Episode 133 - Anthony Prince Leslie
My guest this week is Anthony Prince Leslie, a photographer and filmmaker from Brooklyn. He has made a name for himself shooting behind the scenes footage for films like The Drama and Spider-Man Brand New Day. I wanted to speak to him to learn all about shooting behind the scenes on a modern movie set, and on film. This conversation involves some fairly hard-core cameras of the stills and moving picture variety and an impromptu fit check so you might want to watch this one on YouTube.
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Mentioned in this episode
People
Zendaya — connected AP to The Drama and later to Spider-Man: Brand New Day · Wikipedia
Law Roach — celebrity stylist AP worked with on the Bringing It Forward series, including a Tommy Hilfiger campaign · Wikipedia
Tom Holland — star of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, who told AP he loved the sound of his camera on set · Wikipedia
Sadie Sink — mentioned as the subject of new images AP is preparing to release · Wikipedia
Destin Daniel Cretton — director of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, credited by AP for giving him access on set · Wikipedia
Greg Williams — behind-the-scenes photographer known for his work on the James Bond films, cited for a Matt Damon film image printed in Hollywood Authentic · gregwilliams.com
Films and projects
Spider-Man: Brand New Day — the film AP shot special unit stills for; his medium-format and Bolex images from set are the reason Iain invited him on · Wikipedia
The Drama — A24 film starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, directed by Kristoffer Borgli, that first connected AP to feature productions · Wikipedia
Sugar Honey Iced Tea — AP's own feature film in development, about gentrification in Brooklyn, which he now plans to shoot on film
Bringing It Forward — AP's editorial series with Law Roach, including the Tommy Hilfiger campaign that helped lead to his film work
Gear and tools
Mamiya RB67 — AP's favourite stills camera, prized for its square format · Wikipedia
Bolex H16 — his hand-cranked 16mm film camera, used to steal moments between takes on set · Wikipedia
Fujifilm GFX 100 — his discreet, medium-format digital go-to for campaigns and editorials · fujifilm-x.com
Leica M11 — his everyday carry camera, paired with a Zeiss 35mm lens · leica-camera.com
Leica R9 with digital back — a film-era body converted to a 10-megapixel digital camera, which AP recently discovered · Wikipedia
ARRI 416 — the Super-16 camera AP calls his "graduation" from the Bolex, used briefly on the Spider-Man set · Wikipedia
Alexa LF — the large-format digital cinema camera at the top of AP's wish list · arri.com
Canon IXUS 75 — his low-key point-and-shoot for staying discreet on set · Wikipedia
Companies and institutions
Equator Studio — AP's creative studio and full-service production company · equator.studio
Rapid Eye Dark Rooms — the London film lab AP trusts for colour development and scanning · rapideye.uk.com
Kodak London — Kodak's UK film processing lab, credited for fast, high-quality 16mm and 8mm turnaround
Panavision — camera rental house that supplied and serviced AP's cameras on set
Hollywood Authentic — the large-format film photography magazine that printed Greg Williams' Matt Damon image · hollywoodauthentic.com
Music
"Interrogation (Skit)" by A$AP Rocky, from the album Don't Be Dumb — the source of the episode's title line · Wikipedia
Episode Transcript:
Iain
These days it feels like before you even set foot inside a movie theatre, you've got a pretty good idea what the film is like and going to be about. And that's in part because of the deluge of masses of marketing material that are constantly thrown at us on social media. So sometimes when you see something a little bit different or that's been approached in a different way, that's really exciting.
And that's how I found today's guest, A.P. Leslie. A.P. Shoots behind-the-scenes footage for movies like The Drama and Spider-Man Brand New Day. And not only is he shooting behind-the-scenes on a busy film set, He's also shooting it using film.
That's a film moving picture camera as well as film stills cameras in medium format and 35mm and all sorts of other stuff. And when I saw his photos from the set of Spider-Man Brand New Day, it's fair to say I was blown away. And so I was delighted when he said yes to coming onto the show and was excited to show me his camera equipment.
Now, because this is such a visual conversation, I have also made a video version of the podcast. So I've mastered both episodes separately. So this is an audio specific one.
But if you're interested, there is a YouTube episode as well. So without further ado, here's my conversation with AP. AP, it's amazing to see you. Anthony or AP, what do you prefer?
AP Leslie
Call me AP.
Iain
Yes, that's what it says on the Instagram profile. Awesome. It is amazing to see you, sir. I feel like there is so much that we will talk about and come back. I think one of the places I wanted to start I saw your work recently on on Spider-Man on brand new day congratulations on the way that's been received thank you so much you've worked on a lot of films though right and I this is not your first rodeo so talk to me a little bit about discovering the working behind the scene and working on films in the way that you do and how you knew that that was where you wanted to go you're obviously a creative person you probably could have gone in a bunch of directions why film I went to film school and in film school
AP Leslie
I knew that, you know, it was possible to make a movie and like everything I've done, you know, to like express my creativity through film throughout the years of my life leading up to this moment was always from a cinematic perspective. You know, like I would do something so funny as like one at one at one point in my career. My theory was that I will use cinema lenses like Rokinon lenses on a 70 to get a cinematic look.
I didn't quite achieve that in certain areas, but you know, like it was always the aim to shoot cinema. Um, so when the opportunity came, um, through Zendaya who, uh, you know, I'm so appreciative for, she was like, I'm working on this film, you know, I want you to do the, um, behind the scenes for it. Um, and I've always done like the day in the life.
