Opening June 28, DDA cinematographer Rachel Morrion’s next feature Some Girl(s) is filled with her sensitive portraiture of poignant stories. Some Girl(s) will be the first narrative feature to be released exclusively through new online video portal Vimeo On Demand. Internet users worldwide will be able to watch the film on the same day it premieres in theaters in New York and Los Angeles.
Neil LaBute’s original screenplay, Some Girl(s) follows an unnamed man (Adam Brody), on the eve of his wedding, as he travels cross-country from one hotel room to the next in order to make amends with his former girlfriends.
The dialogue-heavy film initially presented a challenge for Morrison to keep the film’s look varied and interesting: “Daisy worked with the actors to keep the blocking moving,” she says. “We wound up breaking each scene into many sub-scenes within different parts of the room. It helps that two scenes are at night and three during the day. I really tried to run the gamut between higher contrast lighting for certain scenes or beats and low con lighting for others.
Morrison used the Arri Alexa system for both its cinematic feel and ergonomic design features. She added diffusion with Schneider Optics MPTV Hollywood Black Magic filters, to remove some of the sharp edge created with the Arri Master Prime lenses.
“It’s amazing to work with such a talented group, in particular, so many incredible women,” says Morrison. “From director Daisy von Mayer to actors Emily Watson, Zoe Kazan, Kristen Bell, Mia Maestro, Jennifer Morrison, producers Patty West and Jennifer Glynn and production designer Maya Sigel. It’s a rarity to have so many leading roles for women on a film set.”
Over the past three years, Morrison shot three Sundance premieres including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award-winning film Fruitvale Station, which is also an official selection at Cannes this month. Her next feature is the thriller The Harvest starring Michael Shannon.
On June 12, Morrison will receive the Kodak Vision Award at Women in Film's annual Crystal + Lucy Awards in Los Angeles. The award is given annually to a female filmmaker with outstanding achievements in cinematography, who collaborates with and assists other women in the entertainment industry.