Cinematographer Evgenia Alexandrova AFC on The Balconettes

During a record-setting heatwave in Marseille, three flatmates are lured from their apartment into a web of irreversible intrigue. The French-language comedy-horror feature Les Femmes au balcons (aka The Balconettes) teamed writer-director Noémie Merlant with cinematographer Evgenia Alexandrova AFC and Panavision Paris. Alexandrova used a Panavised Arri Alexa 35 paired with PVintage optics to capture the film's outlandish comedy, and she shares her creative process in the following conversation.

Panavision: How did you get involved in the project?

Evgenia Alexandrova AFC: As I had already worked with Noémie Merlant on Mi Iubita, mon amour, I was able to follow the development of Les Femmes au balcon from the writing stage. We started discussing the visual aspect of the film and sending each other visual references very early in the conception of the work. We then confronted our fantasies with the financial reality of the film and the film's sets, which are characters in their own right.

How would you describe the look of the project?

We pushed the sliders very far. The colors are highly saturated; it’s an image with great dynamics and strong contrast.

Were there any particular visual references that inspired you?

Pedro Almodóvar's films, Wong Kar-wai, and lots of still photography. 

What brought you to Panavision for this project? 

A long-standing collaboration. I always feel well received. I wanted to work with Panavision lenses on this project.

Courtesy of Evgenia Alexandrova AFC.

What attracted you to the specific lenses you chose?

The PVintage lenses are soft without being milky; I did not use any diffusion filter. A slight retro aspect without wanting to imitate 35mm film fit my desires for the image of this film well.

What inspired you to become a director of photography, and what keeps you inspired today?

I wanted to work in cinema in a position that mixed the artistic and the technical. I really like operating the camera — it is very strong sensorially. Today I’ve reached the stage where each new project and each new artistic encounter are enriching artistically, humanly and spiritually.

Lead image courtesy of Nills Le Gall.