Definition March 2025 - Web

This issue sees the return of our VP special, The Virtual Frontier, delving into the latest tricks and tools, insights from industry leaders, and celebrating our Game Changer Awards 2025. We also sit down with cinematographer Mandy Walker to discuss her work on Disney’s new live-action reimagining of Snow White, and talk vintage lenses and the art of building tension with Markus Förderer, DOP on September 5. Plus, don’t miss our deep dives into camera-to-cloud workflows and digital de-ageing, as well as an exploration of the gory VFX behind The Monkey. We also kick off our new AI series, preview this year’s NAB Show in Vegas and much more!

MARCH 2025

£5.49/$11.99

THE STORY HAD TO BE beautiful, WONDROUS. A visual spectacle ”

VIRTUAL PRODUCTION AWARDS SEPTEMBER 5 A MASTERCLASS IN TENSION

NAB SHOW TOP TECH & TALKS

Mandy Walker, AM, ASC, ACS brings a fairytale world to luminous life in Disney’s latest live-action remake SNOW WHITE magic (re)makers

WHERE NEXT FOR C2C? TRACKING THE EVOLUTION OF CAMERA-TO-CLOUD WORKFLOWS

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WELCOME

EDITORIAL Editor in chief Nicola Foley nicolafoley@bright.uk.com Senior staff writer Katie Kasperson Features writer Oliver Webb Chief sub editor Matthew Winney Sub editors Zanna Buckland, Minhaj Zia

Editorial director Roger Payne rogerpayne@bright.uk.com Contributors Adam Duckworth, Adrian Pennington, Adam Vann ADVERTISING Sales director Sam Scott-Smith samscott-smith@bright.uk.com 01223 499457 Sales manager Emma Stevens emmastevens@bright.uk.com 01223 499462 | +447376665779 DESIGN Design director Andy Jennings Magazine design manager Hedzlynn Kamaruzzaman Ad production Holly May PUBLISHING Managing directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck Lucy Woolcomb Junior designer

year on since our last virtual production special, we’re diving back into the world of VP this issue to explore the newest tricks and tools, get insights from industry leaders and celebrate the best in the biz in our Game Changer Awards 2025. Discover how Those About to Die brought ancient Rome back to life in the volume (complete with real horses!), hear about the next big VP leap and learn about leading training initiatives – plus lots more – in our Virtual Frontier supplement, from page 31. We also sit down with cinematographer Mandy Walker to hear about her work on Disney’s new live-action reimagining of Snow White (page 8), and chat vintage lenses and the art of building tension with Markus Förderer, DOP on September 5 (page 22). Elsewhere, we unpack the evolution of camera to cloud and take a deep dive into digital de-aging – speaking with experts about the techniques behind turning back the clock on actors. At this year’s BSC Expo, we had the pleasure of catching Aputure’s fantastic seminar about how we communicate colour. Featuring DOP Ed Moore and gaffer Chris Stones, it served as an interesting state of the nation on the matter of colour control on-set; read our key takeaways on page 60. We also investigate the gory VFX of The Monkey , kick off

our new AI series, preview this year’s NAB Show in Vegas and much more inside. Enjoy the issue and see you next month!

Bright Publishing LTD Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3HJ, UK Definition is published monthly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge, CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. Definition is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Definition that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted in sterling, euros and US dollars are street prices, without tax, where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.

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CONTENTS

PRODUCTIONS 08 SNOW WHITE Mandy Walker on maintaining the magic in Disney’s new live-action fairytale 22 SEPTEMBER 5 Authenticity was key for the makers of this tense depiction of the Munich Olympics terror attack, says DOP Markus Förderer 65 CROIS PAS QU’ON DORT This Nike-backed documentary captures the highs and lows of French Olympians ahead of the Paris Games POST 14 VFX BREAKDOWN VFX supervisor Edward J Douglas gives us the gory scoop on new horror The Monkey 62 FOREVER YOUNG Is de-aging finally getting good? We tackle the tech behind this VFX process TECH 18 CAMERA TO CLOUD The pandemic saw a flurry of new C2C innovation, but where are we at now – and where is it heading next? 60 COMMUNICATING COLOUR The key takeaways from Aputure’s BSC Expo seminar about on-set colour control 66 AI & THE CRAFT Like it or not, the AI age is here. Our new guide is on hand to help you navigate it

DEFINITION RECOMMENDS… Katie Kasperson, senior staff writer, can’t stop thinking about Sorry to Bother You (2018) 48

film that’s stuck in my mind since I saw it, Sorry to Bother You is a black comedy – a visually bold and bizarre tale of late capitalism and the perils of chasing profits. The story centres around Cassius ‘Cash’ Green (LaKeith Stanfield) as he begins a job as a telemarketer and quickly ascends to ‘power caller’ status, which affords him a new lavish lifestyle. Writer-director Boots Riley – frontman for The Coup, who recorded the film’s soundtrack – supposedly

based the script on his own experiences in telemarketing (hopefully loosely). Riley first wrote the film in 2012, but its relevance has only grown thanks to the questionable decision-making from corporations across the world. The sense of humour won’t land with everyone, and I wouldn’t recommend watching it with your parents like I did. But my personal marker of a good film is one that lingers, and I expect I won’t be forgetting this one anytime soon.

