Director of Photography

James Morton-Haworth

What drew you to do cinematography for this film?

I'd shot a half hour film about a struggling bullfighter for Channel 4 in the UK. The director of that film mentioned that an American crew were looking for a DoP. Two days later I think I was in Madrid.



What's your personal take on the corrida?

This is a complicated question - to put it simply I'd rather live like a king and die by the sword than be force fed and slaughtered in a factory with all my mates. And believe me - these bulls do live like kings - I've been to the farms.

What did you learn on shooting this film that you've taken forward into your other work?

This was one of the last films I shot as a DoP. I'm directing now. But I took a lot from this experience. I think Stephen surrounded himself with people he believed in and whose opinions he respected. That's how it should be. I learnt other things too. Like how to drink Pisco Sour and dance like a Peruvian.

What was the hardest part about shooting this film?

I think the five hours of continuous handheld in Lima proved pretty arduous. Stephen's driving was pretty scary too. (Laughs) I really thought we might die on more than one occasion. (laughs). Seriously, there were logistical problems, like the very unique rules of getting a camera into Peru.



How much does it cost to smuggle an HD camera into Peru?

(Laughs) yeah - this was the hardest part of the shoot - I arrived at midnight in Lima International airport with Algor and the wrong customs carnet for all our equipment. A man in aviators, a sharp uniform and an even sharper moustache wanted 10% of the total value of the equipment. We were using the camera that Star Wars was shot on. We're talking moror than a million dollars worth of the newest high definition equipment. 10% of a million - what's that? 100,000 dollars? I was working as a waiter not long before landing this job. (laughs) Fortunately, someone was still up at the British Embassy. After some tight negotiations Algor and I took it in turns to empty our bank accounts - a few thousand dollars and all we got was a hand written receipt from a man with a moustache. I really didn't think we'd see that money again. Amazingly we did. I love Peru