grading the ice age

Stefan Baltz · March 6, 2013

We are shooting a documentary/re-enactment of the first human beings and their culture. Our leading through the story is a small figure of a mammut, which is supposed to be over 32.000 years old.

I will also do the color grading and we want the re-enacted scenes to take off from the other scenes, f.e. the interviews with the experts or the shoots in the museums.

So, the scenes I am talking about are dating back to about 30.000 years.

And I'm still lacking some kind of inspiration of how to grade the pictures. I was searching for paintings illustrating those times but have not been able to find something.

So If anybody has some good references for me (painters, movies etc.) I'd be very thankful :)

And please do not reply with 10.000 BC :)

James Compton · March 8, 2013

I have been studying the work of physicist Paul A. LaViolette, PH.D, especially his writings regarding planetary and galactic weather conditions 30,000-15,000 years ago. He studied ice core samples that date back to that time period. Apparently there was massive amounts of UV energy released by the sun into the earth's atmosphere. The effects was massive disturbances in weather patterns, translating into very,very strong winds and lots of dust in the atmosphere.

So that would translate into many cloudy, overcast days and dusty, dirty skies. Probably alot like the Dust Bowl era in the early 20th century, but colder. Grays, steel blue. Perhaps applying some ND Grads and darkening the skies. If the production is still ongoing, have a word with the director and makeup artist and tell them to study the photographs of homeless people to grasp what someone exposed to rough natural elements, actually looks like.