The 'Conclave' Umbrella Scene Explained: Pray for Rain

One of my favorite movies last year was Conclave. Sure, it could be because I spent 12 years in Catholic School, or it could be because Ed Berger made a crackling thriller that has lots of catty cardinals fighting over supremacy. We did a whole post covering the ending of Concave, but today, I wanted to go over one scene that seems to stick with everyone who watched the movie. It's a scene involving intense collaboration with cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine that really sums up the idea of the movie and hits all the themes. It's called the umbrella scene. Let's dive in. The 'Conclave' Umbrella SceneToward the end of the movie, after some impassioned speeches about what the church is and should be, all the cardinals head in to vote for the pope again, this time in the pouring rain. In a wondrous overhead shot, we see all the cardinals moving in unison, carrying white umbrellas, headed toward the Sistine Chapel to vote. It's a poetic look at all of them moving together and builds our upcoming anticipation for what is about to happen with the vote. Another thing the scene conveys is the sense of the Church's enduring nature. No matter what happens, new popes will come and go, and the Catholic Church will continue its march through history.It doesn't matter who the Cardinals are, they will always come here to do this and always have. The Cinematography of the Umbrella Scene The decision to have a scene like this in the movie was made by Ed Berger based on his experience making All Quiet on the Western Front. He wanted that same sense of marching toward the inevitable. Cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine talked to The Wrap about shooting this epic scene. She said “It was something Edward talked about in our first conversation,” she continued “‘All Quiet’ had not even come out yet, but that’s something you can tell from that film, which is a sense of the unstoppable. Moving forward in the physical space and feeling that there is no way you can escape. That was absolutely perfect for ‘All Quiet,’ in terms of the visual language of war.”That visual language also translated well toward electing a pope. Fontaine explained, “The camera was in a high window, looking down at the yard. We had quite a lot of rain, along with a bit of sun and a bit of good luck, so the lighting was just right. But we didn’t have enough cardinals on the day.”Without enough Cardinals, they actually shot the same people over and over again in different positions and then plated them in during the edit for the final shot. Fontaine elaborated, “We shot a few different plates and then stitched them together to make them look like that sea of cardinals that you see, all in forward movement together.”That shot turned out to be one of the most memorable of the movie. It's a wide shot that carries the weight of the story and the importance of what these men are about to do. Summing Up The 'Conclave' Umbrella Shot So, that's the story behind the umbrella shot. It's a wide shot you're not soon going to forget. What other shots stood out to you during Conclave? Did you have other interpretations of the umbrellas? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Feb 18, 2025 - 21:28

The 'Conclave' Umbrella Scene Explained: Pray for Rain

One of my favorite movies last year was Conclave. Sure, it could be because I spent 12 years in Catholic School, or it could be because Ed Berger made a crackling thriller that has lots of catty cardinals fighting over supremacy.

We did a whole post covering the ending of Concave, but today, I wanted to go over one scene that seems to stick with everyone who watched the movie.

It's a scene involving intense collaboration with cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine that really sums up the idea of the movie and hits all the themes.

It's called the umbrella scene.

Let's dive in.

The 'Conclave' Umbrella Scene

Toward the end of the movie, after some impassioned speeches about what the church is and should be, all the cardinals head in to vote for the pope again, this time in the pouring rain.

In a wondrous overhead shot, we see all the cardinals moving in unison, carrying white umbrellas, headed toward the Sistine Chapel to vote.

It's a poetic look at all of them moving together and builds our upcoming anticipation for what is about to happen with the vote.

Another thing the scene conveys is the sense of the Church's enduring nature. No matter what happens, new popes will come and go, and the Catholic Church will continue its march through history.

It doesn't matter who the Cardinals are, they will always come here to do this and always have.

The Cinematography of the Umbrella Scene

The decision to have a scene like this in the movie was made by Ed Berger based on his experience making All Quiet on the Western Front.

He wanted that same sense of marching toward the inevitable.

Cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine talked to The Wrap about shooting this epic scene. She said “It was something Edward talked about in our first conversation,” she continued “‘All Quiet’ had not even come out yet, but that’s something you can tell from that film, which is a sense of the unstoppable. Moving forward in the physical space and feeling that there is no way you can escape. That was absolutely perfect for ‘All Quiet,’ in terms of the visual language of war.”

That visual language also translated well toward electing a pope.

Fontaine explained, “The camera was in a high window, looking down at the yard. We had quite a lot of rain, along with a bit of sun and a bit of good luck, so the lighting was just right. But we didn’t have enough cardinals on the day.”

Without enough Cardinals, they actually shot the same people over and over again in different positions and then plated them in during the edit for the final shot.

Fontaine elaborated, “We shot a few different plates and then stitched them together to make them look like that sea of cardinals that you see, all in forward movement together.”

That shot turned out to be one of the most memorable of the movie. It's a wide shot that carries the weight of the story and the importance of what these men are about to do.

Summing Up The 'Conclave' Umbrella Shot

So, that's the story behind the umbrella shot. It's a wide shot you're not soon going to forget.

What other shots stood out to you during Conclave? Did you have other interpretations of the umbrellas?

Let me know what you think in the comments.