Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Creating the Look of Late Night

17/05/2022

A legendary talk show host employs a young scriptwriter and sparks fly in the new indie feature Late Night, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Written by and starring Mindy Kaling, and co-starring Emma Thompson, the set-up depicts them as poles apart in generation and culture, adding further twists in the comedy.

Cinematographer Matthew Clark on set.

The interplay between the two leads, as well as the desire to convey differences in the characters personalities and environment, led director of photography Matthew Clark to work closely with Panavision and Light Iron, who he had collaborated previously with on Set it Up and Little Evil.

Director Nisha Ganatra (Transparent) wanted to try and create as naturalistic a world as we could for the actors. That way, they would feel free to play around on set and location, explains Clark. I feel that with comedy especially, you want to allow your actors the freedom to move around physically and to improvise in order to find that true comic moment. So, we needed to keep our camera and lighting package small and our sets an open space. To be clear, we weren't aiming for the natural style of a documentary, but more of a heightened realism.

The film's three main locations are given a different tonal look. The parts of the story which cover Katherine's (Thompson) personal life at home in a town house in Brooklyn were given an elegant, rich, warm feel to which we added a little smoke haze to create some depth, notes Clark. The talk show studio (on a set in a Greenpoint Studio/Warehouse) was crisp and clean with a more neutral feel to it. The writers' room, which we shot in an office on the 17th floor in a building on Manhattan's east side, was given a cooler palette, more office or business-like.

Clark chose a Panasonic VariCam 35 to accommodate a tight budget and 25-day schedule. Sometimes, we had three or four locations a day. That means you have to move fast. I liked the ability to shoot at 5,000 ISO at night on location. I knew we would have a good base to start. Then, Ken Shibata (gaffer), Tommy Kerwick, Jr. (key grip) and I could use a minimal lighting package and still get our look while working at that speed.

For lens selection, he visited Panavision in Woodland Hills, and got his pick of 70s era Ultra Speeds and Super Speeds. Dan Sasaki presented me with two tables full of lenses from classic old Primos to new glass. I had the whole place to myself and was able to test shoot a lot of it.

Clark continues, I took the tests to Light Iron in Hollywood where colorist Corinne Bogdanowicz and I tried different looks, playing with saturation, shadows, highlights and even adding grain. That color prep really helped us move quickly and seamlessly when the production moved from L.A. to New York for principal photography where I collaborated with Light Iron NY colorist Sean Dunckley.

We tried out some pretty stylized filmic emulations, and then adjusted the levels of color in the blacks and highlights to create a more refined look, notes Bogdanowicz. The grain tests helped us add some subtle texture to the images.

Clark also worked with Light Iron Dailies Colorist Aaron Burns for a couple days to establish a LUT which Dunckley then finessed. I like to light for the LUT on location and I tend not to change it, says Clark, but if needed I will play around with it later. That's what Sean and I were able to do.

On finessing that LUT, Dunckley adds, I worked with Matt to create a LUT that was a bit more dynamic, pushing some cyan into the shadows and smoothing the skin tone colors. The LUT was used for dailies, and because Matt takes the time in pre-production to make the post process easy, we were a step ahead of the game when starting the DI.

Clark continues, One of the things you used to be able to do with film was pre-flash the raw stock. This opened up the blacks and allowed you to add color in the shadows depending on the percentage and color of the flash. It's a way to create an emotional effect. I wanted to do this digitally for our story. So, we mapped out the emotional change as we went through different scenes. The basic narrative arc is that the character's start out as individuals and wind up working together as a team. So, we start out with colder hues in the office, introducing a steely look in the shadows, and as the story moves forward we minimize blue for more rosy, warm tones with addition of some grain. There's a big juxtaposition between a scene in Katherine's bedroom, which is tonally rich, and the next day when she comes into the office and realizes she has to do something to get her job back. It's not a straight arc from blue to warm but changes according to the scene and context of the scene.

Lens choices included an 11:1 Primo Zoom the tried and trusted workhorse which is still beautiful and very creamy, Clark says. The older glass he chose helped break down the digital image in the way he wanted. The coating on the 40 delivers a warm glow which we mostly used for Katherine's personal world while several of the lenses had this rainbow flare which I felt gave us something different. These lenses are not perfect' which makes them perfect for this film. The aberrations, the older coatings, and the glass itself is less precise than most contemporary lenses and gives the digital image a softer look with more personality.

