I shot Vindicta with Alexa 35. I felt comfortable with the sensors, it is shot in a large format. This film has a lot of beauty in it, this camera was a great choice and the main reason I picked it is because of the lens options. I simply knew what I wanted to do, director of photography David Mcfarland said about his latest feature film Vindicta, an intense drama about the Second World War.

He spoke at a special panel discussion, held with the support of ARRI, at the Manaki Cinema in Bitola as part of IFFC Manaki Brothers. The panel was moderated by Chiara Ciattaglia, marketing manager in the company responsible for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.

The film is about 19-year-old Hanna, whose life is broken by tragedy and transformed by vengeance; McFarland shared with the audience some details about the shooting of specific scenes of the film.

“We made the film on several locations in Croatia. This was my first time working in the Balkans. I cooperate with people from many countries and this was an exceptional cooperation. One of the scenes was shot in Maksimir Park in Zagreb, near the city centre; we were shooting at night and it looked like we are in the middle of a forest. It is a beautiful park which allowed us a lot of freedom while shooting. We were shooting in the autumn, leaves were fallen on the ground and the rays of light through the leaves looked perfect”, McFarland said.

In his opinion the most important moments in making a film are those when you see the actors’ emotion
and that is why emotional scenes are his favourite to shoot.

“This creates a link between the viewer and the actor. I want my work to be felt. I made mistakes before, I put my needs above the story, which is not good, it did not fulfil me. For a cinematographer it is very important how the process of work makes you feel at the end of the day. I had the fortune of collecting a lot of knowledge from cinematographers that I met around the world and talking with people who come from different cultures, with their own perspectives, is something very powerful. I hope that I am not ‘wanted’ only because of my abilities as cinematographer, but also because I have perspectives through which I can tell my stories”, McFarland pointed out.