“Compositions and camera movement had to have a conceptual reason”: In conversation with cinematographer Adrian Teijido

Fernanda Torres in ”Ainda estou aqui”, 2024

I’m Still Here is director Walter Salles’ (Central Station, On the Road, The Motorcycle Diaries) first feature in 12 years. Set mostly during the time of Brazil’s military dictatorship, and based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s eponymous memoir, the movie tells the story of the author’s father, Rubens Paiva, an engineer and former congressman arrested in 1971, and the resultant impact of his forced disappearance on his wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres in a smashing performance), and their five children. A story of resilience, resistance, strength, of never giving up. It’s one of the few films of last year that has stayed with me and I am still thinking about it, from the opening scenes bathed in light on the Rio de Janeiro beach that invite you into the heart of this happy family and then experiencing in such a visceral way how everything suddenly shifts after the dramatic events and the void left behind: in a mother, in a wife, in a family and in a nation.

Shot on film by cinematographer Adrian Teijido, Ainda estou aqui has a look that is driving the story, triggered by a faith in the power of cinema being so unique. It’s the scene that must be served. Visual storytelling that is authentic and immersive, injected with feeling and an attitude. In our interview, Adrian Teijido (Marighella, No One Left Behind, Narcos) and I talk about his own memories from growing up in Brazil in the 1970s, about the new approach to shooting on film for I’m Still Here and the art of collaboration, the influence of Danish painter Hammershøi and how the film was received in Brazil, and about pushing the boundaries of one’s own work even when serving someone else’s vision.

Fernanda Torres in ”I’m Still Here”, 2024

Adrian, first of all, congratulations on I’m Still Here! I’ve already seen it twice and it’s still on my mind. Was it your first collaboration with director Walter Salles?

Thank you. Yes, it was my first collaboration with Walter. I did some projects with Sergio Machado, Walter’s assistant in several projects. It was Sergio who recommended me to Walter.

The film is based on real life events and on the book by the same name written by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, who is a character in the film, about his family drama. How did you research this project?

When Walter invited me to do I’m Still Here, he gave me the book with the script.

I was a child at the beginning of the seventies, but I do remember the tense atmosphere in Brazil through my parents. We had several friends who disappeared or were murdered. I had the opportunity to shoot Marighella, a film directed by Wagner Moura, about a revolutionary in the 1960s. For this film, we did a lot of research that helped me a lot on I’m Still Here. But I’ve based myself a lot on Walter’s memories. He used to frequent the Paiva home, and he told me a lot about his feelings and how they were.

Walter gave me a book by Hammershøi, a Danish painter. Those images were vital references for how to shoot the house. As Walter says, it is a film about absences.

”We changed the camera attitude a lot.
The first part was happier, which meant more handheld shots
and more freedom, as we wanted to feel the joy of the family.
After Ruben’s disappearance, we became more static.”

In a documentary you want to capture everything. But in a feature film, and in this film in particular, you also capture the emotions of what is happening, and that emotion of loss is very palpable, and that is what is so special about this film. Did you reference any films at all, too, as research?

We had a very silent and concentrated set, which Walter required. That helped the actors a lot. Amanda Gabriel, the casting director, also did a fundamental job. We didn’t have any specific reference. Personally, I’m a great admirer of the work of Coppola, Scorsese, and Ken Loach regarding acting.

From that very first shot, of Fernanda Torres swimming in the ocean, you are pulled into the story, even more so when you are on the beach bathed in that light and then going into that beautiful house with its open spaces. Those scenes are among the most beautiful opening scenes I have seen in years. You feel you are not just watching a film that is about the past, but a very special film that finds a way to look into the past, to transport you there. How did you and the director agree on the look of the film and how did you emulate the Rio de Janeiro of the 1970s?

Besides the military dictatorship, Brazil during the seventies had an incredible cultural moment. It was where the Bossa Nova appeared, and Brazil experienced a special creative architecture moment with Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa, who designed Brasilia. We decided to shoot I’m Still Here in film to have the grain texture. In the film’s first part, we used 500 ASA 5219 to fill the grain; after Rubens was taken, I pushed one stop to increase the grain and give the audience an uncomfortable feeling. For the third part, “2000”, I used 200 ASA to diminish the grain and to have a clearer image. So, we had three kinds of grain levels. I have already done several film projects, but it was the first time I used grain as conceptual texture. We changed the camera attitude a lot. The first part was happier, which meant more handheld shots and more freedom, as we wanted to feel the joy of the family. After Ruben’s disappearance, we became more static.

Fernanda Torres in ”I’m Still Here”, 2024

All these technical details, do you discuss them with the director? Or is Walter Salles the kind of director who is more likely to describe the reason behind a shot, why it has to be more static, or why he wants a close-up, for example?

Walter had very clear what he wanted. Compositions and camera movement had to have a conceptual reason. But yes, we did discuss at the same time how to approach determined movement or composition.

Were there more challenges working with film than with digital?