The two-camera, 4K production was lensed mostly on tripods and dollies with some Steadicam and occasional handheld.

A lot of the time, we were shooting close to wide open, maybe 2-2.8. That's hard on a 100mm with minimal lighting, so all credit to my A camera AC Pedro Corcega and B cam Adriana Brunetto-Lipman. Pulling focus on a Steadicam moving through a party is not for the faint-hearted. If you don't have tale
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/creating-the-l...
See more stories from panavision

Europe Stories

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

28/04/2024

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...

27/03/2024

UKTV sets up second series of Dream Car Fixers for Yesterday and UKTV Play

Wednesday 27 March 2024 - UKTV has commissioned a second series of Dream Car Fixers (6x60) for leading factual channel Yesterday and free streaming service UKTV...

27/03/2024

Paving the Way' for Spotify's NextGen Scholarship Recipients

Spotify is committed to amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups, and that starts with empowering the creators who will shape our industry's future....

27/03/2024

I knew there were cameras, lighting, some buttons and microphones involved': How Crew Room Academy is inspiring the next generation

TVBEurope hears from some of the students who took part in Crew Room Academys Sc...

27/03/2024

Adobe reveals Gen AI solutions for content supply chain

Elsewhere, Adobe revealed a new feature in Adobe Firefly, which uses the companys generative AI to easily apply the structure of an existing image to newly gene...

27/03/2024

Best of Show Awards for 2024 NAB Show entries close soon

The awards, from industry-leading brands of Future plc, provide a great opportunity for companies to stand out at one the most attended shows in the industry B...

27/03/2024

Meet the director of IT and operations

By TVBEurope Staff Published: March 27, 2024 CueScript's director of IT and operations, Meghan Tyler, tells TVBEurope about how she started her media c...

27/03/2024

2023 Annual Report Publication

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland, and Phoenix (AZ), USA, March 27 2024 - The Kudelski Group has published its 2023...

27/03/2024

Publication of Annual Report 2023

Annual Report 2023...

27/03/2024

ALOFT AeroArchitects equips private Boeing Business Jet aircraft with Eutelsat OneWeb's LEO satellite connectivity service

Photo credit: ALOFT AeroArchitects Press release - 27 March 2024 12:27 ALOFT...

27/03/2024

Dalet Showcases AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713). Attendees can experience fi...

27/03/2024

Cinegy Multiviewer 24.2 - Scales of Efficiency

SL6031, NAB Show, Las Vegas, 14-17 April 2024: Cinegy, the premier provider of software defined television technology for digital video capture, processing, ass...

27/03/2024

PERCEVAL: Thales and partners reshape the future of airline pilot training

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has formed a consortium with ENAC, lENS Paris-Saclay, Simaero, AviaSim and Corsair to develop a tooled methodology for ev...

27/03/2024

Advocacy in Action: Creating a future where public service media thrive

Advocacy in Action: Creating a future where public service media thrive...

27/03/2024

EBU calls on MEP candidates to Do the next right thing for media and democracy!'

EBU calls on MEP candidates to Do the next right thing for media and democracy!...

27/03/2024

The media industry gave away the keys to the kingdom once - that shouldn't happen again

The media industry gave away the keys to the kingdom once - that shouldn't h...

26/03/2024

Sube la temperatura con las canciones del verano 2024 en Argentina y Brasil

De diciembre a marzo, cuando los ciudadanos del hemisferio sur disfrutan del verano, la m sica se convierte en una poderosa representaci n de las culturas y cos...

26/03/2024

Aumente o Som com as Msicas do Vero de 2024 da Argentina e do Brasil

De dezembro a mar o, medida que as pessoas em todo o Hemisf rio Sul aproveitam o ver o, a m sica surge frequentemente como uma representa o poderosa das cult...

26/03/2024

Turn Up the Heat With Argentina's and Brazil's 2024 Songs of Summer

From December to March, as people across the Southern Hemisphere soak up the summer, music often emerges as a powerful representation of a region's cultures...

26/03/2024

A Collaboration With Panavision: Pedro Luque, SCU

Cinematographer Pedro Luque, SCU's credits include the features Body Cam, Antebellum and director J.A. Bayona's Best International Feature Oscar-nominat...

26/03/2024

China's Leading Mobile Operators First To Commercially Launch New Fraud Reducing Password Service, After Receiving GSMA Open Gateway Certification

GSMA welcomes CITIC Telecom, Huawei and ZTE as Channel Partners 26 March 2024, Beijing: China's three leading mobile operators - China Mobile, China Telec...

