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DONNIE DARKO - OFFICIAL PRESS KIT
The Cinematography
Donnie Darko was shot entirely in the city of Los Angeles, yet creates a stark, eerie, Americana look that could be
any city in the USA. There are no palm trees in sight, despite the fact that Long Beach stands in for Donnie Darko's
nondescript neighborhood somewhere in the state of Virginia.
From the outset Richard Kelly wanted the film to be as unique a visual experience as it is an emotional and intellectual
experience, so he brought in award-winning cinematographer Steven Poster (A.S.C.). Together, the two decided to shoot
the film in widescreen anamorphic to highlight the bizarre nature of Donnie's world and his unrelenting visions.
Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko
(Click for larger image)
Steven Poster explains: "Here we were going to be telling a story far outside the boundaries of reality, so we were
freed to use a different canvass than usual. It might be unusual to shoot in wide screen for a movie of this subject
and this size, but this is an unusual movie!" Although Poster has worked on everything from action adventure thrillers
to comedies, he was drawn to the freshness of Richard Kelly's offbeat fable, and to Kelly's passion for visual storytelling.
"I read the script and fell in love," he says. "It just made me want to talk to this director and ask him a lot of questions.
What I found is that Richard is extremely clear about his vision. He's very definite about his creative decisions but he tells
you what he wants and then lets you go for it."
Poster also oversaw the CGI work that creates the wormhole trails Donnie Darko follows into the future. Ultimately Poster
and Kelly opted away from the trendier high-tech styles popular in contemporary cinema, such as skip bleaching, and opted
for a more spare, straight-forward visual style that emphasizes the meaning-laden imagery of each frame. "I think we
decided that the film itself is so unusual, we didn't need anything way out there visually. We wanted to find the best
way to tell the story with powerful images that stand on their own."
Poster and Kelly also collaborated closely with production designer Alexander Hammond and costume designer April
Ferry to give the film an authentic 80s feel. "The lifestyles of the 80s inform every part of the film," notes Poster,
"and we wanted that to come out not only in the surroundings but in the textures and colors on the screen. There is a
sense of being at a particular place in time but also a sense of timeless mystery."
Ultimately, Richard Kelly hopes the aura of mystery will linger far into the audiences' future. "I wanted Donnie Darko
to provide some answers but also to leave you with some questions," he says. "I've always thought the best movies are
the ones that you talk about and think about long after the ride home."
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