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CONTENTS

69 TRIED AND TESTED Adam Duckworth puts Datacolor’s LightColor Meter through its paces

INTERVIEW 28 DYNAMIC DUOS

Director J Blakeson and DOP Philipp Blaubach reflect on their relationship VIRTUAL FRONTIER 32 AND THE WINNERS ARE… The results are in! Dive in to see who we’ve crowned as the winners in the second edition of our VP awards 38 EDUCATION AND TRAINING As VP advances, is education able to keep pace? We find out about the initiatives bridging the skills gap 44 THOSE ABOUT TO DIE A spotlight on the virtual production extravaganza that brought ancient Rome to vivid life for this Amazon Prime series 48 ROUND TABLE VP experts consider AI, accessibility to tech, addressing the demand for up-to- date skills and other hot-button topics 57 TOMORROW’S VP CREATORS SCAN’s Adam Vann takes on how to give next-gen VP whizzes a leg up in the field INDUSTRY 70 WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS... With NAB Show Las Vegas nearly upon us, it’s time to preview what the annual M&E conference has in store 74 INDUSTRY BRIEFINGS Garden Studios expands, SilverScape launches Manchester VP facility, MPTS ticket registration opens and more

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DOP Lachlan Milne, ASC, ACS, NZCS on his favourite shot in noir thriller Lady in the Lake

Y ou might have missed this it to your must-watch list ASAP. Starring Natalie Portman in electrifying form, the show plunges us into the disappearance of a young girl in sixties Baltimore, beginning a chain of events that puts two women on a fatal collision course. Beyond its gripping central mystery, the series is a real feast for the eyes; drenched in rich period detail and dripping with noir elegance. A standout moment appears early on – a stunning long-take sequence in the pilot episode, Did You Know Seahorses Are Fish? stylish thriller when it dropped on Apple TV+ last summer, but our recommendation is to add WORDS NICOLA FOLEY IMAGES APPLE TV+

Running from 30:39 to 40:40, it marks our first introduction to the Pharaoh nightclub – the domain of mob boss Shell Gordon – where lead protagonist Cleo Johnson cooks the books while her husband Slappy performs his close-to- the-bone comedy routines. Cinematographer Lachlan Milne, ASC, ACS, NZCS highlights this as a favourite from the whole series: “We were really interested in keeping the scene as much like a real-time event as possible, where the place feels packed, the air is thick and we get a sense of the decadence and free-spirited nature of the time,” he explains. To achieve this immersive feel, the club was meticulously constructed

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BEHIND THE SHOT

on a sound stage, with period-accurate in-camera lighting built into the set. Walls were made removable for the crane’s movement, while the dance floor ceiling was left open to accommodate additional lighting and top shots. The sequence was technically impressive, deploying a hybrid set-up of a 30ft telescopic crane and a three- axis wireless gimbal. Halfway through, the gimbal detaches and is seamlessly carried by grips. “Myself, Alma (our director) and Jude (first AD) spent hours meticulously choreographing both the talent and background to keep the club feeling alive while allowing the camera to navigate through safely,” Milne shares.

The shot begins with the camera tracking Reggie as he moves through the club, transitions to a sweeping crane push-in towards the stage, then booms down to meet Shell Gordon. At this moment, the gimbal detaches and grips weave the camera back through the crowd, finally arriving at the bar with Officer Platt. Milne credits the success of the shot to careful prep and the flexibility of their rig: “This set-up allowed us to keep the ARRI ALEXA LF and G Series anamorphic lens package, maintaining the show’s established photographic aesthetic.” The result is a slick, dynamic scene that sets the tone for the entire series.

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PRODUCTION SNOW WHITE

Snow White DOP Mandy Walker, AM, ASC, ACS sits down to discuss the process of going from animation to live action – and the honour of recreating Disney’s first animated feature

WORDS KATIE KASPERSON IMAGES DISNEY

L ike many Disney movies that followed, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the stuff of fairytales. Released almost a century ago in 1937, the film borrows its plot from the Brothers Grimm’s eponymous story – one that involves an evil stepmother, a magic mirror and a poison apple. An iconic animated film that kicked off the Disney Princess Line, Snow White was long overdue for a live-action remake – a retelling of the classic tale, with Rachel Zegler ( West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ) stepping into the protagonist’s slippers. Following the likes of Maleficent ( Sleeping Beauty ), Cinderella , Beauty and the Beast , Aladdin , Mulan and T he Little Mermaid , Snow White (2025) elevates the existing IP with a contemporary cast and updated visual

effects. For DOP Mandy Walker, AM, ASC, ACS the key was to maintain the magic. STRIKING A BALANCE Once Marc Webb signed on as Snow White ’s director, the cast and remaining crew quickly came together. “During my interview,” recalls Walker, “Marc and I had a great discussion about the story and the possibilities of translating this iconic Disney animation to live action.” Co-written by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, the script makes some key changes, replacing the prince with a love interest named Jonathan and strengthening Snow White’s character. “Early on, we talked about being conscious that this is a fairytale – a story that should be beautiful, wondrous and a visual spectacle,” Walker continues. “The characters brought their own inspirations; when the Evil Queen takes

over the kingdom, the light literally dims from the world and it becomes darker and cloudy.” While the film deals with some intense themes, it’s also a romance, striking a balance between misery and magic. “Many of the discussions with Marc and the other visual departments always deferred to retaining the wonderful elements of the original film,” explains Walker, “while consciously bringing it into a more modern vision that will be new to audiences.” Rated PG and marketed as a family movie, Snow White largely appeals to kids. “I didn’t want to make the film too scary for the younger audience,” says Walker, “so when the film is dark and there are moments of fear, I went to a colourful, heightened look – something the original film did so well.” In contrast, the more cheerful moments come

