28 YEARS LATER PRODUCTION
achieve a better signal, better resolution and still get the same thing – which is essentially an internal heat camera for animals and people – for one part of the film. There’s also a lot of drone footage in the film, courtesy of DJI. There’s one I call the howler – a tiny sensor, not the same quality, but it flies really close and doesn’t hurt anybody.” The actors never knew which frame would be used – and neither did Boyle, a technique Dod Mantle had previously experimented with during the making of the 1998 Dogme 95 film Festen ( The Celebration ) – directed by Thomas Vinterberg. The Dogme 95 manifesto consisted of a number of rules, including that shooting must be on location; the camera must be handheld (with any movement or immobility attainable in the hand permitted); and optical work and filters are forbidden. Working within those constraints enabled Dod Mantle to explore innovative ways of working, and 28 Years Later was no different. Dod Mantle developed a lens set specifically for the film that consisted of prosumer anamorphic lenses. “I didn’t like any of the 1.55 squeeze click-on phone lenses; they distorted too much,” he adds. “I liked the 1.33 and thought it was interesting to have in my hand a little gadget and anamorphic capability through an app that produced a spectacular wide-screen image. That became even wider during our final tests, eventually evolving to 2.76:1.” One of the more logistically challenging sequences to capture was the Alpha causeway sequence. “It’s a weird limbo land and this starry night,” details Dod Mantle. “The two characters have to navigate their way through the causeway and they are chased by an Alpha. I knew we’d have to shoot it day for night, as we have working hours with kids. Also, the summer weather in Britain is extremely erratic. When Danny and
SHOOT TO THRILL Minimalist gear keeps the viewers close to the action – as well as the relentless horror unfolding
I were looking for existing causeways, we realised there were so many issues attached to locations. We contemplated shooting it dry and then adding in water with VFX. We ended up going for a massive interior warehouse, which we then filled with water. We built a set and there was no lighting rig, so we had to put the rigs and lights up ourselves.” “You’re meant to feel petrified and fearful, and there’s this broadly presumptuous idea that the skies are without pollution as there are no industries or cars,” he continues. “We contacted astronomers and found this astronomy centre up north, where we shot plates through their extraordinary equipment. We could then map together
these beautiful sky plates in the effects afterwards. Additionally, we had a certain amount of haze and traditional effects for the sequence, as well as Technocranes, a track and dolly.” Despite the technical challenges presented while making the film, Dod Mantle loved the process of fitting the pieces together and coming up with a new system from the previous two films. “I haven’t made a film like this before with these tools. I seem to go back to the first letters of the alphabet and start all over again every time – that’s what we did with this one,” he concludes.
I HAVEN’T MADE A FILM LIKE THIS BEFORE with these tools ”
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DEFINITIONMAGS
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