Digital Video magazine — June 2013
‘Black Rock:’ Hillary Spera Shoots Katie Aselton’s Taut Thriller

Filmed on location off the rugged and desolate coast of Maine, Black Rock was conceived and directed by “mumblecore” director Katie Aselton (The Puffy Chair, The Freebie). The screenplay was written by her real-life husband, Mark Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives at Home), with whom she plays a married couple on FX’s The League. Following a Sundance premiere, the feature project was picked up for distribution by indie studio LD Entertainment (The Collection) and went into limited release on May 17.

Black Rock stars Aselton, who has a long list of acting credits to her name, along with Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) and Lake Bell (No Strings Attached) as three childhood friends on a weekend getaway who become embroiled in tragedy and violence. Shot by cinematographer Hillary Spera, the film interplays beautiful imagery with a host of horrors as the three women become the targets of a hunt and are forced into a deadly fight for survival.

Spera, also known for her documentary work, which includes American Juggalo, Darkon and After Tiller, as well as a plethora of short-form and commercial work, often finds herself drawn to the crossover between naturalism and artifice in cinema. Black Rock was shot with two ARRI Alexa cameras outfitted with Zeiss Superspeed Mark III lenses and an Angenieux Optimo zoom lens, all provided by Boston Camera/Rule.

“I am definitely a fan of the ARRI Alexa,” Spera says. “It is a rugged, film-intuitive camera that is a dream to operate with and utilize from production through post. We put the camera through the wringer in many difficult physical environments — rain, water, mud, sand, cold, in the woods on an island, in the ocean, rigging to ATV’s, boats, and in trees — and it always excelled.” (Read full story…)