17/05/2025
GSC Award 2025 – Presentation of the participating films
"Café 404” Cinematography by Andri Haraldsson
GSC sent a series of questions, here are the answers...
Lights: We worked with a mixture of tungsten, LED, and some HMI heads from Daffy. We pre-rigged a bunch of Astera tubes in the diner ceiling, as well as in the kitchen and office spaces, which allowed us to move fairly quickly and dynamically around the space without having to place too much clutter on the floor. I found that supplementing this with tungsten sources on the floor when needed was a great way to maintain pleasing skin tones and consistency throughout—but truth be told, the Astera tubes were the reason we could move as quickly as we did. In addition to the pre-rigged tubes in the ceiling-mounted practical fixtures, we always had a couple of tubes standing by with snapgrids in case we needed to react quickly.
For the exteriors, we worked with tungsten as much as possible to provide a foundation. The LEDs could then quickly supplement or tweak what the tungsten heads were doing. One specific method comes to mind, which I absolutely fell in love with and hadn’t tried before: we had a 12x12 Unbleached Muslin with a Skypanel or two bouncing into the front and a 10K or 5K tungsten head lighting through the textile. The tungsten head created shape and skin tone and then we’d dial in the intensity and CCT + Tint on the Skypanels to control the size and softness of the source as well as the colour shift. By doing this, we had a great way to control the quality of the light hitting the actors and its colour, and I actually found something interesting happened when I started mixing in cooler tones on the Skypanels. It started picking out those blue and green hues in the wardrobe and even in the actors’ eyes which meant I could saturate or desaturate those elements in-camera while keeping the skin tone looking great, without having to deal with the problems of multiple sources.
Camera & lenses: We shot the film on the Alexa Mini and a set of Cooke 2x Anamorphic SFs from White Balance in Athens. I came on the job rather late and didn’t have any time to test but I’d shot the Cookes a fair few times before so it was the logical choice, as we wanted to shoot anamorphic. I’m pretty sure any cinematographer who’s had the experience of hopping aboard a fast-moving train rather late in the game knows the feeling of just wanting to reduce unknown variables as quickly as possible, which sometimes requires a certain type of decision-making that isn’t fully motivated by script or story but rather a best-possible compromise between what the film is asking for and the parameters you’re facing. Sometimes you get lucky with what’s being offered to you in such a situation and the kit lines up fairly well with what you had in mind; sometimes it just doesn’t and you have to adapt. Luckily on this production it lined up rather nicely with the camera package being pretty bang on what I had in mind! At the end of the day, technology is just the means to an end, not the end itself. I find I have to remind myself of that all the time.
Collaborators: I gotta say, the crew we had on the film was freaking outstanding. Cannot emphasise this enough. Focus puller Simos Prasinos, 2nd AC Vasileios Kapnis (who is also a brilliant DP doing some really great work), and camera trainee Chronis Tavris had my back on the roughest days and really gave it their all, which is such an invaluable thing for someone in my position—to have a camera crew pushing just as hard as you are. This also fully applies to the electrical department. Giannis and Vasilis Siorovigkas were faced with incredibly tricky circumstances where a whole lot more was being asked of them than the resources they had to work with. I think being able to differentiate between those times where we have space to do things properly and those very stressful moments when it’s all about just getting the shot in the can, and reacting appropriately, is what differentiates a good crew from a great one. Being able to sense the energy of the moment and adapt to it—whether that means going hard or knowing when doing nothing is best. These guys did such a great job managing an incredibly stressful and challenging shoot.
We didn’t have a grip on the film, so I took care of a lot of that myself, but when s**t hit the fan or we needed a dolly grip, Vasileios and Chronis stepped up and took care of business. One of our production PAs, Andreas Kelment, also turned out to be as much of a sick grip as he was a PA and saved my ass on more than one occasion. It was, as with most things on this production, a true team effort that resulted in the film looking the way it does.
Colorist: I have a lot of respect for Angel Ballas at DCS. He really maintained the approach we developed throughout post-production and allowed me to let go in a profound way. It’s always a bit tricky when you’re so far removed, when you don’t live in the city or country where the grade is being completed, meaning you obviously can’t drop in and have to rely on your iPad or computer to view changes. Even though these screens have become truly excellent in recent years, there’s just nothing that beats sitting in the suite with the colourist, looking at the same screen in the same room. With Angel, I felt totally at ease, leaving it in his very capable hands.
