POST-PRODUCTION THE FORTRESS
Nordic sci-fi thriller The Fortress combines Norway’s natural beauty with the bleak North Sea. Series colourist Dylan Hopkin explains how the series achieves its dramatic, dual-toned look W hen the Covid-19 outbreak was officially declared a pandemic in March 2020, the last thing anyone seemed to want was its fictional retelling. But during those early
Sandemose, Hopkin was grateful to have ‘some underlying knowledge of their creative preferences’. He says, despite joining the production after principal cinematography had begun in Norway and Lithuania, he managed to ‘hit the ground running and quickly immerse [himself] into its universe’. He was afforded ample creative freedom on the project. “During my initial communication with the cinematographer Lars Vestergaard, DFF, we discussed several directions to explore,” recounts Hopkin. “When I asked for visual references, Lars said: ‘Surprise me!’ I found joy in this and dived head- first into how each scene spoke to me.” SCANDINAVIAN SPLIT The series is generally split between two locations: a lovely, bucolic Bergen in Norway and a sombre borderland
refugee camp. To portray the geographic and thematic divides, Hopkin, along with Vestergaard, created distinct aesthetics using what he calls show looks. “There were different visual cues between the bliss in Esther’s (Selome Emnetu) hometown, Bergen, and the stark reality of the refugee camps where we first meet Charlie (Russell Tovey) and Uma (Nina Yndis),” explains Hopkin. “We paid attention to getting Bergen’s foliage to feel lush, yet not too vibrant – it was important to feel happiness.” Conversely, Hopkin describes the camps, where refugees are continuously arriving from neighbouring countries, as more metallic. Hopkin designed the show looks using a broad-stroke approach. “It’s something that both respects and accentuates the essence of imagery to best serve the story,” he describes, arguing the ‘paramount’ importance of ‘unobtrusive colouring’. Ultimately, the most essential
days, Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion was trending and, more recently, the post-apocalyptic The Last of Us drew in huge audience numbers. Forward to 2024 and we’re met with The Fortress , a fictionalised account of what happens when politics and public health butt heads. Based in a dystopian Scandinavia, Norway has built a wall around its border in a nationalistic effort to sustain and isolate itself. When a pandemic breaks out, the country realises its error and the wall meant to keep others out instead creates chaos within. Colourist Dylan Hopkin was tasked with grading the seven-episode sci-fi series. Having previously worked with directors Cecilie Askeland Mosli and Mikkel Brænne
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