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VistaVision Revived for '70s Style Car Chase
29 Jan
Summary
- Film emulates '70s cinema with stylistic roughness and VistaVision.
- VistaVision format uses horizontal eight-perf film for richer images.
- Car chase filmed in Borrego Springs, utilizing unique topography.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson sought a distinctive visual style for "One Battle After Another," aiming for the raw aesthetic of '70s cinema. Cinematographer Michael Bauman revealed the director's desire to shoot in VistaVision, a format offering a larger, richer image by placing film horizontally.
This '70s-inspired film features Leonardo DiCaprio as a father searching for his kidnapped daughter. The production utilized the unique topography of Borrego Springs, California, for a dramatic car chase scene. Bauman employed long lenses and specialized camera cars to capture the intense speed and cat-and-mouse dynamics.
The VistaVision camera, originally tripod-bound, was adapted for car mounting, pushing its capabilities. Shooting approximately 1.5 million feet of film presented challenges, requiring innovative methods to work with the vibrating camera at high speeds.