And, um, prior to that, I worked on a series where I called bringing it forward. With Law Roach. And it was during Tommy Hilfiger's release of one of her of her first campaign with them in Paris, all black cast.
And, you know, it was just it was amazing. I got to send you the link to that too. Bringing it forward.
Check it out. I think it's on YouTube. But in coming into this moment, you know, she connected us with NGM.
We spoke. And it was just, it was pretty much seamless from that point in like understanding, you know, how to bring this level of editorial to the film world and allow it to, you know, still see it as a product, but utilize the world building aspects of the characters and the scenarios to help drive the message of what the movie is.
Iain
It must be a pinch yourself moment though to see photos you've made in vogue and like in print like that because that's I feel like these days that's something a lot of artists don't get to see is actually a print product at the end.
AP Leslie
Yeah I mean yeah it's definitely pretty like you know gratifying to see like the work in print and you know being a touch and tangible but yeah I mean everybody doesn't appreciate the same thing about what is done. I feel like, you know, digital has opened up the worlds to us that were kind of re-existing in the world. It's like all these different worlds. So I love the exercise of both.
Iain
Do you feel, because you shoot, you're shooting a physical medium, right? And you're probably processing and dealing with files digital just because you have to. Yeah, definitely. Do you feel like there's value in the space? Like a lot of people I talk to sometimes talk about the space they need to create in work between capture and and then actually viewing images and getting that space between them is that partly what's good for you as well in terms of shooting film and using that medium for whether it's motion film or whether it's stills to be able to communicate with you know my our collaborators my collaborators about like what my process is ahead of these projects definitely gets me to space to really think about like
AP Leslie
On a project management level, you know, what time, what's my timeline looking like for what I need in order to complete this? And that's definitely saved me. And I mean, in my younger years, like not really understanding what the process is, but going with my gut, you know, led to me just saying like, let me just figure it out in post, you know, that type of situation. But, um, I think because we really care about the work, like we want to make sure that we shoot something that, you know, matters every, every second every shutter roll counts and um I deal with the image in that way where you know I really want to be sure about what we're shooting before we shoot it which gives me clarity gives the helps me give the the people behind the camera clarity um to really find those moments and be specific about that so um yeah I definitely I definitely have been able to this space by way of showing.
Iain
Yeah. When I think of a film set, maybe naively, or a film crew, I should say, because film crews, to people listening who maybe don't know, I think they come together very... There's a lot of people come from different projects.
The crew working on a film is pulled together from a bunch of freelance people, effectively. You come together as a big family to make this incredible production, and you hear, You hear actors and stuff talk about the first film where they're like, I thought we'd all be friends forever and we'd worked and then it just disperses. Right. And it's, but I've never thought of having the kind of the behind the scenes and the stuff you're talking about as being part of that. I'm, it feels like something more recent, like as, as there's a hunger for behind the scenes. And I know there was a lot of behind the scenes stuff produced for things like Spider-Man, but I'm guessing you have to fit in.
How, how early on in the process are you slotted into that team working on that thing? Is it fairly early on so that you can you can kind of work with them really closely?
AP Leslie
Yeah, sometimes, I mean, we work in a fast-paced nature, so you know, you might get a call, you know, where you might be, but you just gotta, if you believe in it, it follows, it's on your heart, then you follow that in this, in this world. So that's one thing. I will say that like, it's definitely easier to, well, there's been times when, where I've been called while they're in, you know, at the end of pre-production and going into production.
They might send me the script and let me know when there might be on the days on set we'll agree to and then you know we'll get into it and that is something that will happen when I worked on the drama. I got to read the script before going on set which gave me an idea of like what my intention is into like capturing this behind the scenes. You know I'm not just thinking about all right I'm here to capture the behind the scenes.
My exact I guess roll on set is special unit stills. So when I'm coming at a special unit, I'm not behind the scenes video, I'm not behind the scenes photo. But I am doing those things.
I'm documenting. So I have like a little bit more, I have like a, I usually come with a creative that's attached to some of the things that I've probably read in the script, if I'm fortunate to read it, or, you know, just some ideas from whatever, you know, materials that they might've shared beforehand on what they're, what they're doing. So, you know, shot lists will come out of that equipment list will come out of that.
And then we get to it. But there's also times where, you know, I might be called to just do a day on set, you know which is also cool too, because you, we just find a different way to be creative about it.
Iain
Yeah. I guess opportunities must just come up and it's like right we've just got to get them back in for this or we're reshooting that or whatever do you pitch as well like people when you know this production is happening or go or do people tend to like Zendaya brought you in she said I've worked with these people before they know you know so I run a creative studio called Equator Studio we also we're a full service production company as well and you know a lot of times we're pitching on projects throughout the you know year
AP Leslie
And that might look like a collaboration with h&m and ruth carter that might look like nike at this point it's it's pretty awesome to be able to like you know still work within the commercial industry because that is like uh you know our jam like it's how we build community we meet people and are able to think about like all these creatives that I want to build with when it comes to my personal projects it's so cool it must
Iain
It must be like a day in the life of AP must be very varied, right? Like one minute you're plotting something for a behind the scenes of a movie. Next minute, some sort of hyper real fashion type thing. Do you like the variety? Is that part of what's appealing about something like this line of work?