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SNOW WHITE PRODUCTION

WATCH THE TRAILER

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PRODUCTION SNOW WHITE

THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT Anamorphic lenses soften Snow White’s world, while the Queen’s close- ups sharpen every shadow

with a layer of warmth, and the dwarfs’ cottage glows with rich, golden light. “It changes when the emotion of the film does – when Snow White is threatened and handed the poison apple, the golden light disappears from the cottage and that world becomes sombre and cool,” Walker describes. LET IT GLOW Having previously shot the live-action Mulan , Walker knew a Disney adaptation should be handled with care by sticking close to the source material, while also introducing a smidge of novelty. “The visual language of this movie drew its inspiration from the original animated version,” she shares. “The artwork in that film is absolutely stunning. The colour palette and the painterly aspect of the backgrounds were what I kept in mind the whole time.” Walker also added her own touch, incorporating imagery ‘that evokes the beauty of natural landscapes with colour

and atmosphere’. To drive home that fairytale feeling, Walker explains: “The camera, VFX, production design, costume design and makeup departments would all meet to discuss elements of texture, colour and objects that shine, reflect and glow,” such as mirrors and jewels. “We were able to test all our ideas and combinations of elements from each department to ensure it worked in sync.”

Despite some thematic similarities, shooting Snow White was almost nothing like Mulan . “Animation was not as direct of an influence on the visual language,” claims Walker. “In Mulan , I found references in the colour palettes of Chinese art as well as the traditional textures and details of the landscape. We centred the story of Mulan’s journey in a dramatic way,” she continues, while Snow White’s saga is much more whimsical. FAIRYTALE ON FILM Along that line, Walker needed kit that would emphasise the film’s storybook setting and overall charm. “As always,” she begins, “early in pre-production, I went to visit the lens guru Dan Sasaki at Panavision LA to discuss how I saw the

THE colour palette and painterly aspect WERE WHAT I KEPT IN MIND”

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SNOW WHITE PRODUCTION

visual language of the movie and test the best options of how to technically represent that.” Sasaki put together some classic anamorphic Primo lenses, which were “adapted to be sharp but to make the skin tones smooth and the imagery glow,” Walker describes. “We chose anamorphic because it evoked the fairytale-like, illustrative image with the edges slightly dropping off – something we enhanced with subtle vignettes that centre your eye on the action and have a sense of a frame.” Sasaki expanded the lenses to fit the ARRI LF’s sensor size to ‘take advantage of their characteristics’. In order to amplify the contrast between Snow White and the Queen, Walker focused on camera movement, making it ‘dance with the characters’ in musical scenes; the Queen’s coverage was ‘more symmetrical, classical and austere’. Walker adds that ‘the lighting is more dramatic’ in the Queen’s scenes, while soft light illuminates Snow White and the enchanted forest. A key challenge in bringing any animated tale to life is in handling the visual effects. There are singing animals, a mirror that moves and speaks, spontaneous smoke and lightning, plus seven partially computer-generated dwarfs. For Walker, who likes to ‘create the effects organically, in camera, as much as possible’, VFX was an essential part of the gig. “I am so lucky that before I even started, the team informed me how the process of creating the CG characters and animals would involve me and my

WE CHOSE ANAMORPHIC AS IT evoked the fairytale-like, illustrative image WITH THE EDGES SLIGHTLY DROPPING OFF”

work,” she enthuses. “I was involved from that time on, all the way through post, as I was consulting on the lighting of the CG environments and characters.” To make everyone’s job a little easier, the crew used puppets as stand-ins for the CG animals and motion capture on the actors who played the seven dwarfs. By doing so, this created ‘physical lighting references’ as well as a more seamless post-production process. “My favourite scenes were the musical numbers in the cottage,” Walker admits. “It was challenging to work in a small environment and stay cognisant of seamlessly combining live-action and CG characters. It was fun and extensive, but it was also enlightening: a new world that involved my input both artistically and technically.” GREAT EXPECTATIONS In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made history as Walt Disney Animation

Studios’ first feature-length animated film – and the first to be released in the US. It held the record for the highest-grossing animated film for 55 years; if adjusted for inflation, Snow White still carries that title. Given its long and mighty legacy, a remake comes with a certain responsibility – to preserve what made the original so successful while ensuring the story evolves with the times. Going into the project, Walker was all too aware of this. “The main challenge for me was to be true to the timeless originality of Disney’s first princess and her eponymous film, but with a reimagining that only enhances the beauty and emotionality,” she says. “I was consciously paying tribute to the animated classic but embodying it in a modern way through camera and lighting.” For anyone who adores the original, Walker hopes her work delivers. Snow White will be released in cinemas on 21 March

BITE OF THE APPLE VFX and practical lighting are combined to ensure CG elements feel part of the same world

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VFX BREAKDOWN THE MONKEY

MONKEY BUSINESS VFX supervisor Edward J Douglas takes us behind the gory insanity of The Monkey VFX BREAKDOWN

