{"id":14607,"date":"2026-04-06T16:46:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/?p=14607"},"modified":"2026-04-06T16:48:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T16:48:31","slug":"reinventing-the-90s-florian-berutti-on-the-punk-world-of-nino-dans-la-nuit-nino-in-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/?p=14607","title":{"rendered":"Reinventing the 90s:\u00a0Florian Berutti\u00a0on\u00a0the punk world of\u00a0Nino dans la nuit\u00a0(Nino in Paradise)\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a failed attempt to join the French Foreign Legion and escape the police, Nino Paradis reunites with his girlfriend Lale and his two best friends, Malik and Charlie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no direction and little hope for the future, they spend their time hustling, partying, and searching for direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berutti has known director Laurent Micheli for almost twenty years. \u201cWe have very good friends in common, but we weren\u2019t close by any means,\u201d he begins. \u201cWhen Laurent started looking for a cinematographer for his film, I imagine our friends wanted us to meet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berutti devoured the script in two hours, as well as the book the film is based on bySimon and Capucine<\/em> the next day. \u201cI immediately knew it was a film for me,\u201d he admits. \u201cMy adolescence in the 90s was similar to Nino\u2019s\u2014lots of parties, drugs, noisy music\u2026 The world spoke directly to my soul. And most importantly, I knew this was a film where the cinematography would be crucial because the atmosphere would be a narrative element in its own right. I was finally going to be able to show a more complex range of what I\u2019m capable of. I can do more than just long, contemplative realistic shots.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Micheli and Berutti knew the film would have a very distinct aesthetic, but the danger was falling into pure aestheticism. \u201cI feel that today, many film stills look like perfume ads or music videos – which I deeply dislike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a dark romanticism in the novel that needed to be preserved – \u201ca language that\u2019s both violent and deeply sensory,\u201d says Berutti. \u201cWe wanted the film to feel dark, high-contrast, gritty, and raw, while still working carefully with colour. Nino moves through many different worlds, which makes the film very baroque yet at the same time, I had to maintain unity amid all this fragmentation. That was the real challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since he knew he wanted the film to come from his gut, Berutti admits that he drew a lot from his own youth. \u201cAnd it felt only natural to turn to 90s cinema for inspiration. The most obvious influence for both Laurent and I was Wong Kar-wai. I still remember discovering Happy Together<\/em> at 20 and the visual slap in the face it gave me. Christopher Doyle remains one of my greatest role models – a true punk and an artist at the same time. His intuitive approach to colour contrasts, his raw mannerism, his use of frame rates\u2026 There\u2019s a freedom in that kind of cinema that I feel has been lost in contemporary filmmaking.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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James Gray\u2019s Little Odessa<\/em> was another major reference, with its grimy realism and those scorching nights that fully embraced the city\u2019s sodium glow. They also discussedGaspar No\u00e9\u2019s films, particularly Beno\u00eet Debie\u2019s unique use of colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn photography, we looked at a lot of Wolfgang Tillmans, Nan Goldin, Lise Sarfati and more 90s references, of course,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big risk with all these 90s influences according to Berutti, was falling into a vintage, overly referential style, with fake film grain, when what they really wanted was something very contemporary. \u201cWe aimed to reinvent what we loved about the films of our adolescence and offer a modern reinterpretation of them. So, we chose to create a very defined image\u2014sharp, with no texture at all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The year before this project, Berutti had shot a film in Kenya where he used the RONIN 4D for chase sequences through tiny alleys. \u201cIt was while using the RONIN 4D that I realised I loved Full Frame – a format I had carefully avoided until then,\u201d he says. \u201cFor NINO<\/em>, with its 90s punk spirit, it was obvious I\u2019d be using very short focal lengths. That\u2019s how Full Frame became the natural choice, and we went with the RED RAPTOR for its massive sensor.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the free party sequences, Berutti needed zero rolling shutter to push the strobes to their full potential, which is why the KOMODO X became their B-camera. \u201cWe tested at least 15 sets of lenses before ultimately going with my own. I\u2019ve been collecting all kinds of Soviet LOMO lenses for 20 years.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lomos are soft yet have a very expressionist blur, and they retain a raw, punk, uncontrollable quality. \u201cThey were the perfect choice for this film,\u201d explains Berutti. \u201cAnd since we were shooting Full Frame, I was able to pull together some real rarities from my collection: LOMO Super Speeds, LOMOs for 70mm, ultra-rare LOMOs for still photography, and ultra-wide focal lengths.