Christopher Hudson discusses El Corazón, an NFTS graduate film, highlighting 35mm film, slow-motion wrestling stunts, and vivid lighting to capture Lucha Libre’s intensity. 

The film  follows a young luchador’s journey in 1950s Mexico as he rises through Lucha Libre to challenge the legendary El Tigre, torn between legacy and identity. 

British Cinematographer (BC): Please can you share an overview of your film?   

Christopher Hudson (CH): El Corazón follows the rise of a young luchador (wrestler) in 1950s Mexico as he strives to challenge the legendary El Tigre. Driven by a personal vendetta, he works his way up the ranks of Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling), torn between legacy and identity and ultimately facing a choice that could define him forever.   

BC: What were your initial discussions about the visual approach for the film? What look and mood were you trying to achieve?   

CH: Oscar Simmons and I had tackled our first-year film together, so our shorthand was already in place, and we were at a level where quick glances replaced long discussions. Though this story called for a darker visual language, we knew from the outset that we wouldn’t shy away from using bold and expressive colours, which are central to the culture of Lucha Libre and the wrestlers’ in-ring personas.
  

As a pair, we believed that shooting the project on 35mm would enable these textures and colours to shine through. We were looking for a tactile quality that would represent the vividness of the Mexican wrestling landscape and also give a vintage edge, which reflected Lucha Libre’s historical essence.   

We wanted to make the climactic bout feel like it was happening in a world of its own, something stark, raw, and unforgiving. To contrast it with the rest of the piece, the idea of shooting it in black and white emerged, a way to strip everything down to its purest form. No visual distractions or redundancy, just two bodies colliding under harsh lights.   

BC: What were your creative references and inspirations? Which films, still photography or paintings were you influenced by?   

CH: We spent a lot of time flicking through historical photographs of smoky arenas and burly, masked luchadores in immaculate suits.   

Before diving into the creative pre-production, we were also fortunate to be able to watch many films together on campus as a team. One of them was Amadeus, Miloš Forman’s reimagining of the relationship between Mozart and Antonio Salieri, which we admired for its theatrical portrayal of jealousy and religion and how it navigated through the story with an operatic tone.
  
  

Nacho Libre was also on our list. Although our subject matter was darker, we all related to the rich detail of the world it created. Films like Raging Bull, The Iron Claw, and The Wrestler also taught us a lot about how we might approach the in-ring fight sequences, sparking ideas about lighting and camera work.
  

BC: What filming locations were used? Were any sets constructed? Did any of the locations present any challenges?   

CH: Nothing screams 1950s Mexico like a rainy afternoon in Beaconsfield. We knew from day 1 that we’d have to be tactical about what kind of environment we’d house the story in, so we brought the film indoors.   Aishwarya Narayanan, our amazing production designer, and her team worked magic in transforming the school’s main stage green room into the beaten-up one-bed apartment of our young Corazón. We also transformed a campus classroom into Tigre’s private movie theatre, where we projected a short sequence in the background which we’d shot and cut together a couple of hours earlier. Oscar’s cameo!   

We ventured into London for some scenes, shooting in Repton’s beloved boxing club and a nearby industrial building for our office location. I’ll always remember Aishwarya and Oscar sitting in prospective locations wearing wrestling masks, taking it all in. Part serious filmmaking, part unintentional performance art for confused passers-by.   

Another big obstacle was figuring out where to place our wrestling arena, and a lot of research went into finding spaces that would welcome a 14 x 14 ft ring for our fighters to lock horns in. Ultimately, the arena found its home in the school’s TV stage, and I was fortunate to collaborate with our exceptional gaffer, Fabio Alonso, whose team did a fantastic job rigging 17 modified, dimmable Par cans directly above the ring.   

BC: Can you explain your choice of camera and lenses and what made them suitable for this production and the look you were trying to achieve?   

CH: It practically went without saying between Oscar and me that we wanted to capture this story on film. Our previous project on 16mm helped us embrace the discipline of using celluloid, where every frame counts. Every movement is intentional.  We wanted a medium that would establish the story in its period setting and capture vibrant colours with natural depth. The setting called for texture, for subtle imperfection, for every frame to feel alive and breathing. Kodak generously backed us with 500T Vision 3 stock, which gave us a grain structure reminiscent of an earlier era.  The Arricam LT was our main camera, and we brought in the Arriflex 435  Xtreme to handle slow-motion at 150fps.   

For lenses, One Stop Films were kind enough to let us test their range of vintage glass. After a thorough comparison, we landed on the Cooke S4s, which gave us the sharpness and character we needed without overpowering the frame with flare from the intense stage lights in the combat scenes.    

BC: What role did camera movement, composition and framing and colour play in the visual storytelling?   

