Nightcrawler had a 26-day shoot, 24 of them were at night. All three of Dan Gilroy’s features were photographed by Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood). The film captures Los Angeles at night, focusing on the San Fernando Valley and not Downtown. They didn’t have the budget for large nighttime lighting setups, so they looked for locations where the background businesses had bright enough signs to augment the foreground lighting.
Gaffer Joe Colangelo designed a Battery Solutions System, which allowed them to run lights without a generator. The batteries were powerful but small, so they could be hidden behind trashcans and cars. It also helped because they couldn’t afford a large crew of electricians. Mike Smith was the stunt coordinator and 2nd Unit director. Along with 2nd Unit D.P. Chris Moseley, they put together a plan for shooting the stunts in only two nights, and it blends seamlessly with the Main Unit’s footage. While very few crew prefer night work (including me), this is the part of the shoot I would want to be around for.
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