Definition October 2024 - Web

Step inside the wacky world of Beetlejuice as we catch up with the sequel’s cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, for insights on collaborating with Tim Burton, crafting imaginative practical effects and evolving the visual language of the original film. There’s also a look at the new season of Slow Horses with DOP Danny Cohen, plus we explore how ad agencies are leveraging the power of virtual production, chat with legendary sound designer Ben Burtt and lots more!

SLOW HORSES IS THE ANTI-BOURNE DOP DANNY COHEN SUBVERTS EXPECTATIONS ON THE HIT SPY SHOW

TURN TO PAGE 62 Must-see highlights to check out at the show!

OCTOBER 2024 DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM

DOP Carolina Costa on capturing the beauty of everyday life in Fancy Dance Where do you find THE MAGIC?”

HESTIA TAKES SONY’S VP TOOLKIT TO OUTER SPACE CRAFTING THE FORTRESS’ DRAMATIC DUAL TONES

Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos steps into the wacky world of Beetlejuice for a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration

PLUS! IN CONVERSATION WITH OSCAR-WINNING SOUND DESIGNER BEN BURTT

Use this QR code to view the issue online, find our socials, visit the website and more!

WELCOME

EDITORIAL Editor in chief Nicola Foley nicolafoley@bright.uk.com

Senior staff writer Katie Kasperson Chief sub editor Matthew Winney Sub editors Jim Blackstock, Minhaj Zia Editorial director Roger Payne rogerpayne@bright.uk.com Contributors Adrian Pennington, Phil Rhodes, Dani Rose, Oliver Webb ADVERTISING Sales director Sam Scott-Smith samscott-smith@bright.uk.com 01223 499457 Sales manager Emma Stevens emmastevens@bright.uk.com 01223 499462 | +447376665779 DESIGN Design director Andy Jennings Magazine design manager Lucy Woolcomb Junior designer Hedzlynn Kamaruzzaman Junior designer and ad production Holly May PUBLISHING Managing directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck Bright Publishing LTD Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3HJ, UK Definition is published monthly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge, CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. Definition is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Definition that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted in sterling, euros and US dollars are street prices, without tax, where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.

S equels, prequels, reboots and remakes are all the rage at the moment, but few have generated the excitement of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice . This long- awaited follow-up to Tim Burton’s classic screwball comedy – first released 36 years ago – brings the debauched ‘bio-exorcist’ back to stir up spooky chaos alongside much of the original cast, plus new faces including Jenny Ortega. For DOP Haris Zambarloukos, joining the production was a dream come true. In this issue, he shares insights on collaborating with Tim Burton, crafting imaginative practical effects and evolving the visual language of the original film (page 6). We take a closer look at Slow Horses too, with DOP Danny Cohen sharing how he gave the genre a grimier slant than your typical spy thriller. Read all about it on page 42. There’s also a look at how ad agencies are leveraging the creative power of virtual production (page 14), while this month’s In Short focus Hestia demonstrates the exciting potential of Sony’s VP toolkit (page 34). Elsewhere, DOP Carolina Costa invites us into the production of Fancy Dance during a sweltering summer in Oklahoma; a panel of experts discuss the latest advancements in lens technology; we explore some nifty new filters; and the legendary Ben Burtt – Oscar winner, voice of R2-D2 and the man responsible for Darth Vader’s heavy breathing, among many other achievements – tells us about his career in sound design. Enjoy the issue, and see you next month!

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CONTENTS

OCTOBER 2024

06 BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos takes us BTS

42 SLOW HORSES DOP Danny Cohen puts Slow Horses ’ biting humour in the frame 48 ROUND TABLE A panel of industry pros weigh in on the latest in lens technology 56 MAKING THE GRADE Colourist Dylan Hopkin discusses creating The Fortress ’ dramatic, dual-toned look 60 GREAT MINDS Inside the VFX on Netflix drama-doc Einstein and the Bomb 62 IBC SHOW What not to miss at the upcoming Amsterdam expo 68 INDUSTRY BRIEFINGS Looking back on Locarno, a new space for Cooke Optics and more 72 TOOLKIT The latest equipment innovations to add to your kitbag

on the hotly anticipated sequel 14 VP COMMERCIALS Ad agencies are tapping into the power of virtual production: here’s why! 22 INTERVIEW Oscar winner Ben Burtt tells us about his career as a sound designer 25 IN PROFILE We sit down with Dani Rose, director of CineAero and CineArray 26 FANCY DANCE DOP Carolina Costa brings out Oklahoma’s beauty in Fancy Dance 28 FILTERS IN FOCUS We speak to the experts to discover what’s new in the world of filters 32 OLD LONDON Broadley Studios gives us an inside look at a recent production 34 IN SHORT Hestia , a new short set in space, maximised Sony’s burgeoning VP toolkit to its fullest potential 38 CAREER STORIES Emma Kolasinska, exec producer at Lux Aeterna, shares her VFX journey 41 TAKE TWO We revisit the stop-motion animation classic Coraline – the film that made Laika’s name

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PRODUCTION BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

DOP Haris Zambarloukos, BSC on bringing a cinematic icon back to life in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE PRODUCTION

T im Burton’s Beetlejuice film, as three generations of the Deetz family return to Winter River when family tragedy strikes. After Lydia’s teenage daughter Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife, Lydia is once again haunted by Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara reprise their iconic roles, with Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe joining the cast – stunningly captured in autumnal hues by DOP Haris Zambarloukos, BSC. Beetlejuice takes place 36 years after the events of the first

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , appropriately, opens in cinemas 6 September. Having previously collaborated with producer Tommy Harper on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), Zambarloukos was approached again by Harper about shooting Beetlejuice Beetlejuice . “He needed to know if I’d be available,” recalls Zambarloukos. “I told him I was – and even if I wasn’t, I’d make myself available. After that, we had a brief chat with Tim and I started straight away. This is one of the most unusual beginnings and preps I’ve ever been involved with since it’s so in Tim’s head.”

