DEFINITION July 2018

SHOOT STORY SOLO

WE’D ALSO PROGRAMME INTO THE SKYPANELS SOME ORANGE AND RED FLASHES FOR EXPLOSIONS THAT WE COULD HIT

Bringing Ron Howard’s eye-popping visual spectacle to life was aided by expert input from company Lux Machina PROJECTING THE STORY

Wars film. But for gaffer Perry Evans it wasn’t his first time on a Star Wars set: he had already worked on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Rogue One . “I really enjoyed working with Bradford, a lovely man and very different to other DOPs that I had worked with inasmuch as the stops he was working at and the low light levels. I knew that with the ASA Bradford wanted to work at, which was 1280, we could then use some of the VFX to help us with the lighting. “For instance, for some of the battle scenes we had a whole bank of ARRI SkyPanels on top and we didn’t light the backing at all, we just let it go. We actually ended up turning off the outside edges of the SkyPanels that were closest to the backing because the seam in the silk was visible – by turning it off we got a gradual fall-off. “We’d also programme into the SkyPanels some orange and red flashes for explosions that we could hit; we’d hit a cluster of ten or 20 panels and hit the button and make them have an orange glow as if there was an explosion far away, so it just glimmered in the smoke. “For the rest of the sets as well, Bradford would have an idea in his head and we would sit down and talk about it, and we quickly found that we were singing from the same song sheet, we were after the same things. He might turn on a few lights and then I might say, ‘Why don’t we turn some off’. He would realise that was working and then would turn some more off. We did that a few times. You do get some cameramen, when things aren’t going right, who turn some lights on – with Bradford, if it’s not going right he’s just turning some more lights off. At first it’s unnerving, but then you realise that we’re shooting at 1280 ASA, where maybe the film previously we were working on was with a DOP shooting at 400. We had to get used to the light levels, which was a very quick learning curve.”

Definition: Can you describe your role in the projection side of Solo ? Are we talking about rear projection only or did you also use some LED screens? Philip Galler, Lux Machina: We used both front projection (Dryden Vos yacht), rear projection (Kessel Run), and LED screens (Speeder and interactive lighting work). Def: When you bend the rear projection screens to cover the Falcon, for instance, how do you control the light and give the DOP the resolution he needs? PG: The screen is illuminated in different blended zones: each projector covers a zone, and we correct for the differences of perspective in each projector using toolsets available to us in a hardware and software solution called Disguise, a company based in the UK. We calibrate each projector in 3D space using an accurate model of the screen and the physical position of each projector. Def: What kind of projectors are you using now for this type of projection? PG: We are using 30,000 lumen HD and 4k laser projectors from Panasonic. Def: Can these screens also be used for some green screen work when you know that VFX is needed?

PG: Absolutely! Projection screens make a great combo of interactive lighting and green screen tool. We are often called upon to draw green screen elements and tracking markers onto the screens we are working with. Def: Is it easier to use rear projection or are you moving towards the higher resolution LED screens, which may be less adaptable? PG: I think each project has its own use for projection and LED. Projection is great, but it has its limitations, such as having lower brightness and contrast than LED. However, unlike LED, we can bend projection screens, make creative surfaces and avoid moire when we utilise projection techniques. Def: What are we seeing with the projection photos in the film? PG: For the projection photos with the Millennium Falcon, you are seeing the utilisation of a media server to play back high resolution content to bring the Kessel Run to life, and to enable the actors to sit in a world that feels and behaves just like the real world might. The level of immersion helps with storytelling, and the quality of the imagery makes post-production work simpler and faster. The LED sets you are seeing are being used for interactive lighting; this provides realistic lighting in a flexible and dynamic way that can be manipulated in real time.

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DEFINITION JULY 2018