WORDS OLIVER WEBB IMAGES ASTERIOS MOUTSOKAPAS

W hen twin brothers Hal and Bill find a mysterious wind- up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths begin to tear their family apart. Fast-forward 25 years, and the monkey is on another killing spree – forcing the estranged siblings to confront the cursed toy. Edward J Douglas served as overall visual effects supervisor on The Monkey , having previously worked with director Osgood (Oz) Perkins as VFX supervisor on Longlegs . Douglas received the script for this film as the Longlegs shoot was wrapping up. “I was very surprised to see Stephen King’s name on the top of it, so that was exciting,” he begins. “I dug into the script, and every page I turned was some new form of bat-shittery, as Stephen King described it. I’d already worked on one film closely with Oz, so I had a good sense of his approaches and how it might look when we got to it.” The Monkey is distinctly a comedy horror, unlike Perkins’ previous films. “This is Looney Tunes ; it’s our world and our rules,” confirms Douglas. “ Gremlins was a big reference, and we looked at other Amblin movies from the eighties – films by Joe Dante and John Landis, for example. Oz described it as ‘Robert Zemeckis on acid’ as a reference point.

We knew from the start there would be a lot of digital work in the movie, but everything had to begin in the practical world. We have a whole bunch of absurd Rube Goldberg-esque kills, and each of those is a mix of stunts, practical special effects, creature effects, special effects and makeup. I’m collecting all the ingredients and orchestrating them into a final amazing gag.” The Monkey had 406 VFX shots in total, ranging from the big kills to little enhancements. WildFX supported with additional shots and sequences focusing on blood and gore. “Many of the kills were shot in pieces for safety,” reveals Douglas. “Visual effects were driving straight through the heart of this story and experience; unlike Longlegs , where it played a supporting role. “Conversations for The Monkey were always about how to make things funnier and more impactful. I don’t remember how many kills we had overall, but there are so many and they are all distinct. We discussed the blood-and-guts canon: would they be shocking deaths, for example, or quiet bloodless deaths – or blood spraying everywhere.” Another big piece of visual effects in this film centres around twin brothers Hal and Bill (portrayed by Theo James,

MONKEY SEE... Perkins altered the monkey to play a drum instead of cymbals due to copyright concerns from Walt Disney

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THE MONKEY VFX BREAKDOWN

WATCH THE TRAILER

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THE MONKEY VFX BREAKDOWN

with Christian Convery as both young Hal and Bill). “Visual effects for twinning these characters was a key part of it,” says Douglas. “We came up with a series of gags early in the film where we would show Hal and Bill interacting together. In one of the first instances, Bill – who’s the bully and older brother by a couple of minutes – shoves Hal. The way Oz shoots his dialogue is much like how the Coen Brothers do it. They are with the characters rather than over the shoulder, creating an intimacy between them, even when they’re not on screen together. We have these interaction gags and then just let everything else play out in performances.” Due to the nature and budget of the shoot, it was vital for Douglas and his team to achieve the twinning shots in minutes, as opposed to hours. “You have these incredible twinning sequences all the way back to Dead Ringers, which have intricate camera moves,” he explains. “Our incredible Steadicam operator, Leonardo Harim, could repeat motions with green-screen passes just enough to allow seamless tracking and compensation. This also made the process quick and easy for young Christian Convery, allowing him to stay fully present in both performances without technical distractions. Tatiana Maslany – who plays Lois, Bill’s mother – has done countless scenes and sequences like this before on Orphan Black. One of our doubles even worked with her on that show. So, we had a lot of that spiritual experience.” Werner Pretorius at Amazing Ape Productions created the animatronic monkey, as well as many other practical creations. Chris van Dyck of Niche VFX was responsible for the monkey-on-fire sequences, as well as nearly every other shot that touched and supported the monkey itself. It was also crucial for the film to be a blend of practical effects and visual effects. The aunt Ida sequence

...MONKEY DO VFX supervisor Edward J Douglas (right) and director Oz Perkins (middle) on set

proved to be a mix of elements, led by Tom Rolfe – visual effects supervisor at CoSA VFX – who also created the pawn shop harpoon scene, final apocalypse and pool explosion, among many others. Additionally, Ole Vezina, special effects set supervisor, was the technician in the green suit throwing all the limbs in the pool scene. One of Douglas’ favourite sequences to capture involved close collaboration from all departments to make it happen. “There’s a bit of magic that I’m proud of,” he admits. “Bill’s father is trying to destroy the monkey once and for all, but he fails. Adam Scott’s character unleashes a flamethrower on it, yet the monkey only grins as everything melts around it. We were inspired by the iconic face-melting moment at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. I called up Werner and Greg Pyne, our special effects lead, and we began assembling pieces. Werner was able to cast a gelatine monkey that we could melt. We built a dummy monkey head

from the same material as the mandrel for aunt Ida’s head, allowing us to set it on fire. The wardrobe department supplied extra pieces of the monkey costume to burn. In the end, nothing had to be CG – we gathered all the necessary ingredients ourselves.” The Ricky (Thrasher) hornet sequence was led by van Dyck, which turned out to be the heaviest CG sequence on the film. “When I first saw this in the script, I knew it would probably be the biggest challenge,” notes Douglas. “It’s the Looney Tunes logic of Oz Perkins in this film, the same with some of our exploding people. Every person in this movie explodes with three times as much blood as a normal person should. We knew the hornets would be CG, and we wanted to give the audience something they’d never seen before. Ultimately, the key to this scene was trypophobia, the horrifying reaction to little holes. We created all these holes from which the hornets would emerge, like dots and holes within holes. “Oz’s dad is Anthony Perkins – that’s another cool element that gives him a personal connection to the kind of story about the randomness of death. As I’ve gotten to know Oz, I can feel how this is utterly his most personal story – the most authentic to how I know him as a person, and I’m proud to have worked on this film,” concludes Douglas.