AP Leslie
Yeah, definitely. I feel like the streamline through the work that I'm creating is usually to document the now. Yeah, you know, so that can fall in whatever category that It could be health.
It could be fashion. It could be, you know, it could be toys. I don't know.
Kids. It's just it's about documenting it now. Like and this is one thing that's also on my heart. Like, you know, all these, you know, documentary works that I have, like I could see it kind of coming in like a web of, you know, all these different stories that are actually all interconnected.
So. You know documentary approach has really given me the chance to like be in the moment with the viewer be in the moment with the people that I'm working with my subject and really documented in a way that people can have that visceral reaction or that feeling that is associated with the image.
Iain
You mentioned that web which is like a nice way of thinking about our work in general, you know, in our careers. Like this is like a tapestry of interconnected projects and things. I certainly think about it in relation to the show. Do you have like a bigger picture, broad manifesto vision of like where you're headed or like is there a kind of a North Star in terms of I don't know what work we're doing, but it always kind of needs to be this or this.
AP Leslie
I'm going after my next feature. Like I'm trying to get to the features. I want to work on my own feature work.
You know, like I've, I've received so many stories and be able to work, you know, and being able to create such a great community of people that like right now I'm working on a film called Sugar Honey Iced Tea that means so much to me and I feel like it's going to mean so much to Brooklyn. And then after that, it's going to mean so much to the world because so much of what we love is changing. Talk more on that. Say more on that. So Sugar Honey Iced Tea is, um, it speaks on the gentrification. Happening in Brooklyn, New York, through a few different perspectives. And I wanted to level the playing field and really get our understanding of like what it means for change for people in community and how we can influence how we can actually go about it. And hopefully I can come out with this really heartfelt film that everybody can see themselves in and also be able to bring new solutions to, you know, how things change, you know, where we live and the places that we love.
Iain
That sounds, it's meaningful work, right? Which I think is important. You're not just like, yes, you will shoot a campaign or a fashion piece, but also as you get attacked by a cat. Yeah, all you see, right?
AP Leslie
She needs attention. I love her so much.
Iain
The number of episodes of the podcast that listeners don't realize have been interrupted by cats and dogs. Oh, wow. Our furry friends somehow know we're doing something important. And then they're just like, Well,
AP Leslie
You're in Cali. I'm happy. You're happy.
Iain
Yeah. So growing up in Brooklyn, then, I think I read you're a Brooklyn born and bred. Is that right?
AP Leslie
Yes, I'm a Brooklyn native. Yeah. By which, you're making parents.
Iain
Yes. So convincing them, mom, dad, I'm going to be an artist and I'm going to shoot film and I'm going to do it. I mean, now I imagine they're perfectly, they're like, AP's cool. We don't need to worry about him.
But most parents, when you present, them with, I want to be an artist, maybe react a little bit. Did you have to kind of push back against that and work your way through it?
AP Leslie
So actually, there's only one other thing that I had to have pushed back with my mom, but I'll talk to you. We'll talk about that afterwards. My mom actually gave me one of my first cameras.
Iain
No way.
AP Leslie
Yeah. She gave me like this gold camera she got from like a pawn shop and on Utica Avenue. It was a 35mm Canon camera and I didn't really know how to use it. I didn't know what she was telling me to do with it, but I was just like, I cherish it.
You know, I cherish it. And like, you know, it's crazy even still to this day. I've never used it, but it really had like an effect on me where it was just like, huh, like I appreciate this work of art that my mom shared with me and she must really love it because she got it from me, you know?
And she was always a person with a Kodak camera at the beach. Kodak camera, you know, disposable cameras everywhere with the family. So we have pictures because some of what she did and she had friends that had cameras too.
Like there was this guy named Tony who used to, you know, video my family. And like, you know, I have some footage of like of me when I was younger from this VHS that I'm just like, wow, this is. You know, this is actually fire.
Iain
Having the artifacts is so important. It's funny, before talking to you today, I have a... I shoot a little Polaroid. I have my little box of Polaroids on my desk.
And it's just... It's joy, right? Like, even, you know, just having the little, you know, like, fun little ones of the kids with toys.
And like, there's the youngest one knitting, and he's having the time of his life. And there's just something wonderful about, like, almost because you take them and you put them in the box. To let them kind of bake for a while because polaroids take a while to develop and you know that's just the way it is and then you come back to it months later and you're like and there's these moments and stuff I I like to stamp the date on the back of mine I think having those artifacts is so important especially now i'm a dad my catalog their life even though they're sick of me pointing a camera at them at this point I gotta be a second nature like you know i'm the the the family member with the camera just let me be you know I can't this is how this is
AP Leslie
It's just part of me in communicating. Like some people like this is our medium. This is how we talk. You know, that is my voice essentially sometimes. So like it also does it justice because now I'm documenting it now for our family and like, you know, to be able to create that chart and that level of like generational wealth and knowledge is so important.
Iain
This is how we express love like through these cameras and like, you know, you might not always want me to point the camera at you, but you'll be glad of it decades from now when you look back. So you don't use that one, you don't use that camera that your mom gave you on set, but what are you kind of running around with when you're shooting?
AP Leslie
Okay, when I'm shooting and okay, if you have a Mamiya RB67, you know if you touched it that it is heavy. It's a very heavy camera and I mean I wouldn't exaggerate and say it's very heavy, but like you gotta like know you're gonna go grab some moments if you're gonna take it off the cart. And be moving with it.
