Children of Men "blood on the lens" scene

[michael scannell]

I am looking for a video that I saw once where they break down how the ending battle scene was accomplished in "Children Of Men" In the short doc they talk about why the decided to leave the "blood on the lens" and how they combined 2 different takes to make it seem like one long hand held shot. Is there anyone out there that has seen this and remembers where I can get it?

[Marc Villafan]

I am looking for a video that I saw once where they break down how the ending battle scene was accomplished in "Children Of Men" In the short doc they talk about why the decided to leave the "blood on the lens" and how they combined 2 different takes to make it seem like one long hand held shot. Is there anyone out there that has seen this and remembers where I can get it?

Actually, if I remember correctly, the blood was left on the lens and slowly when the sections the blood was on would blend with the background, it would get painted out from then on. There is a point when hes going up the stairs or around that portion where all of the blood is gone. I also distinctly remember them saying they "paid big bucks to have it digitally removed"

[Adrian Sierkowski]

It was 2 shots joined by an invisible dissolve as far as I recall. hence, the blood was added to the 2nd shot and removed through it slowly, if memory serves. I believe there is something on the special features on the dvd which talks of it.

[Drew Bienemann]

From what I remember from some Making Of thing I saw on it, it was the third and last take they did that day (as the scene took 5 hours to reset), and Alfonso was watching the monitor, and when the blood hit the lens he was yelling "CUT! CUT!" but nobody could hear him. In post he decided he did not mind the blood on the lens for part of the scene, but they paid someone to paint out the blood frame by frame for the rest of the shot.

 

That's what I remember.

[Trevor Mack]

but they paid someone to paint out the blood frame by frame for the rest of the shot.

 

And didn't that shot go on for another full minute or so? Damn that must have been painstaking.