I decided I wanted to break the story into two visual styles: the hidden part, the Conclave part of the story and the outward aspect of the story. It became very clear that those two areas needed to feel quite different. We wanted to have more space and more air around the elements that you see of the Vatican that are outward, and that most people have seen.
That must have been such a profound inspiration, to have such rich source material. We were making a cinematic thriller. We weren't making a documentary about the conclave. We were creating a storytelling world with intrigue. There are elements of the Vatican that are not as ornate and even a bit dull, like the Casa Santa Marta, where the cardinals all gather.
We didn't film anything inside the Vatican City. So everything is a sort of jigsaw of locations dotted about Rome and builds. In the lovely gold room where we meet the choir and Cardinal Lawrence gives that beautiful speech early on, that's at the Museo Barberini in Rome.
There was an architect, Carlo Scarpa, that I vibed off a little. I wanted it to be inspired by his concepts, integrating both the space and the visual narrative into our film.
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