"The focus of the story is on the relationship between the two female characters and a change in their lives, really as a result of a friendship," explains cinematographer Tania Freimuth. Verdigris was shot on an estate in Dublin, Ireland, and the team needed a lightweight, run-and-gun kit setup that would allow them to keep a relatively low profile. "We were working in a real neighbourhood and shooting side by side with real people getting on with their daily lives. We just didn't draw much attention to ourselves, I think because of the ergonomics of the Canon EOS C500 Mark II." © Eleanor Rogers
Marian and Jewel are an unlikely duo walking the streets of Dublin, Ireland. But as they go from door to door, getting locals to fill out census forms, a friendship blossoms. To bring the story of Verdigris to the screen, cinematographer and Canon Ambassador Tania Freimuth had to find equipment which allowed her to shoot narrative film in a documentary style, which could be used handheld all day, and wouldn't be conspicuous in the inner-city Irish neighbourhoods.
Tania, who shot Dream Big and Little Darlings, and whose work streams on platforms including Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer and Sky, describes the gritty 2023 film as "a narrative fiction film, genre social realism, shot documentary-style with naturalistic lighting". Telling the story of unhappily married and recently retired workaholic Marian, whose perspective changes when she meets young sex worker Jewel, required careful attention to gear to create the necessary visual language.
Verdigris, which premiered at Newport Film Festival, California, has already been recognised across the Irish awards scene, winning Best Narrative Feature at Kerry Film Festival and Best Indie at Galway Film Fleadh. Here, Tania shares how she brought it to the screen with the Canon EOS C500 Mark II, two Canon Flex Zooms and a set of Canon CN-E Primes.