WORDS Oliver Webb IMAGES Warner Bros

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PRODUCTION BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

SEEN A GHOST? Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton reprise their original roles

WE THOUGHT ABOUT what these characters would be like now AND HOW YOU WOULD SEE THAT human condition progress ”

When it came to initial conversations about the look of the film, Burton made everyone feel at ease about recreating the look of the original Beetlejuice . “It’s Tim’s film 36 years later, following the same family,” continues Zambarloukos. “He is a man of very few words and prefers drawing to talking, so there were lots of illustrations and work by the art department that he guided. I also felt I needed to spent time quietly with Tim and just listen, without asking too many questions. It would naturally happen in a conversation, location scout or a walk over a set, in the way that we looked at certain images. Then, I gradually made some suggestions about certain things and we took it from there. We thought

about what these characters would be like now and how you would see that human condition progress; that informed all my decisions.” Burton was adamant about the film being as much in camera as possible, relying heavily upon his animatronic, puppeteering and on-set special effects

team – with all departments working in unison. Zambarloukos also looked at the films of Mario Bava as reference. “Bava’s films are Tim’s favourite,” he admits. “I’d obviously seen his films, but hadn’t really understood them in that way. I went back to my own early filmmaking education, studying what’s handmade and what’s

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PRODUCTION BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

GOTHIC GLITZ Detailed set designs recreate the eerie essence of the original film, with an emphasis on handmade elements lip sync, as well as rain and thunder effects. “The whole point of it being a challenge was that it looks effortless and real for the audience,” explains Zambarloukos. “Even what looks like a of nearly nine weeks. Capturing in- camera effects proved fairly complex, with the dream sequence in the final church scene being a notable example. The sequence involved wire work, puppeteering and a demonised musical in camera. I took reference from what I loved early on, such as FW Murnau films. Faust , Nosferatu and The Last Laugh are all very profound films; the humanity is deep despite being expressionist. Zambarloukos captured Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with a Sony VENICE 2 and Ultra Panatar lenses, which he had previously used on A Haunting in Venice (2023). “It’s an incredible camera – especially in low light – so I was certainly going to use it again,” enthuses Zambarloukos. “Tim always likes to work in 1.85:1, which I have been using more and more as an aspect ratio. I looked at how I could use the Sony VENICE 2 to get the maximum definition and fidelity with the most native 1.85:1 aspect ratio. We used Ultra Panatars and the newly released Ultra Panatar II lenses by Panavision.” The film was shot over a period

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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE PRODUCTION

simple shot of a shrinker in a chair is an actor with an animatronic face on. That’s one actor performing and then two or three animatronic puppeteers working the eyes and nose, mouth and head movement to make it realistic. Most people would think that’s a visual effects shot, but it’s made completely in camera. Combine that with the various lighting cues and every shot is a challenge. This is also the first film I have ever worked on where there is almost not a single deleted scene; we used almost every shot we ever made.” Lighting for the film was split into two categories: the afterlife and the real life. Zambarloukos wanted to take it a step further with the afterlife colour, ensuring it always pulsed. “To do that well and with cohesion took a lot of programming, work and experimentation, then showing Tim the results,” he describes. “Every light was an LED and numbered to a channel. We wanted to have something organic as well so we used plenty of real firelight. SFX would bring what we called witches’ fingers, which was five copper tubes connected to a gas canister. They give off a flame, but you can control it. With copper wires, you can twist and bend them to angle it a certain way. There wasn’t that much firelight in camera, but there was the effect of it. The idea was to have something that pulsed – that was organic and very different from all the electronic and digital technology we were using.”

THIS IS THE FIRST FILM I’VE WORKED ON WHERE THERE ARE almost no deleted scenes ”

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PRODUCTION BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Zambarloukos and his team used as much natural light as possible for the ‘normal’ real-life locations. “We were set in autumn around Halloween,” he adds. “Autumnal light has this quality where the highlights are warm, but the shadows are cool. Because of the strike, we ended up shooting a small part of the film in real autumn in Boston; the tree, leaf and light colours were all absolutely perfect. We did Vermont in the summer and some work in West Wycombe in the UK that was meant to be New York and Vermont. Although I have a concept for what autumnal light is, having a good chunk of sequences – such as the treehouse and the bike sequence – in real autumn meant that it was easy to manipulate in the DI slightly, where our shadows and highlights went to match the curve we were getting from real autumn.” When it comes to lighting eyes, Zambarloukos has a whole bunch of tricks up his sleeve to get the eye light correct. “For this one scene, we were shooting Catherine O’Hara. She was speaking and doing this motion with her face, keeping her eyes closed, and I couldn’t see her eyes much,” details Zambarloukos. “Tim is so gracious and kind. When we finished the scene, he said: ‘I had a specific task for Catherine. My mother used to speak to me very animatedly, but with her eyes closed, and it had a psychological effect on the WE ENDED UP SHOOTING A SMALL PART OF THE FILM IN real autumn in Boston ; THE TREE, LEAF AND light colours were perfect ”

DARK LEGACY Jenna Ortega plays Lydia’s daughter, inheriting her mother’s moody vibe

person listening. I would like that effect to happen on the audience, so that’s why I didn’t ask you to change it.’ Everything Tim does has a personal nature. He’s thought about it and put it into action. It shows how gracious, polite and generous he is with his collaborators. What wouldn’t you do for a director like that?