EVERYONE EXPLODES WITH three times as much blood AS NORMAL”

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GEAR CAMERA TO CLOUD

As C2C gradually becomes the norm, Adrian Pennington speaks to key players for the inside track on where the tech is headed T he transition to remote production cloud workflows jumped during Covid-19, when camera-to-cloud (C2C) solutions were essential for proxies – while filming is still in progress, productions can potentially eliminate a full day of turnaround time, says Fournelle. “There’s no waiting around for hard drives to be shipped or files to be copied

keeping isolated teams in sync, whether it’s shooting on a second unit down the road or sitting in an edit suite thousands of miles away. “C2C workflows continue to evolve as more camera manufacturers enable immediate access to proxy and original camera footage as it’s captured,” says Chris Fournelle, director of content and marketing production at Signiant. “However, adoption remains limited due to several key challenges. Many cameras still rely on recording of media to cards rather than directly to accessible hard drives, which restricts seamless access. Internet connectivity — especially out in remote locations — can also be a big challenge for C2C.” C2C speeds up the content creation process by reducing the time it takes to get from acquisition to post-production. By enabling dailies to be created with original camera footage – not just

from one device to another; files can be uploaded directly to the cloud from the camera so that editors and remote stakeholders such as producers, directors, even clients, can start viewing or working on the material immediately,” explains Steve Wise, marketing director at Atomos. “There are also some nice fringe benefits in terms of reducing carbon footprint.” The obvious benefit for larger teams is access to a centralised repository of assets, regardless of location or platform. The speed at which content can pass through post-production is dramatically increased because, as soon as the assets land, they can be edited, commented on, approved and iterated. “For everyone else, from single owner- operators to broadcasters, there’s the convenience of not having to manage physical media, maintaining a robust, automatically backed-up workflow and

IMMEDIATE IMAGES Atomos Shogun monitors (above and top right) have proven useful for sending camera proxies directly to HQ

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CAMERA TO CLOUD GEAR

inherent organisation of assets,” says Patrick Holroyd, CEO and co-founder of mobile and cloud tech company MAVIS. “Files can be automatically associated with their source device and categorised by date or content type, all while residing on infinitely large storage.” Holroyd likens camera-to-cloud adoption to the transition from tape to tapeless: “We saw a gradual adoption of new technology as people learnt about the benefits and organically replaced their existing equipment and workflows.” Wise calls growth steady rather than exponential. “There are a lot of moving parts. More and more cameras are capable of being network-connected, and an Atomos monitor-recorder will connect any HDMI or SDI camera, but Wi-Fi hasn’t always been the most stable means of transmission. This has probably been the biggest obstacle, but the technology has improved leaps and bounds in just a few years.” Consequently, convenient and reliable connectivity is

key to growth, but this doesn’t preclude working on location. C2C is more likely to be found in studios where cameras and recorders can be plugged directly into broadband networks or routed over 5G, but on- location C2C workflows are more practical than they’ve ever been. For larger productions, bonded solutions and low Earth orbit satellite connectivity provides a level of guarantee, even in remote locations. “Bonded cellular solutions from companies like Sclera Digital and portable kits from Starlink can easily fit in a backpack, providing high-speed, low- latency internet on the go,” says Wise. Atomos claims to have pioneered the concept of the monitor-recorder – a field monitor that also records high-res ProRes files to cheap, removable storage. Three years ago, it added Wi-Fi connectivity alongside an online service that integrated with all leading C2C platforms, including Adobe’s Frame.io, Sony Ci Media

Cloud, MediaSilo and Dropbox Replay. “We also developed a new progressive file- transfer technology so that the upload of the file starts as soon as the camera starts recording,” Wise adds. “If the connection is lost during the upload process, file upload starts again as soon as the connection is restored, ensuring no data is lost.” German reality TV series Bauer sucht Frau (best translated to Farmer Wants a Wife ) used Atomos’ Ninja Ultra and Shogun to send camera proxies directly into ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4 headquarters in Vienna, saving time on the previous route of sending dailies via physical hard drives. Similarly, rather than physically running cards between the editors and camera operators, Bauer Media fed content from the red carpet at the BRIT Awards into Frame.io for real-time highlights editing via Atomos Shogun plugged into wired Ethernet as well as Wi-Fi. For smaller productions, 4G- or 5G- enabled devices and mobile phones

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GEAR CAMERA TO CLOUD

offer fast, reliable internet connectivity. Holroyd notes: “The mobile phone is one of the best-connected devices filmmakers have, and will increasingly become integrated into workflows.” The MAVIS Pro Camera app, launching at NAB, will marry the power, portability and innate connectivity of the iPhone with Frame.io. “We will support fast, progressive uploading to the platform,” Holroyd says. “For other platforms, we are launching MAVIS C2C, a service that provides progressive uploads to Sony Ci, MediaSilo, Amazon S3 and Grass Valley Framelight X, unlocking the iPhone for larger teams capturing content for news and social.” There are wrinkles in some C2C workflows that users should be aware of. Even in studio environments, many software solutions are limited, requiring media to be stored in their own cloud storage, which doesn’t always work for production teams, according to Fournelle. “Teams need the flexibility to get content immediately off any camera as it’s being captured and to deliver that content to any private or public cloud storage,” he says. “Perhaps the biggest hurdle is workflow inertia — filmmakers trusting their established processes and being reluctant to adopt new methods, even when the benefits are clear.” The practicality of C2C on location depends heavily on high-speed internet access, especially when dealing with large 4K, 6K, 8K or even 12K media files. “Slow connections or network interruptions can undermine the entire workflow,” explains Fournelle. “Reliable connectivity, efficient transfer protocols and scalable infrastructure are essential for this approach to be viable on-set.” Signiant’s accelerated transfer technology, support for growing files, proxyless play and metadata support ‘make it the go-to platform’ for media professionals in this area. “Beyond simply

