Roger Deakins shot Sicario with a merciless clarity that makes the violence feel inevitable. The border sequences are defined by harsh, blown-out daylight where the sky becomes a white void. Deakins uses negative space aggressively — the desert and sky dwarf the human figures, reducing them to silhouettes.
Recipes
Border Crossing
Harsh desert daylight, blown sky, silhouettes against white heat
Film SimulationClassic Chrome
GrainOff
Color ChromeWeak
CC FX BlueOff
White BalanceDaylight
WB ShiftR+1 / B-1
Dynamic RangeDR400
Highlight+2
Shadow-2
Color-2
Sharpness+1
Noise Reduction-1
Clarity+2
ISOISO 200
Tunnel
Near-infrared, thermal green, total darkness broken by night vision
Film SimulationEterna Bleach Bypass
GrainWeak/Large
Color ChromeOff
CC FX BlueOff
White BalanceFluorescent 1
WB ShiftR-3 / B-2
Dynamic RangeDR400
Highlight-2
Shadow+4
Color-4
Sharpness+0
Noise Reduction-4
Clarity-2
ISOISO 6400-12800
Juarez Sunset
The convoy silhouetted against a copper sky, the last beautiful thing
Film SimulationClassic Chrome
GrainWeak/Small
Color ChromeStrong
CC FX BlueOff
White BalanceShade
WB ShiftR+3 / B-2
Dynamic RangeDR200
Highlight-2
Shadow+2
Color+0
Sharpness-1
Noise Reduction-2
Clarity-1
ISOISO 400-800
Shoot this look
These recipes run on Fujifilm's film-simulation engine — any current X-series body will do. A pairing to start from: