‘Black Panther 2’ Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw On Working With Ryan Coogler, Missing Out On Lensing ‘Creed’ & Capturing The Human Emotion Of Wakanda
24.11.2022 - 20:07
/ deadline.com
Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw was one of the most sought-after names at the recent Camerimage film festival, with both fans and industry colleagues flocking to hear her speak at a post-screening Q&A.
The Bay Area native is currently enjoying a career boom after first drawing attention with deft work on indie pics like Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto and the Elle Fanning-starrer Teen Spirit before she was drafted into the MCU, lensing the breakout series Loki and now, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever.
Arkapaw’s ascension has been swift, but she told Deadline that her process has largely remained the same.
“I still approach it as a small movie,” she said. “The management, time, and money are all a side note because you want it to be good every time you do something regardless of the size. There are also many amazing people working on the film, so you have a lot of help at your fingertips.”
Now in its third week, Wakanda Forever has crossed the $500M mark at the world box office, making it one of the year’s highest-grossing releases and the biggest hit of Arkapaw’s career with early awards buzz for her innovative camerawork. Below, Arkapaw talks about her journey to Black Panther, crafting the film’s visual language and working intimately with director Ryan Coogler.
DEADLINE: To start, how did you first get involved with the project?
AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW: I’ve obviously known about Ryan and his work for many years. And a good friend of ours, Bradford Young [Selma cinematographer], brought me up to Ryan early on when he was looking for a DoP for Creed. I wasn’t able to do Creed. I think the studio wouldn’t approve me.
DEADLINE: Why wouldn’t they approve you?
ARKAPAW: I don’t know the nuts and bolts of