MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE PRODUCTION
we wanted. We also knew scenes could quickly evolve into 360° shooting environments, so our rigs had to be adaptable enough to give the camera complete freedom without constantly rebuilding the lighting.” Aputure’s STORM fixtures were an essential piece of the puzzle, with different fixtures fulfilling different roles throughout production. The STORM 80c became Franklin’s go-to eye light, with a couple permanently on standby mounted to boom poles, ready to be brought in at a moment’s notice for close-ups or to “add that final bit of life to an actor’s eyes,” says Franklin. “Their compact size also made them invaluable for hiding in tight spaces or integrating into sets where larger fixtures simply weren’t practical.” WE WERE creating a world THAT SHOULD FEEL huge and fantastical ”
© GILES KEYTE
POWER ON TWO SCALES Aputure’s STORM 80c and 1000c were deployed throughout the shoot for a variety of uses
The STORM 1000c, meanwhile, provided the same colour quality on a much bigger scale, which proved ideal as a key light “when we wanted richer colour rendition while maintaining plenty of output. Both fixtures being built around the same colour science meant they integrated seamlessly into the wider lighting package,” he continues. Aputure’s proprietary BLAIR light engine – particularly the indigo emitter – truly came into its own when capturing He-Man’s purple-cloaked arch-enemy. “During prep, Fabian and I spent a lot of time camera testing and developing a custom LUT that best represented the worlds, costumes and production design we had created. Everything was looking fantastic, but one colour proved difficult to reproduce accurately on camera: purple. That’s obviously quite important when your main villain is Skeletor!” The STORM 80c and STORM 1000c handled the colours nicely, providing richer, cleaner colour reproduction and lending Skeletor’s famous costume the appropriate depth and vibrancy. “They’re also just really reliable fixtures,” sums up Franklin, “and on a production of this scale, having lights that could be deployed quickly while consistently producing beautiful colour made them a valuable part of our workflow.” The lighting strategy was wholly intertwined with the work of the other departments, according to Wagner. “The light had to bring out the scale and texture of the sets and costumes, while integrating naturally with the VFX. The
believable, rather than seeming overly polished or artificial.” “From a lighting perspective, flexibility became one of the biggest priorities,” adds Franklin. “Many action scenes involved multiple stunt wires, so we designed overhead lighting rigs that accommodated the stunt department while still giving us the quality of light
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DEFINITIONMAGS
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