Saw X is the latest installment in the Saw film series, one of the highest grossing horror franchises of all time, and it brings the franchise back to its original roots. Producer Oren Koules recently explained that Saw X actually takes place a few weeks after the first Saw ended, so the film needed to look like the early chapters.
Director Kevin Greutert, who also cut this film, the original Saw film and many others, entrusted cinematographer Nick Matthews (Spoonful of Sugar, Mob Land) with bringing that look back to the big screen.
We reached out to Matthews about creating the look of Saw X, the recent Mob Land and why he became a cinematographer.
Nick Matthews on the set of Saw X. Photo: Alexandro Bolaños Escamilla
Since there have been so many other cinematographers in the franchise, how did you put your own stamp on this latest iteration of Saw?
From the very first conversation, director Kevin Greutert and I wanted the look of this film to take audiences back to the early Saw films. We wanted to pay homage to them while giving it our own unique look. We loved that those films were shot on 35mm. We loved how dark, gritty and textural they were.
We loved how the camera moves with a subjective flourish and punctuates the graphic nature of the film. We wanted to incorporate that and tie in some of the earlier bold palettes —the arsenical greens, the deep reds, the jaundiced yellows — and we wanted to bring a certain elegance and beauty to that.
Because the film is centered on John and subjectively places the audience into his emotional landscape, that was the basis for our photography. So it organically deviated from the other films and had its own conventions. The film lives in a dramatic, beautiful space and then descends into a brutal and uncomfortable territory. I want the viewer to feel like they need a tetanus shot after watching it.
We referenced Giallo films for our big color looks, and rather than pushing a lot of the color into the movie in the DI, I was creating color separation within the frame and designing a color arc that carries through the movie.
Saw X
Was there any sort of Saw rulebook you had to abide by?
Kevin Greutert cut the original Saw and a number of the other films, so he has an encyclopedic knowledge of them and their conventions. He knows what the story needs and how to tell that specific story. There’s not a rulebook, per se, but since it’s set between Saw and Saw II, we very much took what those films did well and added our own direction.
What did you end up shooting on for Saw X? Why?
We had a 4K capture mandate and were shooting in Mexico City while a lot of production was underway. My 4K camera options were the ARRI Alexa Mini LF and the Sony Venice. Ultimately, I tested both cameras and a variety of filters and lenses before landing on our final combination.
To shoot digitally while still honoring the feeling of gritty 35mm film, we settled on the Sony Venice. We shot 4K 4:3 (4096×3024) with 1.85:1 crop marks so we could use the extra recorded information for top and bottom reframes.
We used Cooke Panchro/i Classics due to their modern housing and vintage qualities. Additionally, I paired them with a Pearlescent 1 to further dirty the image, take the digital edge off and bloom the highlights. We shot the film at 2000 ASA to start with a dirtier image, which we further enhanced in post. The single-stop ND and global shutter were crucial in our decision for this film.
Saw X
Can you talk lighting on Saw X?
The film moves from a character drama into a horror film, and the photography follows suit. We start more Rembrandt and descend into grotesque, sweaty horror.
It was vital that the traps all looked and felt unique but lived within the same space and the same world. To achieve that, we took over a massive warehouse, tented the entire space and installed nearly 40 LED fixtures that we dressed into the set to look like industrial lights. This allowed us the flexibility to shoot 360 and constantly control the lighting on the fly.
We were shooting traps at a breakneck speed — often in one day or slightly more — and were shooting page after page of coverage. I then devised a lighting plan around the idea that John Kramer [the film’s antagonist] has wired every trap with lights that are on circuit timers. This allowed me to turn lights on and off as traps start and finish, which created a naturally changing look and style to the room as the film unfolds. I was thinking in terms of lighting spatially and creating depth and color separation throughout the space.
You also worked on the film Mob Land, which came out in August, starring John Travolta. It has been described as neo-noir. Can you talk about how you created the look of that film? What differentiated it from other projects?
Every film is the result of decisions we make in prep. Director Nicholas Maggio and I spent a lot of time looking at the locations in Georgia and Alabama and discussing photographers like Larry Clark and Gordon Parks as we designed the film.
Mob Land
We settled on crafting it as this docu-real neo-noir. The film is blood-soaked and uses pervading darkness, rusty sapped colors and brutal imagery. We contrasted isolated characters in giant landscapes against intimate close-ups. Mob Land showcases bold composition choices using reflections and negative space to express the austere futility of the characters. We used naturalistic lighting motivated by real sources that puts the audience into the spaces — harsh golden daylight, dimly lit interiors where the sun pokes into the darkness, a noir use of shadows and contrast. Practical lighting and natural light define the look — mercury vapor greens, dirty amber sodium vapor, fluorescent greens, ruddy tungsten lamps, slate blue cloud cover and harsh sunlight.
What made you want to become a cinematographer?
I fell in love with cinematography after making films with my friends on an old MiniDV camcorder. It felt like a freeing dance. I was fascinated by the way a designed sequence of images could completely transport the audience into another world. I didn’t know at that time what a cinematographer was and didn’t discover that specific craft until much later.
For me, cinematography feels tactile and sensual. It’s like music. It’s a way to use light, color and atmosphere to build the vernacular of a visual world — to affect the meaning and emotional tenor of the story as the audience experiences it. This journey has taken me to some of the most sublime places in the world and brought me alongside some of the most profoundly talented people I’ve ever met.
What was the first film where you really noticed the cinematography?
When I was in elementary school, my father showed me Lawrence of Arabia. Despite watching a film that was clearly intended for the big screen on a small-tube TV, I was enamored with its vast landscapes and the mystique of the characters. It was magical and really seared itself into my mind’s eye.
How would you describe your general style as a DP?
Every film is its own idiosyncratic story that demands a uniquely crafted visual language to bring the audience into that world and characters experiences. I’m interested in the intermingling of beauty and brutality. I love painterly, heightened naturalism with deep contrast of light and darkness. I love rich, alluring shadows and pervasive darkness. I want every image I craft to feel lyrical while still telling the story. I want to take risks with my photography and leave an imprint on the viewers subconscious.
Do you have any tips for young cinematographers starting out?
Hone your voice by creating as much as you can and identifying what you love about the process and your work. Devour as much art — paintings, photographers, literature, music and films — as you can. The kind of work you create is the sort of work you’ll get, so it’s important to fashion the kind of portfolio that attracts the filmmakers you want.
And don’t lose heart. It takes 10 years to be an overnight success. Find the uniqueness and the beauty in your mistakes; you might happen on your happiest accidents in that process. This is a marathon. Take steps to find your community and cultivate self-care so you have the support you need to undertake this sort of endeavor.
Is there another type of project you would like to work on but haven’t yet?
I’m so fascinated by world-building, magical realism and stories that explore the human condition, systemic questions and morality. I’d love to shoot science-fiction and eco-horror and really get the chance to transport the audience, engage their perspective and create with that sort of canvas.
