STRANGER THINGS PRODUCTION.
Did you know? Heymann’s
initial interest in filmmaking came from his mother, who asked him to shoot a documentary she was directing on the civil war in Sierra Leone.
GOING WEST Following Season 3’s events, half the central characters are in California – leading to stark contrasts in visual landscapes and lighting
LIGHT IT UP The expansion of locations gave the DOP much to play with
second units. You’re trying to tie together scenes that had a certain look the last time you saw them because one director was working, then the next episode has a completely different visual with a new director! Bridging that gap is about being prepared, but also who you converse with, which members of the crew you tap into.” As if to prove this point, Heymann explains one of the more complex scenes, which takes place on water. “Eddie – a new character – has a lakeside boathouse. There’s a sequence at night that involves stunts levitating above the water and also extensive set pieces underwater,” he tells us. “We were shooting in multiple seasons – the story takes place during spring break – so we needed the trees to be slightly green and the water to not be so frigid that people couldn’t get in it. We had to shoot some in winter, some in spring, and bridge those together. Then
“Initially booked as DOP for four episodes, he ended up completing a total of seven, and is now in line for potential Emmy success”
and the fact it’s all getting shot six months apart, was pretty insane!” Insane perhaps, but Heymann’s relative lack of big-time experience did not hamper his creative input. Initially booked as DOP for four episodes, he ended up completing a total of seven, and is now in line for potential Emmy success. Legions of fans will be relishing the return of Stranger Things for a fifth season. And should Heymann be called, he’ll be ready to turn his world Upside Down once more. calebheymann.com
some on a stage in a purpose-made 50ft water tank. “There’s an underwater rift with interactive lighting, which one of the characters gets pulled through at the bottom of the tank. But then it had to be flipped upside down with the top of the tank appearing as the bottom of the lake, so the lighting had to be reversed. There are a number of shots like this where you’re moving from one world the right side up, into the Upside Down where you have to match the speed of movement and the framing – and then pop out on a different set. The logistics of figuring that out, especially with the underwater set
Watch Stranger Things Season 4 on Netflix
15. JULY 2022
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