Director of Photography: Justin Hartwell
Ensnared presented a unique challenge for cinematographer Justin Hartwell, as it would be a single shot short film. For this reason Hartwell decided to shoot with a relatively small and lightweight set-up, using a Canon T2i on a monopod, to give a fluid yet handheld result.
The film is a mystery/thriller set at night, posing the challenge of negotiating small spaces with the actress, Camera Operator and Sound Recordist all moving together. Lighting was a distinct challenge, as the camera follows the film’s main character throughout, so a small mounted light was utilised as the key, giving a stylistic look for the genre as well. Justin didn’t want any other direct light besides the mounted key, so he bounced a lot of ambient light from various positions in the house to avoid shadows and not allude to any other direct light sources.
Written by Mitch Kennedy for Australian Cinematographer Magazine.