GRAN TURISMO PRODUCTION
everything!” recalls Jouffret. So, the DOP and his crew did just that – in a GT simulator – and it was unforgettable. “We learned so much. It’s where I first got a sense of the cinematic style that we applied.” ART IMITATES LIFE The plot is based on the biographical story of Jann Mardenborough, a precocious teenage GT player whose unique gaming talent led to real-world success as a professional racing driver. “This is a true story – a young man who is on his way to adulthood. We follow his emotional journey through some amazing experiences. Neill wanted to recreate those indelible moments. In a way, it was almost documentary-like,” muses Jouffret. “From the very beginning, Neill wanted this steeped in reality. Even though he’s known on past projects for his use of visual effects – like District 9 – on Gran Turismo , he wanted it to be real. He didn’t want to put an actor in a car with a blue screen; he wanted to shoot at real speed, on a real track, with real actors in the car.” While getting everything ready in pre-production, the crew had some serious hurdles to overcome. “We had several issues we needed to address. We knew we had to find the correct car in the first place. But then, how can we put a pod [an external rig for mounting
HE WANTED IT TO BE real. HE DIDN’T WANT TO PUT AN ACTOR IN A CAR WITH A BLUE SCREEN; HE WANTED TO SHOOT AT real speed, ON A real track, WITH real actors IN THE CAR”
the track when you’re in the car – it’s not just fun and games,” Jouffret remarks. The filmmakers focused on capturing this earthy footage – they felt the cars had to have an authentic, dynamic look. “Neill didn’t want stabilised images; he wanted the cars to be brutal, violent, with lots of vibration and no visual effects. Once you’re inside the cars, it isn’t a pleasurable ride. There are no creature comforts. Outside, they may look beautiful, but inside, the experience is something quite different. Neill wanted to give the audience a sense of how it actually feels – an amped-up realism while sharing that same experience,” Jouffret explains. The DOP applied tried-and-tested techniques from past ventures to his work on Gran Turismo . “I used a lot of handheld shots to get the immersive
cameras on the vehicle] on that car? And lastly, we needed something – like a tracking camera vehicle – that can keep up with those race cars.” After much searching, the team happened across the right vehicle for the interior shots right under their noses. “We found a Nissan GT-R NISMO in the UK – an identical car to the hero vehicle. But even though it was the same model, it could barely keep up!” BRUTAL REALISM With long panoramic shots enveloping the audience, Gran Turismo ’s aesthetic is breathtaking. “We used RED KOMODO FPV drones for a fantastic overview of the track. In fact, it was Neill who wanted to use the drones for a different point of view: to showcase the brutal realism on
BUMPER STICKER The crew used a variety of rigs for mounting cameras on the car, achieving deeply immersive shots of both the interior and exterior
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