Art of the Shot with Cinematographer Martin Ahlgren

ART OF THE SHOT WITH CINEMATOGRAPHER MARTIN AHLGREN

Cinematographer Martin Ahlgren is known for his work on independent features and television shows, such as House of Cards and Daredevil, and an upcoming new show for Netflix based on the cyberpunk novel Altered Carbon.

BRIAN HALLETT (BH): How do you prep for your projects?

MARTIN AHLGREN (MA): Well, you know it depends. I think the main thing is to take your cues from the director. One of the main things that I feel is my job when I get on a new project is to get in the head of the director and figure out what he or she wants to accomplish, what the project means to them, and what they see as what the story is about. I think to a large extent

byBrian Hallett that that’s the best starting off point. And then they may have references or specific things in mind that they refer to, which is when you bring in ideas and possibilities for how to approach it.

(BH): On House of Cards and Daredevil, in which you shot the second season, how do you add your personal cinematographer style to a show that’s already started?

(MA): In both those cases I was a fan of what had been done before. When you’re doing television, in a way, you’re doing a very long movie that is several seasons. There needs to be a consistency, I feel, to what that world looks and feels like. That said, I think each cinematographer is going to approach how they go about things in their own way. On House of Cards for

Cinematographer Martin Ahlgren on set.

instance where I did Season Three, the first season had its approach in terms of execution in the second season. The cinematographer changed up the tools that we use and how it was approached on a technical level. Even though the tone of the series was still very much the same, the approach was slightly different. It had become tailored to the way that cinematographer liked to work. When I came in, the equipment was all up for renegotiation and there were also a lot of new sets. I had the luxury of choosing which lighting tools to use and how to build that into the new sets. So that meant that I could approach it in a fashion that was suitable for the way that I like to work. Even if the same cinematographer was shooting over multiple seasons, there is still a scope to evolve on the look as well. For instance in Season Three of House of Cards, with Frances becoming president, a whole world sort of opened up to him. I saw some opportunities to broaden the scope of that world and I felt like that could partly be done through cinematography. I think we started moving the camera a little bit more. We also opened up a bit more the spaces that we’re shooting in. I think we went with a little more color than what the first two Seasons had been in terms of saturation.

Actor Charlie Cox from Netflix’s Daredevil

signer or any other kind of software to help visualize what is selling the show runners, like the show you are shooting now Altered Carbon?

(MA): No, mostly I will grab stills from other movies or show references from photography, maybe even a painting or something like that. This show had a lot of action sequences that I would bring in ideas from other action sequences that I liked. Sometimes it’s about bringing in existing material that I like and using that as a starting off point for a discussion to see if they like the same things and which parts we want to emulate and build on.

(BH): How did you break into this business?

(MA): I went to film school. I mean, I’ve been making short films since I was a teenager. I went to film school in Sweden, which is where I grew up, and then I came to New York to go to School of Visual Arts. I had always seen myself as the director and when I came to SVA, I made a conscious effort to switch over and focus specifically on cinematography. When you’re in film school where everyone wants to be a director, I got the opportunity to

shoot just about every other student’s films. You get a lot of experience quickly. That experience combined with the material of those shorts allowed me to cut together a reel and start finding work. Also a few of the other students I went to school with got their first directing opportunities, and I was able to come aboard and shoot some of their first projects. I didn’t go the traditional route of working my way up by being an assistant and then an operator; instead it was more like working on smaller projects and then each project leading to the next project.

(BH): What kind of person succeeds as a cinematographer?

(MA): There are a few different things. It’s a job that combines creativity with technical ability. Depending on which kind of cinematographer you are, the technical side of it may be a much bigger part of how you approach cinematography, or it could be a very small one. Maybe you’re more into thinking like a painter, and the technical aspects are something where you take advantage of the people that you have to assist you on the production. So it’s not necessary to know the intricate details of how the camera works, how it

Actors Joseph Sikora and Omari Hardwick from Starz’s hit series Power.

affects the post workflow or exactly which light is what. Then again, if you do have an interest in acquiring the technical knowledge, then it might mean that you also can make decisions that are informed, knowing what’s possible from a technical standpoint. So there is an advantage to doing that as well. Ultimately it’s a combination of tenacity, working hard, and maintaining good relationships with the people that you work with.

(BH): What kind of helpful advice did you get along the way?

(MA): In the beginning when you’re just starting out, there’s actually not that much an agent can do for you. Ultimately an agent will be more helpful when you have an established career. They can help you manage that career and help you make good decisions to negotiate conditions on a project. So paradoxically it’s sort of like when you feel that you need an agent the most, it’s really when they’re probably the least of help to you in a way. n

Author Brian Hallett