The Only Living Pickpocket: Sam Levy blocks before he lights

Levy compares shot design to writing: keep one style, but vary the structure of each sentence so the flow stays interesting, and do the same with the tempo of shots. That gives the film an observational camera in dramatic moments, like Harry's Bronx apartment with his bedridden wife, and a shift in energy when Harry works the crowded streets and trains. Inspired by Robert Bresson's L'Argent and Harry's constant work with his hands, the team got into the habit of tight shots they started calling Bresson inserts.

Levy said a big part of his job is anticipating the edit, laying moments out so the shots can go together in a particular way. The texture is personal too: the film was shot on Super Baltar lenses, the type Gordon Willis used on The Godfather, alongside a set of original Baltars that belonged to Harris Savides, whom Levy once assisted. On the subway, he lit the fluorescent cars to feel green, like an American dollar bill, and green carried into the pickpocketing and money-counting scenes.