The Cinematography Podcast Episode 333: Jeff Cronenweth

Two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC is known for visually defining modern classics like Fight Club and The Social Network. With TRON: ARES, he melded three distinct realities: the digital Grid, the gritty real world, and the retro feel of the grid in the original TRON.

Jeff’s involvement with TRON: ARES began through his long-standing relationship with Jared Leto. After working together on Fight Club, Leto, who stars as Ares and is a producer on the film, personally asked Jeff to meet with director Joachim Rønning. Jeff found that Rønning had established a remarkably clear vision for TRON: ARES from the start by storyboarding every scene. Having a clear plan was crucial, given the complexity of the environments and the technical demands of the shoot, which included a challenging seven weeks of night shooting in downtown Vancouver.

Jeff chose ARRI DNA LF lenses for their character, flare, and artifacting, even for the digital setting, and the film was framed for IMAX. The core challenge for Jeff was using visual language to differentiate the film’s three central environments, drawing inspiration from the franchise's past while exploring something new.

1. The Main Grid: Predictable Perfection

Referencing the "pristine" aesthetic of TRON: Legacy, the new film's main Grid environment is defined by machine code—a world that is predictable and perfect.

Look: Sharp, clean lines, saturated colors, and a highly geometric, mechanical feel.

Color Coding: The classic blue/gray/white color palette is reserved for the good guys, while the presence of the bad guys is immediately signaled by the use of red.

2. The Real World: Embracing the Grit

In TRON: ARES, for the first time, the computer programs emerge into the real world. Reality required a darker, grittier visual separation from the digital realm.

Look: Shooting in Vancouver's downtown allowed reflections in large glass buildings to enhance the environment's texture. Practical locations, like a chase that concluded with lightcycles crashing into bales of recycled paper on a pier, further grounded the action.

3. ENCOM/Mainframe Grid: A Nod to the Original

To connect back to the franchise's roots, the scenes where the character Ares ventures into the original ENCOM grid to find Flynn needed to match the look of the 1982 film.

Reference: The 1982 TRON's grid scenes were shot in black and white and then hand-painted to achieve the glowing effect.

To mimic this analog feel, Jeff intentionally doubled the amount of grain and desaturated the color, creating a look that closely matches the original. 

Light is both a symbol and a weapon in Tron: Ares. To get the look, visual effects, costumes, props and cinematography had to work closely together. LED lights were installed in costumes, props and sets, and practically controlled through a dimmer board. This gave the VFX team a base to build upon. The lightcycles, some of which were built as practical, towable props, had LEDs built in and connected to dimmer boards as well. The lights provided real, interactive reflections on the actors and surrounding environment. Jeff also used light beams on set to simulate a recognizer scanning a high-rise office. The VFX crew could then track and enhance these practical effects in post-production.

Jeff's choices were crucial for the post-production team. “We all knew what the goals were and what the scenes were going to be about,” he says. “It was a wonderful experience because it took all of us to be in harmony all the time.”

See TRON: ARES in theaters

Jeff is currently shooting The Social Reckoning, with director Aaron Sorkin.

Hear our previous interviews with Jeff Cronenweth:

https://www.camnoir.com/ep150/

https://www.camnoir.com/ep72/

The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com

YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast

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