NFS: Hi, Shawn! Bau: Artist at War has received consistent acclaim across its festival run. Can you tell us about your creative approach in visually telling this story?
Sean McNamara: Hi Jason! One of the early things that leapt out to me when reading the script, and examining Joseph Bau’s life and artwork, was his ability to stay positive while enduring some of the worst horrors one could imagine. Joseph used artwork and humour to keep his sanity and to bring relief to those around him in the camp. Of course, the subject matter is in direct contrast to levity. I wanted to represent both of these worlds existing and visually tell the story through his eyes.
NFS: Can you talk about the collaboration between you and director Sean McNamara? How did you align your artistic visions for this project?
SS: I loved working with Sean. He has a larger-than-life personality, with loads of experience to draw upon. On every project, I always feel it’s my responsibility to adapt to the director’s vision and style. Thankfully, with Sean, it didn’t take much adapting. He is a good communicator, very collaborative, and was open to creative ideas and input. To get ourselves aligned, we spent as much time in prep as possible just talking about ideas and inspirations. We’d talk shots and look at other movies for ideas. For example, Sean really liked the look of the film Mr. Jones, and it became a big inspiration for our style. We didn’t have time for storyboards, but we did walk through the more complicated scenes shot by shot on location. That was a great way to get ourselves aligned.
NFS: What was the most challenging aspect of working on Bau? How did you navigate or solve those creative complications?
SS: The first big challenge was time! No matter how much time you have, it never feels like enough, but in our case, we had 19 days, so we were having to shoot very quickly. This was resolved by thorough prep and strong time management on shoot days. My very skillful team always works 110%, and we brought in a 2nd unit for some of the days where they could pick off smaller scenes that we couldn’t get to. We were also met with traditional Canadian winter weather, as a large snowstorm rolled in the night before our biggest exterior day in the Jewish ghetto and continued throughout the shooting day. Of course, this was a logistical struggle on top of time restraints, but in the end, I loved the addition the inclement weather had on the footage.
‘Bau: Artist at War’ BTS Credit: Impact 24
NFS: The tone of Bau is emotionally layered. How did you use light, framing, or movement to enhance that complexity?
SS: Given the emotions at play in Bau, it often felt like we had to walk a tightrope to get the tone right. We couldn’t be too heavy – that wouldn’t be true to Joseph’s story – nor could it be too light, which would only diminish the horrors of the concentration camps.
I had to look at each scene and see where I could add some emotional layers. For example, there is a scene where Rebecca and Joseph sneak a dance in the snow in between the bunk houses of the concentration camp. It’s this moment of reprieve for them, and I wanted to mimic this with the camera movement. I got the camera mounted on a jib so it could dance along with them. Simultaneously, I didn’t change the lighting as I never wanted the sense of fear and dread to totally disappear. For this particular scene, the camera movement, just like their dance, was in spite of their settings.
In scenes that called for darker emotional layers, I would push for more uncomfortable framing choices like center punching or short siding. I’d darken the world and elongate the shadows. Towards the end of the movie, as the war is winding down, I started pushing stronger beams of light through the windows as if the sun was finally starting to shine on those stuck in the camps.
NFS: How would you describe your visual style, and how do you adapt it across films like Bau, Buddy Games, and The Bad Seed Returns?
SS: Visually speaking, we couldn’t be talking about three more different movies! The throughline between the three mentioned is that I have always approached projects wanting to allow the director’s vision to be my guide. I think it is key to remember it’s their movie and I’m there to help execute it. That isn’t to say that I’m not bringing my own vision and artistic ideas – I’m just making sure my vision for the film not only aligns with the director’s but ideally helps elevate it.
As for a consistent style, I would say I lean more towards realism than surrealism with my lighting choices. I like to build upon or modify what is already there on the set, rather than block out all the natural light and start from scratch. When it comes to framing, I think it changes with every project and with every scene. I’m always asking myself questions such as, “How much of the world do I want to show in each shot?” “Is this character supposed to be isolated at this moment?” “Who has the power right now?” And of course, the traditional thinking of comedy usually plays better in the wider shots, while drama is often in the close-up.
As they say, know the rules so you know when to break them.
‘Bau: Artist at War’ BTS Credit: Impact24
NFS: Did you rely on any particular equipment or technology while shooting Bau?
SS: Early on in prep, we decided we wanted to go anamorphic for our glass, so we prepped a set of Atlas Orions, and I then matched them with three Angeniux zooms (Optimo 15-40mm, Optimo 28-76mm, and the 24-290mm) that worked with an anamorphic adaptor. Adding a rear-element anamorphic adaptor to a spherical lens isn’t a perfect match to a real anamorphic zoom, but they got close enough that I was happy to take them. We shot on Red Cameras and had a total of 4 bodies. We built A and B cam for studio and handheld, C cam was built permanently on the Ronin 2, and D cam went to 2nd unit. I also brought out my drone (Mavic 2 Pro) for a few shots.
For camera movement, we ran with two dollies (Peewee 3 and Fischer 10), a Ronin 2, and a jimmy jib that was left partially built so it could be pulled onto set quickly. Having a Ronin 2 gave us a remote head for use on the jib, and then could be quickly reconfigured for use on Steadicam-style shots.
NFS: What kinds of stories or genres are you most excited to explore next?
SS: I would love to do a sci-fi or period film. I want to sink my teeth into a film where I’m creating a visual world that can feel completely new and interesting. I just feel like there is so much more room to explore in those genres. That being said, I’m not going to turn down a project if the script is good and I like the director. Every project is an opportunity to learn and improve.
‘Bau, Artist at War’ BTS Credit: Kama Sood
NFS: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your work?
SS: I appreciate anyone who takes the time to look at anything that I do, and please feel free to reach out to me through my website or Instagram, where I’m at @shawnseifert. I’m happy to answer any questions, and I’m always on the lookout for my next project, no matter how big or small.
And I’d like to give a big shout-out to my camera, grip, and electrics team. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. Thank you, everyone!