COLOUR SPECIAL
THE COLOUR WORLD OF THE BUTLER DOP Denson Baker, ACS, NZCS and gaffer Cullum Ross talk about their upcoming period action movie S tarring Jean Reno and Tom Hollander, upcoming period action movie The Butler follows a gang of thugs with their sights set on WORDS NICOLA FOLEY
and it still looks great. I chose Ultra Primes as the architecture of Sutton Place was such a feature of the cinematography; columns and arches, a lot of horizontal and vertical lines that I wanted to capture using wide lenses with minimal distortion. Combined with Tiffen Black Glimmerglass and Smoque filters, the Ultra Primes are beautiful,” he adds. Lighting-wise, Baker sought a natural, ‘available light’ look, with shadows polluted with a blue-green tint that would
ransacking a grand old stately home. “Our reference point was for it to be Downton Abbey meets Die Hard ,” laughs DOP Denson Baker, ACS, NZCS. “We shot in the stunning Sutton Place in Surrey, and we set out to create a painterly, atmospheric lighting style that becomes increasingly more gritty and grim as the threats increase.” He and gaffer Cullum Ross discussed the colour approach for each scene, including how to tackle a moonlit look, daytime feel, and the night work needed. “We were thinking about the period, the setting and the characters’ historical context. We wanted the 16th- century manor house to feel empty and expansive; like something the characters could step into and almost be swallowed by,” explains Ross. They explored how the house should play in bright daylight, but also feel “dark and unawakened from within,” continues Ross. “Because many of the interiors were shot day for night, we needed both a convincing daylight base and a moodier, more atmospheric look at night.” Much of the look was crafted in camera – on the ARRI ALEXA 35 – which gave the filmmakers huge advantages downstream, says Baker. “The camera’s dynamic range is incredible. We shot a significant amount of the film in low light
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