Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, known as "Chivo," recently sat down to discuss his work on Alejandro G. Iñárritu's "The Revenant." It’s fascinating to think about the transition from "Birdman" to "The Revenant," especially since Lubezki was winning Oscars for the former while working on the latter. However, he revealed that preparations for "The Revenant" actually began much earlier, about a year and a half before "Birdman." The initial plan was to shoot in the fall and winter, but delays meant the project had to be postponed. It was during this pause that Iñárritu resurrected "Birdman," which Lubezki then read and found to be a completely different kind of challenge.
"The Revenant" was initially appealing because it offered the chance to shoot outdoors, in nature, something Lubezki hadn't done before. "Birdman," on the other hand, was an indoor film, largely set on a stage, dealing with show business – topics that were less interesting to him at the time. Yet, he loved the script. Then came the bombshell: Iñárritu wanted to shoot "Birdman" in one continuous shot. Lubezki admits he initially hoped the film would fall apart, not wanting to tackle such a demanding technical feat. But after a meeting with Iñárritu, he was inspired by the director's passion and agreed to the project. As they were finishing "Birdman," the opportunity to revive "The Revenant" arose, and they jumped back into preparing for it.
