DUNE: PROPHECY PRODUCTION
PLACES AND SPACES As DOP, Gill recognises that, despite his most ambitious creative intentions, he must be a realist. “That’s what you do as a cinematographer – it’s reality. You have to adjust,” he states, explaining struggles with angling sunlight and working in tight confines. Filming Prophecy mostly on set builds, there were occasional physical constraints, such as limited space for light sources. He was meticulous with framing, ensuring certain character touchstones – like Valya’s silver necklace – were always in sight. “These are subtle things that you keep in mind,” advises Gill.
To capture both the scope and sentiment, Gill filmed Prophecy on the ARRI ALEXA 35. “I didn’t want to use the same camera and lens Greig Fraser used on Dune ,” he explains, wanting to evoke and pay tribute to his work without copying it outright. “It’s out of respect, to say, ‘Okay, we’re staying in our lane.’” He instead opted for vintage anamorphic lenses, which offered a slightly wider shot as well as a ‘gorgeous softness’, preserving the cinematic style of the series. “It’s important, especially in a big series like this, to create an epic journey that’s also intimate,” he summarises.
Like most modern sci-fi sagas, Prophecy incorporated some VFX, although Gill asserts that ‘probably 80%’ of the series was caught solely in camera. When effects were added in post, they were generally little details like the thinking machines or spaceships rather than entire backgrounds. Unlike in Percy Jackson and the Olympians , which premiered on Disney+ last year, Gill didn’t use an LED volume on Dune: Prophecy . His experiences on The Borgias and Blade Runner 2049 – serving in the second unit on the latter – also prepared him for life on a large set. “Of course, the first time is super stressful because it’s big and overwhelming,” he admits. Now, “I hope they’re going to call me for bigger stuff because I love the scope. It’s like a huge Lego puzzle, or a playground!” Dune: Prophecy is now streaming on Max (US) or Sky and NOW (UK) GILL ASSERTS THAT probably 80% OF THE SERIES WAS CAUGHT solely in camera ”
ON A LARGE SCALE Gill enjoyed working on the larger set builds that were created for Prophecy
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