Claudio Miranda, cinematographer for the upcoming Formula 1 film 'F1', shared insights on creating tension through framing and the difficulties posed by Las Vegas neon lights during a Variety interview. Director Joseph Kosinski emphasized the importance of real-world immersion and character-driven innovation in the project. The film stars Brad Pitt as a retired racer returning to mentor a rookie.
Joseph Kosinski, while directing 'Top Gun: Maverick', began planning his next project, 'F1', an action film centered on Formula 1 racing. He teamed up again with cinematographer Claudio Miranda to capture authentic high-speed action without relying on green screens. To achieve this, Miranda collaborated with Sony Electronics to create custom cameras—four per racing car, equipped with remote controls for pan and focus—to film intense sequences.
In a conversation moderated by Variety's Jazz Tangcay, Kosinski highlighted how story and character guided the technical advancements. 'How do we connect the audience with the characters in a movie like this? That’s what drove all of this innovation that Claudio did,' he said. The plot follows Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a former F1 driver, recruited by team boss Ruben (Javier Bardem) to mentor rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) midway through the season, aiming for a podium finish. Kerry Condon plays Kate, Sonny's confidante.
Casting Joshua proved challenging; director of casting Lucy Bevan reviewed thousands of tapes before selecting Damson Idris. Kosinski praised Idris: 'Damson was a miracle and went toe-to-toe with one of the biggest movie stars in the world, in his first film, and really just created this character that’s so alive. He is the antagonist, but he’s so likable because you totally understand where he’s coming from.'
Miranda focused on composition to build tension, stating, 'We picked the angles we needed for the scene. If we wanted to go intense, we pushed in a little bit more.' Off the track, this approach extended to emotional scenes, like Sonny and Kate's balcony conversation in Las Vegas the night before the Grand Prix. The city's neon signs created lighting hurdles: 'That’s a real location and it does create a little bit of lighting challenges. It’s really the night before the grand prix and you see the stadiums being set up. It’s real-time, there’s Vegas, and those lights are annoying sometimes,' Miranda noted. Yet, he appreciated their grounding effect: 'Sometimes those lights would go white, but in a way, it grounded the movie, and I kind of liked it as these things would blow up. It grounds the actor in the environment. Maybe if I didn’t control it too much, it might have felt a little more synthetic.'
