SCREAM HORROR SPECIAL
the other, and they were all programmed to move independently, so it looks like the lights are chasing from one end to the other. This gives the impression you’re moving, but it’s just the lights that are moving past the windows by turning off and on in sequence,” he continues. “It was a complex set, but relatively simple solution to the problem.” CAPTURING A KILLER Audiences are by now well acquainted with the iconic Ghostface mask which the killer (or killers!) in each film don – a warped, Edvard Munch-inspired visage which original designer Brigitte Sleiertin- Linden describes as bearing a ‘horrible, sorry and frantic look’. The challenge for Jutkiewicz was making sure that Ghostface lost none of his shock value over 25 years on. “We always wanted to pay attention to how the mask looked. In Scream VI , it actually changed for the first time,” he shares. “It wasn’t as pure white as previous iterations, and we added more texture and made it a little darker. It was fun to play around with – we did some testing and prep to see what angles made the mask look scarier. “I found that off-axis looks pretty nice with this mask; lighting from below, giving it a sinister look and picking up some of the new details. Ultimately, we wanted it to be a presence and look scary. It helps that it’s white – in dark environments, it still pops.”
Another top priority was making sure that the blood – of which there’s plenty – looked real. Jutkiewicz credits the special effects makeup team with devising a realistic-looking formula, and has some words of wisdom for any other aspiring horror filmmakers: “The one thing I’ll say in terms of advice when shooting blood is that you firstly need a great mixture, but know that it does require a bit of special lighting attention. “It’s generally dark and red – and horror movies are often pretty dark to begin with – so it needs a bit of finesse. Get a little light, usually a harder light source, off-axis to the camera to give it a little bit of shine, otherwise you’ll find it will blend in, especially if the wardrobe is darker too.” When it came to camera movement, Jutkiewicz revelled in a creeping, voyeuristic quality. “You never really know where Ghostface is, or what corner he might be around. We found that using longer lenses and journeying through foreground elements helped convey that effectively. “For the action sequences, we went handheld quite a bit and were right in the actors’ faces, which gives a visceral immediacy. In Scream VI , as Ghostface becomes more brazen, we wanted to move with him. The stunt performer playing him had this amazing physicality, so having my operators be able to respond to him and stay in the action heightened the aggressive feel.”
KILLER INSTINCT Jutkiewicz experimented with different lenses to heighten tension, especially during daylight scenes
As the franchise gears up for its seventh outing, Jutkiewicz is shifting his focus to shooting the next series of Stranger Things , and at the time of writing, has no plans to return to Scream . Like many other horror fans though, he’s excited to see what comes next for Ghostface and the gang. “I’ve loved being part of the films and I think it’s just great that the franchise is continuing,” he concludes.
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