The Ravenant, shot on Alexa 65

[Brett Harrison]

Reading the Camera Operator and American Cinematographer articles you'll know that a ton of work and skill went into the shoot and the post work - and that a LOT of people worked on the post.

That a DP can work with a colourist this way means the art is only increasing.

The best analogy comes from the great landscape photographer Ansell Adams: the negative is the score, the print is the performance. You can make a good print bad, and you can make a bad print somewhat better, but you can't have a great print without a great negative, nor a great print without a great developer.

 

[Peter Moretti]

Yes, at least in Calgary. Resolve was used in Argentina, which was a much, much shorter shoot.



It is not EOL, although you can no longer buy a standalone Lustre license. It is included as part of Flame Premium. We used Lustre because the DI was going to be done using Lustre (that's what Steve Scott and his team use) and it was Chivo's request to have a workflow that would allow the work done for dailies to be used directly in the DI if desired. It never actually was used in the DI, but the request was honored.

Thanks much Mike for your insight!!

 

[Christopher Probst]

On a union set, the DP is basically not allowed touch the lights, let alone set a lamps for a shot. That work falls to the gaffer and his/her electricians.

Does that mean a DP shouldn't get credit for the lighting of the actual scene because they didn't do it themselves? Of course not.

Assuming that the DP is actually involved with all the post work, I don't see the difference?

The title is director of photography, not on set lighting technician.

As long as they are directing the photography, I don't understand why it matters if it's during Pre-Vis, production, or post?

Not true. A DP is certainly allowed to touch lights on a union film without getting grieved. As he is also allowed to touch cameras, dollies, flags, and even aspects under the banner of the art department.

How one goes about doing that with respect to their fellow technicians becomes a matter of diplomacy and collaboration.

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

The snow was not all added in post. They started shooting in Canada, but they didn't get enough snow, so they moved the entire production to Argentina at the other end of the world in order to have real snow.

Not sure how you are an authority on the shoot, but if you watch the video posted, it shows the real shot without snow, then the VFX Cinematographers version with all the effects added. I'm just looking at what the filmmakers posted online.

BTS doc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJfTfsXFbLk

really do like what the VFX cinematographers did in post

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

I'm sure they did add extra snow in post, but they almost certainly built that VFX snow on top of the practical snow.

just look at the video, there's no snow... why would you answer a question if you have no idea?

BTS doc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJfTfsXFbLk

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

They wouldn't have dragged the entire production to South America in search of winter landscapes if they were going to create all of that in post..

if you go to 6:25 in the video, you'll see there is no snow and how they added it.

BTS doc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJfTfsXFbLk

 

[Peter Moretti]

Jeffery, where in the video are you referring to? (If it's the 5:20 to 6:12 portion, the guys in the beginning are not being shot for the film.)

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

what cool-aid man? 6:25

• there is a bunch of footage of them bringing snow in on truck at the end of the video
• the said earlier in the thread only a week or so what shot in south america
• shows people talking and it's not cold enough to have stream exiting their mouth as they talk
• they show the real shot with the red flags on the ground as markers for VFX/Post
• they added a lot of great effects, the wind and snow blowing around... the effects are amazing looking. When I saw the film I had no idea either.

Not sure they were trying to hide no snow fact, from what I saw in the BTS Doc

 

[Peter Moretti]

Jeffery,

I'm not sure that those red flags are VFX markers, as their supports are pretty flimsy and the flags themselves were fluttering in the wind.

If the snow from 6:25 to 7:12 was added in post, that indeed is very impressive.

 

[Andy White]

In the sections refereed to, I saw that as a rehearsal shot vs the real shot. Talent's hair/clothes/makeup is different between the two.

Haven't seen the movie, but will soon, when time/deadlines permit.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

I think you're missing the point Jeffrey. This was a winter movie shot in the winter. Yes, they used vfx when they had to to augment when they couldn't get the real thing -- this is nothing new, snow movies have been doing that since the dawn of cinema. But that doesn't take away anything from the effort they made to shoot in difficult conditions when you could have just faked a lot more of it and been more comfortable as well. The director went to great lengths to get what he could in camera.

 

[Bob Gundu]

if you go to 6:25 in the video, you'll see there is no snow and how they added it.

I'm pretty sure those were early walk throughs when the weather was milder too.

 

[Scott Crawley]

But does Chivo weigh the same as a duck?

 

[David Mullen ASC]

There were days on "The Revenant" that were warmer than they wanted, which is one reason they ended up moving production to South America. It's no surprise that they had to resort to physical and post vfx to maintain the winter continuity that they wanted. But none of this should take anything away from the what Lubezki achieved in often difficult shooting conditions. This shoot was no walk in a park. It's not some fake green screen reality, they went into the mountains and shot in snow and ice and water. The reality of the settings, the use of real locations, is fairly evident when watching the movie regardless of the need to augment things.

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

I think you're missing the point Jeffrey. This was a winter movie shot in the winter. Yes, they used vfx when they had to to augment when they couldn't get the real thing -- this is nothing new, snow movies have been doing that since the dawn of cinema. But that doesn't take away anything from the effort they made to shoot in difficult conditions when you could have just faked a lot more of it and been more comfortable as well. The director went to great lengths to get what he could in camera.

I totally agree, I'd imagine they would have shot in the snow if they had too... I was just impress in what they can do in post now-a-days

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

I'm pretty sure those were early walk throughs when the weather was milder too.

I imagine it was added w/VFX

Phil Holland was a teacher at Gnomon, I'm sure he he could talk from a more professional's perspective. If you watch Tron: Legacy, it's pretty prominent there. All the dust and snow and other effects are added, I've taken classes in the those programs, but never worked as a pro.

Tron: Legacy VFX Reel Digital Domain

 

[Bob Gundu]

I imagine it was added w/VFX

Phil Holland was a teacher at Gnomon, I'm sure he he could talk from a more professional's perspective. If you watch Tron: Legacy, it's pretty prominent there. All the dust and snow and other effects are added, I've taken classes in the those programs, but never worked as a pro.

Tron: Legacy VFX Reel Digital Domain

Yeah I'm sure there's is a tonne of environment FX done to this film. That particular shot seemed off as Leonardo is completely not in makeup and looks like a test shot to me.

 

[M Most]

Yeah I'm sure there's is a tonne of environment FX done to this film.

That is a very good guess. :001_cool:

 

[luigivaltulini]

Tarkovsky

https://vimeo.com/153979733

 

[Julio Quintana]

Tarkovsky

https://vimeo.com/153979733

Very interesting. Thanks for posting, Luigi.