Creating a distinctive aesthetic for Daredevil: Born Again

Ars Technica: The Matt Murdock/Wilson Fisk dynamic is so central to the show. How does the cinematography visually enhance that dynamic? 

Hillary Fyfe Spera: They’re coming back to their identities as Kingpin and Daredevil, and they’re wrestling with those sides of themselves. I think in Charlie and Vincent’s case, both of them would say that neither one is complete without the other. For us, visually, that’s just such a fun challenge to be able to show that dichotomy and their alter egos. We do it a lot with lensing.

In Fisk’s case, we use a lot of wide-angle lenses, very close to him, very low angle to show his stature and his size. We use it with a white light in the pilot, where, as the Kingpin identity is haunting him and coming more to the surface, we show that with this white light. There’s the klieg lights of his inauguration, but then he steps into darkness and into this white light. It’s actually a key frame taken directly from the comic book, of that under light on him.

For Matt Murdock, it’s similar. He is wrestling with going back to being Daredevil, which he’s put aside after Foggy’s death. The red blinking light for him is an indication of that haunting him. You know it’s inevitable, you know he’s going to put the suit back on. It’s who these guys are, they’re damaged individuals dealing with their past and their true selves. And his world, just from an aesthetic place, is a lot warmer with a lot more use of handheld.

We’re using visual languages to separate everyone, but also have them be in the same conversation. As the show progresses, that arc is evolving. So, as Fisk becomes more Kingpin, we light him with a lot more white light, more oppression, he’s the institution. Matt is going into more of the red light environment, the warmer environment. There’s a diner scene between the two of them, and within their coverage Matt is shot handheld and Fisk is shot with a studio mode with a lockdown camera. So, we’re mixing, we’re blending it even within the scenes to try and stay true to that thesis.