Cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo Interview: The Difficulty Of Displaying Duality In 'Moon Knight' and Being Courted For More Marvel
Still from Moon Knight, episode 2
While it may not be spurring as many conspiracy theories as WandaVision or Loki, four episodes in and Moon Knight has become one of Marvel’s most exciting event series to date. Since its explosive first episode, it’s not only introduced fans to the darkest and most mysterious corner of the MCU yet, it’s also explored the complexities of mental health too.
For those unfamiliar with the source material, the show’s protagonist Marc Spector has a lot more than just a superhero alter ego. The former mercenary-turned-avatar for the Egyptian moon God Khonshu suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, a mental condition where a person develops multiple personalities in response to trauma. So far, the only other personality fans have been introduced to is the British amateur archaeologist Steven Grant. Although series star Oscar Isaac has made it easier for audiences to distinguish between both personalities through his mannerisms and (most obvious) British accent, behind the scenes there was a lot more work being done to capture the character’s internal conflicts.
Since the ending of episode one, reflections have been the primary way for both Marc and Steven to communicate and quarrel. Mirrors, water, and any other remotely shiny object aren’t the only metaphors for Marc’s mind though. According to cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo, there was another object and recurring shape that the crew enjoyed using to explore his duality too: pyramids.
“The thing that my mind went to immediately was how often we were trying to sneak in pyramidal shapes in architecture, or framing him in sort of pyramidal shapes,” Palermo said. He spoke exclusively to FilmSpeak about his experience on the project and the two episodes he contributed his vision to. “It kind of became a running like a joke for us to just point out pyramids. As we were scouting, [we became] so aware of them constantly... Even Steven’s apartment is a pyramidal structure.”
Andrew Droz Palermo on the set of A Ghost Story
Palermo only directed episodes two and four of the series, yet he’s no stranger to the abstract. From his humble beginnings in the V/H/S franchise to working on David Lowery’s A Ghost Story and The Green Knight, he’s made a living seemingly bringing things audiences might not be able to comprehend to life. The pyramids were the easiest part for Palermo though, as he admits that the sequences involving reflections were the most challenging to execute. Not only did each scene have to be shot twice, but each one also had to be done from a different angle and totally different lighting too.
“If you're standing in front of a mirror, you see yourself one to one. But when the camera’s in another perspective, you can't sometimes see the reflection because the angle is all wrong, Palermo said. He explained that every attempt to “cheat” would pose a totally new set of problems. “If we're shooting Steven in the foreground, he's real, I can cheat the reflection, he can take five steps to his right so the camera can see him in the mirror, but then your eyeline becomes a whole different thing. And then when the camera moves that adds another dimension of of technical challenges.”
Still from Moon Knight, episode 2
Cinematography aside, Palermo asserted that without Oscar Isaac, the entire project might have fallen apart.
“I have to give hats off to Oscar because he was old,” he said. “So much of the burden of the show weighed on him. And if he wasn't doing well, if he didn't perform well, the whole series would fail.”
Despite the challenges, Palermo hinted that he would be down to return to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and all of its boundless possibilities in the future. When asked if he had been courted to return, similar to his buddies Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, he actually confirmed that he had!
“I've been asked a few things. I can't say what. The timing hasn't been right for me yet,” he said. “But I would love to do other Marvel stuff, I'd love to get the chance to do it again. For me, it's always about the filmmaker who is who's leading the ship and because those are the people that I'm with day in and day out for hours and hours on end. So I really need to be excited and inspired, and also like them personally. It's really important to me.”