CH: Thinking about camera movement and composition, we divided the film into two aesthetic themes: the scenes surrounding the fight and the fight itself.  For the lead-up scenes, the sticks were busy, and we occasionally employed a slider to creep toward the action and crank up tension.  For the main fight scenes, I put the LT on my shoulder. Looking to intensify the contrast between the two parts of the story, we wanted a much more immersive feel to the fight. Working with professional wrestling doubles performing high-impact stunts, the handheld approach helped make the combat feel more extreme, and we often used tight focal lengths to bring the audience closer to the action.   

I really enjoyed this part of the process. Oscar and I spent a lot of time mapping each beat of the fight out in order to safely dance with the athletes in the ring and capture intricate manoeuvres which were expertly choreographed by our wrestling coordinator, Ed Gamester.   

BC: What was your approach to lighting the film? Which was the most difficult scene to light?   

CH: I try to approach every project with a philosophy of keeping things simple, often asking myself how we can achieve the final image with the fewest lights and modifiers while maintaining maximum effect. For El Corazón, we aimed to craft a world rich in style and depth and to make every lighting choice feel motivated yet expressive. We wanted to embrace a mythical, theatrical aesthetic, one that elevated the story beyond realism.   

One of the most interesting challenges was transforming the same wrestling ring into three distinct locations across different time periods, each a pivotal moment in Corazón’s journey. One belonged to childhood flashbacks; another marked his rise to fame, and the third became the stage for his final match. To give the ring a new life each time, subtle set alterations were accompanied by reworking of the lighting, shifting placement and brightness, adjusting warmth and tint to create a unique atmosphere for each scene.   

BC: What were you trying to achieve in the grade?   

CH: The grading process happened in a really natural way. I’d worked with Ivan Michael on my previous film, and we’d already started to build a language between us. After watching Rec. 709 cuts, there’s always a sense of relief when the film finally takes on its intended visual identity.   

We lit the arenas mainly with tungsten fixtures, carefully balancing colour temperature and output to handle the extra light needed for high-speed shots. Since we couldn’t easily access the lights to adjust with gels, we finetuned the colour where needed in the grade as we wanted to ensure that the warmth and quality of tungsten remained intact.   

We also used the colouring process to steer some of the indoor industrial lighting towards a greener mercury-vapour hue, staying true to the period.   

BC: Which elements of the film were most challenging to shoot and how did you overcome those obstacles?
  
  

CH: Oscar and I agreed that beyond its brutality, we wanted to highlight wrestling’s poetic quality. In order to do that, we wanted to slow time down and give the audience a moment to take in the elegance of a complex move.    

Naturally, shooting a wrestler performing a backflip off the ropes and onto his opponent in slow-motion on film can be a bit nerve-wracking when working on a student budget, considering that you’re planning to burn through stock at 150fps. Digital crossed our minds, but we decided not to tap out, and we put our faith in the 435. Thankfully, we had an incredible camera team keeping everything locked in. Ran You nailing focus, Ben Geddes running a tight ship as 2nd AC, and Tvisha Shah keeping the momentum going as our loader. Easily one of my favourite moments of the shoot. Zero room for error. Tension high, sweat dripping. Every soul on set laser-focused on nailing the shot. The thrill of shooting movies.   

BC: What was your proudest moment throughout the production process or which scene/shot are you most proud of?   

CH: Before this project, action sequences felt slightly out of reach for me. The complexity of the wrestling match was intimidating, but as a crew, we stepped out of our comfort zones and went all in. With our 1st AD Massimo Zanoni and his incredible team keeping us moving, we made our days and even found time for extra shots on fight days while working with a crowd of supporting artists who generously gave their time to the production.   

Watching the film come together has been really rewarding, and with the hard work of our producer Aidan Milburn, our production manager Alice Fontana, and every crew member on set and off, we were able to stretch our resources while making sure we didn’t compromise on the heart of the story.   

I’m also incredibly grateful for the guidance of my tutors, Stuart Harris and Oliver Stapleton, and our course coordinator Duncan Bruce, whose support made all the difference.   

BC: What lessons did you learn from this production you will take with you onto future productions?   

CH: Working with stunt doubles was a game-changer. I found a new appreciation for wrestling and for how much precision goes into making a fight look authentic on camera.   

Setting a story on the other side of the globe in the UK was no small task either, and it really brought home how much cinematographers rely on strong production design. The right materials, colours, and lighting can transport an audience anywhere, but it takes real collaboration between departments to make it feel seamless. 
  
  

It was also humbling to see how much the film continued to flourish long after we’d wrapped, and I’m grateful for the talented post-production team that wove everything into such a cohesive and dynamic final piece.