“That exemplifies how I felt throughout the shoot. I have never had so much fun on a film, nor have I ever had so many challenges. But I was surrounded by people who were incredibly talented and enthusiastic, always giving 100%,” he concludes. That makes this production one for the books.

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VIRTUAL PRODUCTION COMMERCIALS

WORDS Adrian Pennington

The commercials market is beginning to adopt virtual production as a way to deliver cost-efficiency, creativity and sustainability

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COMMERCIALS VIRTUAL PRODUCTION

T he soft TV advertising market might expect to be reflected in a downturn in demand for production. However, shooting campaign spots in a volume – without the expense of going on location – is becoming a key way of controlling budgets. Director and DOP Rob Payton, who consults for ARRI Stage London, says the company is seeing a significant increase in enquiries for commercials. There are three clear drivers for this: cost- efficiencies, sustainability agendas and the creativity that working in VP brings. “Interestingly, this change is client- led, with many blue-chip companies advocating VP to their agencies and production houses,” he says. “Many talented commercial directors, despite their extensive experience, have not worked in a volume before, and we want them to treat it like any other location using familiar tools and techniques. My advice: maximise your prep time. What traditionally may have been one-day prep, two-day shoot could now be three-day prep, one-day shoot. If screen

MAINTAINING creativity and variety ACROSS CONTENT IS KEY”

content and previs are optimised in prep, it is incredible how much can be shot in a single day.” Chris Chaundler, MD at Quite Brilliant, says that business is ‘stable’ but stresses the importance of examining the context of the market over the last 18 months. “Demand has picked up but there’s a huge gap between interest and conversion,” he says. “VP is still in the ‘proving itself’ phase. Brands are very interested because of the efficiency and sustainability benefits, but agency decision-making is done by creatives and sustainability isn’t high on the agenda. Directors and production companies are open to

virtual production, but first and foremost they need to win the bid and make the budget work, so VP often gets overlooked in favour of cheaper overseas options.” With some production budgets and turnaround times being scaled back, the need for production innovation and practical solutions is bigger than ever. “Maintaining creativity and variety across content is key for our clients,” says Bee Devine, Garden Studios COO. “Working on a VP stage, productions are able to turn around multiple scenes and shoot in a variety of locations within a single day – and do this sustainably. Our scalable VP solutions cater for every budget level, from small-scale car shoots to larger- scale complex scenes.” The London-based studio Quite Brilliant claims to be the ‘go-to’ VP expert for the advertising and content market. “It’s a huge advantage coming from the world of advertising, as we understand how clients and agencies work and can manage their expectations and workflows,” says Chaundler. “What’s ‘good enough’ for many people in the Unreal Engine/gaming world often doesn’t cut it in creative advertising. “I would say make sure you go with a supplier who has actually produced a lot of VP projects. I know this sounds obvious, but this is a new technology and commercials are more challenging, as there are more stakeholders and usually less pre-production time. You need the right people overseeing the pre-production/previs stages, as this is where the heavy lifting is done.” Quite Brilliant made a safety video for Lufthansa earlier this year which required more than ten global locations with seamless transitions between each. To stretch the budget, it shot across

NUMBERS GAME VP studio 80six insists on the benefits of planning in creating great VP content

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COMMERCIALS VIRTUAL PRODUCTION

different stages: MARS Volume for wides, Twickenham Film Studios for interiors and tights and a pop-up in the back of the studio for the driving scenes. Using a mix of Unreal assets and plates, they shot all transitions in camera. “The key with making a challenging project like this work was a flexible and collaborative approach during creative development and pre-production,” states Chaundler. With the way the VP hardware works, so many technical parts need to come together to make virtual production function effectively. So, planning how it’s all going to combine beforehand and spending a considerable amount of time in pre-production is crucial. “For example, if you’ve not done a storyboard, there’s no plan – and we don’t know what shots we are trying to achieve,” says Dan Hall, head of ICVFX and advanced technologies for 80six. “We don’t know what camera or lenses

are planned and we can’t spec an accurate LED product and volume size. “So, you could find yourself in a situation where the pixel pitch could be incorrect, or the volume is the wrong shape or size. This will result in challenges on-set that could have been avoided.” With good structures in place, agencies can shoot whole commercials in many different locations over one day from the comfort of a studio, but it needs to be properly scheduled. “Let’s say you discovered on-set that you have the incorrect volume size. You’ll then have to change the shot or redress the art department and move things around,” says Hall. “That’s hassle which takes up your shooting time. The VP supervisor should be involved in pre-production as soon as possible, having these conversations with the DOP and producers before shooting starts. I appreciate some projects need a quick turnaround, but if you don’t have that time, there will be limitations on-set.” WHERE IS TECH GOING? As with everywhere, AI is the buzzword. “I foresee an increased use of AI in content creation, enabling more cost- effective content creation and a faster turnaround,” according to Payton.