\u201d   <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most challenging sequence for Berutti to capture was the final scene at Villa Empain. \u201cWe needed a location that could convincingly pass for Paris\u2019s high-fashion and luxury world, and Villa Empain was perfect for that,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it meant lighting a huge space with almost no practical sources in frame to help me. Since Villa Empain is a listed building and given our minuscule budget, no heavy rigging was possible. In the end, we lit almost entirely with indirect tungsten\u2026 though it still came out a bit underexposed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was only two days for the shoot, so the entire ending was shot with two cameras – \u201ca setup I really hate for lighting direction,\u201d adds Berutti. \u201cBut I\u2019m ultimately very happy with how we were able to refine the look in grading.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The free party sequence was divided into four parts: the arrival, the dancing, the backstage moments, the second wave of dancing, and finally the afterparty. \u201cDuring pre-production, I created a colour palette to map out the chromatic evolution throughout the sequence. The idea was to clearly distinguish these four sections while building a colourcrescendo toward the afterparty \/ hell.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For lighting, the ceiling was so low that they rented actual small LED party lights controllable via DMX, plus three strobes. \u201cFor camera movement, we instinctively decided to shoot handheld with short focal lengths to experience the party from within, to be among them and stick to the bodies,\u201d says Berutti. \u201cThen, during the afterparty scene, I switched to a 14mm lens and danced with NINO to feel the intensity of his drug high. It was all very instinctive and exhilarating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Berutti acknowledges that there\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0a big budget,\u00a0which ultimately meant that the lighting package was\u00a0pretty minimal.\u00a0\u201cI work mostly with LEDs because my obsession is\u00a0colour, and they\u2019re much more practical. But generally, I almost never light during the day.\u00a0At night, I rely heavily on the\u00a0practicals\u00a0provided by the set decoration. The additional cinema lights are just there to create colour complexity and contrast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before becoming a cinematographer, Berutti was a colourist. \u201cEver since, I\u2019ve worked exclusively with LUTs derived from KODAK 2383,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s always been the foundation of my work. But I never use them on set. I prefer to expose as accurately as possible in REC709, and then in the evening when I grade the dailies, I reinvent my day\u2019s work by applying a Print Film LUT. On Nino<\/em>, it was the first time I used a LUT from FilmBox, and it definitely brought more nuance than what I\u2019d achieved before with technical LUTs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For the grading, Berutti worked alongside friend Lou Brenta at Cobalt Film. \u201cHe\u2019s the one who trained me as a colourist, so it goes without saying that we know each other well and trust each other completely. With Lou, I always come to the grading session with a very advanced pre-grade and bold proposals. It\u2019s almost like a challenge between us. I suggest ideas, hoping he\u2019ll bounce back with even better interpretations of the sequences than I could have imagined. It\u2019s incredibly stimulating, and stress-free, since the film is already there by the time we start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shoot lasted 31 days, with quite a few small additional shoots outside the official schedule. \u201cJust me, Laurent, and actor Oscar,\u201d says Berutti. \u201cWe refused to let the film’s limited budget prevent us from achieving the result we envisioned. So, there are plenty of stolen shots: on trains, in the streets, at markets… It was an incredibly intense shoot.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For Berutti, <\/em><\/strong>the film had such a familial, good-natured atmosphere. \u201cI took so much pleasure in shooting this movie, surrounded by people who were happy to be there and giving their all because they all believed in the project,\u201d he says. \u201cDespite our minuscule budget, Julian – the production designer who’s also Laurent’s partner – did such wonderful work that it was always a joy to film amidst his sets. Honestly, it’s one of the films I’ve enjoyed making the most in my life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key camera crew <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myriam Amouri – 1st AC <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sylvain Chaux<\/em> –<\/em> camera operator<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tha\u00efs Play David – best girl electric<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul <\/em>Desecot<\/em> – additional electrician<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emilien Faroudja – Gaffer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma Manrique – additional grip<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guenael Pinson – second assistant camera<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brice Roustang – best boy electric<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romain Tardy – key grip<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mathilde Warnier – second assistant camera Paris<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Oliver Webb <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a failed attempt to join the French Foreign Legion and escape the police, Nino Paradis reunites with his girlfriend Lale and his two best friends, Malik and Charlie. With no direction and little hope for the future, they spend their time hustling, partying, and searching for direction. Berutti has known director Laurent Micheli for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":14628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-productions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14607"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14638,"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14607\/revisions\/14638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sbcine.be\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}