PRODUCTION JOACHIM AND THE APOCALYPSE
interaction felt tangible,” Mammolotti explains. “The 12K resolution caught an incredible level of detail in costumes and textures, which made CGI blending in post easier. For complex VFX sequences, we shot in Blackmagic Raw Q0, while less demanding scenes used a higher compression ratio to manage file sizes.” The picture-post pipeline, including offline editorial and digital intermediate (DI) grade, relied on Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Studio, with its Fusion Studio used to develop the film’s visual effects. SHAPING THE EDIT Editing Joachim and the Apocalypse involved handling an enormous amount of material, which required a particularly structured workflow. “The 60TB of footage, comprising a mix of camera and drone shots, meant organisation was essential to maintain control of the whole creative process and avoid technical bottlenecks,” explains editor Alessio Focardi. “We ingested footage directly into the media pool and optimised playback using proxies in a log format, which we created using the Blackmagic Proxy Generator,” he continues. “We used Smart Bins in Resolve to automatically categorise footage using metadata tags, organising it by camera of origin, VFX or shot type, which helped speed up our shot selection during editorial.” Remote collaboration between Florence and Rome added another layer
our characters visually distinct from the background while still holding detail in the environment,” he says. “For more stylised moments,” he adds, “particularly those depicting the protagonist’s altered perception, we shot in 8K at 120fps to slow down certain movements while preserving details.” One of the most iconic sequences was the metaphysical battle with a seven-headed dragon, a symbolic representation of Joachim’s inner turmoil, constructed around Caravaggio-style chiaroscuro contrasts. The entire sequence was shot on a green screen, with practical lighting to facilitate post-production VFX integration. “To create the effect of the dragon’s fiery breath, LED sources cast moving shadows on the actors, so the THE 12K resolution CAUGHT AN incredible level OF DETAIL”
of complexity. “The team worked with a system of twin disks, which allowed us to work on the project in real time,” notes Focardi. ”It gave us the freedom to export versions for review and approval as if we were all in the same room.” With the entire post team working on the same platform, some night scenes were given an initial colour treatment while the offline edit was still in progress. “We had to evaluate the visual impact of certain sequences immediately – and the LUT preview in DaVinci Resolve helped us ensure the footage aligned with the intended atmosphere before moving to the final grade,” states Focardi. The transition from offline to online editing was immediate. “When relinking the timeline to the original files, we didn’t need an XML export – only a direct link to the camera originals media, ready for colour correction and finishing,” he adds. VFX PIPELINE According to VFX supervisor Nicola Sganga, translating Joachim’s mystical visions into visual sequences was one of the film’s most fascinating challenges. With more than 250 VFX shots to integrate, pre-production planning was essential. “We used VR viewers to design and visualise the digital environments in pre-production, which allowed the director and cinematographer to perfect compositions, angles and lighting in advance,” explains Sganga. “This approach minimised the need for extensive changes in post.” For Sganga, Fusion’s node-based workflow brought Hollywood-level VFX techniques to the independent film. “The ability to create effects using nodes
LEAVING FOOTPRINTS Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve and Fusion Studio were crucial for bringing the CGI environments and creatures in Joachim and the Apocalypse to vivid life
56
DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
Powered by FlippingBook