{"id":13913,"date":"2025-10-23T11:27:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T18:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?p=13913"},"modified":"2025-10-23T11:27:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T18:27:50","slug":"hungry-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/hungry-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Hungry Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"
Masanobu Takayanagi, ASC, and his ICG camera team bring the raw musical intensity of Nebraska <\/i>to life in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

by Matt Hurwitz \/ Photos by Macall Polay\/ Framegrabs Courtesy of 20th Century Studios<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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In the last few weeks of December 1981, after completing<\/strong> the tour supporting his album The River<\/em>, Bruce Springsteen settled down in a quiet rented home in rural Colts Neck, NJ, to write songs for what would be his Nebraska album<\/i>. Wishing to stay clear of studios and engineers, he had his roadie\/assistant, Mike Batlan, purchase a TEAC 144 four-track cassette recorder, with the resultant tracks ending up as the final product. The recordings were raw and real, reflecting the darkness of the rock star\u2019s traumatic childhood he was recalling in that period of his life.<\/p>\n

When Writer\/Director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart<\/em>) began thinking of how to make a film out of Nebraska<\/em>\u2019s recording experience, he talked with his longtime collaborator, Director of Photography Masanobu Takayanagi, ASC, and the two had the same thought. \u201cWe said, \u2018Let\u2019s approach this story the way Bruce approached this music, as if we only had a four-track recorder,\u2019\u201d Takayanagi shares. \u201cLet\u2019s make a movie that feels like it was recorded in one bedroom, stripped down, raw and true.\u201d Notes Cooper, \u201cI said, \u2018We\u2019re not making a film about Bruce Springsteen, the icon. We\u2019re making it about Bruce Springsteen [played by Jeremy Allen White], the man who\u2019s dealing with unresolved trauma.\u2019 It had to feel authentic, because Bruce is authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result is 20th Century Fox\u2019s new feature, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, <\/em>the fifth film Cooper and Takayanagi have made together, beginning with 2013\u2019s Out of the Furnace<\/em> and most recently The Pale Blue Eye<\/em> in 2022. \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about Masa,\u201d Cooper adds. \u201cHe is as trusted a collaborator as I have.\u201d The two plan, envision, and shot-list to the point that, observes Takayanagi, \u201cWe\u2019re like the same person. I know what Scott\u2019s thinking, and he knows what I\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to Director of Photography Masanobu Takayanagi, ASC, and Writer\/Director Scott Cooper, the story was shot “the way Bruce approached the recording of Nebraska<\/em>, as if we only had a four-track recorder,” Takayanagi recalls. “Let\u2019s make a movie that feels like it was recorded in one bedroom, stripped down, raw and true.” Above: Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The pair brought along other frequent collaborators,<\/strong> including Production Designer Stefania Cella and A-Camera 1st AC Glenn Kaplan, who pulled focus for Takayanagi, also operating on Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/em>. For a second camera angle, Takayanagi made use of longtime ICG Operator BJ McDonnell, fresh off shooting A-Camera on The Naked Gun. <\/em>Though known for his invisible Steadicam skills, McDonnell was called upon for other frames on the Springsteen flick. As Takayanagi notes, \u201cBJ is an amazing operator with a great sense of frame. You just have to give him an \u2018Okay, BJ, let\u2019s grab something,\u2019 and he\u2019ll do his thing. He got us so many great, creative images.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Local 52 Chief Lighting Technician John Alcantara had never worked with Cooper or Takayanagi, his work on last year\u2019s Oscar-nominated biopic, A Complete Unknown<\/em>, left a deep impression on both filmmakers. Alcantara brought along his whole team from A Complete Unknown<\/em>, including Dimmer-Board Operator\/Programmer Michael Hill, whose work played an important part in several key concert scenes for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/em>. Key Grip Mitch Lillian not only brought his many years on set, but also his son, Jack, who dolly-gripped the film. \u201cHe\u2019s been working with me since he was 11,\u201d the elder Lillian states. Notes McDonnell, \u201cIt was so much fun seeing father and son. And Jack is interested in Steadicam, so he was always asking me questions and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research for the look of the film began in spring 2024 with a very important step.\u00a0 \u201cBruce loaded all of us into his Bronco \u2013 myself, Masa, Stefania, and Warren Zanes,\u201d on whose book the film is based, Cooper recounts, \u201cand took us down to Asbury Park.\u201d The team had access to a wealth of resources, including Springsteen\u2019s own notebooks and personal photo albums, and the musician\u2019s archives at Monmouth University. \u201cThe first thing is to get educated about the places he comes from and how he grew up, and then make creative choices from there,\u201d notes Cella. \u201cWith a living legend like Springsteen, there\u2019s no room for missteps.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For the 1950’s flashbacks, Company 3 colorist Tom Poole (who has refined the looks for 11 of Takayanagi\u2019s films) created a black-and-white LUT. “Masa made it clear how much he wanted an authentic photochemical look,” Poole recounts. “And the reference stills he shot had a strong curve with softer shoulder and toe so as not to enter that harsh digital black-and-white space.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The film encompasses two key looks \u2013 the \u201cpresent day\u201d<\/strong> period of 1981-82 and flashback images of Springsteen\u2019s childhood of 1958, each shot with different cameras and lens systems. \u201cBruce always said to me that he saw his childhood in black and white,\u201d recalls Cooper. \u201cHe said, \u2018I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s because all the photography I saw was in black and white, but that\u2019s how I remember it.\u2019 And that\u2019s why I chose to have all those scenes appear in black and white. It allowed us to capture a time in Bruce\u2019s life when he was most vulnerable. He had a childlike innocence, but there was also emotional pain for a boy who was trying desperately to connect with his father,\u201d (played by Stephen Graham).<\/p>\n

