PRODUCTION GRISELDA
were more in line with that aspect ratio than with widescreen, for example.”
IF YOU’RE TRUE TO THE STORY AND THE VISION, it’ll pay off ”
GLASS ACT Salas tested everything from sharp, modern lenses to true vintage glass, paired with a variety of cameras – eventually selecting the RED V-RAPTOR 8K VV (so new at that point it wasn’t even on the shelves yet) teamed with Panavision Panaspeed lenses. “What was great about that combination is that the RAPTOR is a very small camera. I knew that we would be shooting mostly in practical locations – and off a compact remote head – so it made for an incredibly small footprint. But, equally, we could quickly go from studio mode to Steadicam to remote head to Technocrane back to dolly. My AC was able to make a functional, fast-moving camera build,” he enthuses. On the lens front, Salas adored the Panaspeeds’ pleasant rendering of skin tones, but also their consistency from lens to lens, mechanically and optically – something that likely wouldn’t have been possible with a true vintage lens. “It gave
me comfort because I knew I was going to be very aggressive with the lighting and contrast ratios,” he shares.
– that’s all being executed in terms of lighting, colour of the light, wardrobe, set dressing, location choices. So you have these drastically different looks that progress over the course of the show, but it’s woven into the fabric of the scene. I’m proud that, from the most austere to the most lavish moments in terms of colour and lighting, they feel authentic.” As his first large project shooting on a RED camera, and his first time using Panaspeeds, Salas was keen to step out of his comfort zone on Griselda – something he sees as essential to creative development. “A lesson I keep trying to teach myself is to take chances and be bold,” he concludes. “If you are being true to the story and the vision of the director, it’ll pay off.”
LESSONS LEARNED Looking back on the project, Salas is especially proud of the cohesiveness of the final look and the way it came together visually. “When Griselda is at Mutiny, for example, there are all these mosaic ceiling pieces with copper and gold, and all these interactive lights. There’s a lot going on, but it’s the same LUT, camera and lensing as when we’re shooting June’s storyline, which is much more austere. She’s confined by the lines and architecture of the homicide department, the colours are subdued
GOLDEN TO GRISLY Salas' clever use of colour depicts the contrast between vibrant hedonism and a cold, bleak Miami PD
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