How many Netflix projects do you know that were shot on film?
We are almost a week away from Wes Anderson‘s sci-fi trip to the desert, Asteroid City. While we are preparing to see the American auteur’s latest project, Anderson has been preoccupied with a mystery project for Netflix.
Based on a Roald Dahl story, Anderson’s 12th feature film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, will hit the streaming giant sometime in Fall 2023. This will be Anderson’s second time adapting the work of the popular British storyteller and will star Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade.
Asteroid City cinematographer Robert Yeoman also shared more details with The Film Stage about the forthcoming Henry Sugar, which will feature four separate stories with actors playing different roles across the stories.
“Three of them were shot on a stage. One of them is out in the jungle,” Yeoman said. “So it was quite a challenge to create all this on a stage. And each one has a very distinct look to it. We shot 16mm for the whole thing, which when I saw the finished film, the first thing I wrote Wes was I just love the 16mm. It has such a distinct look to it.”
What is interesting about Anderson shooting on a 16mm camera is that it seems that Netflix’s approved camera list doesn’t seem to apply to film cameras. What does matter is how the film stock is scanned for Netflix’s services. This means that filmmakers can opt to use film cameras rather than digital cameras when creating a film for the streaming service.
However, this is a case-by-case situation as Netflix doesn’t have any “approved” film cameras on their list (which you can check out here). Anderson is a big name in the entertainment industry, so it’s no surprise that Netflix gave him the green light to shoot on film.
“But again, he’s pushing the boundaries and it’s a very different style, in some ways than what Wes usually does. When I saw the film––I saw it a couple of months ago, they were color timing––I loved it when we worked on it, but when I saw it on the screen, I was like, ‘This is really cool.’ It was really amazing. And I’ll be curious how everyone reacts to it. It’s a little bit different style than what Wes ordinarily does,” Yeoman said. “I think a lot of it has to do with, when he did those animated movies, it changed how he approaches making a film now. And that one in particular, we knew there would be something that would be put on the screen up on top or something because it was on a stage. Everything was forced perspective. And so it was a little tricky oftentimes. But, you know, it challenges you. And when you can pull it off, you get a great deal of satisfaction with that.”
It will be interesting to see one of the few films shot on film for Netflix later this fall, but here’s to hoping that we will eventually see more Netflix projects on film. Until then, we will wait with anticipation for Anderson’s 11th and 12th feature films. Rumors are circulating that Anderson is preparing to shoot his 13th feature film later this year. However, no further details about the project have been shared.
Let us know whether or not you think Netflix should approve film cameras in the comments!