Besides the childhood photos Springsteen provided, the team also referred to the black-and-white images of photographers Robert Frank and Saul Leiter, both of whose work, says Cella, \u201cis contrasty, with not a lot of gray scale.\u201d Adds Cooper, \u201cBruce has several copies of Robert Frank\u2019s The Americans<\/em>, and that became our North Star.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the flashback scenes, Takayanagi asked ARRI to create a black-and-white, monochromatic sensor for the ALEXA 35 Camera. \u201cWe knew we wanted to go with anamorphic for black and white, so we needed that Super 35 sensor,\u201d he states. Notes Glenn Kaplan, \u201cThere were only two of them in the world \u2013 they were prototypes \u2013 and we were going to use that.\u201d \u201cIt was amazing, but also brand new, out of the box,\u201d Takayanagi recalls. \u201cARRI was super generous, but there were some inherent software glitches in the post [which they\u2019ve since squared away], so it was a bit too risky for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision was then made to shoot with an off-the-shelf ALEXA 35, with a specific black-and-white LUT, created by Company 3 colorist Tom Poole, who has refined the looks for 11 of Takayanagi\u2019s films. The cinematographer was keen to give the scenes the look of a classic Kodak black-and-white stock for still cameras, Tri-X Pan, popular throughout the period, and for which he asked Poole to attempt to replicate. Takayanagi shot stills with his own Nikon manual focus camera with the Tri-X stock to give Poole a reference look while lens tests were being filmed, which were then processed and scanned, and put onscreen beside Poole\u2019s images. \u201cTom tried to grade it, side by side. It\u2019s not exactly the same, so he adjusted it to what we were looking for,\u201d Takayanagi explains.<\/p>\n

