Set in Oz, Wicked digs into the contrasting personalities of characters and the nature of good and evil through their complex relationship. Director of Photography, Alice Brooks, collaborated with Dan Sasaki at Panavision to create a unique look for the movie with their lenses. This idea eventually led to the Ultra Panatar II lenses, which have a 1.3 times squeeze.
Wicked Movie Lens Features
The team developed these lenses together during camera tests. No one else has shot with these lenses. The lenses were effervescent and had a certain softness to them. The Arri Alexa 65 camera was used with these large lenses. There were two full sets of new prototype lenses. This project was the first movie ever to be shot with these lenses, and Dan created a new technique specifically for this project within the Ultra Panatar system.
The movie was shot at an aperture of 2.8. Most of the lenses were used wide open but were primarily set at that stop.
The lens flare was not a typical anamorphic blue flare. Alice Brooks instructed Panavision that she did not want the typical blue lens flare often seen in films. It was more amber, subtle lens flare. It beautifully complemented both the green and pink tones.
Another technique used in the cinematography that contributes to the film’s washed-out appearance, especially with lens flares, involves placing a quarter Tiffen Glimmerglass in front of the lens. The Tiffen Glimmerglass is designed to diffuse the light further, giving the image an old Hollywood beauty look. This diffusion softens the highlights and spreads them across the image. When highlights are spread out in this way, it can lead to a reduction in the depth of the blacks in the image.
Cinematography of Wicked
Different lenses were chosen for Glinda and Elphaba. During makeup test on Cynthia, the 65mm lens became her lens. However, when testing that lens on Ariana, it just wasn’t right for her. So, her close-up lens became the 75mm lens. The 65 and the 75 are roughly the same size and height, but they have very different-shaped faces. The 65mm lens has a closest focus distance of 1 foot 10 inches. In the Ozdust ballroom scene, there was a 360-degree shot with Cynthia. John filmed that sequence. He shot her close-up with the 65mm lens first because he wanted Cynthia to genuinely feel the emotion of walking into that space for the first time, with everyone laughing around her.
The 65mm lens was chosen first. However, puting 65mm lens on Ariana, it just didn’t have the right effect. The 75mm, being a tiny bit longer, added a layer of softness to her character that worked beautifully. The lens really allowed her to shine.
Normally, close-ups are shot with the same lenses to match, but in this movie, they decided to match the size instead. Even though they are different focal lengths, they still occupy the same space within the frame. This is one of those subtle details that might not be obvious to the audience, but it affects how the movie feels overall. The magic of cameras, lighting, and cinema involves mixing different elements together to create a specific result.
Reviewing a close-up scene with a 65mm lens, it was a long, gradual push-in. In the camera tests, the gaffer was setting up various colored temperature lights and LEDs. He would adjust the lighting, alternating between darkness, brightness, overexposure, and underexposure. Ultimately, it culminated in a very extreme close-up of Cynthia, which was perfect. The lenses were fully utilized to capture the best imagery in-camera.