A ROWING TEAM’S
QUEST FOR GOLD
AT THE 1936 OLYMPICS

Because of their inherent tension, excitement and drama, sports generally translate well to visual storytelling. But competitive rowing - known as "crew" in North America - might not be the best example. The faces of the athletes tend to be grimly determined, the action is repetitive, and the rowers move quickly past a stationary observer on the shore. The boats are fragile and easily thrown off-balance, it’s hard to get good close-ups, and the water’s surface can betray the presence of a film crew. 

Nevertheless, director of photography Martin Ruhe, ASC and director George Clooney took on the challenge, which was leavened by terrific material and an interesting milieu. The film is based on the 2013 book “The Boys in the Boat,” which chronicles the true story of the eight-man University of Washington rowing team and their underdog quest to compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics. The complex shoot made extensive use of the Autodesk PIX production platform for smooth, accurate communication.

Director George Clooney on location

Ruhe and Clooney first met fourteen years ago on The American, which was directed by Anton Corbijn. Clooney, when he turned to directing, enlisted Ruhe on Catch 22, The Tender Bar and The Midnight Sky. To prepare for The Boys in the Boat, they reviewed a lot of rowing footage. 

“Some of the best and most expressive was from Leni Riefenstahl, the Nazi propaganda filmmaker,” says Ruhe. “She put a camera in a boat, and showed the rowers looking very energetic, with a certain rawness, as they came to camera. Sometimes her footage is very obvious and clean and simple, but at times it’s hard to figure out how she did it. You can use drones, but when you film boat-to-boat, there are only certain angles you can get. You can get profile if you’re far enough away. We did use some boat mounts, but it was complicated and it took a long time for the rowers to get used to them. The natural place is in the coxswain’s seat, but then there’s no one to steer the boat!”

"PIX IS AN AMAZING TOOL, IT’S COME SO FAR. IT’S REALLY ROCK SOLID AND EASY"

The camera crew trained for weeks to perfect their work and improved as the shoot progressed. Only at the end of the schedule were the final four major races filmed. To keep things interesting, Ruhe tried to do something different every time out – like adding zooms to boost excitement and energy, which culminates in the final triumphant race.

Cinematographer Martin Ruhe, ASC and director George Clooney on location

The cameras were mainly Sony Venice, with some drone work done on ARRI Mini LFs, which use CODEX in-camera recording. Anamorphic seemed like the obvious aspect ratio for the horizontal nature of the boats and racecourses. Photographs from the 1930s were consulted for color cues. The schedule was a very tight 56 days, sometimes constricted further by rain, cold, wind, waves and unpredictable currents near Swindon, west of London. In the big races, as many as nine boats ran, with eight rowers in each. Rowers, many recruited from local boat clubs, are trained to run a couple races per day – not the ten hours per day that camera crews work. Combine that with extras along the shore and the vast distances involved and the complications multiply quickly.

PIX was helpful throughout the endeavor, from preproduction planning to dailies and edits, and extending through to executive review and screeners. As director of photography, Ruhe makes use of the tool most extensively for dailies and continuity. 

"IF YOU HAVE A CONTINUITY QUESTION – A SCENE SPLIT BETWEEN TWO DAYS THAT YOU NEED TO MATCH – IT WORKS SO WELL"

“Once we’re under way, you don’t need to revisit too much, unless you have trouble with something,” says Ruhe. “You look at things you’re not sure of, of course, and if other people see something you missed or have a question. Seeing the edits, and how things are cutting together, is also very helpful. You say, ‘Oh, we could use another closeup, or pick something up over here.’ If you have a continuity question – a scene split between two days that you need to match – it works so well. 

John Egderton, producer Grant Heslov and director George Clooney on location

“PIX is an amazing tool,” says Ruhe. “It’s come so far. It’s really rock solid and easy. The compression quality is quite good. It’s well organized and straightforward, you can go back and find things quickly. It’s so much better than people casually looking at their phones and saying, ‘That’s good enough.’ Sometimes, with other tools, there can be too much accessibility, which seems to result in people becoming too casual.”

"IT’S WELL ORGANIZED AND STRAIGHTFORWARD, YOU CAN GO BACK AND FIND THINGS QUICKLY"

Communications with Clooney were always open, beginning with extensive storyboards. “George has clear ideas and he sticks with them” says Ruhe. “You don’t have that situation where you come to the set and he’s changed his mind. He’s very vocal, and you have to deliver. I really like that -- it’s straight and it’s full of respect. On the other hand, if you’re on the set and an idea really doesn’t work, we scrap it and do something else – something that works quickly. He has good intuition. He’s not fussy – he’s an experienced, practical filmmaker. The Boys in the Boat is a beautiful film because everyone gave it the necessary care and attention.” 

The Boys in the Boat debuted at the Seattle International Film Festival in December 2023 and followed with a successful theatrical run. It’s currently available on a variety of streaming platforms. Ruhe is currently working on The Amateur, a feature film for director James Hawes. The production is also supported by PIX.