As Poole adds, \u201cMasa made it clear how much he wanted an authentic photochemical look. And his reference still had a strong curve with softer shoulder and toe so as not to enter that harsh digital black-and-white space. We also refreshed the grain, settling on something that didn\u2019t overpower the black and white image. Masa shot through these LUTs, so by the time it came to me, it was already in such great shape. Really just using small printer light adjustments to balance the flow of the narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A-Camera 1st AC Glenn Kaplan shares that the rehoused spherical NIKKOR still camera lenses used for the 1981 (“present-day”) scenes gave “a completely different feel [from] when you’re watching anamorphic films versus spherical. The information is different, the perspective that the lens sees is different, and it was fascinating to mix the two,\u201d (between childhood and adult periods in the singer’s life).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After testing several anamorphic lenses, the team settled<\/strong> on 2.39:1 2\u00d7 Atlas Orion anamorphics. \u201cWe were impressed with the fast T2.0 aperture, good close focus (between 18 inches and 3 to 6 inches\u00a0) and minimal distortion,\u201d describes Kaplan. \u201cThe speed and T-stops are uniform, so when you light a scene, you can switch a lens and not have to readjust your light levels because one lens is faster than the other. They also don\u2019t have a lot of aberration, which Scott and Masa liked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cOther lenses we considered had too much character \u2013 screaming to look at them,\u201d Takayanagi adds. \u201cThe Orions could capture the moment honestly, and they offered a wide range of anamorphic focal lengths, especially in wide focal lengths. This was my first time using an 18-millimeter anamorphic,\u201d notably a wide shot of young Bruce cowering on his bed, reading a Superman <\/em>comic book, trying to tune out his parents\u2019 fighting downstairs. \u201cHe feels really small in that space, with that wonderful lens.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the \u201ccontemporary\u201d look, Cella avoided stereotypical 1980s colors, like purples and pinks. \u201cFor a movie taking place in 1981, we\u2019d be seeing clothing, objects, and cars that are probably five or ten years old. So, we needed to recreate the seventies more than the eighties,\u201d she explains. \u201cOur master guidance was photographer Bruce Davidson,\u201d whose book, Subway<\/em>, captures scenes in New York with a very specific palette of muted colors, with Cella says, \u201cpops of reds and yellows.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the 1981 scenes, Takayanagi used the ALEXA MINI LF, the full sensor being its biggest appeal, one which, he says, corresponds to still film, 36 \u00d7 24 mm. \u201cI also like its shallow focus,\u201d he states. For lenses, Cooper wanted something that not only would contrast with Springsteen\u2019s past, as viewed with the anamorphics, but also, he says, \u201cIt\u2019s about how can we dramatize Bruce\u2019s anguish, his internal life \u2013 the introspection \u2013 how can we make the quiet get a little bit louder?\u201d<\/p>\n

To achieve that goal, Takayanagi opted for still camera lenses (spherical) rehoused for use in filmmaking. \u201cIt\u2019s a completely different feel when you watch anamorphic films versus spherical,\u201d explains Kaplan. \u201cThe information is different, the perspective that the lens sees differently, and it was fascinating to mix the two,\u201d taking the viewer from what\u2019s inside Springsteen\u2019s mind, remembering, to his contemporary life.<\/p>\n

ARRI\u2019s Matt Kolze provided a list of available period lenses. Ten different sets were tested on ARRI\u2019s stage before the team settled on a set of NIKKOR still camera lenses, rehoused by Whitepoint Optics in Finland. \u201cIt\u2019s quite an engineering feat,\u201d Kaplan notes. \u201cEach donor lens has its own design, so it\u2019s complex because of the optics and characteristics of each lens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaplan also had to keep an eye on the vintage lenses\u2019 bokeh. \u201cWhen you start stressing the lens, it gives you aberrations,\u201d the AC explains. \u201cIt\u2019s known in the stills world that when these NIKKOR lenses are wide open, they create a kind of glow on the outside of the frame. You can use it to your advantage, but for us, the blooming was unnecessary. So, instead of wide open, we always closed down a bit,\u201d typically at f2.8.<\/p>\n