But I shoot with the Mamiya RB67. And it's just one of my favorite cameras just because the image. And I realized something like, you know, in shooting and looking through the viewfinder, me seeing a square for some reason makes more sense.
Like, I love open gate. Like, I'm an open gate. If we shoot on Alexa 35, we go on OpenGate.
That's the look and feel that sometimes I'll be on a commercial side, tussling with some of the traditional companies on like, can we shoot at OpenGate or is it 16x9? Now it just so happens that if you shoot in square, you can still get that 9x16. You know in a little more considered frame but anyways all that to say is that I love this camera because I could see you know I see when I look through the viewfinder there's a square there and I've been able to you know start to paint my world in that through that square frame and that's the same thing with the bolex this is the h16 You know this camera right here with the trigger.
You can't you gotta get it with the trigger. You have to. Oh,
Iain
Right.
AP Leslie
The handle like it's so it's so important and like native to like just like feeling the footsteps of when you're in motion and you know walking on and walking with your subject. But it also does really well when it's on tripod. It's amazing on tripod as well.
So like just for For instance, like when I'm, when I was on set, um, for Spider-Man, I had this on a tripod, like just the grip on it so that whenever I needed to just take it off to just go handheld, um, I can go. So I have to create a little bit of a support there as well for it, but it was definitely helpful in being able to transition from like more stable shots to, you know, jumping in when I can to like get a You know what he just put on screen for the camera. You know, the actual film camera. So this I love this camera so much.
I have a new lens on it. The two are new ones that I have is the 10 millimeter and it's the 17 to 68. Telephoto lens and I'm just rotating these babies like this all day.
Iain
Right.
AP Leslie
Wow. You know,
Iain
And around. Yeah.
AP Leslie
These lenses are rotated. So and it's for that nature, you know, it was made, it was made to be mobile on this. Most cases, like sometimes I might have my, you know, tool.
That's my secret. Okay. Now that y'all know, we can bleep it if you want.
I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Bleep it. Bleep it. I keep, I keep two of the lenses on my, on the side, on a little strap that I got in a camera store in London. You can put two lenses on at the same time and it would just be sling around my shirt and I mean around my shirt and then I use like the the C mount to EF to C mount so that I can throw the lenses on this camera it's something beautiful that happens when you put like modern you know lens with a you know vintage body like this because it just it gets a little bit more crisp but it's still It still feels like it has this like texture that obviously feels a little more soulful. So that's something that I really do love about, you know, the Bolex and like being able to print image with it.
Iain
I love and I've talked about it on the show before, but the way that when they made Dune, they shot it digitally, but then transferred that image, exposed that image onto film. And then that as the, and they did the tests. They were like, do we shoot it all film?
Do we shoot digital and do an after effect on it? And they landed on the real thing. And I think there's something about an organic, in inverted commas, but the natural crystal structure of film.
Even though cameras and software are getting really good at it, you still can't beat the real thing. I was looking today, Greg Williams does a lot of behind the scenes stuff with Bond and things like that. He does a magazine called where he posts a lot of behind the scenes stuff actually that he's done over the years.
AP Leslie
I would like to see his work.
Iain
Oh yeah. No, Greg Williams is gangster. I met him last year in Germany. He's brilliant.
AP Leslie
I got you saying gangster made me really interested.
Iain
Yeah. Yeah. No, he's amazing.
He's probably photographed gangsters, but he he shot the he had a picture in the new issue of Hollywood Authentic, which is Matt Damon on the set of the talented Mr. Ripley. So it's 1998. He shot the image on film on his M6 and it's, he's blown it up. The magazine is giant.
Like it's, it's a broad sheet newspaper size magazine. The picture has this just beautiful texture to it and grain. And I guarantee that if I was to make that image now with a, with my digital M, like I shoot an M, you could have the same lens. You could have basically the same physical package and everything, but it just wouldn't, it just wouldn't look the same.
And I try not to be too nostalgic about film because I really got into photography post-digital. So I kind of have to, I can't pretend that I have quite the same level of nostalgia for it, but I'm learning to use it.
AP Leslie
Same. I mean, I had no choice. I'm like, as soon as I went to film school, it was really cool to like go into it with VHS because it's like, that's how we're just getting us to like, okay, this is what you get into.
This is how you get into it. We had a XV100 with Panasonic. It was a Panasonic.
But it was the handheld VHS Handycam. And then we graduated to the HVX. There's another one. I can't remember.
But it was the more digital 1080p cameras. And everybody wanted to use that camera so much. But man, I really love the VHS camera. And I love the process of going through the tape deck and watching everything down.
It gives you something to do because now with digital, you just throw everything on the timeline, just watch it. Like, boo. Nah, I'm just kidding.
But that's helpful. But watching down the footage through the tape recorder inside the school lab, it was a time for people to kind of show off the things that they was working on in the lab. It offers conversations and time for you to also just sit down and look at what you're creating and have something to do about it. You have to make sure that you're there just in case a frame is missing or off or you have to stop it and re-tape it.
It's like a process that you have to work with the footage. I enjoy looking at the work that way too.
