ETERNITY PRODUCTION
we went along, really as a formality, and he blew us away with his creativity and ability. One of the great skills of a colourist is being able to interpret what a director and cinematographer are saying and he was great at that.” For the archive tunnels featured in the film, Zazu Myers presented the idea of painted backdrops, which were inspired by classic Hollywood cinema of the fifties and sixties. “The archive tunnels looked deceptively simple,” explains O’Brien. “We only had three sections of that tunnel, so even though it’s infinite, you only had a short section to work with, which ended up being a challenge. We built a 3D model, previsualised all the shots and I presented a refined storyboard to David. We had two days of prep, but there were many moving parts to factor in, including the costume and hair changes, VFX and all of those elements.” VFX was required for a number of sequences and O’Brien is hopeful that audiences won’t notice them. “We had to extend The Junction, as none of that world is there. There’s a shot where Miles looks over a balcony and you see a few floors above him, which didn’t exist. Then he’s looking down from the ninth floor, but we didn’t have nine floors! We had a great VFX company called Niche VFX we were able to really prep and plan with.” Even though Vancouver is on the water there are no vistas looking out to sea. “You’re always looking at the city or
BIG PICTURE Effects from Niche VFX enabled extensions led extensions to The Junction and archive tunnels
the mountains in the background,” says O’Brien. “There are usually about a dozen huge ships in the bay too, so we knew there would be an element of painting out things. We visited every possible beach within our shooting radius until we found one. It might look like a remote eternity, but we were less than a minute’s walk from a main road.” The production was not all plain sailing, however. “We managed to break two cranes in two days,” recalls O’Brien. “When the first one broke we knew we had limited time and no way to fix it, but with a resourceful crew and a little imagination, we simply rethought the plan. We had the big top shot we needed, looking down from above on two of our characters in a boat. So, we just dragged the boat into shallow water and shot
from a tripod. Often the simple solutions are the best.” The second crane broke on a big set piece that the crew had been planning, and without the crane there was no way to make it work. “One of the wheels had sheared off and that required welding to repair. I turned to key grip Will Parrot and within 15 minutes he and his guys had put down a huge dance floor and put rubber wheels on. We were back in business. You can’t beat having an imaginative and experienced crew. “This film really felt like hanging out with friends. It was almost like playing with Lego as a little kid,” concludes O’Brien. “At one point during prep David said to me, ’I need a funny line for this moment, give me something’. I suggested something and it’s in the film. It’s a tiny throwaway line, but it’s great having that relationship with a director who is willing to let you collaborate on more than just the imagery. David had such a happy set and made everyone feel involved. Will Parrot approached us with a song he had written for the film and it is actually in there, playing very softly in the background of one of the bar scenes I believe.”
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