Bryan Fuller and Nicole Whitaker: Dust Bunny’s nightmare whimsy

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 338: Bryan Fuller and Nicole Hirsch Whitaker

Bryan Fuller has one of the most recognizable visual signatures in modern television. Whether he’s dealing with a forensic pathologist who bakes pies (Pushing Daisies) or a sophisticated cannibal (Hannibal), his work consistently balances the grotesque with the gorgeous. His style of hyper-stylized morbid surrealism was influenced by French maximalism in the 90’s, such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, Amélie).

With his latest project, Dust Bunny, Bryan makes the leap from showrunning to feature directing, bringing his unique aesthetic to a dark fantasy-thriller. His decades of experience absorbing highly visual cinema have all led to this moment. “When I look at Dust Bunny, I’m like, that’s a Barry Sonnenfeld shot. That’s a John Carpenter shot. That’s a Spielberg, because I’ve consumed all of these things and digested them and pooped out Dust Bunny.”

Despite Bryan’s self-deprecating description of the creative process, he was extremely meticulous about the filmmaking process. Cinematographer Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, ASC presented a comprehensive pitch deck that became the roadmap for the film’s visual identity.

Nicole, who shares Bryan’s reverence for the same films, dove deep into the script to pull references ranging from Leon: The Professional and The Haunting (1963) to the raw, intimate photography of Nan Goldin. “I do think that it’s important to make a good impression,” she says. “The deck is an impression of yourself as an artist that you leave behind.”

During the interview, Nicole shares the pitch deck she made for Dust Bunny and discusses it in detail. Watch on YouTube or link to it here.

The most radical visual choice in Dust Bunny is its aspect ratio. It’s shot in an extreme 3:1 format (three squares wide), which is almost unheard of in modern cinema. This creates a triptych feel, where the frame is so wide it feels like a mural. It forces a sense of vertical claustrophobia, crushing the top and bottom of the frame. The camera emphasizes the floorboards and the space under the bed—precisely where the monster hides.

This discovery occurred while Bryan and Nicole were testing lenses. Once the framing matte came off the lens, revealing the open gate width of the sensor, Bryan realized the wider view fundamentally changed the film’s psychology. A subject centered in a 3:1 frame felt isolated in a way they hadn’t before, sharpening the camera’s emotional point of view. To further isolate the characters, Nicole tuned the ARRI Alpha anamorphic lenses to fall off at the edges, ensuring the audience’s focus remains locked on the performance.

While Dust Bunny was shot over 44 days in Budapest, the film’s visual language was decades in the making. For Nicole, the challenge was translating a legendary showrunner’s mental gallery into a physical reality. For Bryan, it was a homecoming to the cinematic influences that first gave him permission to be “too much.”

See Dust Bunny in theaters.
Find Bryan Fuller: Instagram bryanfullergram
Find Nicole Hirsch Whitaker: Instagram @nicolewhitaker.dp

SHOW RUNDOWN:

02:23 Close Focus
The Oscars shortlist nominees for cinematography.

07:01 Bryan Fuller interview
See Show Notes at https://www.camnoir.com/ep338/ for TECH SPECS and LINKS

24:46 Nicole Hirsch Whitaker interview
See Show Notes at https://www.camnoir.com/ep338/ for TECH SPECS and a link to Nicole's Dust Bunny pitch deck.

01:06:23 Short ends
Ben and Illya’s short end: Remembering Rob Reiner after his tragic death.

01:13:16 Wrap up/Credits
Host and editor in Chief: Illya Friedman
Instagram: @illyafriedman @hotrodcameras
Host: Ben Rock
Blue Sky: @benrock.com
Instagram: @bejamin_rock
Producer: Alana Kode
All web and social media content written by Alana Kode
Composer: Kays Al-Atrakchi
Check out Kays' new YouTube Channel, Kays Labs, where he repairs old synthesizers.
Editor: Alana Kode