[THE MAIN EVENT]

UpRising: What was the look and feel you sought out to achieve for Him?

Taylor Joy Mason (Editor): My approach on Him was much different than usual. I like subtext, nuance, and subtlety. When reading the script, I had an understanding of how bombastic this was going to be. I was nervous. I had to let go of this instinct to lean on the quiet to tell the story. Once I got over that fear, it was just creating a visceral experience for the audience. We leaned into anything that would give us that kind of reaction. We would be experimenting around the clock. A lot of inspiration and really cool ideas. A lot of them didn't work, but we tried everything when it came to editorial devices and playing with time, pace, and visual effects.

The storyline merges sports and horror, which each have their own associated styles. How did you bridge the gap while shooting Him?

Kira Kelly (Cinematographer): We knew it was walking into this world [with] two different genres that already have their own visual tropes [and] language. So we were trying to figure out where that overlay was. In the beginning, it's just football: a lot of fluid and handheld camera movement. There was a freedom to it. [Director] Justin Tipping’s references were these old ’90s Nike ads, which were really stylized and had a lot of beautiful top lights. We played with that early on. Once Cam (Tyriq Withers) starts his descent in this [football compound], I started going with a static camera that was center-punched, very symmetrical, and more rigid that tipped into Cam being both literally and figuratively trapped in this world. We started playing with a lot more color contrast and shadows. It was fun to mix them up.

One of the more eye-catching aesthetics seen in the film is the X-ray effect. Can you talk about that creative choice? 

Taylor Joy Mason: It's poetic. Most [football] injuries are captured via X-ray. Athletes sometimes are given the worst news of their lives via X-ray. There's something dark but beautifully poetic about that device. What was really cool is we got to use this thermal camera called the FLIR—it shows heat signatures. You're cutting body temperature essentially. So we would have an Arri cam and the FLIR on top of it, and I could intercut between them in post [production]. Visual effects took whatever we cut together and created a whole other world, adding synapses, nerves, and brain movement. They really brought it to life. We wanted the audience to see what every kind of impact looks like, knowing that it happens multiple times a game.

Tell me about the The Last Supper shot.

Kira Kelly: That was a reference Justin showed me. There's this photo of Allen Iverson seated in the middle of the table. There's press and all these people around him. That was the reference for that scene. There was a lot of religious iconography that we played with; horns, goats, and things like that. 

Him is very different from your work on, say, Insecure. What is the throughline for your cinematography style?

Kira Kelly: If somebody were to watch something I've shot on mute, if they're able to tell what the story is only through the cinematography, shots, and the lighting, then I've done my job. That's where I'm always pushing myself. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. But I just want to make sure the cinematography is showing the story. Even if it's a close-up: What is this lens and lighting choice saying about where this character is or where we are within the story? If I'm able to do that, then I feel it's a success.

What advice would you give an aspiring film editor and cinematographer, respectively?

Taylor Joy Mason: Issa Rae [says] all the time: Work with your friends, people who are just as interested and excited to tell stories as you are. Growing together with a group of your peers will have you making movies until the end of time. I’m still working with people I went to school with. I got the Himopportunity because of my colleague, who happens to be directing the film. Having this decade of mutual understanding and work together sowed the seeds for me to work on such an awesome movie. It's the most rewarding experience to work with your peers. So, I'd say start there.

Kira Kelly: Just start shooting. Get yourself a still camera and start playing with what you enjoy, looking at what styles and compositions you like. You might not be able to start a movie tomorrow, but you can go around and take photos and start to create your taste level. That's so much of what cinematography is. Yes, I have to shoot the film in the way the director wants the script to appear. But I also bring my own taste level. And that's something you can always work on—whether you're working or are between projects. Just start shooting and knowing what you enjoy. That's what you start bringing to each of the projects you get from there.

—John Kennedy

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[IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING]

How Tyler Lepley Helped Modernize a Biblical Love Story

The star of Ruth & Boaz spoke at an Atlanta film screening this week about his intentions and approach to showcasing Black romance on-screen.

On representing Black love in culture and cinema

"When you look around, it’s almost like love is starting to feel exhausting. It feels very surface-level, very transactional. Almost like it’s conditional; people only step into it to take something away from it. That’s not what real love actually is. What we did on set in terms of putting our own spin on a classic tale that came from the Book of Ruth is a blessing to speak for us in terms of what Black love is. This is just a refreshing story to let you know that if you step into a relationship and you actually serve the relationship and you serve God and your purpose, you’d be surprised what you actually come out of it with."

On portraying his character

"In each role I take, I try to figure out what’s the contrast to the person? For Boaz, if you saw how determined he was to win that Best in Show [wine award] and honor his father, it takes a certain rigidity. You have to be rigid enough to get there. So that’s the yin. The yang is you have to be fluid enough to serve and then wait to see what God has in store for you. So I feel like that was his contrast that I was trying to search for as opposed to what he looks like or how he’s shovelling the dirt. That was the foundation I had."

Ruth & Boaz is now streaming on Netflix. The film was produced by Devon Franklin and Tyler Perry and also stars Serayah and Phylicia Rashad.

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[TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT]

My outlook on therapy is so pessimistic, it’s not even funny. I might get killed for this… but I put therapists in the same box as psychic readings.

This music star and fashion killa is just beginning to make waves in film, too. You don’t need a crystal ball or tarot cards to figure out who it is—just click here to read all about him in an extensive cover story.