FROM A TO B Signiant Media Shuttle (above) has portals for accessing and transfering large files

moving media to the cloud quickly, it’s just as critical to be able to instantly access, review and interact with that content — whether on-set or from anywhere else in the world,” he says. “With Signiant, media professionals can do just that using a standard web browser, eliminating the need for specialised desktop tools to interact with or transcode Raw media.” Sundance Film Festival has used Atomos C2C workflows for coverage since 2022. Atomos has also seen an uptake in sports, with the NBA and NHL using C2C to feed their social media channels. And, more recently in Europe, FC Bayern Munich and MotoGP have experimented with C2C. “C2C has already evolved,” Wise says. “In its early stages, it mirrored a typical offline/online workflow; simultaneously capturing two versions of the footage: a high-quality Apple ProRes or Avid DNx hero file and a lightweight H.265 HEVC 2K or 1080p proxy file that gets instantly uploaded to the cloud. The two file versions share the same file name and timecode reference, enabling a rough

cut to be made with the proxy file in the cloud that subsequently can be auto- conformed on terra firma with any NLE. “But for social media platforms and for breaking news on conventional broadcasting services, what used to be considered ‘proxy’ video quality is now perfectly usable. For example, an HD/30p H.265 proxy file recorded at 10Mbps would be perfectly acceptable online.” Holroyd thinks storage will become permanently integrated into the capture device and, thanks to C2C, physical media will become a thing of the past. “With faster upload speeds, content rich in metadata will flow directly into an AI editor or VFX generator with only final polishing and editorial decisions needing to be carried out by a human,” he claims. Fournelle also expects camera manufacturers will normalise direct access to media across their camera range. “However, bandwidth alone isn’t enough. To truly capitalise on high-speed connectivity you need a software solution that can efficiently utilise all available bandwidth. The higher the bandwidth – or the greater the distance and network latency – the more critical this becomes. “Without the right technology, even the fastest internet won’t guarantee the seamless transfer of large media files needed for modern workflows.” Faster, more reliable internet access facilitated by 5G and 6G would most certainly help. Insomuch as there is a comparison with the AI phenomenon, C2C can only get faster, cheaper and more reliable.

THE practicality OF C2C ON LOCATION DEPENDS HEAVILY ON high-speed internet access ”

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PRODUCTION SEPTEMBER 5

Placing viewers inside the ABC Sports newsroom while the Munich Olympics terror attack unfolded, authenticity was key for the makers of September 5. DOP Markus Förderer, ASC, BVK tells us more “We kept that high-stakes, live-broadcast energy”

WORDS NICOLA FOLEY IMAGES PARAMOUNT

T he 1972 Munich Olympics were meant to symbolise peace and unity, but instead became the stage for one of the most shocking terrorist attacks in modern history – unfolding live on television for the whole world to witness. In the era before 24-hour rolling news, nearly 900 million viewers watched in real time as members of the militant group Black September infiltrated the Olympic Village, taking Israeli athletes hostage and eventually murdering nine of them. A team from ABC Sports,

on site to cover the Games, made the unprecedented decision to broadcast the crisis as it happened. September 5 takes viewers inside the ABC Sports newsroom, where journalists scrambled to report on the tragedy with limited information and under immense pressure. For cinematographer Markus Förderer, ASC, BVK, the first task was figuring out how to capture the gravity of this world- changing moment from within the tight confines of the windowless control room. “This was our biggest challenge. The

director Tim Fehlbaum had this idea to keep it really contained and only show what the media saw,” explains Förderer. “The question was: how do we give it scale and scope while still staying true to the point of view?” WINDOWS TO THE WORLD One of the solutions was to make the TV monitors in the room ‘windows to the world,’ says Förderer – showing what was happening outside in the Olympic Village just as the journalists reporting would have seen it. It’s an effective trick,

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SEPTEMBER 5 PRODUCTION

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SEPTEMBER 5 PRODUCTION

making you second guess what you’ve seen playing out through the screens or in ‘reality’. The monitors served as a key practical light source, but also played a critical role in amping up the tension. One of the most distinctive visual elements is the use of screen flicker as an emotional cue, intensifying as the tension builds. “We tested different flicker frequencies by taking LED tubes back to our hotel rooms and seeing how much was too much before it gave us headaches!” he laughs. “In the opening sequence – the swim race – we introduce a slight flicker, so that the audience can get used to it. But when the first masked terrorist appears on screen, we ramp it up dynamically to create a subconscious sense of unease." THAT SEVENTIES LOOK Given the setting and historical backdrop, the conversation naturally came up around shooting the whole thing on film. But after extensive testing, Förderer and the team opted for digital, shooting on RED V-RAPTOR cameras and using vintage lenses, detuned modern glass and lighting techniques to achieve the period aesthetic. “We tested 35mm, but the sensitivity of film stock – even pushed to the limit – wouldn’t have allowed us to achieve the

