Joey Magidson
One of the most impressive parts of Spiral: From the Book of Saw is just how good it looks. Now, the Saw series has had a certain grimy visual aesthetic throughout its history. However, director Darren Lynn Bousman and cinematographer Jordan Oram took things in a completely separate direction. Not only does plenty of the movie take place outdoors, it appears to take place on some of the hottest days of the summer. As soon as I saw the flick, I knew I wanted to know more about these bold visual choices. My interview with Bousman is already on the site here, and now, I present to you my Spiral chat with Oram.
Below, you can hear my interview with Oram. Obviously, I wanted to talk Saw and specifically Spiral with him. However, I also really wanted to hear about cinematography in and of itself, and he was happy to oblige. Hearing about the technical aspects of the work really does give one an added appreciation for what’s on display. In particular, here we have Oram deliberately evolving the look of the franchise from what’s come before. It pays off in dividends, leading to a visual palate for the film that’s unlike what we’ve seen in the past.
In my Spiral review, I specifically cited Bousman and Oram changing up the look of the franchise. Here is just a bit from that review:
Director Darren Lynn Bousman brings some really bold ideas to the picture, too. Not only is it shot differently than usual, Bousman and cinematographer Jordan Oram accentuate the look of a hot summer day. Spiral takes place often in daylight, which is another departure for the franchise. Sure, the requisite gore and traps of a Saw outing are here, but this looks and feels more like a gritty cop drama.
Here now is my conversation with Spiral cinematographer Jordan Oram. Enjoy:
Spiral: From the Book of Saw is in theaters now!
[…] Spiral reinvents the iconic horror franchise with the story of Detective Ezekiel Banks (Chris Rock), whose investigation into a series of grisly murders reminiscent of Jigsaw’s crimes leads him and his partner (Max Minghella) down a path they may regret. Samuel L. Jackson so-stars as police veteran Marcus Banks in the film, which is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Check out our recent interview with Bousman here, as well as our interview with the film’s cinematographer Jordan Oram here. […]