Jo Willems is not just a cameraman: he is the "director of photography", or simply DOP, of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire . "Together with the director I determine the look and feel of the film," says Willems from his home in LA. "My main working tool is light. Then, the lenses and camera angles. During this time in the process I own no camera. "

Willems is filming of the second book in the wildly popular Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. In the sci-fi books, children fight each other in duels to the death. The first film released last year made as much as $ 685 million plus. "I've already rejected major projects because it did not feel right, but here I only had about a minute of doubt," says Willems. "I liked the previous movie really well and wanted to work with Francis." Then he talks about Francis Lawrence, the director who takes the reins from Gary Ross for the upcoming Hunger Games movies.

"Yes I had weak knees, those first days. There I was, on the set of a hugely expensive project. I had underestimated the pressure. But once I saw the first images, I knew that I could relax. "

Star struck

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will  have a different appearance than the first film with Jo Willems as DOP. "There is more camera work on the shoulder, making the images seem more aggressive. For Francis and me it was a foregone conclusion that we wanted to shoot the movie on film. Digital is clean and sterile, real film has more soul and emotion. The story is set in a distant future, it had to look as real and authentic as possible. "

Willems is a big fan of the work of the Dardenne brothers. "Raw and realistic. Though I'm not going that far, this is Hollywood, it is my job to make the actresses look as beautiful as possible. "

A new director and a new DOP but the second film is still has the same lead actress: Jennifer Lawrence, only 22 and already one of the biggest stars in the U.S.. "I was very star struck at first, she has a very commanding presence. But she is so sweet and normal it passed quickly. I scored with my nine-year-old daughter: when she visited me on the set, she met Jennifer. I'm the coolest dad in the world. "

It is not easy for Willems on set. They've been working for six months on the film. 14-hour days and six to seven day weeks are no exception. "It's been tough," says Willems. "But we wanted to wrap for Christmas. Luckily my wife and two daughters occasionally come to visit, because this kind of shoot  is detrimental to your family life."

Nostalgia

Willems began his career by shooting music videos in London. Justin Timberlake to Prince, Willems shot them all. In 2003 he got his first break in Hollywood: the low-budget film Hard Candy . 'I had done several shorts with the director, David Slade, when he hired me for his film debut. We had only 18 days of shooting and a budget of less than $1 million: nothing in Hollywood. But the film was a success. "

That got the ball rolling. Today Willems has eight films to his credit, with The Hunger Games culminating. "I never had a real mentor. I worked hard, seized the right opportunities and a little luck. Of course I still have dreams, but a lot is coming at me. It's fun to your work in your profession at the highest level. "