SET THE STAGE (Top) Amazon Business’ ‘Bloom’ film, shot at ARRI. (Above) Director and DOP Rob Payton, who consults for ARRI

Amazon Bloom Amazon Business’ ‘Bloom’ commercial shot at ARRI Stage London used virtual production for a unique take on a business growing from local to international. Conceived by London-based Joint and produced by Outsider, the film follows a small flower stall transforming into a store, then floral empire, all in one continuous, choreographed take: the signature style of directing duo DOM&NIC. Motion control, precise camera FIZ data and real-time lighting changes were all deployed for a seamless feel throughout multiple 3D environments.

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VIRTUAL PRODUCTION COMMERCIALS

Pirate’s Grog The team at Garden Studios has worked on large-scale commercials with larger sets and physical action, filming TV and social content in under a week. “We’ve also done smaller projects in a couple of days,” says Devine. “A great example is an advert we shot with rum company Pirate’s Grog. This was all done in front of a live audience with three locations, which would only be possible in VP.” It used a 25x5m stage divided into three: • A rowing boat in a thunderstorm, complete with rain rig and lighting fixtures synced to lightning flashes in Unreal Engine using DMX. • A cave system with self-illuminating candles and an in-camera transition to a storm of gold confetti.

• An Indiana Jones-esque boulder run using a treadmill, with live pyro, again synced with the Unreal Engine content. Garden also used a 3x2m ‘tabletop’ stage for pack shots with a second unit. The director was Tom Clarkson, working with DOP Sam Kemp, and other tech partners included MACHINESHOP, Focus Canning, Brompton Technology, Anna Valley, Mo-Sys and L-Acoustics. “Planning in advance, building a robust workflow and scheduling shots effectively are all keys to success,” says Devine. “This includes creating a storyboard, having the 3D assets or video content ready and tested. It’s also beneficial for our VP team to support projects at the early stage and to be on board to solve potential technical problems in advance – leaving time for creativity and flexibility on-set.”

TO THE POINT British Arrows invited ten of its sponsors to participate in a VP series at ARRI

Chaundler predicts a jump in the number of TV ads shot in VP. “Brands are now more receptive and looking at ways to make production more efficient and sustainable,” he claims. “The good news is the technology is getting better and costs are coming down. Every new iteration of Unreal Engine sees a leap in quality and we are literally building a photorealistic CGI world. Soon, we’ll have ‘digital twins’ for everything from products to locations, like supermarkets or restaurants, which will open a whole new world of filming opportunities.” AI will play a big role, he adds, but not in isolation. “Increasingly, TV commercials (TVCs) will be concepted and executed without a camera being lifted. Exciting and terrifying in equal measure!” For Hall, the most exciting advancements to affect the TV commercial side of VP are radiance fields (NeRFs and Gaussian splatting). “Radiance fields are similar to photogrammetry, where you take a lot of photos of an object or an area and can essentially replicate a 3D environment out of it,” he explains. “This technology will be revolutionary for commercial production. I’ve seen instances where a production needed to shoot a commercial in a bar – but only had access to the bar for a short amount of time when it was closed. They generated a radiance field and were able to replicate the bar in VP under different lighting conditions with multiple actors, so were able to shoot the entire commercial using virtual production.”

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Panoramic perfection CineArray’s multicamera

rigs create the perfect slates for virtual production and VFX

V P is here to stay, as evidenced by the proportion of high-end film and television tapping into this transformative sector. But while getting your headline talent into a volume might be easier than shipping an entire film crew out to whatever remote location is the setting for your movie, VP isn’t simply a magic phrase that, once uttered, takes all the hard work out of filming. As with any aspect of filmmaking, quality and planning need to be present at every stage of the process if the final product is to reach the high standards audiences have come to expect. Long before the cast sets foot on that virtual set, a virtual environment has to be made either digitally or, for the utmost realism, by filming multiangle plates on location and stitching them together. One company that’s proving to be a driving force when it comes to the latter

method is CineArray, whose multicamera rigs have seen use on recent high-profile productions including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning , Fast X , Heart of Stone and Apple’s Constellation . Blockbuster quality CineArray designs and builds bespoke solutions using top-of-the-line cinema cameras and glass. These rigs can be used to shoot extremely high-quality footage for use in virtual sets – or indeed for broader VFX applications. Clients can choose from options for three, six, eight, nine, 12 or more cameras in an array, depending on their requirements for field of view and size and weight of the build, with the most complete options offering high-resolution capture of 360° horizontally, an upright camera with fish-eye lens for light reference or an

CINEARRAY’S LiveStitch ENABLES INSTANT LIVE PREVIEWS OF multicamera VFX arrays ”

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Eye in the sky CineArray’s confidence in

preparing camera arrays for use on drones and helicopters stems from extensive experience gained running sister company CineAero. This world-renowned aerial filming business cut its teeth working with Paramount, Netflix, Marvel, NBC Universal and more top studios. It’s proud to offer the best drone equipment available right now – including high-payload drones such as the Freefly Alta X, which can carry cine cameras like the Sony VENICE and RED V-RAPTOR; as well as fast-moving hybrid FPV drones capable of extremely dynamic movements. For higher-altitude filming, CineAero can provide a range of Shotover gimbals and has access to helicopters all over the world, meaning no shot is out of reach. CineAero comes highly recommended, having provided top-level service and incredible footage to many of the biggest feature films of the last few years.

