Awards spotlight: ‘JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4’ filmmakers on finding art in every corner of the frame

Preston Barta // Features Editor

“Don’t be lazy, and being clever is free.” 

That’s sound advice from director Chad Stahelski, who has been at the helm of the John Wick franchise since it started in 2014. Its (maybe) conclusion, John Wick: Chapter 4 (read our review here), was released earlier this year, but it’s hot on the awards track. It’s also a work that proves Stahelski is anything but lazy, and he’s plenty clever. Who else could make each frame feel as packed with history, art, and energy as Stahelski and his collaborators? 

The hard work shows in scenes like the stunning combat sequence when battle-weary assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) charges from room to room through an abandoned, decaying building. The camera hovers above the action, tracking his progress in one unbroken shot. It’s a sequence that pushes you to the edge of your seat because watching Wick blast his way out of an impossible situation is satisfying, and so is all the accouterment filling the frame.

The placement of everything, from the lights, the chairs, and wall art, has a purpose and communicates so much to allow audiences to connect the dots with the need for a narrative spoon to feed them.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is a perfect storm of storytelling form, style, and content. Stahelski, cinematographer Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water), and production designer Kevin Kavanaugh (The Dark Knight Rises) are the dream team behind its allure. (You know, along with Keanu.)

Fresh Fiction had the opportunity recently to sit down with Stahelski, Laustsen, and Kavanaugh virtually to discuss elevating each other’s creativity, using “a lot of a little” and finding their storytelling paths. 

Enjoy the convos below, and catch John Wick: Chapter 4 wherever you rent or purchase movies!

Chad Stahelski – Director – Interview:

Dan Laustsen – Director of Photography – Interview:

Kevin Kavanaugh – Production Designer – Interview: