Production Profile: 12 Years a Slave

by Kyle Kull

Due to its recent Academy Award Best Picture win, I thought it would be smart to talk about how the Best Picture film was created. Let’s dive in to the production of 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013).

Steve McQueen giving pointers to Michael Fassbender on set.

Filming began in June of 2012, and concluded on August 13, 2012, spending most of the summer for production. An interesting fact about the filming is that the producers and directors chose to film in Louisiana, around the same area where Solomon Northup (the protagonist of the film) was enslaved. While they chose the Red River country in the northern area of Louisiana specifically for this reason, they decided not to venture far from the area merely because of a low production budget.  However, they were able to find some stellar locations for the plantations in the film. This included the Magnolia plantation in Natchitoches, Louisiana, which is only a few miles from the town in which the actual Solomon Northup was held. So when you are watching this film, you are honestly getting an almost perfect portrait of the life that Solomon lived when he was a slave.

The Magnolia plantation which was used as a location for filming.

The Cinematographer for 12 Years a Slave was Sean Bobbitt, who had previously worked on films such as Oldboy (Spike Lee, 2012) and Hunger (2008), in which he had worked with director Steve McQueen. As is typical with most directors, they will usually choose cinematographers who they have already worked with and trust, hence the employment of Bobbitt. Bobbitt was also the primary camera operator, showing that the film crew was minimalist and compact. 

Sean Bobbitt decided to film 12 Years a Slave using the Arricam LT and ST, which are some of the newest 35mm film cameras produced by Arri. Although digital filmmaking has become overwhelmingly popular in the recent film industry, Bobbitt decided to use 35mm film instead, saying that, “for a period piece, film gives the audience a definite sense of period and quality." McQueen and Bobbitt also selected to film in widescreen, in order to provide the audience with a sense of the story’s epic nature. 

Another interesting comparison that McQueen wanted to make with 12 Years a Slave was the direct visual comparison to the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. 

A painting by Francisco Goya.

Along with all of this intuitive camera work and stylizing, the production design was rather extensive. The filmmakers studied the artwork of the era, as well as the garments and clothing worn by each social class during the time in that area of Louisiana. By doing this, the filmmakers were trying to be as accurate as possible in portraying the environment in which Solomon Northup was enslaved. 

Production of this film was taken with tremendous seriousness, and shows the research and development that is required in order to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It also is a sign of the dedication Steve McQueen and his fellow filmmakers had for their story and project.