MOUNT UP These bespoke camera array solutions are built for various deployments, from off-road vehicles to helicopters

Find out more at cineaero.com

additional four-camera cluster giving a 270° dome environmental projection, perfect for use on an LED volume stage. Some examples of cameras used in these arrays are the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF, RED KOMODO and RED V-RAPTOR, with 21mm ZEISS CP.3 XD lenses attached to create great-looking footage that meets the standards of the biggest productions. Some arrays in the line-up have been specifically engineered for mounting to cars, helicopters, trains and drones – opening previously unimaginable doors in the creation of photoreal VFX and VP workflows. For capturing even more specialised footage, a lightweight three- camera array is suitable for use on sub- 25kg category drones, built using Z Cam E2-F6 bodies and Samyang prime lenses. Beyond this, CineArray is up to the challenge of creating entirely bespoke camera arrays to fit the requirements

of specific use cases. The team of experienced technicians is open to enquiries and ready to work closely with productions requiring custom solutions of any camera-and-lens combinations. End-to-end service All camera arrays feature complete lens control, so the look can be fine-tuned to your taste while on location. To ensure supreme accuracy while shooting in disparate environments, CineArray’s LiveStitch system enables precise live monitoring, on-set or from anywhere in the world, of a combined version of all different camera feeds, allowing DOPs and VFX supervisors to gain a detailed view of how edited footage will look. The LiveStitch recording is captured in 4K and immediately written to a removable SSD, allowing a stitched

preview of the array to be viewed right after the cameras are cut. Alongside the LiveStitch, the system records each individual camera feed with full camera metadata, giving directors, DOPs and VFX supervisors more options for picking dailies quickly and effectively – saving time and money on-set and in post. When it comes to stitching footage, CineArray offers an end-to-end service and will handle the processing of rushes for delivery to wherever they are needed next – be it a VFX studio or an LED volume. On top of that, the CineArray team is on hand from start to finish, ready to provide consultation and assistance throughout the process, and helping to ensure that your film is looked after by top-level professionals at every stage of production.

For more information, head to cine-array.com

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INTERVIEW BEN BURTT

G rowing up in a family of chosen profession of sound design. It’s a career which has seen him win Oscars for ET the Extra-Terrestrial and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade , as well as two Special Achievement Awards for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and Raiders of the Lost Ark . A legend in his field, he’s been responsible for some of cinema’s most iconic audio moments, including the academics made an impact on how Ben Burtt approached his distinctive voice of R2-D2, the hum of the lightsaber and Darth Vader’s ominous breathing. He also popularised the Wilhelm scream, a sound effect he discovered in a fifties Warner Bros archive and has since woven into countless films. He has also lent his talents to films like WALL-E , as sound editor and voicing the titular character. “Both my father and grandfather were professors,” begins Burtt over Zoom, speaking from the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where he was honoured with the Vision Award Ticinomoda. “I was taught to take notes and keep lots of data in notebooks, be highly organised and keep track of what I’m doing. “I still like to make charts and list tasks for myself, putting things in priority, working out steps and deciding on a quota of material,” he continues. “If I break down a script and estimate it needs 800 sound effects, I would look at the number of days I was going to be given and could plan; ‘I’ve got to create

Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt creates sonic landscapes for huge Hollywood movies like Star Wars & Indiana Jones. But sometimes, silence is the most powerful tool of all, he tells Trevor Hogg

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BEN BURTT INTERVIEW

20 sound effects a day’. And then I try to stick with that and get through it.” Burtt’s interest in movie sound began after he saw Fantasia as a child, when he was spellbound by Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor , which Disney brought to life with animated shapes and abstract colours that moved with the music. “I was amazed as a child that the two things went together. The imagery and sound combined into something completely unique,” he recalls. The sonic maestro grew up making audio recordings of films which were broadcast on television, educating himself on how dialogue, music and sound effects were used to tell stories or enhance narratives. “Most people take it for granted that the sound is there. It’s invisible,” he muses. “But I realised that it could be constructed and controlled; that you could be selective about what the audience would hear and, by making the right selections, you could control their attention and what their focus was on. That you could influence how they were feeling in the same manner a composer writes music in order to produce an emotional reaction to it.” Sometimes, sound effects come from unlikely sources. For example, scenes of temples collapsing or giant stone doors sliding, which are frequent in the Indiana Jones films, were made via a technique Burtt refers to as balloon wrestling. “You blow up a balloon and then you start scraping your hands on the edge of it, making these scrunchy or squawking

MOST PEOPLE TAKE SOUND FOR GRANTED; it’s invisible. BUT I REALISED IT COULD BE constructed and controlled ”

sounds,” he explains. “You play it like a musical instrument and slow them down. You get great stuff for those rocks as they break away from the wall to the sliding door and Indy gets out just in time.” At times, recording outside is preferable to a clean studio environment. “One of our favourite spots for recording sounds for Raiders was a little grove of trees at Skywalker Ranch, which, at that time, was an empty property with grass and trees. There were some beautiful gullies and – if you went out there and threw yourself at the ground with a leather jacket onto some football equipment – you could get nice body falls that have a genuine sense of being outside in a real place.” Equally important is having moments of silence, which “can bring a certain amount of tension to a moment because they are unresolved,” notes Burtt. “This can give you rest from a busy scene that’s occurred beforehand, giving the

audience time to reset themselves. Or it can be quiet or near silent in order to allow something to come in loud, making the contrast more apparent. “You can have that loud moment and then you need to precede it with something quiet in order to get contrast. It’s called dynamic range.” Scene transitions are one of the most fun and challenging things to do. “If you go back and analyse Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, you will see that some transitions are music-to- music or music-to-sound-effects. There will be a big swell of music with Vader’s fleet passing overhead and then it will wipe, and you will only hear the sounds of the Dagobah jungle with little insects, some frogs and tweeting birds. I love that kind of stuff and the audience responds to it emotionally because your statement is made musically about where the story is with those characters – now, you’re in a fresh, new place; that’s a lost art.”

WORDS Trevor Hogg

IT IS YOU! Ben Burtt is responsible for R2-D2’s voice – as well as using sound effects in a similar way as music to influence mood

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DANI ROSE IN PROFILE

We hear from Dani Rose , director of the CineGroup and a driving force behind some of the most creative bespoke filming solutions of recent years

M y career has always been focused on all things aerial. I began flying RC helicopters in 2010, and quickly built up a skill base for flying, designing and building aircraft, often from scratch. In 2012, I made flying my full-time job and obtained my first commercial drone permit. In 2016, I got the opportunity to start working in film and television, where I built a reputation for delivering high-quality shots for action and stunt sequences. I started CineAero in 2021 with the aim to deliver the highest-quality aerial services in the industry. It quickly gained traction as a provider of bespoke aerial camera solutions and has now delivered systems to some of the biggest features in the world. We found we were being asked to provide more VFX plates with our multi- array camera systems on helicopters and drones, and felt it was the right time to separate that wing of the company –

so in 2023, we started CineArray and the CineGroup of companies was formed. A standout for me has been working on the Mission: Impossible franchise. I’ve been very fortunate to design and manufacture camera solutions which were key to some of the famous stunts on Dead Reckoning and the upcoming eighth instalment. These included a dual-head speed- flying rig, developed to capture a stunt in the Lake District; a quad-rail camera actuator system on Tom Cruise’s bike as he rode through Rome; and a fleet of multi-array camera systems for his most famous stunt to date – the motorbike jump off the cliff in Norway. That first rig was designed and built for one person – Malachi Templeton, an incredibly talented speed flyer. We were asked by second unit director and stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood to develop a rig that could capture Tom speed flying in a way never done before. It’s an incredibly fast and dynamic sport, so traditional methods weren’t possible. We worked backwards from the camera and lens DOP Fraser Taggart wanted. We then established whether a stabilised head was possible, working out the lightest gimbal that could give the performance we needed and the total weight Malachi would be flying with. I created a harness for Malachi that would let him fly under canopy with full performance from his wing, while also allowing him to release it in the event of a safety issue. The result was a rig with

ON THE NOSE (Above) Dani Rose prepares a Shotover camera system for a helicopter trip, and (below left) speed flyer Malachi Templeton gets ready for take off

twin stabilised remote heads, a 6K full- frame camera package, zoom lenses, long-range camera and lens control, plus long-range video transmission. The rig allowed Malachi to lead and follow Tom through the air, filming his descent while camera operators and focus pullers in helicopters in the skies above had full control over the cameras, as well as constant video link for ground and air coverage. It was a definite world-first, and very unique. The whole sequence on my side alone took a team of 12 people to coordinate properly – and we’re proud that we were able to deliver that solution. Seeing the hard work, not just from myself but the whole team, up on the big screen – and people’s reactions – is unbelievable. Working with these names and contributing to these stunts is the biggest honour of my career so far. I’ve been fortunate to turn my passion into a career, and have the trust of DOPs and directors to bring their visions to life. It’s been a lot of incredibly long hours and hard work to get where I am today, but I’m so grateful for each opportunity I’ve had – and that’s yet to come.

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PRODUCTION FANCY DANCE

WORDS Katie Kasperson

Created by Indigenous director Erica Tremblay, Fancy Dance maintains its authenticity as a look inside Native-American life. The setting – Oklahoma – is central to the story, with DOP Carolina Costa bringing out its beauty

F ancy Dance is a story deeply rooted in its setting. Native to Oklahoma – where the film takes place – and a member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation, writer/director Erica Tremblay crafts a nuanced tale of Indigenous life, focusing on the ‘missing and murdered’ epidemic while delivering an affecting family drama. A self-proclaimed ‘outsider’, DOP Carolina Costa assembled a team of locals and established a visual language that captures the ‘beauty in everyday life’. LAY OF THE LAND “Where do you find the magic?” asks Costa. “That’s the beautiful thing an outsider can bring to the table.” Originally from Brazil, Costa saw Oklahoma with fresh eyes. She immediately clicked with Tremblay; “Erica later told me that she knew, from that first meeting, that I was the right partner to make the movie with,” recalls Costa, likely because she related to the characters on a human level. ‘Floored’ by the script, Costa found Fancy Dance to be “a movie that was so necessary, that we have not seen on the screen.” Starring Lily Gladstone as Jax, a queer Indigenous woman, the film follows her and her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy- Olson) as they search for Roki’s missing mother. Refusing to shy away from the realities of life on the rez (reservation), Fancy Dance portrays the Indigenous experience as authentically as fiction can. To do so, Costa mustered a camera crew that could provide region-specific

youth was important in how we were going to keep the point of view of Isabel’s character,” describes Costa. “There is all the seriousness and all the horrible things that are happening to them – and then that kid has to become an adult to be able to deal with that stuff.” Jax steps in as the maternal figure for Roki, although she’s judged an unfit guardian by the state’s social services, who place Roki with her grandparents. Later, Jax finds Roki and convinces her to run away, landing Roki on the missing- persons list with Jax wanted for child abduction and endangerment. But still, there is a special relationship between the two women, captured in part by camera choice.

