‘Three is the magic number’....Three countries, three looks, three sets of lenses, three lighting designs, three colour palettes. In essence this was a simple approach, sometimes simplicity can be your most effective tool.
In terms of a shot structure we wanted to echo the sequence in each location, drawing attention to the repetition essential to the concept. We also wanted to avoid creating a film that felt sterile or formulaic. Developing from this approach we concluded not to be too literal in our formula. Instead of diligently matching lens size, subject distance and camera movement mathematically we kept the basic structure the same but gave ourselves some freedom; room to adapt to locations, choreography, blocking and performance. We spent a day blocking the first sequence as a rehearsal and shooting this on a small digital camera. We then sent this material to the editor who cut it, making sure we had a sequence that worked and (multiplied by three) could fit within the tight time line.
On this project I enjoyed working on the Arri Alexa, taking advantage of the opportunities it provides to work in low light with non-traditional lighting sources. Working with three different LUT’s (look up tables) I was able to create three looks and control them to a fine degree, maintaining consistency within each sequence and carrying these looks through into post production. As a result of streamlining this process with the DIT the final images resemble precisely what I was viewing and lighting on the set.