Stephen S. Campanelli takes a break from camera duties on Clint Eastwood’s Sully to talk about directing his first feature film, "Momentum."

1. HDVP: How did the opportunity to direct Momentum
come your way?
Stephen S. Campanelli: The script came to me through
a composer friend. When I read it, I knew this would be a
lot of fun to film because there’s a ton of action, and my
goal was to make it as entertaining as possible.
HDVP: What did you shoot on?
Campanelli: We went with RED EPIC cameras. It was my
first time working with them exclusively, and I personally
loved the experience. They’re so small that you can throw
them around, which was important when you’re covering
so much action. We used mostly two cameras through the
shoot, with me operating a third, enabling me to score some
great coverage. This is why the film looks so dynamic. I love
ALEXA because they’re beautiful cameras cinematically, but
too big and heavy for this film.
HDVP: Why did you choose South Africa as the location,
and what was your game plan during the shoot?
Campanelli: Well, I’m such a visualist that I needed every
location to feature strong visual elements. I also shot 2.40:1
because that framing is truly cinematic to me. You see some
interesting exteriors in the film, but I needed the interiors to
be very dramatic, especially in key scenes. ATTS was written
on every page of my script—Always Shoot Through Shit—to
make sure that there’s something in the foreground, the actors
are in the middle ground and then the background behind
for interesting compositions.
HDVP: What was your experience in post when choosing
the final look?
Campanelli: I did my own coloring in DI. This was my
first time! Luckily, I have a camera background, so I knew
exactly what I wanted—for the film to be dark, edgy and
gritty. It was already shot well, so there wasn’t too much to
do but stamp down a darker mood in post.
HDVP: I know you started in cinematography shooting
on film. How does the digital revolution compare today?
Campanelli: I’m not a huge 3D fan, although the events
movies where you become immersed in films are great, but I
also see a lot of muddy-looking 3D work, which is disappoint-
ing. I’m a big fan of digital, even though I’m really nostalgic
for film, of course. But digital has come a very long way, and
it’s incredible what you can do directing a show with an
experienced cinematographer who knows what they’re doing.
HDVP: Speaking of which, how was the experience direct-
ing for the first time?
Campanelli: Well, being on set for the past 25 years,
I’ve learned so much, so it was a very organic move. I knew
how to do it. Remember, I’ve worked with Clint for so many
years, which is very empowering because he often lets me set
up for shots and blocking. Working with so many talented
lead actors also prepared me for Momentum. Clint really set
me up for directing, and my many experiences working as
a DP with first-time directors forces you to sometimes take
control, also giving me valuable experience.
HDVP: What lies ahead for you now that Momentum
has been released?
Campanelli: After Momentum, I immediately went to
Rio to work on Rio Heat. I wrapped Momentum on a Friday
and the following Monday I was on a flight to Brazil. It’s
not an easy place to shoot, a little chaotic, but we managed
to hammer it out. The show isn’t as intense as Momentum.
It’s a comedy action drama in the vein of Moonlighting.
Looking further ahead, if Momentum is a success, I expect
there to be a sequel!
Learn more about Stephen S. Campanelli on his website at
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(HDVP Biopic)
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Biopic is an occasional department, where we reach out to leading industry professionals for their views on the craft and business of filmmaking.
Stephen S. Campanelli takes a break
from camera duties on Clint Eastwood’s
Sully to talk about directing his first film
By Simon Wakelin
Gaining
Momentum
72 HDVideoPro | hdvideopro.com