‘Out Come the Wolves’ Cinematographer Christian Bielz Discusses the Film’s Savagery
Director Adam MacDonald is no stranger to the horror genre. His credits include Backcountry, Pyewacket, and seasons 3-5 of Slasher for AMC’s Shudder. His latest feature is IFC’s Out Come the Wolves starring Missy Peregrym (Van Helsing), Joris Jarsky (The Changeling), and Damon Runyan (Home Before Dark).
The synopsis reads: At a cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a pack of wolves attacks a man, his female best friend, and her fiancé.
MacDonald’s films are unique in the fact that they all center around the quest for survival in an isolated woods setting. Having collaborated with MacDonald on both Backcountry and Pyewacket, cinematographer Christian Bielz was no stranger to the kind of film he was looking to make. That shorthand became integral for Out Come the Wolves, as the shooting schedule was shorter than the previous two films, plus the animal action was elevated.
When discussing the shoot Bielz says, “In pre-production, Adam storyboarded the wolf sequences and also created previz which got everyone on the same page. Once we’d worked out the beats with our wolf trainers and stunt actors, I got right up to the wolves with the camera for some pretty immersive shots”.
Bielz goes into further detail about his work on Out Come the Wolves in the below Q&A.
Dread Central: What attracted you to the Out Come the Wolves script?
Christian Bielz: I had a great time collaborating with director Adam MacDonald on Backcountry and Pyewacket, so I was ready for our next adventure.
When I read the script, I liked the interpersonal tension and how our characters get stripped back in nature. Knowing how Adam and I approached the bear attack in Backcountry, I was excited to see what we could do with wolves.
DC: Do you have a favorite shot from the film? Why does it stand out to you?
CB: There’s a wide shot in the forest that slowly zooms in, through layers of trees, to reveal Kyle and Nolan in the distance. I like the patience of this shot. The frame is filled with detail, so your eyes are forced to work harder, scanning and studying the forest for something out of place, until you finally glimpse movement in the distance, and the shot zones in on the actors behind a log, before cutting to a tight 2-shot.
I find the scale of the environment really pulls me in, and emphasizes how immersed and potentially vulnerable Kyle and Nolan are.
DC: You have worked with director Adam MacDonald on Pyewacket and Backcountry. Are there any similarities between these two films and Out Come the Wolves, cinematography-wise?
CB: Similar to Backcountry and Pyewacket, the opening in Wolves creates a sense of foreboding, as the camera travels through an ominous forest.
When we arrive at the cabin, compositions are steady, but the visual language shifts once we’re in the forest and chaos erupts, slamming the camera’s energy into high gear. The intensity of the camerawork during the wolf attacks mirrors that of Backcountry‘s bear attack.
The lighting in all three films involved a fair amount of controlling and shaping natural light. For interiors, I always try to motivate my lighting from practical sources, but for some cabin scenes in Wolves, I used practical lamps as key lighting. Huge props to production designer Brian Garvey and his team for creating a great-looking space with lots of texture.
DC: When it comes to blood, some cinematographers say it’s hard to get the red just right in the light. How was your experience there on Out Come the Wolves?
CB: We worked with talented prosthetics designers Alex Anger and Monica Pavez, who created ultra-realistic torn-up body parts with tons of blood. Their work was convincing to my eye, so it felt super realistic and gruesome on camera.
Once we got into the grade, colorist Drake Conrad not only helped us craft a unique look and vibe for the film, but really defined the color of the blood.
DC: Were there any firsts for you on this film?
CB: This was my first time working so closely with wolves. Trainers Andrew Simpson and Sally Jo Sousa were outstanding, and their wolves gave us gold.
This was also my first project that involved so many vehicle mounts. I think I counted a minimum of seven unique perspectives, which were made possible by key grip John Perrin and his team.
DC: Can you talk about how you lit and shot the wolves? These were all real wolves, correct?
CB: The wolves were very real!
Since we were shooting in a forest, we kept things simple by working with sunlight. We scheduled each wolf scene to take advantage of the sun’s position relative to the specific area in the forest. Adam and I had pre-selected these shooting zones as the best match for our hero forest in Ontario, where we would later shoot with our actors.
In pre-production, Adam storyboarded the wolf sequences and also created previz which got everyone on the same page. Once we’d worked out the beats with our wolf trainers and stunt actors, I got right up to the wolves with the camera for some pretty immersive shots.
DC: Sometimes the viewer felt like we were almost stalking the characters, just like the wolves. Did you have this thought in mind?
CB: Yes. From the moment Kyle and Nolan enter the forest on the four-wheeler, we see them from a distance, through layers of trees, as though they’re being watched. As we were shooting, I felt this perspective also created a sense of isolation and vulnerability.
DC: A lot of the film takes place in the woods. With all the shadows a forest brings and the constantly changing sun, was it at all complicated to keep the lighting cohesive throughout the film?
CB: We were definitely at the mercy of the weather for this shoot, with so much of the film taking place outside. Since we first shot the scenes with the real wolves in a different forest, our main challenge was matching the light quality with our actors.
To maintain light consistency, we planned to shoot those scenes around the same times of day, and used lighting control to break up direct sunlight or block it entirely at times. Thankfully, you can get away with a lot when shooting action in a forest.
Our colorist, Drake, did an amazing job maintaining contrast levels and matching colors to blend the two forests seamlessly.
DC: Are you personally a horror fan? If so, cinematography wise, which films have stuck out the most to you?
CB: I wouldn’t say I’m a horror fan, but since meeting Adam, I’ve come to appreciate the genre!
What I love about working on thrillers and horrors is being able to lean into visual metaphors, build tension, and create a sense of dread with images. l also love that the genre has such a supportive audience.
What horror film stuck out to me? The Exorcist. It totally freaked me out when I was young. DP Owen Roizman’s work on it was incredible, as were the practical effects and sound design.
Out Come The Wolves is streaming now on Shudder.
Categorized:Interviews