Iain
I will call it a delicious pain with film where unfortunately when it hits, does it hit and then there's just nothing like a really good polaroid I um photographed my sister-in-law's and her husband's wedding and I had a polaroid there just for fun at the last minute right I threw a polaroid in the bag I was like we'll get some polaroid pictures let's go and I got this incredible shot i'll send you afterwards of them on a bridge in scotland they got married in the highlands so it was sunny in the highlands and so it's just this incredibly beautifully exposed image all done I can claim no credit it was pure luck and chemistry vibe to is the vibe so so so important you said chemistry but as you continue yeah well but that's the thing it's like it was just there and then and then I was like with this artifact in the middle of nowhere there is only one copy and there is no backup and then you're just holding this picture going I have to hope to everything that I don't lose this or mess this up and thankfully it's framed in their house now it's not my responsibility yeah I mean that is
AP Leslie
Every part of your responsibility for them to remember that moment. And you did just that. And like, again, like you don't know what film does. And like it, it's definitely, I mean, there's a way to like, obviously get the clear image and make sure it's of that standard. But like, there's just something that happens, you know, that is unexplainable and, you know, capturing the work. And you said something about the chemistry is it's all chemicals.
And I feel like we're a chemically balanced people. Too, you know? So like, duh, it makes sense. This is how we see the world and that's how you print the world that we see.
So yeah, I love film and I love seeing, I do love seeing the print as well. I definitely keep getting requests about like all these people wanting prints for these Spider-Man images and like, it need to happen. Like, that will be fire.
You know, like, we have these Tiff that have all this information. And when I'm telling you I'm zooming in, I'm zooming in into the Punisher's eye. I'm zooming into his skin texture.
When I'm zooming in, I'm seeing the crossfade between MJ and Spider-Man. I can see where it happens chemically, where the double exposure actually hit on it. It's amazing.
So seeing that printed, and I know Z asked me to print that for her. I'm going to the dark room. And it needs to, I need to see it printed on that, that beautiful texture paper, that image.
Huge is, I know it's going to be insane.
Iain
Yes, no, it definitely will be. And I was actually off mic going to ask you about prints and not whether you make them. Because yes, I would also kill a grandmother to get hold of a print of the photos. You were talking about like the one of the mask with his eye visible through the kind of the crack and stuff like that but you mentioned focus and actually one of your most interesting images to me was the blurry one of tom holland as peter parker where there's kind of blurred because mild spoilers for anyone listening if you've not seen brand new day but you've had over a month now i'm just gonna you had a month exactly like you know 24 years i've been there day one but the the thing the film is about that separation of his personality from his alter ego and how he's dealing or how he's not dealing with that actually as he's dealing with it like a lot of young men deal with their problems by drinking protein shakes and running on a treadmill but you captured it you captured it beautifully the kind of the the sort of the anxiety I guess that came across in that character in that moment is that something you're talking about chemistry you developing that chemistry with the performers and coming up with those ideas for the shots or is it emerging and you're kind of on set and you're like, hey, hold still. Let's try this. I'm curious how that kind of comes about.
AP Leslie
Well, it definitely, you know, there's a process to get into this moment where I'm going to plop you in. But after conversations with the producers, you know, Rachel, Amy and Tom, it was just like. Peter is fading and and spider-man is coming to the forefront but he has work to do to balance both of his lives you know to really get what he really wants and the humanistic you know nature and these traits of this superhero is you know it's it's the imbalance you know it's like you have you have both but I think in you know in this in its pursuit to achieve in this you know next level version of himself that he had to graduate to in order to really appreciate his even his new powers you know um it it was my job to help help them in their world building efforts to print that you know to be able to get that moment and you know when I after being on set for a few weeks because I started in august um I actually got I love her so much Rachel O'Connor.
But she was just saying like after being there from August to like about September I finally got you know chance to like to show him to show Tom a few of the images and because Z told him to she was like Anthony you need to show Tom this. He was like he would love this. I showed him some of the images and it was like okay now it's starting to make sense. He was like okay I love this. This is So now when I was time for me to go on set and capture these moments that we spoke about, it was informed why I'm stepping in between a very busy schedule.
Shouts to Jeff, he gave me so much love. AP, you got to get out the way. Of those characters where it made sense from my lens.
And I truly appreciate those moments because I knew that this is what was designed and, you know, and the understanding in my shot list and, you know, seeing all the visuals that started to come out of it was just like, okay, this is what we need to keep hitting the hammer on.
Iain
And is it always color you like to because in my capacity as a tourist and I'm developing my own film but because of that I'm developing only black and white so I'm always curious with color do you have like a trusted lab you're going to because you want that consistency I assume.
AP Leslie
I was working with Rapid Eye London Rapid Eye Dark Rooms in London there they were able to you know sign whatever necessary information so that I can just you know have like a regular Production Assistant to just bring the you know the rolls over to develop it and send back the negatives and and send me the scans so that was extremely helpful I just love like you know in their development like it's just the milky texture that Lance like with their skin in the how they managed my 800 ISO film I feel like really did justice the final image.
Iain
I hadn't even thought about that. Of course, they'll have to sign everything. It'll have to be developed.
I used to work in video games. So secrecy is something that is paramount when new consoles are coming out. They have to be locked in.
Presumably, there's one person allowed to develop this role and you've got to keep it all separate. Oh, wow.