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Springsteen brought the team to the New Jersey home where the album was recorded, helping Production Designer Stefania Cella to create a period-accurate shooting set of the bedroom at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. \u201cTo have Bruce walk us through that space, show us where everything was…it was the most remarkable filmmaking experience I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Cooper reflects.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere <\/em><\/strong>was filmed on location in<\/strong> New Jersey and at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. Interestingly, Springsteen was a constant presence, except for days when he had concerts \u2013 and, as Cooper notes, often on boyhood scene days with young Bruce and his father, which were a bit too painful to relive. \u201cHe was constantly on the phone with Scott; when he wasn\u2019t there, it was \u2018How did last night go?\u2019 and then he\u2019d be back on set that afternoon,\u201d Kaplan recalls. \u201cIf I had a question about Bruce\u2019s state of mind or, say, a room setup for the band, I could simply ask,\u201d Cooper adds. \u201cThose are things you can\u2019t get from books, only from the subject himself.\u201d And, notes Lillian, \u201cThere was never any criticism or rejection of what we were doing.\u00a0 He always offered encouragement to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are two major locations in the film \u2013 Springsteen\u2019s childhood home in Freehold and the house in Colts Neck, NJ, where Nebraska <\/em>was recorded. Springsteen brought the team to the iconic house, helping Production Designer Stefania Cella to create a period-accurate shooting set of the iconic bedroom at Steiner. \u201cTo have Bruce walk us through that space, show us where everything was \u2013 that\u2019s the gift of having your subject not only be alive but also be so available and generous,” Cooper recounts. ” It\u2019s the most remarkable filmmaking experience I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The home, while fascinating, was not viable for shooting. So, another house, located 90 minutes to the north, in Mountain Lakes, near the New York state border, was selected. Cella set up the living room (where Bruce repeatedly watches the 1973 film Badlands<\/em>, the inspiration for his song \u201cNebraska\u201d) and built a period kitchen into the existing dining room. As for the bedroom set, Cooper says, \u201cIt was easier for us to recreate it exactly to Bruce\u2019s memory than to try and find it somewhere.”<\/p>\n

Springsteen also loaned some personal items to the production. \u201cThe wallpaper seen in the bedroom set is a replica of that which appears in the background of his Darkness on the Edge of Town<\/em> album cover,\u201d Cella shares. \u201cThe painting hanging over the bed is from his home, and the lyric notebooks seen are a combination of the real thing from his archive and recreations.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere <\/em>is the fifth film Cooper and Takayanagi (above) have made together, beginning with 2013\u2019s Out of the Furnace<\/em> and most recently The Pale Blue Eye<\/em> in 2022. \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about Masa,\u201d Cooper states. \u201cHe is as trusted a collaborator as I have.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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While the location house offered lovely views of the reservoir<\/strong> just beyond its forested backyard, the set did not. Instead of using a blue or green screen, or, worse, a curtained-off non-view, it was decided to employ a 30-foot-high, 47-foot-wide LED wall, projecting images captured by additional Camera Operator (and 2nd Unit B-Camera Operator) Matthew Pebler. \u201cWe did that for a couple of reasons,\u201d Takayanagi explains. \u201cOne, a blue screen just doesn\u2019t look good. And two, it helps Jeremy with his performance, projecting something in real time.\u201d Notes Alcantara, \u201cIt\u2019s far better than a blue or green screen, or just a lifeless Translight, to have trees, which have motion, and sunny days, where the water takes on a ripple. And Masa can play a deeper focus and actually see leaves dancing out there, and not just do it in post.\u201d<\/p>\n

Takayanagi went through the script, identifying times of day certain scenes take place, and assembled a list of plates for Pebler to gather. \u201cWe had one or two nights, post-twilight, a true night, and four or five day looks,\u201d Alcantara recalls. DIT Mike Kellogg graded the images to match the look out the windows. \u201cIt also gave me the freedom not to be chasing the light, late afternoon, with the sun going down,\u201d Takayanagi says. And the LED wall would often motivate the lighting in the room, its source informing the mood of the scene. Mitch Lillian provided a large 10-by-20-foot softbox within the 18 feet between the LED wall and the wall of the set, which was gimbaled, to augment what was coming from the LED. Alcantara says ARRI T12 Fresnels provided the late afternoon sun. Inside the room, the practicals did heavy lifting. Alcantara would swap in an Astera Nix bulb if it was desired to warm things up.<\/p>\n