naturalistic feel we wanted,” he says. “The entire set was built within a real, existing studio in Munich, which had no windows. This meant that the only key light sources were the TV monitors themselves, and using film would have required more light than we could justify for the look we were going for. What makes September 5 unique is that when people watch it they might get the feel of a film from the seventies, but it actually doesn’t look like that,” he continues. “It invokes the feel through lenses and lighting, with references to films and documentaries shot at the time, but it actually looks more modern.” To bridge the gap between digital capture

and the grainy, textured feel of the era, Förderer scoured eBay for lenses from the seventies, including Zoomar glass, which had originally been used to shoot the Munich Olympics. “I saw an advert for them in an old copy of American Cinematographer from the time, promoting that they’d been used in the event. I thought: this is a sign, we have to find them! “Most of them are long telephoto lenses, but we managed to find a wide- angle Zoomar lens made for stills; it was actually the first zoom lens ever made. We had it converted into a PL mount so we could use it on the RAPTOR and it looked amazing, but also a bit funky, so I knew we also needed a more modern lens with very close focus.” To keep the vintage character consistent, Förderer decided to detune the modern lenses himself. “I don’t recommend trying this at home,” he laughs. His experience testing vintage glass for his website cineflares.com had given him insight into how older optics reacted to light: “In those places, I found some really unique aspects and lenses from the seventies,” he explains. He then introduced imperfections to mimic older optics. “Old lenses, they were never built in a clean room, right? Today’s lenses are, but back in the

ON THE GROUND Director Tim Fehlbaum (left) and DOP Markus Förderer (right)

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SEPTEMBER 5 PRODUCTION

INSTANT COVERAGE Building a realistic newsroom set added to the film’s immersive feel

seventies they were never perfect. They were hand-assembled with misaligned elements,” he explains. “I took it apart and put it back together, but imperfectly – on purpose.” The result was one-of-a-kind. “It’s a unicorn lens – very dirty, with dust and fingerprints in between elements. It created a unique effect with a 3D bloom.” THE IMMERSION FACTOR Another key component of the film’s visual grammar was the feel of almost documentary-like immediacy. It was shot almost entirely handheld with long takes and whip pans, designed to keep pace with the chaos inside the newsroom. “Every scene was shot as a oner – a continuous take,” Förderer elaborates. “We knew we would tighten it up with editing, but by shooting this way we kept that high-stakes, live-broadcast energy.” For added realism, the team also opted against blue or green screens for the TV monitors in the control room. Instead, all of the footage was played back on them in real time. “That was essential,” he insists. “If our actors had been reacting to blank screens, we would have lost so much authenticity. The

especially in depicting what happened inside the ABC compound.” TRUSTING YOUR GUT For Förderer, the project itself and the reaction to it – which included an Oscar nomination – have been a dream come true. “You always hope, but you just never know. It was such a small film but such a huge story. We worried about whether we were doing it justice by telling it in such a contained way, but ultimately that made it special and unique.” Looking back, his biggest takeaway has been the importance of embracing intuition. “You can plan, storyboard and previs, but once you’re in the room with the actors you have to be ready to throw it all away and follow your gut instinct wherever the story takes you. If you see something magical, go for it,” he urges. “You can do a perfect crane shot, stabilise it in post and make everything flawless, but it might have no soul. I think people are craving reality, especially in a time when we’re bombarded with AI- generated images. I’m drawn to things that feel human – that were captured in the moment, with real actors. If you can shoot handheld, shoot handheld. Keep it bold. Keep it simple.”

monitors had real flicker, real artefacts – it was all live in the room.” BALANCING REALISM WITH RESPECT For the whole team, authenticity was paramount, but so was handling the subject matter respectfully. They took great care not to exploit any real footage of victims; instead, most of what appears to be archival material was actually painstakingly recreated. Despite their sensitive approach, and praise for capturing the experience from those who lived through it – including Geoffrey Mason, a control-room functionary for ABC who is depicted in the film – Förderer still grappled with the project’s ethical weight. “We were right there in the Olympic Village where those hostages were killed, and it was chilling. We were making a film, but because it was rooted in historical fact it had to be as accurate as possible. At the same time, we were telling a narrative story, using creative techniques to build tension. There’s no such thing as a neutral perspective. If we show a masked man on a balcony and zoom in, we’re framing it like a horror film to make the audience feel something. But I felt a deep responsibility to be accurate,

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DYNAMIC DUOS

Director J Blakeson and DOP Philipp Blaubach, BSC reflect on their working relationship, revealing the secret ingredients to successful collaboration J BLAKESON PHILIPP BLAUBACH DYNAMIC DUOS