AP Leslie
Yeah. I wonder what the person who was scanning these images in, I wonder what they were saying. Like what like because it's so tight like you can't know like I was going it was going underneath the code name like the dual oasis so you know nobody couldn't know that we were working on it because there's like people who are really excited about it and people are leaking information so yeah it must have been really cool to be in a lab and just be developing something like oh we're spider-man yeah that'd be amazing we
Iain
I would say Scotland got very excited when Tom Holland came to Glasgow when they were filming those sequences in Glasgow there's an amazing clip someone posted on Instagram of they were filming that sequence and they were going up and down the street all day and the first time they went down and there's explosions going off and whatever and as they swing by and the footage of from someone's phone right and they're stood way way back so you just see this thing in the distance and it was great because in the distance this thing flies by as an explosion and everyone cheers and then there's this one voice comes through as this guy in glasgow is like that's fucking spider-man and he just it was so good I was watching I was watching this clip I was like that has to be in the movie like they should you know but it's so cool that it happened and people were just there people came out for it
AP Leslie
They loved it yeah that's so freaking cool man and that's those are the real moments that I just love
Iain
About life like that's fucking spider rat like what like but it's just this thick glaswegian like check it out um yeah it was very good i'll get in trouble for my accent but yeah well the other iconic photo of yours that I really that from that set in particular was the one in the window silhouetted where he's in the suit and just incredible is everything you're shooting medium format then that stills or do you kind of have a little 35 in your back pocket as well
AP Leslie
Everything i'm shooting there is medium format because that's the moment you know like I met the moment um you know at the time right time in my place and um that's when I say when you go out with the with the medium format when I was stepping from my camera cart from set I mean from behind the scenes up to the set, you know, in the DODC building, I was like, I'm going to go capture an iconic moment. And God, please be with me. That is exactly what happens.
So, like, yeah, medium format is, like, my preferred choice when it comes to, you know, getting that moment. But I do have, I had a canon, I'm on IXU at 75. It's my little point and shoot.
Yeah. Wow. This has been the one thing that's also been like my just go to and like being in a being on set and not causing too much you know level of attention.
It's already me. You know you seen as you can see I'm kind of I'm a little bit fashionable. I'm a fashion icon. I would say that you know I'm saying like I'll take that. Myself. Go AP, go AP, go AP. But I love, I love, I love dressing. I like, and obviously I'm not trying to do too much and that is not the point of me being on set, but it's like a big part of my character and like how I'm able to connect with people buying the camera.
So again, I'm, I'm, I don't want to be a distraction at all points. So having this camera was very discreet. I have, I'll shot with this. I shot with the Fuji.
GFX 100 as well. This camera is also an amazing camera because it's medium format digital. It still kind of gives me that depth of field that I love so much.
Yeah, I love this camera. This is this is like my go to for like campaigns, editorials. When I when they still want to see the image on the screen and you know, I can still get the filmic look and texture.
Iain
You've got plenty of resolution to play with there too. And with the, with the XS, you've got that CCD type sensor, I'm guessing in that little camera. So it kind of has that slightly warmer filmy and it's like seven megapixels.
And it's funny, you've got that. So for my, for my vintage camera thing. So I, I've had listeners will know a one camera rule forever to try and keep myself honest.
Right. So I have an M11 that I shoot with all the time. That's my take everywhere, everyday camera, because it's It's small and like the quality is amazing. I love the M11.
Yeah, it's great. And I have my favorite Zeiss lens 35. I go everywhere and I shoot everything with this and this and I even sometimes shoot it just as a JPEG camera.
So I just set it to JPEG to vivid and then it just I get what I get. And I feel like that's making me a better practitioner. But recently I came across this.
So the are, you know, the Leica R series, the R8 and the R9. This is the R9, but it has a digital back. So you could take the film door off and put this digital back on and it becomes a 10 megapixel digital camera with a film winder underneath as well.
Yeah, it's ridiculous. Now wait till you hear this shutter, my friend, because I think there is a good chance you'll end up with one of these on a set one day.
AP Leslie
That sounds like the perfect concoction of what I was talking about earlier. Like new cinema the old body that the mix and mashup is timeless but go ahead let me hear this shit okay ready yeah oh my gosh do y'all hear that it's so good it's like robocop yes it's like ed 209 walking like stop okay yo what okay so while I was on set right as spider-man like um we're here to geek out about this guy so I don't want you all I think talk about oh he just went and talked about that like I read it you got about that because this is a geeky episode sorry yes number one shout out to Brett the DP shout out to Destin um director who was so gracious to let me like work with his characters and give me access on set and Brett amazing DP Spencer amazing gaffer like they really deliver deliver a level cinema and like let's just say that like low light digital cameras and film You know cameras shooting underneath the same lighting is it might might be a blackout you know what I mean like you might not see nothing but but they were painting something so beautiful and like opening up that that um open up their f-stopped to like have that really shallow depth of field um it looked amazing it looks so damn amazing um but all this to say that when I was on set and I had to step in for a moment. I would get a moment, but if I have to steal a moment, you know, like while they're about while they're saying like, all right, you know, they're doing the calls before, you know, the first 80 goes out action.
I would try to steal like a couple of moments on the bolex. Now, whenever you whenever the bullets run is loud, it goes like I'm out to play for you right now, too. I got to wind it up.
You got to wind this baby up. There's an electric version that you could get the adapter for too, but I don't know. I think this is a good workout, you know, I guess.
So anytime I'm about to shoot, I like, I could look up sometimes and I might catch Tom looking at, oh, let me stop this. I might, anytime I'm shooting with this, like right before, they yell it sometimes I would see Tom's ears perk up right a little bit then he would look at it he knows me you know so like where we're like at Dorchester you know when they're shooting the prison scene we had a really cool um we had a really cool like after party you know for all their guests and it was so much fun um but uh what you call it Tom's like you know AP I'm so happy. You know, I love hearing the sound of your camera.