The all-important writing-and-recording scenes, with Bruce (and Mike Batlan) seated at a microphone with headphones on, playing his guitar and singing, were shot two-camera, with Takayanagi and McDonnell working in tandem. Both worked handheld, finding complementary angles to avoid White\u2019s voice getting worn out from too much coverage. \u201cIt worked easily between us,\u201d McDonnell recalls. \u201cMasa might shoot on his left, and I\u2019d be on his right, or vice versa. I might say, \u2018What are you doing, Masa? Okay, you\u2019re getting that? How about I come over with a tight lens, concentrate on his eyes, and go down to his fingers, to the strings?\u2019 And Jeremy always had the mic in the same spot \u2013 you always want the microphone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two had the advantage of an actor who not only was singing to the camera but also playing live as well \u2013 something White learned to do for the role. \u201cIt plays onscreen, because you can actually film his hands doing the string work on the guitar,\u201d McDonnell notes. Adds Takayanagi, \u201cIt was really about capturing the performance and that moment in his journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

White was also shot using rear screen projection, constructed next to the bedroom set at Steiner. \u201cWe had a six-by-six-by-six-foot rear screen, projecting the fire scene from Badlands<\/em> while Jeremy was performing \u2018Nebraska,\u2019\u201d Takayanagi explains. Adds Alcantara, \u201cWe downscaled, so it felt claustrophobic, and did video playback using rear projection to create a truly surreal moment.\u201d Though the shoot was extensive, only a few bits and pieces appear in the film, notably in the Texas State Fair sequence, when Springsteen\u2019s panic and depression set in.<\/p>\n

Step printing was also used in the sequence, shooting footage at 8 fps, which, at the printing stage, is played back at that same speed (instead of 24 fps). \u201cIt tends to introduce a dreamy feel,\u201d Kaplan explains. The MINI LF also allows its shutter to be set almost open, to 356 degrees, \u201cso when you capture the moment,\u201d adds Takayanagi, \u201ceach frame has a little blur, perfect for what we were trying to illustrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A key scene of the young Springsteen running through a field with his sister was executed in three shots, including a fixed-arm Giraffe crane, a drone, and a dolly, the last of which was shot by ICG Operator BJ McDonnell on the first day of filming, with Dolly Grip Jack Lillian (above left) speeding him along on the track.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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One of the most striking black-and-white scenes is when <\/strong>Bruce\u2019s father drives him and his sister, Virginia, into the countryside. He stops at a beautiful farmhouse and turns the kids loose to run through a wheat field. The experience was the inspiration for Springsteen\u2019s Nebraska <\/em>song \u201cMansion on the Hill\u201d and was shot as a combination of three shots, beginning with one utilizing a fixed-arm Giraffe crane. The car arrives, there\u2019s some dialogue at car level, and the camera rises to reveal the house as the children begin to dash out into the field. They are followed by a drone, as well as a dolly, capturing their joy in a three-quarter profile.<\/p>\n

