Yves Cape, AFC, Talks About His Work on "Dreams", by Michel Franco

Fernando, a young Mexican ballet dancer, dreams of international fame and a life in the United States. Believing that his lover Jennifer, a socialite and philanthropist, will support him, he leaves everything behind and narrowly escapes death while crossing the border. However, his arrival disrupts Jennifer’s carefully structured world. She is willing to do anything to protect their shared future and the life she has built for herself.

Shot over 28 days between San Francisco and Mexico, Dreams was put together very quickly, immediately following Memory. Yves Cape recalls :

Michel is a director who always has several film ideas in reserve, even while he’s in the middle of a shoot. His projects aren’t necessarily written as full scripts, but rather as five- or six-page story outlines that he can spontaneously present to you during a day’s work. That’s exactly what happened with Memory. Michel mentioned an idea for a film that would begin with a very long love scene… A scene that was supposed to last much longer than what we usually see on the screen ! I immediately pointed out that a 10 to 20-minute sex scene would be a real challenge to shoot. No matter how creative we might be, it would be difficult to avoid making it look artificial or boring !
Originally, the characters were different. The main protagonist was an American man living in Mexico who, under the guise of a love story, was using a young Mexican woman as a sexual object. Encouraged by Jessica Chastain’s curiosity, Michel discussed this preliminary notion with her and came up with the idea of switching roles. He then completely reworked the story with the idea of making the powerful figure a woman and move the major action to Dallas, setting the main action in Dallas, which made more sense due to its proximity to the Mexican border. Then, everything came together when famous dancer Isaac Hernández joined the project. He had strong ties to San Francisco, where he lived with his family while being a principal dancer at the prestigious San Francisco Ballet.

However, like all international ballet stars, Isaac had a very limited availability, balancing daily training, performance rehearsals, and other commitments. The production of the film literally had to be built around his schedule, adjusting to his frequent travels while taking advantage of his connections in the dance world.
So, we set off for San Francisco, a city made famous on the screen by a few iconic films but one that doesn’t often host film productions. Probably due to its unpredictable weather conditions, where you can go from full sun to thick fog depending on whether you’re by the ocean or in the more sheltered bay area.

Most of the first part of the film was shot in and around the city, trying—as always with Michel—to follow the chronology as much as possible in the shooting schedule. However, given the larger number of locations compared to his previous films, we had to adapt.
The end of the film, was shot in Mexico in strict narrative continuity. I immediately sensed how relieved Michel was to return to this approach, which fits his style of filmmaking so well : shooting quickly and using the time on set to experiment, try out shots, and explore ideas that emerge as the characters, dramatic situations, and locations take shape. In this case, an apartment recreated in an art gallery with an enclosed ground-level garden, which plays a crucial role in the film’s climax.

When asked about the influence of locations on cinematography and visual composition, Yves Cape acknowledges :

With Michel, when we start a film, location scouting helps us define the characters. In Dreams, Jennifer (Jessica Chastain) comes from a wealthy, liberal family and uses part of her fortune and influence for charitable work. But where do we set the limits ? Does she travel by private jet ? Where does she live ? Is she more of a bohemian, a socialite ? What kind of car does she drive ?
It was by choosing this very minimalist apartment (which actually belongs to a couple of interior designers and art collectors) that many things fell into place for us. Initially, I had ruled out this location because I found it too white, too complicated to manage with an actress with fair skin, a lot of white costumes, and vibrant red hair ! But faced with the difficulty of finding a setting that was both stylish and tasteful among all the options we were presented with, I eventually reconsidered my decision.

Regarding the central role of sexual passion in the film, Yves Cape highlights the challenge for the team :

As I mentioned, the film was supposed to open with a sex scene. Things later evolved with Fernando’s strange journey, which leads him to this chic San Francisco apartment. But the film still included several such scenes, which Michel wanted to be varied in atmosphere, location, and form.
For example, there was one scene that felt almost like a fantasy, based solely on dialogue : the two lovers spoke in an extremely explicit manner without actually undressing…
For the first scene, we opted for simplicity : a bed, a side-profile shot, a bedside lamp turned on. A very classic image, but one that allowed us to show nudity and, in a way, address that aspect right from the start. I remember Jessica encouraging me during an early color grading session, suggesting I increase the brightness so that the bodies were more visible in that scene. She was absolutely right—showing more at the beginning allows us to move past the issue… and to show less later on !