And I was just like, yo, that was such a great comment. Like, you know, I really appreciate that you have the sound of my camera because I feel like I'm being so annoying. Because like, I know like I should be shooting with a digital camera, but I feel like I need to capture this on film.
You know, like I love the medium so much. And yeah, I just needed to shoot with it. But it's just like, it's not as discreet as you want to be. But in that case, it's like, it just kind of fit into the rhythm of all the happenings now, you know, and like, I'm so grateful for the space that they created for me.
And that way, I know the sound type sometimes was just like, AP, come on now, man, you know, but I'd be capturing the moments, you know,
Iain
I've talked about this a lot in the past on the show about you've got to use something the way it wants to be used. And I wouldn't go to a restaurant that's known for great pasta and stuff and say, can you do me some sushi? It doesn't work.
So if that's the medium that speaks to you as a creative person, then why ask you to use something else having seen what you've made with it as well? It wouldn't make sense. My friends make fun of me for picking up this silly camera with its silly old lens and mechanical winder that has a reputation for breaking.
AP Leslie
But I love it and I don't want to shoot with anything else I just right so the heart wants what the heart wants yeah literally like um like this all spawned from like working on challengers and what we were able to create you know it was amazing and it felt like real it felt authentic especially because it came from the hands of myself and Z you know Z got a VHS camera she got this palm recorder VHS camera that I also have. So like on set of challenges, I captured all these like home VHS moments to feel really make it make it really feel homey and like, you know, attached to the error that the that the film was filmed in, especially when they were younger. So she took it upon herself to also capture some moments of her like working with them behind the scenes.
And we were able to put it together and work together on like what the look and feel of this thing was, which ultimately I feel like is what landed me. What actually landed me on set of Spider-Man. Not to mention that same producers.
Iain
It goes back to what we were saying before, isn't it? It's like this wonderful freelance. That's how a lot of creative projects work.
It's like you find work through working with the same people or they introduce you to someone else. That's what's so exciting about your story is I can't wait to see what you do next. Like these are all wildly different things, but with enough interconnected tissue behind the scenes that I, we, you know, we'll get to enjoy and see you play in a bunch of different arenas, you know?
AP Leslie
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, ultimately equator studio, I want it to be a movie marketing studio, you know, like I feel like we want to put the fans first, put the, you know, the, the geeks first and like create content around these movies, these blockbuster moments that, um, feel like it's speaking to these sub-communities, you know? Like, in order for... I feel like for... In order for a movie to really sell, you know, you have to really get down to the ground level of, like, you know, who are we affecting? And it's something that, you know, these bigger companies do, obviously, like, so damn well.
But sometimes people hit Mr. Mark on, like, really capturing their audience. And I really think that we can help with this, like, editorial eye and more acute eye on, like, what... Is necessary for people to pull away from these films that resonates with them, you know, or like this, what they love about it just in general.
Iain
So what's kind of on the list for next like you've got, it seems like your kit list is fairly stable, with the exception possibly of me tempting you with our nines. But what's kind of on your is there something that's on the get list that you're like, there's a type of thing I want to do. And if I have this.
AP Leslie
What camera do I want right now? Because I just rent these cameras, but I feel like a camera that I do want that I would love to just have, I would like to have I would just like to have an Alexa LF so I could shoot open gate the way I want to you know and I just like the quality of relative we all do and I could like offer that cinema that's in a level just to like have something that could just like this grab one about you know grab it for like personal projects to like understand like what practice with the visual you know but outside of that, the ARRI 416 okay the bullet the ARRI 416 is what I really It's a square, you know, the vibes. When I'm looking through that, we'll find it. I think the ARRI 416 is, you know, the graduation from this Bolex for me.
I feel like I got one, I got two days with that camera on set of Spider-Man. And I can't wait to show you guys what it looked like. But it's so silky smooth.
It's high definition. You still feel like you feel that you still feel the chemicals you know working and in the image so like or like the grain breathing in it right I feel like there's definitely like new ways to that I feel like I want to well like ways I want to experiment on working with it like the shutter like you like really being able to craft my own type of shutter all type of like light leaks and stuff like that like that's going to be something that I would want to work on with that because ultimately how you manipulate in the image you know it's gonna affect the image so like I want to try things like that so I could be more intentional on these cuts and stuff like that um I love film pops I love grain I love I love the epitome of the film you know like I love that that rough shit you know yeah um there's this one this is one um this is one scale on asap rocky asap rocky album that I love It spoke to me about the way film speaks to me. It's something that I love.
Let me find this for you right now. I gotta do this justice. It's on Don't Be Dumb, his new album, and it's called "Interrogation (Skit)".
[Sample]
I ain't gonna put out no crystal clear garbage. I put out staticky good shit.
AP Leslie
That is that for me. I'm not putting no squeaky clean bullshit. I put on some staticky good shit.
That's the only part you really needed to listen to. That's the part that I got. I love the stat. I love the graph.
That's it. Yeah.
Iain
No, it's weird because it's the same reason that I've been running around with my 60 megapixel modern thing and then somehow I am loving shooting something that's 10 megapixels with an old lens and whatever. And you're right. It's just what is the quality of it that just speaks to you and makes something that feels more truthful, I think, and more honest sometimes.
