Alice Brooks thought a lot about how to blend dark and light during the filming of the “Wicked” movies.

In the blockbuster “Wicked,” which came out last year, the lead characters Elphaba and Glinda share the screen much of the time. One has a dark green face and wears clothes the color of midnight, while the other has skin as light as porcelain and pale pink costumes. In “Wicked: For Good,” which opens in theaters nationwide Nov. 21, the two are apart for much of the film. Which let Brooks, a Portland resident and the cinematographer for both films, do things a little differently.

“Glinda’s world is refined and feels like an old Hollywood movie, so we framed her with circles and bubbles and lit her so that she had a glow to her. But denser than the first movie,” said Brooks in late October, when she was home in Portland briefly between film projects. “For Elphaba, we get much closer to her and we introduce her with these hand-held shots and extreme close-ups. It juxtaposes the dichotomy between the two. Elphaba’s world is raw and textured and real.”

Brooks grew up in New York and Los Angeles, but spent summers in South Bristol, in the Midcoast. She made Maine her home nearly two decades ago, and lives in Portland with her husband, Sam Spencer, and their daughter, June Spencer. Not wanting to be away from her family during the 14 months of “Wicked” filming in London, she brought them with her. She has photos of June running on the Yellow Brick Road and spending time in the Emerald City.

Some theaters have scheduled special showings of “Wicked: For Good” as early as Wednesday. The film is the most recent big-budget musical that Brooks has been behind the camera for. She worked on “Tick, Tick….Boom!” (2021), written for the stage by Jonathan Larson of “Rent” fame, and “In the Heights” (2021), written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Brooks has been working in film for more than two decades.

On the “Wicked” films and “In the Heights,” Brooks collaborated with director Jon M. Chu. The two first partnered on projects more than 20 years ago, when they were both film students at the University of Southern California. In an interview with American Cinematographer, Chu said that Brooks was a “superstar” during film school, and he sought her help on a film he was working on at the time.

“I love people who are curious and not afraid of trying things and maybe even being wrong, and Alice and I have made a lot of mistakes together along the way,” Chu told the magazine. “Also, there’s no ego. I’ve seen dudes try to push her around, and it doesn’t affect her. Her thing is, ‘I’m making something great. You’re either on this train or you’re not.’ I love that about her. “

Both “Wicked” movies are based on the 1995 novel “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire, which was illustrated by Peaks Island artist Douglas Smith and also spawned a hit Broadway musical. Maguire’s novel was inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 story “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” That book, in turn, inspired the classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.” 

Brooks said that she and the “Wicked” team studied the previous books and movies set in Oz before they started filming.

“We looked at every single idea of what Oz had has been, because each human being has a different relationship with Oz,” said Brooks. “Some read the books. Lots of people grew up, like myself, watching “The Wizard of Oz” on TV. There’s a whole generation who only know the stage show, superfans who travel around the world to see every production of “Wicked.” So everyone has their own interpretation, and it’s fascinating.”

The two “Wicked” movies were shot on 17 indoor sound stages and five outdoor backlots around London. The university where Elphaba and Glinda first meet and the Emerald City were each about the size of four American football fields, Brooks said. Sets were built “from wall to wall and floor to ceiling” down to the yellow painted bricks on the famed road.

“Hollywood doesn’t do this anymore. Sets like these harken back to the days of ‘Spartacus’ or ‘Gone With the Wind’,” Brooks said.

Brooks’ daughter June went to school in London, attending second grade during the filming. Sometimes she visited the set on weekends or school holidays to watch her mother work, or just hang out on the Emerald City train. The hair and make-up crew would do her hair and let her wear costumes.

Chu solicited June’s input on the design of the flying monkeys, asking her what color she liked best or what hair design was most suited to them. June, who is now 10, is very proud of her contributions to the flying monkeys as they appear on screen.

“It was a completely magical experience for a young girl to have,” Brooks said.

Brooks arrived in London with most of the crew of the film, including stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Brooks was impressed with both stars, who sang live while being filmed, rather than lip synching. That means they sang while at the same time dancing or moving around. In Erivo’s case it meant singing while flying around strapped to a harness and wires.

Erivo did all her own stunts and worked hard to be in the best physical shape. She got up at 3 a.m. daily, worked out for an hour and a half, then endured three hours in the make-up chair before filming started at 8 a.m., Brooks said.

Grande was often the first person on set, and did not ask for a stand-in when her scenes were being lighted. Many actors do, but as a cinematographer, Brooks would much rather light the actor who is going to be filmed.

One day, cast and crew arrived at a backlot to find a heavy rain had left the Yellow Brick Road covered with mud and in need of a paint job. Grande grabbed a paint brush and joined the crews repainting the road, Brooks said.

“You would never know she is a superstar,” Brooks said.

Brooks is next working on a movie called “Scandalous!” about the late 1950’s romance between singer Sammy Davis Jr., who was Black, and movie star Kim Novak, who is white. It stars Sydney Sweeney and David Jonsson and will be the directing debut of actor Colman Domingo. Brooks is also listed as they cinematographer for “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” but can’t say much that project right now.

Though with the “Wicked” movies done, she’s happy to talk about them and the impact they’ve had on her and her family.

“‘Wicked’ was an enormous challenge in every aspect. It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Brooks said. “But it was also the most rewarding.”