Clubhouse Conversations — Tár

In this episode, cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister, BSC and writer-director Todd Field are joined by interviewer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC to discuss their work on Tàr — a searing psychodrama that charts the downfall of a world-class composer.

Tár explores the public and private lives of composer-conductor Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), whose abuse of power mires her career in scandal and jeopardizes her carefully cultivated reputation within the world of classical music. The film is Field's first in 16 years, and in November, it earned Hoffmeister the EnergaCamerimage 2022 Golden Frog award for achievement in cinematography.

In this interview, Hoffmeister, Field and Prieto discuss the film’s color-grading process; their innovative approach to a much-buzzed-about single-shot scene set in The Juilliard School; how they worked with Arri Rental Berlin to customize lenses for the project; and why a restrained approach to camera movement was crucial to the film's subdued style.

Florian Hoffmeister, BSC is German cinematographer known for such features as The Deep Blue Sea (2011), Mortdecai (2015), A Quiet Passion (2016) and Antlers (2021). In 2012-'13, he became the first cinematographer to win an Emmy, BAFTA and an ASC Award with the same program, for his work on the TV miniseries Great Expectations. In 2014, he was named one of Variety’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch. He has earned an Oscar nomination for his work in Tár.

Todd Field is a three-time Oscar nominee who made his feature film debut at the Sundance Film Festival with In the Bedroom (2001). The film was named Best Picture of the Year by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and went on to receive five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. His next film, Little Children (2006), premiered at the 44th New York Film Festival and received three Academy Award nominations, including one Field shared with Tom Perrotta for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also earned three Golden-Globe nominations, including Best Picture, and was nominated for two SAG Awards and the WGA award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Of Field’s short films, "Nonnie & Alex" (1995) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received a Special Jury Prize. Another short, "When I Was a Boy" (1993), made its premiere at the festival, and was selected to screen at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films Series at the Museum of Modern Art. He has earned three Oscar nominations for his work in Tár, for writing, directing and Best Picture.

Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC is a Mexican cinematographer whose credits include Amores perros (2000), 8 Mile (2002), 21 Grams (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Babel (2006), Argo (2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and The Irishman (2019).

You’ll find all episodes in our ASC Clubhouse Conversations discussion series here.