INTERVIEW KATIE KASPERSON

DEFINITION: TELL ME ABOUT THE FIRST PROJECT YOU WORKED ON TOGETHER... J BLAKESON: The first thing we did was The Disappearance of Alice Creed , which was my first feature. I think the producers wanted to get somebody in who had more experience to shoot the movie with me. I didn’t know Philipp at the time. PHILIPP BLAUBACH: We were introduced through the producers. What’s nice, when you’re meeting early in your career, is that it feels like you’re inventing together. We did things in a way I hadn’t done them before. It’s exciting when you inspire each other. JB: Early on, we bonded over wanting to not be restricted by the low budget and make something that was bold, cinematic and distinctive. We wanted to do something that was composed, colourful and deliberate in the 24 days we had. The fact that we had no money and little time meant we gave ourselves freedom to push ourselves as much as we could. We had nothing to lose, really. DEF: WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU COLLABORATED ON SINCE THEN, AND HOW HAS YOUR

and no time. I think that’s something we do quite well together. Segueing into Culprits – which is the biggest thing we’ve done together – that was more of a marathon, whereas what we’d done before had been sprints. The hard slog was trying to keep the vision and enthusiasm all the way through, as well as being as careful at the end as we were at the beginning. That’s where it really helps to be such good friends. PB: Trust grows over time. You don’t immediately know whether you are going to be able to work well together. Sometimes, you’ll meet someone for coffee, talk and it’s all fine, but once you’re on-set it’s a nightmare. J actually told me that, when we first met, I was perhaps a bit subdued and not that talkative, and he almost wasn’t going to hire me. Now, we obviously have this trust, but it takes me a bit of time to develop a good relationship like that. First impressions can be deceptive. JB: Philipp seems calm and rational, and almost introverted, but he works so hard and is so passionate when he’s working, in his own way, that I think he sometimes takes people by surprise. DEF: WHAT MAKES YOU SUCH A GREAT TEAM?

RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER EVOLVED OVER TIME? JB: Gunpowder was a nice challenge for both of us. We got to play with these very grand locations. After Alice Creed , when we spent the shoot in one room, we were instead in abbeys and building a whole block of Elizabethan London. That was a lot of fun because we were getting back to our roots – running and gunning – but making it look like we had all the time and all the money in the world, even though we had no money WE enjoy it , WE have fun AND WE PUSH EACH OTHER TO do things that are more interesting ”

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DYNAMIC DUOS

RUN AND GUN Blakeson (front left) and Blaubach (right) returned to their roots to turn Gunpowder into a high-quality show on a tight budget and schedule

JB: We’re now friends, and it’s nice to work with friends. The basis of our working relationship is that we enjoy it, we have fun and we push each other to do things that are more interesting, that will make the other one smile. At the end of the very long days, still being in love with the magic of making films – capturing a beautiful shot or telling a story really well – and getting to do it in a calm, friendly way where it’s fun, I think that’s so nice. PB: I agree completely. We like to have an intimate set. I always like to operate the camera myself and have that direct communication with J. The actors are in front of us, and we sort of work it out right there on the spot. Whether Alice Creed , which was a small set, or our last project, where we had a whole army of crew, keeping it largely between us and two or three immediate collaborators is fun.

JB: We’ve known each other for such a long time that I can tell when Philipp’s getting a bit frustrated, and Philipp can tell if I’m getting a bit frustrated, so we can manage that well. We are both cheerleaders for each other. DEF: HAVE YOU EVER FACED A MAJOR CREATIVE DIFFERENCE OR DISAGREEMENT, AND HOW DID YOU HANDLE IT? JB: I can’t think of us having any big arguments. The only thing is that I’m more responsible for justifying decisions to the producers. Not that it’s an argument – usually it’s Philipp saying, ‘Can we just do one more take of this?’ and me replying, ‘We have to move on.’ PB: I can find it hard to compromise sometimes. J sees the bigger picture and how everything comes out in the wash, while I’m more focused on the specific task at hand.

JB: I have to be the buzzkill, but that’s part of the job. But there’s definitely a reason I keep coming back to Philipp, and that’s because we both get excited. When we flip through photography books, we stop at the same photographs because we both like the same kind of thing, and that’s rare. People talk about shorthand too – we haven’t got a code or shorthand, but I have faith that when Philipp is onto something, he’ll find it.

DEF: DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING COLLABS IN

THE WORKS?

JB: We have a few things in various stages, but there’s one

that looks like it might happen, which is a feature I’ve written. It looks like we’ll be shooting it this summer, so I’m excited about that because we haven’t made a film together since Alice Creed . Watch this space; hopefully we’ll be able to tell you more about it soon.

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THE VIRTUAL FRONTIER VOLUME II

29-PAGE VIRTUAL PRODUCTION SPECIAL!

LEARNING CURVE SIGN OF THE TIMES The VP awards return to crown this year’s Game Changers! UPPING THE VOLUME TRIED AND TRUE

THE STUDIOS AND UNIS ADDRESSING VP’S MOST PRESSING SKILLS GAPS

PROS WEIGH IN ON THE FUTURE OF FILMMAKING AND VP’S PLACE IN IT FOR OUR ROUND TABLE

REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES THAT SHOWCASE WHAT’S POSSIBLE WITH A VIRTUAL SET

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W elcome to the second edition of our virtual evolve and the industry adapts and expands, this time we’re focusing our celebration on the companies standing out in the crowd. We’re shining a light on the trailblazing businesses pushing boundaries, solving the toughest challenges and elevating the craft of virtual production to new heights. Hand-selected by our panel, these choice brands have been shaping the future of the field and redefining the limits of what’s possible for those using the technology. Whether it’s refining colour accuracy, perfecting in-camera VFX or making VP workflows more production awards! As the world of VP continues to accessible and collaborative, their impact is undeniable. Dive into our coverage to discover the extraordinary contributions and groundbreaking achievements of our amazing 2025 Game Changers!

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