Lighting Love & Tragedy: How “Love Story” DP Pepe Avila del Pino Crafted a Luminous ’90s Romance
July 16, 1999. Carolyn Bessette (an enchanting performance by Sarah Pidgeon) and husband John F. Kennedy Jr. (model Paul Anthony Kelly in his first major role) take off for Martha’s Vineyard with her sister, Lauren (Sydney Lemmon), in his single-engine Piper Saratoga; that would be the last time the trio was seen alive. An hour into the flight, the plane piloted by JFK Jr. crashed off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, setting off a tragedy that shocked the nation. In addition to the public’s obsession with the alluring couple, John was widely anticipated as the heir to the Kennedy political dynasty after the 1963 assassination of his father, President John F. Kennedy.
In FX’s nine-episode series from creator Connor Hines and EP Ryan Murphy, the camera stays on the plane for several beats as it takes off into the hazy, grey skies, a haunting visual for anyone who knows how this story ends. And yet, our collective fascination with the couple still persists more than 25 years later, as evidenced by the fact that ‘Love Story’ has become FX’s most-watched limited series on Disney+ and Hulu. “That’s the throughline and spine of the story. Reinforcing how the story ends at the opening is a great choice,” cinematographer Pepe Avila del Pino (HBO’s House of the Dragon and FX’s Mrs. America) praises fellow cinematographer on the project, Jason McCormick, who directed the pilot. “You know where they’re going, but you still want to see how they got there.” Using Tribe7 Blackwing lenses to create the creamy texture and romanticized feel of the Bessette-Kennedys’ world of privilege and effortless style, he imbues the story with ‘90s nostalgia and captures the carefree optimism of a pre-9/11 New York. “It’s a very specific version and a very fashionable take on the ‘90s in New York. We emphasized the glamor, joy, and sense of freedom in their lives at that time.”
Del Pino, who worked on more than half of the episodes, talked to The Credits about shooting the high-stakes wedding episode and what it was like to light most of it with hundreds of candles and vintage flashlights from the ‘90s.
I remember the media fascination with John and Carolyn and the 24/7 media frenzy with the search and recovery effort following the plane’s disappearance. The visual language of this series really captures that late ‘90s vibe. How did you recreate that era to help audiences relive that time?
It’s a very specific version and a very fashionable take on the ‘90s in New York. We did not try to recreate anything from a cinematography perspective, since we were confident in the production design, costumes, and the very iconic use of locations that were highly recognizable from that time. Instead, we emphasized the glamor, joy, and sense of freedom in their lives at that time.
What camera and lenses were used on this?
Alexa 35 on a 2:1 aspect ratio, a little wider than your TV, which is perfect to capture the city and the characters. We used the Tribe7 Blackwing lenses to achieve a creamy texture and a romanticized feel.
This is a very intimate story, even though their lives were so public. How did you reconstruct one of the most famous couples in modern American history?
I learned a lot more about them as I got involved with the show. I didn’t know that Carolyn was like a fashion icon, and the details about their relationship. The writers and producers did a lot of research and were very clear about what parts of the story they wanted to tell.
The intimate wedding in Episode Six is intense. How did you prepare for it, since there were only a few photographs of the incredibly private affair?
Based on a few snippets of what people had heard and a couple of photos, we recreated this ultimate romantic, cinematic version, including the fact that it was planned for daytime and that she was late because of an issue with her dress. That’s why they had to use candles and flashlights for the [evening] ceremony.
The Cumberland Island (Georgia) wedding was shot in Nyack, New York. How did you light the chapel to recreate the intimate, secret wedding?
We actually used candles too. The space was quite small – we built a replica of the chapel [the First African Baptist Church] with two differences. We made it a foot wider and a foot longer, and the windows were not painted white. Since we had hundreds of candles, we had to fireproof the chapel and some of the background actors’ clothing. The candles were on the window sills and benches next to the altar. We also used some flashlights from the ‘90s that were hard to source. We had additional lighting here and there just for the close-ups. We got a bundle of Christmas lights that we carried around to create that effect on the eyes.
What went into shooting the moments when John and Carolyn exchange their vows?
Little by little throughout the episode, we got more subjective with them, and during the wedding, even more into her POV. For instance, we literally walk down the aisle with her — the camera is next to her veil, you see her shoulder and feel the tension in her neck. When they exchange vows, they’re looking almost into the lens, as if they’re looking into each other. We really went for the subjective experience from her perspective. We also see most of the guests through her POV as well. Gillian [Robespierre, director] definitely wanted to lean into the details of her gloves, the hands and the ring, and their lips as they say the vows.
You also recreated the most famous photo from their wedding, when the couple first steps out of the chapel as husband and wife, and John kisses her hand in a very tender and heartfelt moment.
The original photo was a flash photo taken from outside while they were walking out. The producers and Gillian really wanted to recreate that moment. Since it was taken with a flash, you cannot tell what time it was or how anything was lit. But we shot it at dusk and recreated the use of the flash.
How long did the wedding episode take to shoot?
It was probably 10 days – we shoot 10 days per episode, so I don’t think it took more than that.
Were the rehearsal dinner and the tense conversation between Carolyn’s mother, Ann (Constance Zimmer), and John shot at the same location?
I think in reality, they were inside a white tent, but we wanted something more open outside a house that looked like it could belong on that island. Throughout that episode, I was playing with hues of orange, yellow, blue, and cyan. I think you can see it very well in that sequence, in the costume and the lights outside, the orange glow on their faces. After Carolyn’s mother gives a speech, when she talks to John upstairs, the blues take over.
How do the hues reflect the emotional palette of a particular moment?
It changes depending on the story – Jason, Andrei [Bowden Schwartz, cinematographer], and I did different things in different episodes. It’s more orange when things are warmer, friendly, or fun, but the softer approach is not the case when a scene is tense or dark. Generally, we used soft light and strong backlights, and warm orange tones. But on Episode 4, there’s some green, purple, and pink.
Part of this story is also about John and Carolyn, and, in the earlier episodes, about John and Daryl’s (Dree Hemingway) turbulent relationship. How does the color palette change when the emotions are heightened?
The producers wanted to evolve the visual language throughout the season. For example, in episode eight, everything happens inside their apartment – Carolyn and John argue as their relationship starts to crumble. It’s very different from how we approached the wedding episode. Here, we only used very long lenses and specific camera moves on dolly, so the camera wasn’t dancing, and the lighting was darker than in previous episodes. As the episode progresses, we started using longer and longer lenses up to 100mm towards the end. It’s a subtle increase, but it builds up the tension to show the sense of claustrophobia as they feel trapped in the relationship.
Produced by 20th Television, Love Story is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
Featured image: (l-r) Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette, Paul Anthony Kennedy as John F. Kennedy Jr.. CR: FX
