Don't Knock Twice

[Adam Frisch FSF]

Was a low budget horror film I shot last summer in the UK. It's finally getting it's release via IFC Films here in the US. It was a very hard shoot for all involved, mainly due to budget. It's been a hard process for myself, as there are so many things we had planned to do that we never had time to do and that would have elevated the storytelling, but it is what it is. The biggest frustration for me was not being able to grade the movie at all. And for co-production and grant reasons, had to be graded at a less than optimal place and with less optimal gear and talent. I will never let that happen again.

 

Anyway, I don't want to replicate everything here, so take a look at my Instagram feed on your computer (you don't have to be registered). I have some anecdotes and behind the scenes and thoughts on my lighting and compositions etc on some stills from the film:

 

https://www.instagram.com/adamfrischfsf/

 

Here's the trailer:

 

[Miguel Angel]

Well, it looks fantastic! So congratulations!!

[Justin Hayward]

Looks fantastic. Most impressive.

[Justin Hayward]

And I really enjoyed reading your instagram. If it's properly motivated, I usually really like strong rim or edge lights, but you're so right, the frizzy hair thing is always such a pain. Strong backlight very often highlights all sorts of problems.

[Mark Kenfield]

I see what you mean about the grade Adam, that's very disappointing. I'm building the grade into my contracts these days - it's just too big of a risk to leave it to the winds of chance. The grabs on your instagram look superb though.

On the whole though, the sense of mood still comes through very well in the trailer I think. Just a shame it looks cheaper than it should (I know that pain only too well!).

Was Katee as wonderful to work with as she seems?

[Stuart Brereton]

Having seen the way some of my work has been butchered in color-correction, I sometimes think I'd rather go back to shooting in 709. At least that way they'd have less room to screw it up.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

Thanks for kind words.

 

I was supposed to attend grade, but then it got delayed and delayed, and finally I get a call about a week before it happens, to be in Wales, which was too late - I was already booked on another job by then. The initial grade was appalling. I did my best to grade stills from all scenes and add very specific comments on what to do, but alas, unless you're there, it's impossible. When I saw it on the big screen finally, it had improved over initial grade considerably, but.... I know how much better it could have been.

 

Live and learn. It has been one of the many reasons I've decided to learn Resolve, actually. I'm convinced that just like stills guys, DP's will have to become graders in the future and take full responsibility for the image from soup to nuts. We can not any longer leave it to fall so badly between the cracks as it has been in the low budget and commercial world. It's especially bad here in the US on commercials, where the ad agency grades the product, me and the director are not welcome to the sessions in most cases. It's totally nuts that someone who might be a copywriter, or worse, a cost controller or an account manager, who might have never even been in a grading suite, have control over your images. It's as if you go in for a heart transplant and the gardener performs it!

[David Mullen ASC]

Lighting-wise, it looks great to me, Adam!

[Guest]

Well looks good to me Adam.

 

Funny, I was just considering Katee Sackhoff for the lead in my next film.

 

R,

[Adam Frisch FSF]

Thank you.

 

Katee is great and very professional. That film's schedule was insanely tight and I told both our very talented lead ladies (Katee Sackoff and Lucy Boynton) on the wrap party, that without them we would have never made it. They were always on point, always delivering, always hitting marks and listening to technical direction whilst still able to do very complex emotional scenes. Exhausting work for both of them, emoting and screaming, running, being cold, covered in blood etc.

 

They have my full respect.

 

Also, Katee is a very confident actress physically, and never once did she ask me to light her in a flattering way or take it easy on her - always what was right for character or mood. I felt bad for her sometimes, because I really let it go pretty harsh at times. So thank you again to them.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

A partially unused clip from DKT:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS6zuiGAx5t/

 

Explanation on my Insta feed:

 

"One of the things I enjoy the most as a DP is "developing masters", or slightly clever or intricate blockings that tell a story in camera or with minimal cuts. Me and the director were on the same page throughout the film with this approach, but as we fell more and more behind, many of those flourishes had to abandoned for more traditional coverage. It just adds a little bit of craft to filmmaking when you see those subtle solutions. Unfortunately they're always the first things to go when the editor or director needs to tighten up the pace in editing. Here's a very simple example from DTK where Katee S comes in and sees her daughter (or what she thinks is her daughter) in the reflection and chases her up the stairs. We shot the whole scene in the mirror, making sure you saw the beveled edges of it so that the geography was clear. But of course it got truncated in the edit and cut halfway through, so here's an opportunity to see it play out as it was intended."