AP Leslie
I love that that's what you're chasing that's amazing yeah man I love this I love film so much um shout out to Kodak um Kodak London um shout out to Andy shout out to Craig you know shout out to Tim like I mean sorry shout out to Dan like they were taking all these real 16 millimeter reels 8 millimeter reels and um you know put uh started developing it in their labs on the same as the film so I got to go to Kodak every day and bother Andy or Dan or Craig and we would talk for like 30 40 minutes without when I'm supposed to be on set and you know sometimes they would even color some of the some of the film rose the dailies for me and I really appreciate them so much like I love I love the film community like they just understand the time and uh and even just to to help with the timing like They gave me these films. They gave me the development after I gave them gave them all the reels in 24 hours. And I'm like, what the heck?
Like, what the heck? Like, I don't get I mean, I understand that like, it's just it's on the lot. And I'm not sure what their bandwidth is. But like, I don't get that at home.
I'm waiting five days. Yeah,
Iain
Yeah.
AP Leslie
So like, 24 hour development, and it looks beautiful. Yeah. And, you know, being I got taken through the lab and like shout out to Andy.
He took me through the whole lab and like all the different tanks, drying the film, you know, washing the film, you know, looking how that like pointing out the specifics between 16 and eight and how they kind of go through the process a little bit differently. It was just such an amazing opportunity. And then outside of that Panavision, you know, it was really helpful. I got my ARRI 416. From Panavision, but they also cleaned my bolex 16 millimeter. They cleaned my Canon 10 XL eight millimeter camera. You know, um, uh, I didn't know what I was doing, you know, like not servicing my equipment. Like, you know, like I said, these things happen fast, you know?
Um, sort of the fact that like, um, you know, the production team, um, you know, Pascal productions amazing. Like they were able to get me the, um, you know, to connect me with Panavision who cleaned my cameras and got them spick and span so that I can go out in the field with them. And if I had any issues, they will see how they can help.
But the rentals was never an issue.
Iain
So cool. You sound like you've got to work with some amazing people as well on this stuff, which is really good. Last thing I wanted to ask you about, and then I'll let you return to your day because I feel like I could talk to you for hours.
AP Leslie
Yeah.
Iain
You mentioned there like a bit of personal stuff like with other cameras and stuff. Is that where you kind of experiment? Because you like your projects come up quite fast and then you've got to be there in your face. Is it the personal stuff where you're letting yourself experiment? Are you quite good at making a bit of space for kind of experimentation and trying stuff out and going, ah, that'll be the next thing?
AP Leslie
Yeah, I mean, going back to what we talked about earlier, like shooting my family and my friends is some of the things that It's been so rewarding to have all my film cameras out for those, you know, every bi-yearly reunion and trying out different ways of shooting, rotating the lenses a certain way, because I just have time to dedicate to just that, to capturing love.
Iain
Amazing. Yes, we've got to do it. It's part of the job. If we're going to love this thing the way we do, then we have to also use it to document our family as well, and that's so important.
AP Leslie
But also, I just love just working on projects with friends too as well. Yeah, we consistently working over here. My small film is my my feature film. Sugar, honey iced tea is the one thing that's on my brain right now.
It's the scratch that needs to be itched. Sorry, it's that needs to be scratched. As you can see that my brain is scrambled a little bit a bit.
But yeah, that that is one project that like, I'm going to put my all into him. And now I'm thinking about it, man, I'm gonna have to shoot that bit film. Because I was just thinking about digital.
And just budget friendly and getting the work done. But who am I to not follow through with that? The notion of what film does for me.
I realize how much I love it even through this podcast. I don't feel like I'm talking to the people. We're having a conversation.
Yeah, I need to shoot this film. So I'm finishing up the script right now. So maybe I'll start doing some camera tests.
Iain
Yes, there we go. Well, and then we'll have you back when you have a film to talk about and we can do a little refresher for folks. That sounds good to me.
AP Leslie
That sounds great. I am. Yeah, let's let's yeah, let's to the future.
Iain
Awesome. Well, AP, thanks, man. I really love sitting down and talking with you and talking about your stuff and nerding out and having some props to wave around is always fun as well. For people listening who don't know and need to go and see the images, where can they go and find a bit more AP?
AP Leslie
Well, you can find the images on anthonyprinceleslie.com. I have a photo section for them as more of the images release I'll start to put them up on my site and you might catch them occasionally on my Instagram at Anthony Prince Leslie so stay tuned I'm really excited for you all to see what's to come I have some really amazing images of Sadie Sink that is going to blow your mind oh okay it's gonna blow your mind excellent all right well thanks man I really appreciate it all right Ciao.
Iain
The visual just provides a little bit of extra context with good fun. If you enjoyed that, and I hope you did, don't forget that you can like and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. So that's Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, all those lovely places.
Please do feel inclined to give us five stars, leave a review, and hit me up because my DMs are open. And as I say every week, but it's true, the best bit of doing this is talking to all of you and hearing what you think. Well, that's, I think, all do. I am going to go and watch the Spider-Man trilogy up to this point and then be ready for when Brand New Day comes out again. I can't wait to watch it again.
I've seen it twice but it was really good. So yeah if you've not seen it go see Brand New Day it's been out for weeks you might still just catch it in the cinema but yeah it deserves all of the plaudits and praise it's getting it's really good. Right that'll do I'll blather otherwise about Spider-Man.
Have a great week I'll see you next time bye for now. I'm out.