Angel and I didn’t have a lot of time to work, but nevertheless, we experimented with all sorts of ideas we were interested in. One experiment revolved around an issue I’d been struggling with for some time: this constant urge to soften the image, even after having shot wide open a lot of the time and almost always filtering with diffusion—I still felt it was all a bit crisp. The problem was that softening in post would lose so much of the clarity in the eyes and skin, making the image feel muddy. Since we didn’t have time to selectively key or window each shot, we came up with an approach that dealt with the issue quite well given the time we had. It was an interesting experience, mixing mid-tone detail adjustments, grain and certain selective methods to create the right texture.
What I missed: As with every single production I’ve ever been part of—I would’ve loved more time, which is a pretty s**t answer. Still, it’s one of those things that’s a constant struggle for everyone involved. I don’t believe an abundance of time or money inherently leads to great filmmaking, but I’m a firm believer in prep: in the time spent thinking about things before you and all the brilliant artists you’re working with turn up to set and start the process of bringing the film to life. If I remember correctly, I had about four weeks from getting the call until we started shooting—not a lot of time to get up to speed and dream up what the film would be. That said, it’s also a lot of fun because you have to boot camp your way to day one. Alex Tsilifonis (director) and I spent so much time working out the film in that time we had and I’ve got such fond memories from that time. It’s a fun energy that gives you lots of adrenaline and excitement.
Anything else: I think this film really challenged me in ways I hadn’t been challenged for a long time—this being my first narrative feature. I really had to put all of myself on the line and find confidence as an artist. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t even have thought to call myself an artist—or had the confidence to—before shooting this film. I would’ve found it cringey and pretentious. I think it’s such an important and beautiful thing: to dare to call yourself an artist and to allow yourself to truly, respectfully listen to your heart—and distance yourself from decision-making motivated by seeking acceptance from your peers or filling shoes. I think the ability to follow your intuition and instinct is always the best option you have. And when you work with people who do the same, your collective intuition creates a piece of work better than anyone could have imagined on their own.
This was exactly my experience working with the incredible Zeta Momparak (Production Designer), Nikolai Panierakis (Prop Master), Eleni Bantra (Costume Designer), and Vassiliki Kita (HMUA). I have so much respect and admiration for them and their crews. I also want to give a massive shoutout to Sade Agilara (1st AD), Achilleas Villiotis (PM), Antigoni Kapaka (2nd AD), and Ema Mavreli (PC) for literally making it all happen. They are incredible people.
Tech specs
Camera Alexa mini
Φακοί Cooke Anamorphics SF 2x 25 32 40 50 75 100
Aspect Ratio 1:2.35
Synopsis: Jimmy struggles to keep the forgotten Café 404 alive. A mysterious bag brings hope for salvation, but at what cost? Greed, criminals and the police drive the situation into chaos, threatening what is left.
Σκηνοθεσία: Αλέξανδρος Τσιλιφώνης
Σενάριο: Αλέξανδρος Τσιλιφώνης, Αντώνης Τσιoτσιόπουλος, Σωτήρης Νικίας
Διεύθυνση φωτογραφίας: Andri Haraldsson
Μοντάζ: Κωνσταντίνος Αδρακτάς
Ήχος: Harry JN Parsons, Μανώλης Μανουσάκης
Μουσική: Stefano Fasce
Ηθοποιοί: Ντιμίτρι Γκριπάρι, Τζερόμ Καλούτα, Margaux Καραγιάννη, Αντώνης Τσιoτσιόπουλος, Vassili Koukalani, Μαρία Ναυπλιώτου
Παραγωγή: Central Athens Film Productions
Παραγωγοί: Ανδρέας Τσιλιφώνης
Συμπαραγωγή: ΕΚΟΜΕ, ΕΡΤ, ΝΟVA, Batavia Films
Κοστούμια: Ελένη Μπάντρα
Σκηνικά: Ζέτα Μομπάρακ
Φορμάτ DCP
Χρώμα: Έγχρωμο
Χώρα Παραγωγής: Ελλάδα
Έτος Παραγωγής: 2024
Διάρκεια: 93'