knowledge: “They know more about that land where we were shooting,” she says. “Erica had a want and need to go back to Oklahoma for this movie; it’s a story that belongs here.” The team consisted of local talent, including Indigenous creatives, with Costa at the helm. LITTLE WOMEN Although it spans several genres, Fancy Dance is – at its heart – a story of womanhood, dealing with a young girl who’s coming-of-age without her mother, and we watch the plot unfold largely from the perspective of a 13-year- old. “Andrea Arnold’s work was a huge reference; the way she photographs

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PRODUCTION

OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNIN’ DOP Carolina Costa embraced the sun and heat typical of Oklahoma

ENDLESS SUMMER Fancy Dance is set in the Oklahoma summer – a hot, harsh place but one with gorgeous landscapes. Costa wanted to get the lighting just right, leaning into the direct sunlight at times and finding refuge in the shade. “One of the things we decided from early on – with no disrespect to movies like this – was we didn’t want this movie to be all at magic hour, and always have this beautiful light at the end of the day,” she explains. “We picked specific sequences that we felt were tonally fitting for the movie but, in general, we tried to stay away from it and embrace the sun and the heat that you get in Oklahoma.” For interior shots and night scenes, Costa did her research, observing life on the rez to see what lights people used. “With a lot of the day interiors, I noticed when you go inside tents, they were a little darker – that’s where you hide from the heat in the middle of the day,” she details. “For our day interiors, there were no sources or bounces inside the house; everything was through the windows or off to the side of the set. All the actors could interact freely,” she continues, allowing the camera to ‘dance’ with them. “A lot of the streets in the rez are not lit, so we used various scarce sources of light for the night exteriors,” Costa explains. She mimicked the ‘little lights’ on front porches, recreating the blue and green hues so ‘it felt realistic for the environment’. For other sequences, the moon served as a light

source: “We picked four or five scenes when we decided it was important to have moonlight for the story,” says Costa. “In general, we were trying to keep honest with what happens, but also resourceful and trying not to pollute the floor with so many sources.” Costa recounts one night scene – “one of my favourite sequences,” she admits – that proved particularly challenging. Jax and Roki run into a cornfield, getting into an argument before splitting off in different directions. “That scene was emotionally hard for everyone, for both actors to get there. It was hard to light, the ground was not level, we were using handheld and Steadicam,” Costa recalls, though “the performances Isabel and Lily deliver make it all worth it.” There were other challenges, too – the main one being heat. “I never expected it to be so hot,” Costa admits. “When it’s 110°F (43°C), your crew will get tired. Your days won’t generate the same amount of work as in a soundstage with air conditioning. It does a different thing to people’s bodies.” Luckily, Tremblay has a knack for working with people, according to Costa. “She’s such a confident filmmaker,” she beams. “You’re dealing with someone who has life experiences and relates to every situation based on actual human connections and lessons learnt. Because we trusted each other so much, our on- set communication was easy.” Fancy Dance is currently streaming on Apple TV+

FANCY DANCE IS A STORY OF womanhood, A YOUNG GIRL COMING OF AGE without her mother ” “We wanted to shoot in large format,” Costa begins. “I wanted these young women at the centre of the frame. With the large format, when you do a close-up it almost feels like people are larger than life.” With the ARRI LF and Signature primes, “the characters pop out of the screen but you can still see the world.” Costa also made a conscious choice to primarily shoot handheld. “Again, this was the influence of Andrea Arnold and a sense of freedom and immediacy of the moment, letting go of a little bit of control,” she divulges. She wanted the viewer to feel “everything was almost on the edge of changing, keeping that sense of – not fear – but that things are not set in stone.”

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GEAR FILTERS

Filters remain an essential tool for cinematographers – and the market is thriving. Phil Rhodes looks at what’s out there and what might be next

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FILTERS GEAR

OPTICAL CHARM The use of filters to create distinctive visual effects, like this Schneider- Kreuznach Diopter Spot, is becoming more common as filmmakers seek authenticity

