DARK INTENT

We Need to Talk About Kevin is an intimate, dark and sometimes frightening film that takes place in contemporary times with insightful flashbacks weaved into the fabric of the story.

The script, co-authored by director Lynne Ramsay and her husband, Rory Kinnear, is based on a 2003 best-selling novel written by Lionel Shriver, which won the 2005 Orange Prize for female authors of any nationality writing in English. The BBC Films production was nominated for the Palme d’Or award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and has Luc Roeg and Steven Soderbergh among the producers, writes Bob Fisher.

The story revolves around Franklin and Eva, who were formerly husband and wife, and their mentally disturbed son Kevin. Franklin and Eva are trying to cope with Kevin’s erratic behavior, but the teenager eventually goes on a rampage and murders people. John C. Reilly and Tilda Swinton are cast in the roles of Franklin and Eva, and Ezra Miller plays Kevin. The film dramatically explores the Nature vs. Nurture debate, a popular theme in current cinema with films such as Tree Of Life, but leaves enough ambiguity to ensure that the debate will continue.

“I have known Lynne since the mid-1990s, when she was a student at the National Film And Television School in London,” says the film’s cinematographer Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC. “She was originally interested in cinematography. The short student films that she directed were extraordinary. I could see that she had talent and a unique voice as a filmmaker. When I heard that Lynne was planning to direct this film, I called her and said, I’d love to be your cinematographer.”

McGarvey brought a broad range of diverse experience to the project. He was born and raised in a small town in Northern Ireland. He was a self-taught stills photographer, who worked as a stringer for a local newspaper. He launched his career shooting documentaries and segued to filming music videos. McGarvey has earned around 30 narrative film credits since 1995, including The War Zone, World Trade Center, Charlotte’s Web and The Soloist. He earned BAFTA, ASC and Oscar cinematography nominations for Atonement in 2007.

“We Need To Talk About Kevin is a tough story that struck a chord with me,” McGarvey says. “Lynne had a great vision. I knew that she would push me to create images that tell the story. I was also looking forward to working with Tilda. She was one of the producers in addition to playing a leading role. I’ve worked with her on other films, including The War Zone. The passion she felt for this story comes through on film.”

McGarvey was told up-front that there was a very modest budget and an ambitious five-week production schedule at practical locations in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut.

“Lynne and I both really wanted to shoot on celluloid in 35mm anamorphic format,” McGarvey says. “We fought really hard to convince the producers that we could make it work within the budget, while creating a much more engaging experience for audiences.”

Ramsay and Kinnear stayed at McGarvey’s apartment in Manhattan for about a month before production began. They discussed the visual grammar for different scenes and created shot lists. McGarvey also had a close collaboration with production designer Judy Becker and art director Charles Kulsziski. They agreed to use red, blue and yellow primary colors and tone down other hues. McGarvey and Becker also discussed practical lights he envisioned using at different locations and the spaces needed for blocking.

For example, McGarvey asked for table lamps that had soft shades in the broken down, clapboard house where Eva lives at the end of the film. He also wanted to motivate hard top light in scenes that were filmed in a kitchen at a house they used in Connecticut. “Some scenes we planned to shoot there have kind of a nightmarish quality,” he explains...

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