THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES PRODUCTION
THE ALEXA MINI LF IS A LIGHTER WEIGHT. IT’S easy for handheld AND YOU CAN get into small spaces – IT’S VERY FLEXIBLE as a camera ”
these big concrete beams and hang up lights. I did east, west, north and south, and for where the big hole in the ceiling [caused by an explosion] is I put another few banks there so I could constantly have some contrast. You need to be able to create a dramatic image to drag in the audience.” About 95% of the footage was shot with ARRI ALEXA Mini LF cameras and ARRI Signature Prime lenses. “There is a little story to this,” reveals Willems. “Francis and I have been shooting everything since 2018 on the ARRI ALEXA 65. When we came to this project, I felt that shooting with a large camera would impede us because there was so much action and Steadicam work. I did a couple of tests for him with the ALEXA Mini LF and Signature Primes during a scouting trip to the arena and he went, ‘Okay, lets do it.’ “The Mini LF is a lighter weight. I can use it on a Steadicam and rigs, it’s easy for handheld and you can get into small spaces – it’s very flexible as a camera.” Normally, two cameras were favoured, but not always. “We tended to shoot on wide lenses so sometimes it’s difficult to get another camera in there somewhere. When we were doing some of the fight sequences in the arena, and the reapings [the event where Tributes are selected], we ended up adding cameras. The most was four, so we could do extra shots from different angles.” GLASS HALF FULL Over the past six years, more lenses have been manufactured capable of covering the big sensors of large format cameras. “I’d shot a few commercials on Signature Primes and felt it was the perfect glass for what we wanted to do,” explains
Willems. “They’re wide, with not too much bend in the glass and not overly sharp. It definitely has a human aspect to it and doesn’t feel too cold. It has an incredible close focus, which was a big deal. Some scenes we’re inches from the actors. “It’s a VFX-friendly lens. You can use it in all conditions. In a few scenes in the games, we shot on a 15mm to be super wide in that space because you can see the scope and scale of it. But the 29mm and 21mm were used the most. We also had a 35mm just in case we couldn’t be close enough. You could really get into a close-up with the 29mm and be intimate with an actor.” Big action sequences were shot listed, however, and coverage for moments of dialogue were determined by rehearsals with the cast on location. “Francis loves wide lenses, shooting long takes, bringing people into a space, turning around and revealing the rest of it,” explains Willems. “When it comes to lighting, you have to be prepared for that. Tungsten was not part of the lighting equipment. It was a lot of Creamsource Vortexes, quite a few ARRI 360 SkyPanels – which are easy to move around and a nice soft light. And ARRIMAXs allowed us to create a hard sunlight coming into that arena. I usually use natural light outside because things can quickly start looking artificial.”
TIME WELL SPENT Ten weeks was allotted for pre-
production and principal photography lasted 17 weeks, with the spring weather in Poland and Germany varying a great deal. “We had one LUT, which is something [visual effects supervisor] Adrian de Wet prefers and is easier for colour correcting,” states Willems. “I
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