How B.J Novak’s ‘Vengeance’ Captures Its Fish-Out-of-Water Protagonist
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans EditorFrom the private clubs and highrises of New York to the sweltering oil fields of West Texas, B.J.
Novak’s “Vengeance,” in theaters July 29, dives into a fish-out-of-water story. “The Office” alum Novak, who also wrote and stars in the dark comedy, plays Ben, a writer for The New Yorker and wannabe podcaster who finds himself traveling to a remote Texas town.Cinematographer Lyn Moncrief wanted audiences to understand the sudden shift in perspective Ben is experiencing.
Early in the film, Ben is in New York trying to pitch his new podcast idea. “It’s a darkly lit scene,” Moncrief explains. It’s nighttime when he gets a call from Ty (Boyd Holbrook), the brother of Abilene (Lio Tipton), a former hookup who has died from an apparent overdose.
Ben has been asked to come to the funeral, and on a whim, he does. As Ben arrives at the airport, Moncrief needed to establish the jump into a vastly different — and very hot — world. “We burnt the highlights and pushed the color timing more,” says the DP. “So when he lands, you can’t quite see, because it’s so bright.
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