Inside the Covert Operation: Filming Elizabeth Holmes' Final Days Before Prison
Inside the Covert Operation: Filming Elizabeth Holmes' Final Days Before Prison
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim spill secrets on their documentary, 'You Can See Everything,' revealing how they filmed Elizabeth Holmes secretly for 16 hours a day ahead of her prison sentence.
Hollywood and the world were stunned by the revelation that filmmakers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim had secretly been documenting Elizabeth Holmes for their film, “You Can See Everything.” The documentary, which recently had surprise premieres at the Telluride and New York Film Festivals, delves into the final days of Holmes' freedom before she began her 11-year prison sentence for Theranos fraud. The co-directors recently pulled back the curtain on the elaborate and covert process behind the shoot.
Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, invited Fielder, Oppenheim, and a small camera crew into their San Diego home just 34 days before Holmes was incarcerated. Fielder, known for his unique blend of reality and scripted comedy in shows like “Nathan for You” and “The Rehearsal,” initially intended to remain behind the camera for his feature directorial debut. However, the dynamic quickly shifted.
As Holmes and Evans frequently addressed Fielder directly, the camera operators began panning over to him, transforming him into an “accidental investigator” of everyday moments.
The initial filming approach proved cumbersome; an anamorphic single-camera setup was ill-suited for capturing spontaneous interactions.
After a day of challenges, the team radically changed tactics.
They adopted a vérité, fly-on-the-wall style, employing three cameras with two operators. Long zoom lenses were used to cover various “zones of the house,” allowing for continuous 16-hour shooting days without the subjects always knowing what was being focused on. A wide lens was strategically placed to cover the entire house, ensuring no significant moment was missed, while other lenses provided the flexibility for close-ups.
The crew was kept remarkably small, with only seven people in total, and a maximum of four inside the house at any given time.
Cinematographer David Bolen was instrumental in making shots look beautiful even in challenging lighting conditions.
This meticulous “dance” between the crew members, driven by curiosity and a commitment to exploratory freedom, allowed the filmmakers to capture an intimate and unprecedented look into the life of one of the most scrutinized figures in recent memory. #ElizabethHolmes #YouCanSeeEverything #Documentary #TellurideFilmFestival
