Building a nearly silent crime drama in Motor City

Cinematographer John Matysiak on shooting Motor City's nearly dialogue-free story, real in-camera stunts, and building its 1970s Detroit look from film tests. Podcast highlights include: -Why Motor City tells its story with almost no dialogue, and how that shaped everything from frame rate to needle-drop music. The crew tested wildly different frame rates to find moments where the image alone could carry the emotion of a scene. -The commitment to shooting practical over digital, including a real car fight and a one-day elevator brawl. The team built real stunts on real streets, saving resources for the effects work that truly needed it. -How the team engineered Motor City's period 1970s Detroit look. Side-by-side film tests on 35mm and Alexa helped the team reverse-engineer a great film look for digital. -Pulling off an ambitious 44-location shoot in just 27 days. Heavy pre-production and storyboarding gave the crew the flexibility to improvise and pivot when locations and permits fell through at the last minute. Find John Matysiak: https://www.johnmatysiak.com/ Instagram: @john_matysiak Motor City is still in select theaters and available on pay per view. Hear our past interview with John Matysiak and Potsy Ponciroli on their film, Old Henry: https://www.camnoir.com/ep143/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:09 Close Focus 12:46-01:01:45 John Matysiak Interview 01:02:26 Short Ends 01:11:33 Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social