback.
They both have a religious throughline, and the framing is so important in both films.
Ryan is also a big fan of that film.
The characters in that story are so textured and layered, just like in Ryans script.
It was a wonderful inspiration for me.
This is the first time Ive seen fans invested in the format they can watch a movie in.
DURALD ARKAPAW:Thats all Ryan.
Honestly, hes one of the smartest people I know and also an old soul.
I remember the day he mentioned it.
We were in the IMAX theater, having just finished watching a film print.
We all thought it was a great idea.
Hes so thoughtful and always seems to understand the power of these choices long before anyone else.
DEADLINE: Do you know what youre going to work on next?
DURALD ARKAPAW:I do know what Im doing next, but right now Im currently just shooting commercials.
Generally, I work with my friends, which makes for a great work experience.
We all work very hard on these films.
