Stuart Brereton Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 I've just wrapped on my first US feature, Blood River. Shot in Nevada & California in 19 days. It's a kind of supernatural thriller, with a whole lot of Western thrown in too. There was no budget for film, so we shot HD on an F900R, framed for 2.35:1. Lighting package was 6 & 4KW HMIs, Kinos and some tungsten. Although we had some lit interiors to do, most of the film was day exterior in the desert, so bounce boards and white sheets were the order of the day. I had intended to do a shoot diary as we went, but patchy internet connections put paid to that idea. Here's some screengrabs. Hope you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stephen Murphy Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 That looks absolutely gorgeous Stuart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted October 24, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 24, 2007 I wondered if any stills would make it up here. Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Plaza Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Beautiful work delightful especially the fifth frame (at the bar) wow, amazing... great work Stuart. Xavier Plaza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 Here's a few more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Brinkhaus Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Absolutely gorgeous! What processes did you use to achieve such a soft, gritty feel? Very film like in terms of how HD generally looks (overly sharp.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted October 25, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 25, 2007 Looks great -- just shows what HD can do in the hands of someone who knows how to light a scene... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddie bonfanti Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 love it, Stuart...well done mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Holland Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Beautiful images Stuart i agree with Mr Mullen shows what you can get when you are good and know what you are doing . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Buick Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 (edited) You are some cinematographer, Stuart. 10/10. :) Edited October 25, 2007 by Matthew Buick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignacio Aguilar Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 You should be proud of yourself, Stuart. I love dark silhouettes and underexposed faces in the foreground against a brighter background. The great Gordon Willis used to shoot this way, but your work seems to be more stylized with smoke and gels. Congratulations. It looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby L Edwards Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Wow' Those are some nice looking stills. I will have to put this on my list of movies to look out for. Excellent work. Toby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 What processes did you use to achieve such a soft, gritty feel? Very film like in terms of how HD generally looks (overly sharp.) The camera was set up for a low contrast look. I switched the detail off, the ITU709 off, used one of the film gammas. I also lowered the saturation to -20. I had a 1/4 Black Promist on the lens all the time, switching to a 1/2 occasionally for closeups. All the interiors were hazed, which helped soften the image too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascal Boyer Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 The camera was set up for a low contrast look. I switched the detail off, the ITU709 off, used one of the film gammas. I also lowered the saturation to -20. I had a 1/4 Black Promist on the lens all the time, switching to a 1/2 occasionally for closeups. All the interiors were hazed, which helped soften the image too. Hello , great work! It proves that even with a lack of budget solutions can be found on set and with creativity. I am very curious about how you lit the bar scene.. could you explain us a little? thank you !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 The bar was lit with two 4k HMI fresnels from outside the windows. The windows were gelled with full CTO, as the scene was set at sunset. The room was hazed, and that was it, except for a single 2ft Kino tube which hidden below the bar top which gave a subtle fill to the bartender. There was another scene in the same room which was lit with kinos and a china ball, but the scene at the bar was deliberately kept dark & contrasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary McClurg Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Some nice grabs... If and when you can post a trailer or clip from the film... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Kieran Scannell Posted October 26, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 26, 2007 Those stills look amazing Stuart, real craftsmanship! 2 questions. What lenses did you use? If you had shot this on film which stocks would you have considered and what differences would you expect to see in the end result? I'm asking because when i try to convince people to go for film they see work like yours and say"i can't see the difference! except in lab costs! Kieran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascal Boyer Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 The bar was lit with two 4k HMI fresnels from outside the windows. The windows were gelled with full CTO, as the scene was set at sunset. The room was hazed, and that was it, except for a single 2ft Kino tube which hidden below the bar top which gave a subtle fill to the bartender. There was another scene in the same room which was lit with kinos and a china ball, but the scene at the bar was deliberately kept dark & contrasty. Thank you very much! Very usefull ! :lol: cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 What lenses did you use? If you had shot this on film which stocks would you have considered and what differences would you expect to see in the end result? We used Fujinon HD Compact zooms. Nice lenses, very sharp, but prone to breathing on focus pulls. If we'd shot film....well, probably Kodak 50D & 250D, with some 500T for our night scenes. The were a number of scenes in cars and under porches where I really struggled to build the lighting up to a exposure level where the sunlit areas wouldn't just burn out. On the whole I succeeded, I think, but it would have been a whole lot easier with film. I had my doubts about HD for a project like this with so much DAY/EXT (particularly in a desert), but it held up remarkably well. I've just been given a copy of a trailer for the film. Click Here to see it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolfe Klement Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Very nice - what did you use for the aerials? I assume a RC heli from the lack of hair blowing on the fly overs thanks Rolfe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted October 27, 2007 Author Share Posted October 27, 2007 Very nice - what did you use for the aerials? I assume a RC heli from the lack of hair blowing on the fly overs thanks Rolfe It was a Jet Ranger with a Tyler front mount. Had an amazing pilot named Dave, based out of LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary McClurg Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 It was a Jet Ranger with a Tyler front mount. Had an amazing pilot named Dave, based out of LA. What was the last name of the pilot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted October 28, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 28, 2007 Excellent looking stuff Stuart. Some questions if you don't mind: What shutterspeeds did you use? It's hard to tell when viewing a QT on the web, but much of it looks to have a little extra motion blur (not talking about the obvious fast shutter shots). Also, what detail settings did you use, if detail was even "ON" at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Justin Hayward Posted October 28, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 28, 2007 It all looks really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Luke Prendergast Posted October 28, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 28, 2007 It sounds like a pickup line, but I really like your black level. Helps very much to sell hot and dusty. Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now