BURY THE DOGS PRODUCTION.
psyche, leaving him with a question – does he stay loyal to Tosh? Is it worth it?” LESS COMMERCIAL DOP Dave Galloway has a CV boasting clients such as the BBC, Apple and Nike, as well as a nominated documentary at Tribeca Film Festival (2019) – but this was a very different style of film for him. “Beth and I broke down the visual style of things when it came to shooting,” he explains. “It was a combination of realism, with a hint of stylised lighting, so I immediately knew what I needed.” Galloway had used the Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K G2 on music videos and shorts in the past, but had never embarked on a project with the aim of pushing this camera to the limit. With various tests and comparisons, he decided the Ursa Mini Pro 12K and 4.6K G2 were the right choices for Bury the Dogs . “Shane Meadows, executive producer of the film, has shot lots with these cameras,” he adds. “They have a fantastic look. If you’re going for a premium image at an affordable price, I think they’re excellent. I’ve used them as B cameras alongside the Arri Alexa Classic and Mini. However, the Blackmagic cameras are a quarter the
price. When we went into this, we wanted that very rich look with good colours and textures, and something that would give us enough information in the grade to try and push the tone that we want.” The team used DZO Vespid Primes, which Galloway says also lend themselves to the edit. “They’re relatively new to the market and sit perfectly between the Samyangs/Rokinons and Canon CNEs in terms of cost. For an affordable price, they are really sharp and give a good picture, so when you take the rushes into post you can add a bit of flair to the image.” IT’S COMING HOME Galloway adopted a multicam approach, but it was the lighting that proved the biggest challenge on set.
GOING PUBLIC One of the biggest challenges was getting lighting set up in active locations
“Most, if not all, of the environments were active locations, meaning the public had access 90% of the time – the corner- shop scene opens the film and it was a location we only had for a limited time,” Galloway recalls. “Getting the overhead rigs positioned, blacking out the shop’s practical fluorescents to replace with our own Astera tubes within the time frame, all while trying to get the specific look we wanted – it was a challenge, but we managed to overcome it.” In fact, remarks Galloway, there was some serendipity at play. “In that process, you do uncover some happy accidents, where maybe the lighting didn’t align with your plans due to time constraints – then on camera you say: ‘Hey, we worked with what the environment and location can give us. We didn’t plan for this but it’s actually added to the look.’” Bury the Dogs had a first screening at Home Theatre in Manchester and is due to go on the 2023 festival circuit. “We want to use it as a calling card because the story has a lot more places to go, the characters do as well,” Rowland enthuses. “When we finished, it felt like there was so much more we could do with it. We’re now developing the treatment of the feature film.” Bury the Dogs is currently touring festivals
“The visual style was a combination of realism with a hint of stylised lighting”
29. AUGUST 2023
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