PRODUCTION. OUR UNIVERSE
he says. “Many characteristics of the vintage anamorphics were reduced when foreground wasn’t introduced, and only the distortion of the ocean’s horizon was a concern. The Kowa were also never shot wide open, ensuring some optical consistency was retained while minimising the edge fringing – something that’s synonymous with the vintage Russian glass.” The underwater sequences were predominantly captured using a Red Helium, in custom Gates and Nauticam housings. “We combined these with our Cooke S4 primes in a rectilinear dome for some breathtaking sequences.” VIRTUAL REALITY Virtual production was deployed across the series, but with special significance for one specific moment in episode 3, Turning Seasons . Cooter reveals how the team wanted to shoot a scene involving the hibernation of an Alaskan brown
EYE IN THE SKY Aerial shots were captured on Red Komodo and P+S Technik anamorphic lenses mounted to a DJI Matrice 600
animal training company Horkai, for our virtual stage. We shot these sequences on a crane, to allow us to move the camera freely and safely around the animal.” Hifle explains how the team provided backdrops for the shoot, which he was on-set to supervise. “Based on Stephen’s direction, I was able to adjust the backdrop pretty much instantly and advise on removals we would need to do in post-production,” he says. “Of course, the priority was the safety of the animal, so the crew was filming from a distance via a Technocrane. Stephen was able to show me the footage and I’d advise on what he’d shot, highlighting any removals of safety equipment we could do later. The final shot was a mix of matte-painted plates, the virtual-stage bear and CGI to add clouds and other atmospherics.”
bear, as well as other pivotal moments in the script that revealed her connection to the universe – for instance, looking at the moon, the formation of which creates the seasons themselves. “If we were to shoot this in the wild with real hibernating bears, it would have been extremely difficult, not to mention incredibly dangerous for the crew. Hibernating bears wake up hungry!” Cooter explains. “So instead, we used an LED studio in Budapest and photographed a European brown bear called Koda, provided by the Hungarian
“We used an LED studio in Budapest and photographed a European brown bear called Koda”
ALL TOGETHER NOW Each DOP had some freedom over camera equipment, but an anamorphic look was specified by series director and producer Stephen Cooter to unify the show’s aesthetic
48. DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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