June 2024

Civil War: Chronicling Chaos

Unit photography by Murray Close. All images courtesy of A24. In Civil War, a near-future America is torn between a radicalized U.S. president (played by Nick Offerman) and the “Western Forces” alliance of California and Texas. Director Alex Garland and cinematographer Rob Hardy, ASC, BSC — collaborating on their fifth feature — made combat photography integral to their vision, framing the drama through the lens of a renowned photojournalist covering the events. “Our approach was always about what it must feel like to be present in a war zone,” says Hardy. “We wanted to create an authentic immersive experience.” “I described the look of Civil War as ‘abrasive.’ We wanted to immerse the audience in this world in a very real way to make it...more