Train Dreams tells the story of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly changing America of the early 20th Century.
The film, directed by Clint Bentley, stars Joel Edgerton as Grainier alongside Felicity Jones as his wife, Gladys.
It is the second collaboration between Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, who had previously worked together on the director’s debut film, Jockey.
Veloso began working on the project well before the cameras rolled, he tells TVBEurope: “Clint started sharing drafts of the script with me from the beginning stages, so I was involved well before prep officially started.”
For Veloso, a large part of the project’s visual approach came from how he personally connected to the story. “When I first read the script, it really struck me—the idea of a man who spends most of his life working far from home, often isolated, and then struggles to reconnect when he returns. That’s something I think a lot of us in this industry can relate to. So from the start, I wanted the cinematography to feel grounded and honest—like we were right there with him, not just watching from a distance.”
Ahead of production, Veloso worked on testing a “bunch” of different lenses in various situations, particularly outdoors in nature, and under firelight. “We wanted to see how each lens handled low light, texture, and flares in natural conditions,” he explains. “That process led us to choose two different prime sets, since each one performed better in different scenarios. We also made sure they matched well together, and luckily they did, so it felt like the right combination for the film.”
The film was shot using the ARRI ALEXA 35, which allowed the creative team to “lean into the naturalistic style we were going for”, working with firelight, candlelight, and natural daylight without losing detail in the highlights or shadows.
“We were often shooting in extreme contrast situations, and having those 17 stops gave us the flexibility to stay true to our approach without compromising the image.”
Veloso opted to use sets of prime lenses: the Zeiss Super Speeds and the Kowa Cine Prominars. The Super Speeds were used for night scenes and low-light interiors, especially when the set was lit with just a single candle. “Being able to shoot wide open and still hold a clean, consistent image at 800 ISO made a huge difference. The Kowas were our go-to for daytime work. They have a beautiful texture, lovely sun flares, and a softness that helped enhance the natural look of the landscapes and faces.
“We also included the Angénieux Optimo 12x zoom in our kit. We had used a few slow zooms on Jockey and loved the effect, so we wanted to explore that language further on this film.”
Also key to the look of Train Dreams was making the lighting to feel as natural and grounded as possible, with Veloso relying almost entirely on natural light, fire, and candles. “That approach came with plenty of challenges—like having to time the day just right, or shaping daylight without it ever feeling artificial—but it helped keep the world honest and immersive.”
For night scenes, Veloso worked closely with the special effects team to use real campfires, as well as the film’s gaffer, Kevin Cook and key grip Ryan Fritz, who came up with ways to enhance the firelight and candlelight—making it softer and more flattering on faces, while still feeling real.
“Overall, we wanted the lighting to feel like part of the world—not something imposed on it—so every decision came back to that idea of staying grounded and emotionally connected,” says Veloso.
There is always a fine line to be walked when shooting a film set in the past with very modern technology. It was important for Train Dreams to focus on the characters and their emotions. “By grounding everything in those human experiences, we felt we could use modern tools without it feeling out of place. The technology was there to help us capture the performances and atmosphere with more precision and flexibility, but the soul of the film came from keeping things simple, natural, and emotionally honest.
“We also kept our footprint on set as small as possible so everything around the actors, besides the camera itself, felt authentic to the time. That helped everyone stay immersed in the world we were building, and hopefully allowed the audience to feel that same connection.”
Asked about the biggest challenge of working on Train Dreams, Veloso says it was important to build time for the actors to improvise within the filming schedule. “When you’re trying to make a film that has both scale and intimacy and you want to leave room for improvisation and those magical little moments to happen, you really need a mix of careful planning and flexibility from every department. That’s not easy on a tight timeline,” he says.
“Luckily, we had a team that made it possible. The cast was always open to adapting, and Clint, as a director, was incredibly encouraging. He was never afraid to shift things on the day if something felt better or more honest in the moment. That kind of openness creates the space where unexpected, beautiful things can happen and that’s where a lot of the film’s most special moments came from.
“There are a bunch of really big, epic moments in the film, scenes full of scale and movement, but one of my favourites is actually a much smaller, more intimate moment. The camera doesn’t move, and neither do the actors. It’s just a close-up on Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones as they lie on the ground, having this quiet, beautiful conversation.”
Train Dreams is available to stream on Netflix now.
