James Gray’s Visualization of The Yards (1999)

Despite having made only four films over the course of almost fifteen years, James Gray has distinguished himself as an exceptional filmmaker, especially among the faction of critics who see him as a significant American auteur.

The video clip above is a featurette that finds Gray explaining the visualization process behind the distinct visual palette of his film The Yards, a pre-production effort that was mainly comprised of a series of watercolor storyboards that he painted in order to give his director of photography, the great Harris Savides (R.I.P.), clear cinematographic reference points.

Gray’s new film Lowlife, his latest since 2008′s incredible Two Lovers, is set to be released later this year.