Using the Supreme Primes on interactive series “Swipe Night”

A conversation with Carolina Costa, AMC

Tell us about “Swipe Night” and how you approached cinematography on this production.

“Swipe Night” is a mini-series created for Tinder. It’s an interactive series in the realm of choose your own adventure that will be for users on Tinder’s App. It’s the end of the world - what will you do?

This was such an interesting project from a creative standpoint. First of all, it’s for being viewed on your phone, so we shot it 9x16. We had an ALEXA Mini rigged vertically, basically. And our brains are not wired for viewing the world in that way (at least not my generation and the ones before), so you have to ‘re-educate’ your eyes when framing.

The other element that made it so attractive to me is the point of view. The camera is one of the friends - everything is through the users’ POV. So I would be running around with folks, and had to find ways to make the camera ‘breath’, ‘feel danger’, ‘react’, and even ‘dance’. Lastly, we designed a very particular color palette - each episode has their own look.
How was shooting with the Supreme Primes on the series - and was this the first time you shot with them?

I had tested the Supremes recently for another project and I fell in love with them. We didn’t go with the set for that one, but they stuck in my mind. So when I got offered to shoot “Swipe Night” I thought of them immediately. We tested the Supremes and a bunch of other lenses, but Karena (the director) made a little sound when she saw them in action and fell in love with them immediately.

Did you use a variety of focal lengths?

The 29 mm was our workhorse. We tended to shoot the big scene and where it landed for the user to make a choice in 29 mm. After the user swiped right or left, what followed was their choice and that was usually shot on the 35 mm and 50 mm. We used the 50 mm a bunch for the more chaotic scenes.

How did the Supreme Primes help you achieve the desired “look”?

The way we could frame the characters in the 9x16 format with the 29mm was instinctively right. We would go super close to the characters and have a wide shot of the buildings at the back. Just beautiful… and it really helped shape the visual language. That was our favorite focal length for sure!

I particularly liked the flares too and because we had so many lights in frame and shooting it 360 basically, it helped create a special look to the series. It helped design the chaos of things, but beautiful chaos. I felt the combination of lighting in frame with the flaring of the Supremes looked like smeared paint on the screen. And that combined with our color palette was just right. Karena, our director, also loved how faces looked even on the wider end close to camera -- it felt real but pleasant to the eye too.

Have you shot with ZEISS lenses in the past?

Yes, absolutely! I’ve used a lot of ZEISS glass in my doc work. And Super Speeds a bunch of times. For ICEBOX we used Super Speeds. And it was vital to portray the kids in the ICE facility. There was so much light everywhere, and they were vulnerable, trying to be seen by the system and sometimes to go unnoticed by it too.
Any tips for emerging cinematographers?

Test, test, test. That is the only way to discover the right tools for the job.
What’s next for you?

I am one week out from shooting a period piece in Mexico. Really exciting! And I have just finished writing a script that I’ll be directing and shooting next year. It’s called THE RELUCTANCE OF TIME AND A SENSE OF WONDER. I’m calling it a mystical sci-fi, but it’s really a family drama at the core of it all. And yes - I would like to shoot that with the Supremes.

Do you have a website or Instagram where people can follow you?

Yes, I’m on Instagram @ccostacine and carolinampcosta.com

The author
ZEISS Cine Team

We are experts in lens technology and cinematography and provide news, answers and helpful hints relating to our products and applications.