DEFINITION September 2018

SHOOT STORY | VAN I TY FA I R

THE COLOUR OF VANITY FAIR

the zoom certainly isn’t fashionable and breaking the fourth wall is controversial and can get you sacked if you do it at the wrong time. So we took that and it was controversial breaking the fourth wall, it provoked discussions with the executives but it’s been really exciting to see the cuts as we had options. It’s a little construct that’s run through; every now and again her character might do that look to camera. But it’s very fitting in a contemporary way as a revelation of her character against the maybe sombre character of the ensemble.” Breaking the fourth wall was always in James’ mind. He got a bit of resistance initially to the idea but when it started coming through in the edit it was clear that it was making all the difference. “It makes you feel you’re with her and on her side. How do you manifest the feeling of a fun, maverick rule breaker? This was the only way I could think of: when she looks at you in key moments. It was so popular with the executives then we had to manufacture a few more by moving her eyes in post.” NEW WAVE ZOOM This encouraged Ed to use the zoom more, but in a way that tried to hide it, by using it on a Steadicam for example. “This isn’t done very much but is very exciting to do. When for instance we do a master for a scene we might use a Steadicam and push the zoom in to a character; generally that is Becky as she’s in most of the scenes. We would use it subtly, not in a dramatic way, just move the focal length but use it as a zoom rather than a track adjustment. Rather a camera that uses a zoom because you haven’t necessarily got a dolly; we’ve tried to use it with dramatic purpose like on the emotional beat of the scene. One of James’ rules was he wanted a zoom in every scene so pretty much we did that. Interestingly in the cuts we dialled back from this a bit.” With the zooms the camera would always find Becky in the scene and something that was significant in the frame. James didn’t want a wandering camera;

Definition: In terms of colour, what was the look that James and Ed wanted to achieve on Vanity Fair ? Dan Coles, senior colourist: I’ve graded some amazing period dramas before, but having the chance to work with James and Ed on Vanity Fair at Technicolor was a very exciting opportunity! Ed and I did some pre-production camera tests together where we effectively began our first discussions on the look of Vanity Fair – not just the grade itself but we also discussed cameras, lenses, filtration, costume, make-up, lighting, sets, locations, production design etc. The process was an immensely collaborative one – and was invaluable in helping to create the look for Vanity Fair . When it came to the grade itself James, Ed and I all felt that colours should not be subdued as is so often the way in period drama. On the contrary in fact, we felt we wanted them to pop – the red uniforms of the soldiers being the best example of this – and for there to always be a sense of richness to the on-screen image – rich in colour and also rich in contrast. Some scenes, particularly night scenes, have a stronger sense of blue and other cooler tones but still retain a fairly strong sense of overall colour. We wanted a filmic feel, and used

shapes, diffusion and grads to add depth to the image whenever necessary. So really we ended up with a rich, glossy and saturated look – which totally suited the overall aim – to give a newer, much more modern feel to this classic. Def: How would you sum up the majority of the work you did on the show? DC: The majority of the work I did was in finessing the images and helping to achieve a really authentic and believable look for the period that suited our overall brief. Once the look of any particular scene is established then continuity is the most important part of the grading process – and also the most time consuming. Def: Was there a deliberate plan not to follow the ‘dark and candlelit’ feeling of traditional period drama? DC: It is fair to say we wanted to move away from the more traditional period drama look to achieve something that feels newer, exciting, ‘pop-y’, rich, vibrant and with a modern twist, however – not all of the time. Vanity Fair still has elements of darkness and moodiness – there are quite a few scenes in which darker and more muted colours work well and suit the narrative of the overall piece perfectly.

BELOW Olivia Cooke as Becky Sharp breaks the fourth wall with one of the show’s signature looks to camera.

28 DEF I N I T ION | SEPTEMBER 20 1 8

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