The director and cinematographer spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about filming the show from the perspective of an enslaved person.
for Apple TV+ liberation, based on the true story of an enslaved man (by Will Smith ) known as the director of “Whip Peter” Antoine Fuqua and photographer Robert Richardson from those who were enslaved: “Beautiful but cruel, with a in an honest way,” in Fuqua’s words, adding: “This movie is about resilience. It’s about love, it’s about faith.”
Richardson’s Through the Everglades of Louisiana – Peter’s Freedom Trail. When the three-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer was testing out looks, “Bob went out and shot different things with his camera,” recalls Fuqua. The opening shot across the water was one of the styles Bob sent me. I just said, ‘That’s it. That’s it.’
Fuqua continued: “It’s God’s world. It’s beautiful until people do to each other what they do, ’ and added that beauty is reflected in fleeting moments, including Peter contemplating the majesty of his surroundings. “But at the same time, there was a lack of color [there] because if you were a slave, the world would be dark,” he said of the image, which is a distinctive black-and-white look with hints of color. “It’s forced labour. It’s a very scary thing for a person to have your children taken from you, [to be] treated [like you] less than an animal. When I Talking to Bob more, I just can’t see the color in it – but it’s not because there’s no hope.”
Robertson says the color highlight was inspired by “the first time I See a real picture of Peter. …I want it to be in sync with what [Peter] is going through.”
Plans initially called for production to take place in Georgia, but Fuqua said the decision Relocating from the state “because of vote suppression. It didn’t feel right.”
Richardson added: “I think I was there for two months. When the vote came in, Antoine said no. We Great location. We’re all ready to start the movie. His point is so strong that Antoine, Will, and Apple agree: move it, and take the hit.”
Lewis Filming in Anna also had its own challenges. “When we first talked about the film, I didn’t want to make it from the perspective of my intense fear of snakes,” admits Richardson. But he also admitted he had reservations about shooting in the swamp. “The swamp is absolutely unacceptable in terms of moving the equipment we have to move. Took a lot of effort to figure out the path in the movie. Treacherous.”
And Ada,2021 The hurricane shut down production. When they returned, they encountered new obstacles. Richardson gives the example of the scene in the early scenes where Peter is taken away from his family: “What we’re seeing is completely different from where we started. Sad.”
This story first appeared in the January stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe 
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