January 16, 2024
Shot Talk – The Creator with Dir. Gareth Edwards & DPs Greig Fraser, ACS, ASC and Oren Soffer
Summary
Lawrence Sher, ASC sits down with Gareth Edwards, DPs Greig Fraser ACS, ASC, and Oren Soffer for an in-depth discussion on the sci-fi action film The Creator. From the logistics of using volume stages for portions of the shoot, to how Gareth switched his shooting schedule due to COVID restrictions, to how Greig and Oren split photography work, the trio break down important moments behind the scenes of production that helped bring the film to life!
This episode of Shot Talk is sponsored by SONY, a leading manufacturer of digital cinema cameras, including the brand’s flagship VENICE 2.
Key moments
- 00:02:57 The Benefits of Shooting Small
- 00:10:38 The Evolution of Production Style That Changed the Film
- 00:12:00 Working Within Limitations
- 00:14:20 Fighting the System: Choose What’s Right for Your Film
- 00:18:11 Creating a Proof of Concept Film
- 00:22:51 Finding a Second Cinematographer
- 00:25:48 Letting Go of the Camera as a DP: Working With a Director Operator
- 00:27:27 The FX3 Camera Choice
- 00:31:45 The Eternal Quest for Cleanliness and Embracing Imperfections
- 00:33:30 Choosing the 2.76 Aspect Ratio
- 00:35:48 Pushing the Boulder Together: Teamwork Between Director and Cinematographer
- 00:40:00 Doing a Driving Scene the Old School Way
- 00:50:55 Shooting High ISO and How It Changes the World
- 00:51:51 Capturing Poetic Footage in a COVID Production
- 00:57:37 Working With a VFX Supervisor, “Its Not Expensive Until Its in the Cut”
- 01:00:40 Coming Full Circle and Shooting Naturalistic Style
- 01:03:20 Inspiration Behind ShotDeck
- 01:04:31 Matching the Space Station Volume With the Real World
- 01:11:30 Breaking Down the Space Exteriors
- 01:14:14 Scene Breakdown: The Futuristic Bar
- 01:17:45 Embracing Imperfections and Refining the Grade
- 01:20:33 Finding the Right LUT With Fotokem
- 01:24:16 The Sensor of the FX3
- 01:26:40 Matching Interactive Lighting With VFX
- 01:29:52 Shooting Sunset, Twilight 10000 ISO and Beyond
- 01:32:52 Complementing Moving Lighting With VFX
- 01:36:00 Scene Breakdown: The Apartment Gunfight
- 01:40:10 Using Every Second on Set
- 01:48:31 Lightweight LEDs and Softly Adjusting on the Fly
- 01:53:06 The Challenges of Keeping Momentum of Production
- 01:59:01 Setting the Pace on the First Day
- 02:00:18 Growing and Learning on Every Project, Final Thoughts