I wouldn’t say working with film is more complicated. But they are entirely different supports. Shooting on film requires a different approach and attention. We no longer have film labs in Brasil; we developed I’m Still Here in Hiventy Lab in Paris. It took 8 to 10 days to see dailies after we shot – this was a challenge.

”Shooting on film requires a different approach and attention.”

Did you work with storyboards?

I like storyboards for complex and technical sequences. But in I’m Still Here, Walter used very specific shot lists.

The house is a character in itself. Was it difficult to find it and did it present any challenges in shooting inside it? It comes across like such an alive place, harbouring such a loving, happy and open-minded family, like a symbol for hope and a better life and society on a larger scale.

It was very difficult to find the house we found in Urca Neighborhood. The visual effects department took it and installed it in Leblon, where the original house existed. Carlo Conti, the production designer, did great work in the house to reproduce the 1970s atmosphere in Rio. The house was very light friendly, with great architecture and nice windows.

And then everything suddenly shifts. The police comes and it shuts it down. Even without the words, you feel the heavy atmosphere because everything becomes dark. They close the doors and windows and there are remarks from family members on the door and gate never having been closed before. Did you shoot chronologically in the house?

Walter asked that the house be sunny until the agents appear and close the curtains. From that moment on, the film becomes darker. For me, those agents live in the dark.

We shot as chronologically as possible; this was very important for Walter and the cast.

”I’m Still Here”, 2024

“To be a Cinematographer, you need to “feed” culture
in general, art, books, cinema, etc.”

And when they take Eunice and her daughter to prison, everything becomes even darker. Lighting, composition, movement, stillness. When you think of your profession as director of photography, what is it that you have the most control over? Or maybe I should express this differently: What qualifies the most as a cinematographer’s thing and his camera language?

It is everything. Not only lighting. There’s a moment when you are thoroughly involved in the story we must tell.

To be a Cinematographer, you need to “feed” culture in general, art, books, cinema, etc. This will build you as a Cinematographer and will train you to face and interpret a script and transform it into images. A cinematographer is a Visual storyteller.

We often see the family making films in Super 8. Were family films common in the 70s in Brazil?

This family was middle- and high-class and had a good cultural background. But yes, Super 8 was popular for these families during the 1970s. For us, Super 8 was a form of evoking the memories.

Fernanda Torres is marvelous in her role, and everyone else is great in the film, but most of all, there is a vividness in the performances of the children. You simply want to be their friend. Capturing that kind of intimacy and naturalness on film, does it come with experience? Does it also have to do with the special cast in this film?

Fernanda’s work was excellent; we got emotional on set on several moments. The children’s performance resulted from a very good cast and the incredible work of Walter and Amanda Gabriel, the casting director. We were able to rehearse with the cast in the already-decorated house, which made a huge difference.

Fernanda Torres in ”I’m Still Here”, 2024

”Just with my presence or with a look,
we will create a relationship.
The actors must feel that I’m with them.”

From our talk so far, I can notice a great sense of collaboration with cast and crew, which of course easily comes through on screen. Is this something usual on a movie set? How do you approach collaboration?

No, it is not usual. You have to create this ambient. I like actors a lot. I know how important my relationships with them are, even if I don’t talk to them. Just with my presence or with a look, we will create a relationship. They must feel that I’m with them.

The film has been very well received internationally. How was it in Brazil?

I’m Still Here was seen by more than five million people, a huge achievement for Brazil. And has an essential message for this political moment.

Where did you watch the completed film for the first time? Was it with an audience? If so, how did that feel, what was the atmosphere like?

I watched the film for the first time in the editing room with Ulisses, the gaffer, and Chile, the first AC. My first time with the audience was at the Venice Film Festival. It was exciting, the film was applauded for 10 minutes. There, I understood the importance of the film.

I would also like to mention the fantastic soundtrack, because it’s not just a narrative element, but it evokes emotions and memories and a historical context for the Brazilian public, but at the same time it introduces audiences from the whole world to that, too.

Yes, Walter personally selected the songs. These songs have a special meaning for those who grew up between the 1970s through the 2000s.

”I wish people could be more open,
rescue their deep emotions, and, in this way, appreciate art in general.”

Cinema must, and will, survive. Why do movies still need cinemas? What does the cinema experience mean to you?

Cinema has the power to transport the audience to different situations and make people experience emotions. In this way, it inspires us to be better people.

You have also worked in television. And I am curious to know if there are any differences between feature film and television from a cinematographer’s point of view, or it is just a matter of how interested you are in a project and how good a script is?

In independent films like I’m Still Here, we have freedom and can be more authorial. In TV, we have producers who are very present with their opinions and fears. But this is part of the process.

Adrian, one last question that I ask all my guests: In this time and age, what do you wish people appreciated more?

I wish that people could be more open, rescue their deep emotions, and, in this way, appreciate art in general.

Thank you, Adrian, for this insightful look behind one of the best films of the past years.

Cinematographer Adrian Teijido

teijido.com.br | Instagram: @teijido