Later, for example, the staircase scene is far more intense, raw. A kind of explosion of desire, with this sexual impulse manifesting at their reunion, without even waiting to go beyond the doorway. A real challenge, especially since the scene is filmed in a single wide shot, with the staircase serving as both a stage and a shield for their successive embraces.

Asked about the movement of bodies and the dance, which is one of the key elements of the film, the director of photography responds :

I watched many dance films… In many of them, the camera tries to follow the movement and, in a way, dances with the performers. This was an approach I immediately suggested to Michel, pointing out that it was a complete departure from our usual principles. Michel then admitted that, for certain dance scenes, we could make an exception and move the camera if necessary !
Faced with the impossibility of installing tracks or a dolly in the rehearsal rooms—due to the fragility of the floor—I initially considered using a stabilized handheld camera. However, after observing Isaac’s rehearsals and movements, I immediately realized that it was better to opt for fixed, fairly wide shots, like in the sequence where he performs Swan Lake for the ballet director, alongside a partner chosen from among the young dancers. In this shot, everything is ultimately very simple—and that’s what I love. You see exactly what needs to be seen, with a framing scale that evolves naturally as the dancers move closer to the camera throughout the choreography. Returning to a stripped-down approach, without complex technical setups, sometimes relying on nothing more than a simple pan—not always perfect, but real, in harmony with the movement of the bodies.

Among the key scenes in the film, the unexpected encounter between Fernando and Jennifer’s brother marks a significant transition in the story. Yves Cape reflects on this scene, which was shot in a single take :

There’s always a bit of trickery when you edit. "Every cut is a lie"—I really like that sentence ! Capturing a scene in a long take inevitably brings you closer to the actors’ performances, as if you were capturing them live. It’s neither documentary nor theater, but we try to get as close as possible to a sense of reality.

This reminds me of Cédric Kahn’s approach, as I’ve worked with him on several films. Deep down, he seeks absolute authenticity. And yet, every time, he has to accept that we’re filming actors, in a set, with lighting, etc. That’s when the single take becomes essential for him—to avoid interrupting the performance. But in the editing room, he would mix different takes.

With Michel Franco, it’s somewhat similar, but in his editing, there’s no mixing—this scene is a great example of that. When I talk about authenticity, I mean for the actors, of course, but also for the technical crew : the discomfort of shooting a long take is a deliberate choice. Whether it’s framing, lighting, and sound in particular. A long take brings a certain fragility to the scene, which is difficult to replicate when broken into multiple shots.

In a way, there’s an honesty in this approach : it represents the best we could achieve at that moment, under Michel’s direction. He can still refine it in the edit, but to a far less degree than if the sequence had been breakdown. In this scene, where Jennifer’s brother arrives unexpectedly and meets her lover, we chose a wide shot with a slight pan to follow the visitor’s entrance. As I mentioned earlier, the set was particularly white. The scene takes place between the kitchen and the living room, and my only option was to minimize as much natural light as possible coming from the windows.

No artificial light was added for this shot. It’s entirely natural light, controlled through curtains and blinds. For example, the large bay window behind Isaac was completely blocked, except for a thin strip of light at the edge, which hit the kitchen furniture and created a very soft source on the actors’ faces. The built-in kitchen lights added subtle highlights in the background.

Most of the time, my approach is to protect the actors and ensure that as little direct light as possible reaches their faces. Ultimately, that’s my only way of giving Michel maximum freedom. And for me, this kind of approach is ideal !

Another turning point marking the beginning of the third act is the couple’s reunion in Mexico during the final third of the film. The story gradually transforms into a kind of inescapable huis clos, featuring, among other things, a crucial tipping-point scene in a bedroom. Yves Cape elaborates :

In this bedroom, there are about ten different scenes—a real challenge if we want to create visual variety, especially since many of these scenes are extremely important and sometimes emotionally demanding for the actors. One of them is a long conversation between the two lovers, shot in a single take once again. The space is very tight, and after the first rehearsals, I realized that the best camera position was with the windows behind me. This meant front lighting—very flat and harsh !

Unlike Memory, where Jessica Chastain played a broken character, in this film, because of the character she portrays, I had to be particularly mindful of her beauty. Though toward the end of the film, we could gradually move away from this principle as the story evolved. So, I placed a large diffusion in front of the window behind me, deliberately directing the brightest point of light toward the right side of the set, onto the wall.

Once again, the goal was to protect the actors. It wasn’t really about creating a strong lighting effect in this scene, but rather adapting to the situation, the context, and most importantly, the location. It was also a way of accepting that not every scene needs backlighting and instead embracing front lighting when necessary !

(Interview by François Reumont for the AFC)