The latter was captured by McDonnell on the first day of filming, with Jack Lillian speeding the operator along on the track. The drone, used here and elsewhere by 2nd<\/sup> Unit, was a DJI Inspire 3, provided and operated by Flying Monster Cinema Drones.\u00a0 It supported DJI\u2019s Zenmuse X9 8K Air Camera. \u201cIt was one of the few times we feel the movement and freedom that\u2019s not in the rest of the 1950s scenes, which have a restricted language,\u201d explains Takayanagi. Adds Cooper, \u201cEven though his father is on the outskirts of the field, Bruce is running with his sister, playing, as kids do when they\u2019re at their freest and most innocent. I wanted to capture that, to show a child who wasn\u2019t simply hiding in fear from his father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional drone work, shot by 2nd unit Director of Photography Chris Bottoms, also played a key role. Takayanagi asked Bottoms to capture images depicting Bruce and his best friend, Matt Delia, driving across the country to Los Angeles. The scenes were shot mostly in High Point State Park in Northern New Jersey, but also on the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which was closed for the production for half a day.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cMasa was specific about how he wanted that drone shot,\u201d Bottoms states. \u201cNinety degrees, facing down, perpendicular to the world.\u00a0 He wanted me to treat the drone like a dolly shot and not like a car commercial. He didn\u2019t want it to look slick.\u201d Adds Takayanagi, \u201cIt\u2019s all about Bruce trying to run away from reality. And by looking straight down, we contrast the beautiful nature around him with Bruce in this tiny car, just a great sense of his loneliness.\u201d Bottoms shot with DJI\u2019s Zenmuse X9 camera, cropped to 2.40:1, providing a RAW file in log format.<\/p>\n

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A key scene showing the recording of \u201cBorn in the U.S.A.\u201d with Bruce and his E Street Band buddies was shot in the same room inside New York City’s legendary Power Station where the song was recorded. The band layout and setup were provided by Springsteen and his longtime producer, Jon Landau, both of whom were present for the day\u2019s shoot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The team also spent three days in the historic Power Station<\/strong>, on West 53rd Street, where countless hit records have been recorded. An important scene showing the recording of \u201cBorn in the U.S.A.\u201d with Bruce and his E Street Band buddies was shot in Studio A \u2013 the same room in which the song was recorded. The band layout and setup were provided by Springsteen and his longtime producer, Jon Landau, both of whom were present for the day\u2019s shoot.<\/p>\n

The scene was shot with two cameras, with both Takayanagi and McDonnell operating handheld. A Ronin was also used, mounted on a Steadicam arm and operated by Pebler. \u201cWe wanted to inject some energy and movement,\u201d Takayanagi explains, \u201cand you would have felt the handheld too much.\u201d Notes McDonnell, \u201cWith Steadicam, you\u2019re limited to your highs and lows, but with the Ronin, you can float in and around people. You can go up to their faces, down to their feet, and keep it all seamless.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team also shot a few performances at the iconic The Stone Pony, in Asbury Park, with White playing with the musicians portraying the band, Cats on a Smooth Surface, and Cella\u2019s art team restoring the front marquee to its 1981 state. \u201cThe Art Department put up traditional gooseneck scoop hat lights, and we wired those with tungsten flood bulbs to create shapes on the walls,\u201d Alcantara recalls. \u201cWe hung a few and didn\u2019t turn them on, to look like there were burnt-out bulbs, and then set them up crooked, so it didn\u2019t look like a movie crew came in and made everything look nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

With hundreds of extras adding to the shoot\u2019s energy, Alcantara says, \u201cPeople would come in and out of shadows \u2013 and that was intentional. This was essentially a dive bar, and we wanted Jeremy to travel in and out of people\u2019s spots, not follow him, as would be at Madison Square Garden.\u201d Hill programmed a series of lighting cues for each song over two days, which, after review by Takayanagi, were put to work on their representative songs.<\/p>\n

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For a huge concert scene, including a raucous version of \u201cBorn To Run,\u201d Chief Lighting Technician John Alcantara studied YouTube footage of the original River tour stage and selected a PAR can-based lighting setup, carefully designed to allow Dimmer-Board Operator\/Programmer Michael Hill to preload color designs. \u201cWe delivered a previs of the whole arena, with each person onstage at different positions, that we showed to Masa and Stefania, and they both loved it,\u201d Alcantara recalls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In early January 2025, a huge concert scene, including a raucous<\/strong> version of \u201cBorn To Run,\u201d was filmed at the (closed) Izod Center in New Jersey. Springsteen\u2019s E Street Band was set up on a 40-by-28-foot stage, built by Cella, with a 100-by-20-foot blue screen 40 feet from the front of the stage, to enable VFX to extend the crowd of 500 background players. Alcantara studied YouTube footage of the original River<\/em> tour stage and selected a PAR can-based lighting setup, which he carefully designed using Vectorworks, allowing Hill to preload his color designs. \u201cWe delivered a previs of the whole arena, with each person onstage at different positions, which we showed to Masa and Stefania, and they both loved it,\u201d Alcantara recalls.<\/p>\n

