How do you make a Toys “R” Us cinematic? Roofman cinematographer Andrij Parekh has the answer, including tidbits about that final scene between Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst.
Cinematographer Andrij Parekh has worked with director Derek Cianfrance for more than 20 years, including on the critically acclaimed Blue Valentine. But Roofman, starring Channing Tatum, pushed their relationship to whole new heights (roof pun unintended).
“He brought [the story] forward, and it was almost like a situational comedy, right?” says Parekh. “It’s really about getting into this guy’s [Channing Tatum’s character] head. I think what Derek pulled off was finding the emotional truth in the actors, which is what he does as a writer and as a director; he does that very well.”
Set in the early aughts, Jeff (Tatum) escapes from prison and lands in a Toys “R” Us where he hides for months, romancing Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) as “John.” But the film doesn’t look like a sitcom. There’s a texture to Roofman — for an obvious reason.
“There’s a grainy texture because we shot it on film, and we shot two-perf 35, so you really feel the grain because it’s blown up between, like, 16 millimeter and 35. It was sort of a 2000s period piece, so we wanted it to feel like it was from a moment in time.”
Parekh says he finds that film versus digital changes the shooting environment tremendously.
“I find that it’s more intimate. You know, the problem for me with digital is that everyone’s on a separate screen. The director’s off in a monitor, the DP’s oftentimes at the DIT tent, you know, with their own little monitor. And so it feels less collaborative to me.”
But how do you make a Toys “R” Us cinematic? Or better yet: How do you find a Toys R’ Us — period?
“We found an old Toys ‘R’ Us shell, and then the production designer (Inball Weinberg) basically built a Toys ‘R’ Us within a Toys ‘R’ Us. We ended up using all the existing lights of that era. So it’s all overhead fluorescent. We had different settings for when the store was open, all the lights would be on. But then there was a different night look, where a quarter of the lights would be on. So it just gave it a little bit more mood. And that was also the way that Derek and I shoot, is trying to keep the lights off the set, like get the apparatus of filmmaking away from the characters and the actors.”
There was also the challenge of shooting in Jeff’s cubby within the store.
“We wanted it to feel tight, cozy, but then there’s also the reality of shooting. Getting the camera in and out. We made a half-circle cove, and then there was a removable wall so we could get the camera in and out. But that was the only space he personalized within the Toys ‘R’ Us. You saw that develop over time.”
Another thing that develops over time is John/Jeff and Leigh’s relationship, which culminates in the final scene of the film. Kirsten Dunst walked through an actual jail before shooting.
“We wanted to shoot very simply. We shot both angles at the same time, so we were able to match, and that’s how Derek likes to shoot, is two actors in the room and just capture the feeling between them. And it was a really beautiful moment in the film. It’s a very emotional moment for both actors. We let them take their time in the space, you know, let them feel what it’s like to be there.”
Roofman is now in theaters.
