Copyright Variety
While presenting Benny Safdie with a Hamilton Behind the Camera Award for directing “The Smashing Machine,” Dwayne Johnson shared the thoughtful first reaction that Christopher Nolan had to the biographical sports drama and its unique directing style. Talking about Safdie’s bold decisions to keep the camera out of the ring and present fights from the crowded perspective of the audience, Johnson said, “It paid off the first time Christopher Nolan saw the movie and said to Benny, ‘I mean this in the most respectful and complimentary way, but I feel like I shouldn’t be watching this. I feel like I’m violating their space. And it’s so counterintuitive as a director. I really want to give you credit and flowers for that.'” The “Oppenheimer” director previously praised “The Smashing Machine” in an interview with Safdie on the “Director’s Cut” podcast in October. There, he complimentarily called the film “heartbreaking” and Johnson’s portrayal of MMA fighter Mark Kerr “an incredible performance.” He added, “I don’t think you’ll see a better performance this year or most other years.” At the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards, Johnson assured that Nolan had a strong reaction to Safdie’s direction as well. Safdie was among 13 honorees at Hamilton’s 14th annual Behind the Camera Awards, presented by Variety. The awards ceremony took place on Nov. 5 at Avalon Hollywood & Bardot in Los Angeles. The other honorees were “Roofman” production designer Inbal Weinberg, “Sinners” property master Douglas Ware, “Is This Thing On?” cinematographer Matthew Libatique, “One Battle After Another” costume designer Colleen Atwood, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” editor Pamela Martin, “Frankenstein” hair and makeup artist Mike Hill, “Jay Kelly” composer Nicholas Britell, “Rental Family” screenwriters Hikari and Stephen Blahut and “F1” sound artists Al Nelson, Gary Rizzo and Juan Peralta. Sasheer Zamata hosted the event. Each honoree was introduced by one of their creative collaborators. Channing Tatum presented the award to Weinberg, where he reflected on how the production designer’s recreation of a Toys R Us from the early 2000s evoked deep nostalgia in its meticulous detail. “She really creates environments that bring grown men to tears,” the actor said. “I know that some of my friends would argue I might not be a grown man, but I can promise you that there were some grisly, bearded men that had like cement bags for hands, that I swear to you got teared up when they walked into this Toys R Us. You got to watch them walk into their childhood dreams and fantasies.” Guillermo del Toro delivered a similarly humorous and heartfelt introduction to Hill. He waxed nostalgia about the time that he first met the make-up artist at Monsterpalooza, a horror and special effects convention in Burbank. “The people that go there are mostly pale like me,” joked del Toro. “And like me, are mostly feed on Cheetos and very, very well versed on things that nobody cares about. But we care vehemently.” He talked about how Hill’s prosthetic recreation of Boris Karloff’s head from James Whale’s 1931 “Frankenstein” caught his eye and imagination. Del Toro insisted on buying the head, which birthed a collaboration that, as of this year, includes del Toro’s own “Frankenstein” adaptation. “We just finished our Franken-sandwich,” the director laughed. “We were both destined to be.” Weinberg and Hill, like many of the honorees, expressed deep gratitude for their crews and the other below-the-line workers who bring movies to life. After an introduction from “F1” director Joseph Kosinski, Nelson, Rizzo and Peralta thanked their supervising sound editor, production mixer, composer Hans Zimmer and their Skywalker sound team. “The partnership between Apple and Skywalker Sound truly highlights how a commitment to the highest of standards can bring an exceptional cinematic experience like Formula 1,” said Rizzo. “And to our crew at Skywalker Sound, thank you so much for your meticulous attention to detail and your continued pursuit of sonic excellence.” Ware similarly acknowledged his prop master team, which has remained consistent over the course of several years and projects leading up to “Sinners.” “I’ve got to thank my team,” he said. “I’ve had the same team since Season 4 of ‘Queen Sugar,’ and then we did ‘Nickel Boys’ and then to roll right into ‘Sinners’ was just the best opportunity possible. I have to thank my crew: Melissa Waltrip, Madison Aucoin, Jasmine Hall, Drew Wahardo.” Libatique concurred from the perspective of a cinematographer, saying, “Cinematography is such a collaborative endeavor, and this honor really belongs to everyone who helped me on ‘Is This Thing On?'” Some, such as Britell and Atwood, who were respectively introduced by Barry Jenkins and Teyana Taylor, talked about the unique experiences of their latest projects this year. Britell talked about how, for “Jay Kelly,” director Noah Baumbach invited him to the filming location in Italy to play his developing score while the cameras were rolling. “I’ve never done that before, like physically gone and played on set the score ideas I was working on,” said Britell. “I went to Tuscany, and it was just a miraculous kind of experience, and playing the score ideas inside the movie itself was very, very wonderful.” Atwood similarly talked about the unique process of dressing Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio on “One Battle After Another.” “As a designer, I feel like I got to do some really new and interesting work, and I will never, ever be sorry that I did this job. It’s just my favorite movie I’ve ever worked on.” Hikari and Blahut, introduced by actor Steven Yeun, linked the importance of collaboration to the power of story. “Our film rental family is, at its heart, a story about loneliness and belonging, especially in the age of disconnection,” said Hikari. “It asks what it means to manufacture connection and yet find something deeply human in the act, in the world that feels increasingly divided.” In that same spirit, Martin said of “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” “My greatest hope is that people watch this film and know that they don’t need to suffer alone. We are all in this together.” Poetically, collaboration and togetherness were motifs throughout the evening, as no behind the camera job is accomplished in isolation. “We’re all mining this stuff together,” said Safdie after accepting the award from Johnson at the end of the night. “A piece of the movie exists with everybody.”
