When one makes themselves a go-to man for both Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese, it’s safe to say you’ll receive more attention than the average cinematographer. Robert Richardson is no average artist, anyway. The palette brought to their recent films — dreamy, bright, with a special emphasis on theatrical, top-down lighting — makes him as close to an auteur as anybody currently working in the field, and he’s established that reputation while respecting a visually minded director’s rhythms.
In short, it’s also safe to say a 25-minute interview where Richardson discusses The Hateful Eight is worth a listen. Provided herein are plenty of tidbits on the difficulties and joys of shooting Tarantino’s latest feature; perhaps more interesting, though, are the various tidbits about the how and why of his collaborators’ methods. (Take, for instance, the off-handed comment that he “would give the edge” to Tarantino, film-knowledge-wise, in a matchup against Scorsese.) Technical talks don’t get much more personable.
Watch the discussion below (via Larry Wright):