Sadly, that same period also coincided with the devastating Palisades fire in Los Angeles. McDonnell had already gone home the day before after urgent pleas from his family. Cooper recalls looking over McDonnell\u2019s shoulder, who says that \u201cI had my phone, and tapped on my security camera in my house, and when the image came up, everything was on fire. Scott said, \u2018Oh, my God, is that your house?\u2019\u201d Needless to say, McDonnell flew out the next morning (though there was nothing left to save). On the 8th, shoot day, it was Cooper\u2019s turn to get frantic calls about his house, also in the Palisades. \u201cWe knew the fire was coming, but we never expected it to consume our house,\u201d the director recalls. \u201cWhen it approached, my wife evacuated our daughters, Ava and Stella, and our dogs and moved to a hotel. Then my neighbor called to say, \u2018Your house is burning. And there\u2019s no saving it.\u2019\u201d Says Takayanagi, \u201cScott talked with his family, and they just said there was nothing we could do if we came back, so please finish the film and come back at the end of the shoot, a few days later.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so, despite the tragedy, the filmmakers soldiered on, capturing the ending scene between Springsteen and his father backstage. \u201cThe crew was incredibly supportive,\u201d Cooper states. \u201cEveryone knew my and BJ\u2019s house had burned, and their love and support were something we\u2019ll never forget.\u201d They weren\u2019t the only ones offering support.\u00a0 As Cooper concludes, \u201cBruce said to me, \u2018Scott, get the girls out of the hotel, and move them into my house.\u2019 Our daughters lost everything, including my daughter Stella\u2019s guitar. So what does Bruce do? He sends her one of his.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Springsteen (middle) was a constant presence, and as director Scott Cooper (right) observes, \u201cIf I had a question about Bruce\u2019s state of mind or, say, a room setup for the band, I would simply ask him.\u201d Stephen Graham (left) as Douglas Springsteen, Bruce\u2019s father.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Local 600 Crew List: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Director of Photography: Masanobu Takayanagi, ASC<\/p>\n

A-Camera Operator: BJ McDonnell<\/p>\n

A-Camera 1st AC: Glenn Kaplan<\/p>\n

A-Camera 2nd AC: Adam Russell<\/p>\n

B-Camera 1st AC: Anthony DeFrancesco<\/p>\n

B-Camera 2nd AC: Carrie Wills<\/p>\n

DIT: Mike Kellogg<\/p>\n

Loader: Zakarias Aidt<\/p>\n

Loader\/Utility: Emily Khan<\/p>\n

Unit Still Photographer: Macall Polay<\/p>\n

Stunt Unit<\/span><\/p>\n

Director of Photography\/A-Camera Operator: Chris Bottoms<\/div>\n
A-Camera 1st AC: John Clemons<\/div>\n
A-Camera 2nd AC: Andy Hensler<\/div>\n
B-Camera Operator\/LED Wall Content: Matthew Pebler<\/div>\n
B-Camera 1st AC: Steve McBride<\/div>\n
B-Camera 2nd AC: Yale Gropman<\/div>\n
C-Camera Operator: Beka Venezia<\/div>\n
C-Camera 1st AC: James Daly<\/div>\n
C-Camera 2nd AC: Amanda Uribe<\/div>\n
Additional 1st AC: Matthew Montalto<\/div>\n
Loaders: Morgan Armstrong, Brian Cardenas<\/div>\n
DIT: Luke Taylor<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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