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AERIAL NIGHT SHOOTING
Time to get back in the air. Fortunately, GB Helicopters had acquired an Alexa capability for their GSS by this time so I could reshoot with my own Mini. This time, rather than waiting for real night, we shot during my bespoke ‘twilight for night’ window. Even though everything looked OK I did some sample grades to reassure myself that I’d cracked the problem before delivering the rushes. The result was not only the rescuing of my battered reputation, but a useful methodology for future night shoots. Memo to self: Bolton is not Manhattan. Engage brain (and an ARRI) next time.
location in the series. Using the Alexa I shot a series of sequences looking down at the streets below, all at native ISO 800. I carried on until, even when wide open, the detail was finally lost in the shadows. These rushes were then graded on Resolve to an acceptable night look. Now I should say I’m a DoP, not a colourist, but for me the results were conclusive. The Alexa would give me a 30-minute shooting window, starting about 15 minutes after sunset, when the shots could be graded up or down to a convincing night look, retaining detail in the shadows, and with no noise.
enough twilight left to throw a few photons into the shadows, then grade those up to match a median ‘night’ look. I also needed a camera with more forgiving pixels that could be graded up without unleashing noisy speckles everywhere. That again was easy – an Alexa. UP ON THE ROOF Next issue was to find a low-cost aerial alternative to a helicopter to run tests. Thanks to a lead from Des Hughes, Bancroft ’s immensely understanding line producer, I got access to the roof of a tower block in Rochdale which had been an earlier
ABOVE An early twilight shot in Log.
David Baillie works as a director and DoP. For the last ten years he has specialised in aerial and stabilised filming. He has BAFTAs and Emmys for his cinematography, and three Best Film Awards for drama and documentary directing, including a Golden Spire from the San Francisco International Film Festival. David is currently setting up a service with European colleagues to provide productions with a complete package for specialised filming, from pre-production to delivery, along the lines of ideas described in this article. www.three-elements.film
DEFINITION MAY 2018
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