The Moments After the Big Moments
In conversation with Rick Wall
Asilia is an East African safari company creating extraordinary experiences across some of the continent’s most iconic wilderness areas.
This Field Note is a reflection on a beautiful piece of work that director and DOP Rick Wall shot as DOP alongside his longtime friend, director Robin Goode, from a script by Justin Gomes of Bananas.
Rick describes Asilia as some of his best work as a DOP. What made it possible wasn’t simply the locations or subject matter, but the conditions surrounding the work: a small, experienced team, a script that left room for discovery, and the trust to follow their instincts.
In five questions, Rick reflects on collaboration without ego, the responsibility that comes with creative freedom, and their search for what he calls “the moments after the big moments.”
You’re best known as a director, but on this project you worked alongside Robin as the DOP. What did stepping into that role allow you to concentrate on differently?
I think those two roles cross over much more these days than you might think. When your focus shifts to just one of these roles, there is a greater sense of accountability towards your role in the production.
On the Asilia project, I took it upon myself to make sure that the images I presented to Robin always had an edge, something more than just a frame with the subject in it. I was always looking for the image that would, in one shot, explain the narrative but also make you feel something.
You’ve described the relationship between you and Robin as the perfect synergy. What happens creatively when two experienced filmmakers trust each other enough to work without ego or territorialism?
We both respect each other and value each other’s creative input. I felt this job had so much of that. Robin had a very clear vision for the project that it was easy to jump on board with him.
We were a crew of five people, but the number of creative ideas presented while we were on production was immense. Everyone had a role, but it all merged together.
Robin is an award-winning commercials director who is now moving into long-form film directing, so we had a lot to talk about.
You began with a strong script from Justin Gomes, but you’ve also spoken about keeping your eyes open for unexpected moments. How did you balance preparation and a clear creative vision with the instinct to respond to what you discovered along the way?
Justin’s script was written so beautifully and had so much room to move. The lines of the script could be interpreted in so many different ways.
Whenever we arrived at a location or were introduced to new characters and landscapes, we were immediately working out what they could give us for the script. Because of this, I had to be ready to shoot if a moment or scene presented itself.
You wanted to create an image of Africa that felt different from what audiences had seen before. What were you and Robin looking for, and how did your choices around lenses, movement and composition help you find it?
We were looking for the moments that happen after the big moments. Moments with no ego.
I watched lots of safari videos and singled out images that I felt were just clichéd African imagery, and we said, “We are not looking for that.”
Africa is felt as much as it is looked at. We really wanted to bring that into the way we captured the imagery.
I think if you bring a strong presence and ego into these types of productions, your characters and surroundings can feel it. We wanted things to play out in front of us as if we were not there, without our presence being felt.
You’ve described this as some of your best work as a DOP. What created the conditions for that: the people, the relationships, the locations, the creative freedom, or the way all those things came together?
I think it’s a mix of all these things, including having people around you who trust your ability. If I was happy with the images, then Robin was happy.
After shooting a scene, Robin would ask me, “How was that?” instead of, “Can I have a look back at the shot?” That gives you a huge responsibility to know whether you have the shot or not.
I really feel at home with this style of filmmaking. As much as it’s free and you let things happen around you, it’s also very considered in the framing and flow of the camera.
I have a very strict set of rules for what I am capturing. A shot needs to make me feel something. If I don’t get that feeling, I keep going until I get it.
If I am happy and feeling good about the images, I know the audience will be too.