A fter decades spent pushing photography toward higher peaks of pristine cleanliness, the modern fascination with real-world optical effects might come off as almost contrary. Film is one aspect of that – but it’s expensive and so are classic lenses. Filters, though, are a very accessible route to interesting pictures that don’t come out of a computer. Claudia Baier is product manager for cine at Schneider-Kreuznach and has seen that trend first-hand. Even so, she draws careful air quotes around the word ‘vintage’. “People are tired of all the highly clean, contrasty and brilliant images. They want real, organic and authentic pictures – that’s where filters come in,” she explains. “I’ve also realised that younger students don’t get taught about filters; whenever we turn up at a trade show and we visit the universities, they’re interested in what a filter does. For them, a filter is pure magic.” Demand for filters, Baier points out, has paralleled demand for interesting lenses, provoking an ongoing design effort. “There are two ways to create new filters. One is that people come to you and ask for it, and the other is more by accident: you discover what happens if you combine two filters, or if you put special materials into the middle, something like that. Sometimes, you do both,” she continues. Recent Schneider innovations include the Radiant Black, which Baier compares to earlier designs, notably the company’s seminal Hollywood Black Magic. “We had the Radiant Soft for a while. That has nice skin tones – better than the Hollywood Black Magic. We then wanted something that keeps the smooth picture and nice skin tones with controlled halation, but

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO CREATE NEW FILTERS: people ask for it OR IT HAPPENS MORE by accident ” As a manufacturer of both filters and lenses in a world where optical novelty is a watchword, Schneider frequently fields requests for new innovations. “There’s a lot of lens detuning happening. We’re not only a filter manufacturer; we also make lenses and work with some companies that rehouse and detune lenses,” Baier notes. “Sometimes, we work together to create optics that go in the lenses and have a filter effect. Rear filters are a thing at the moment.” Optical effects are particularly also has the rich blacks. That’s what we created and launched in April.” appealing due to their complexity, but Baier sees a need for a more formalised way to describe that complexity. “My background is as a photographer, then I studied imaging science. I worked for 20 years in industrial optics then changed to cinema. In cinema, you might have a lens with a specified focal length, a T stop and a mount, making it easy to compare. But there’s nothing that allows you to

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GEAR FILTERS

compare filters; there’s too much variety and no specifications. You cannot say it keeps rich blacks of 80% or has a halation of three or four.” Baier craves agreement: “We need one test that everyone uses, something to make filters more comparable and understandable for the industry. We need a tool that clearly explains the differences and is useful for people.” Any such system, she admits, would need to accommodate the fact that there is more than one way to build filters. “The mist filters – we call them frost – means there’s particles within the filter. A soft filter for me is a filter with lenslets. This would be a way to figure that out and characterise it.” Ultimately, the conversation returns to the imperative of real-world optical effects. “If you go digital, you calculate based on what is on the sensor, trying to account for light sources from various angles. If you use a glass filter, then all the light which lands on the filter acts with the filter – and you can’t bring it out again. It’s like handwriting, your signature, nobody can change it. So, you can ensure post-production can’t make something out of your image which you don’t like.” Across the Atlantic, Gorky Bolanos is optics product manager at Tiffen. He reports a similar enthusiasm for new things. “We came out last year with two diffusion effects called Black Fog and Night Fog, which are a combination of

classic effects we saw as a valuable addition to the family of filters,” states Bolanos. “It grabs those highly desired elements other filters do, but together. This year, we have more new diffusion filters called Soft Glow, Black Soft Glow, Golden Glow, as well as Dark Contrast.” Bringing all these filters into existence is a task which falls to lab manager Mike Fecik, who echoes Baier in his description of different filtration techniques. “There’s different types of diffusion,” he points out. “There are effects which give you glowing highlights, change contrast or soften fine detail – they’re the components of any kind of diffusion filter.” Using those components – and many others – to satisfy an artistic desire is an interpretive process, Fecik

ALL AGLOW The effect of Tiffen’s Soft Glow (above) and its Magnetic Control System (right)

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FILTERS GEAR

technical, while others aren’t filters at all. “We’ve seen a significant spike in colour correction filters recently,” Bolanos points out. “People are starting to shoot a lot with film again.” Interest in monochrome photography has exploded, too. Filters for black & white, such as green and yellow contrast filters, are in high demand. If we step away for a second from the filters, how are these filters being interfaced with lenses and cameras? Attaching them to cameras is a related but equally relevant field. “We have a magnetic system that allows filters to be attached,” Bolanos adds. “If you’re an event photographer, you don’t have time to sit there unscrewing a filter. With the world of smartphones and portable cameras in your bag, we have filter mounts specifically for phones. Interestingly, these behave a bit differently on mobile cameras. People are getting creative with their use.” At some level, almost anything could be – and has been – captured between layers of glass and used as a filter. However, creating consistent filters with a wide range of applications, Bolanos claims, involves considerable expert opinion. “We schedule filter tests with more than one person to have a bigger sample size. You‘ll find that those who love heavy filtration will say: ‘it’s a little weak for me’ if the filter is quite subtle. They end up using the higher densities. Then, the other people say: ‘nobody could tell I was using a filter!’”

BACK IN BLACK Schneider-Kreuznach’s Radiant Black filters (inset) give an analogue look; while the Diopter Spot (below) creates a sharp centre of frame

says. “In some cases, someone’s after a specific look for a specific type of film – the genre, the mood or the time period. We’re developing new products based on the needs and feelings and ideas a cinematographer is looking for. Sometimes, we create filters based on ideas that aim to introduce something new and inspiring to the market.” Tiffen’s most recent launches, Bolanos notes, “stemmed from feedback received by cinematographers and end users who loved what the Pro-Mists did but felt it was a little too strong for some of their projects. Therefore, rather than taking the Pro-Mist in 1/32 or 1/64, the new Soft Glow was born.” Not every product, though, exists to satisfy a creative need; some are purely

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