The awe-inspiring, fast-action shots that have made Ford v Ferrari the success it is have been the work of Greek cinematographer Phedon Papamichael who is the film’s director of photography.
The film which charts the battle between Ford and Ferrari in the 1966 edition of the Le Mans 24-hour race features thrilling motor-racing cinematography with minimal help from computer-generated imagery (cgi). It is as real as it gets without being there. And it has drawn praise across the board.
The film starring Matt Damon as Ford designer Carroll Shelby who teams up with English racing driver Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale, to create the car that can take on the legendary Enzo Ferrari’s racers.
“The approach was getting close to the actors and telling the story through them. It’s about friendship and the passion of pursuing your love, and it’s also a corporate movie,” said Mr Papamichael in an interview with Variety magazine.
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It is the fifth movie that the cinematographer has worked with director James Mangold. Other collaborations between Mangold and Papamichael have included Identity, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma and Knight and Day.
Papamichael has also worked regularly with American-Greek film director Alexander Payne. Papamichael received an Oscar nomination for his work on Payne’s 2013 film Nebraska, starring Bruce Dern.
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