26/03/2024

China's 5G market is set to add almost $260 billion to the Chinese economy in 2030 with connections set to top 1 billion this year

At the Post-MWC Sharing Event in Beijing, leaders from the GSMA contextualised t...

26/03/2024

Crown Works Studios moves forward following council approval

The studios are expected to be one of the largest in Europe, with 20 premium sound stages suitable for major feature film and high-end TV (HETV) productions By...

26/03/2024

The Slovak democracy must not be dismantled in silence

The Slovak democracy must not be dismantled in silence...

26/03/2024

VEON announces sale of stake in Beeline Kyrgyzstan, increasing the focus on its large markets

26 Mar 2024 VEON announces sale of stake in Beeline Kyrgyzstan, increasing the ...

26/03/2024

embedded world 2024: Rohde & Schwarz presents its cutting-edge test solutions for embedded systems

embedded world 2024: Rohde & Schwarz presents its cutting-edge test solutions fo...

26/03/2024

Riedel and TSL Provide Cost-Effective, High-Quality Video Routing and Control for Leading Financial Corporation

Wuppertal March 26, 2024 Riedel and TSL Provide Cost-Effective, High-Quality V...

26/03/2024

IBM Announces EMEA Geography Winners of the 2024 IBM Partner Plus Awards

London, UK, March 26, 2024 Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced the EMEA geography winners of the 2024 IBM Partner Plus Awards, which celebrate IBM partners who a...

26/03/2024

Eutelsat OneWeb services activated for enterprise and maritime in Australia and New Zealand through Sat One partnership

Photo credit: GETTY IMAGES Press release - 26 March 2024 11:29 Eutelsat OneW...

26/03/2024

2024-03-26

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) online from June 10 through 14, 2024. Developers and ...

25/03/2024

Spotify Tests Video-Based Learning Courses in the UK

Today we're launching a test for video-based courses on Spotify in the U.K. We've partnered with educational tech companies including BBC Maestro, PLAYv...

25/03/2024

NEP Australia expands IP and remote production with Calrec Argo

NEP Australia expands its IP and remote production capabilities with first install of Calrec Argo consoles NEP Australia, a division of NEP Group and a prominen...

25/03/2024

NAB 2024 Preview | Why attend NAB 24?

NAB 2024 Preview | April 14 -17 | Booth C6307 | Las Vegas Convention Center We're looking forward to meeting up with customers and partners at the 2024 NAB ...

25/03/2024

Blackbird adds indexing and AI auto sequencing to video editing platform

Twelve Labs AI will enable editors to locate specific storytelling moments within their video content using natural language, said the companies By Jenny Pries...

25/03/2024

Meet the director of strategic marketing

By TVBEurope Staff Published: March 25, 2024 Updated: March 26, 2024 Bruno Fran on, director of strategic marketing at Backlight, talks to TVBEurope abou...

25/03/2024

With the EMFA, the EU has a new toolbox to prevent governments from taking over the media

With the EMFA, the EU has a new toolbox to prevent governments from taking over ...

22/03/2024

SGL Carbon achieves annual targets for 2023 and invests more in growth markets

In fiscal year 2023, SGL Carbon achieved the sales and earnings targets set at the beginning of the year despite the drop in demand from the important wind mark...

22/03/2024

Grass Valley secures $220 million in strategic refinancing

The company said it intends to accelerate innovation across its entire portfolio, most notably in the AMPP ecosystem following the refinancing By Jenny Priestl...

22/03/2024

RT kicks off Guinness Women's Six Nations coverage with France v Ireland

Watch all the games live across RT and Virgin Media Television from Saturday 23rd March All Ireland games live on RT Radio The Guinness Women's Six Nat...

22/03/2024

Telenor releases its Annual report for 2023

1 minute read Share alt=Alternative descriptive text class=lazyload main main-lazyloaded responsive-image data-v-1a5ebb10> Our digital lives are becomi...

21/03/2024

Spotify Celebrates Ramadan With Listening Trends From Around the World

March marks the beginning of Ramadan, a cherished cultural event celebrated by Muslims worldwide. As families and communities come together to observe, contempl...

21/03/2024

Adhoc notification: SGL Carbon: CEO Dr. Torsten Derr will not extend his contract

(10:15 AM) Wiesbaden, March 21, 2024. The CEO of SGL Carbon SE, Dr. Torsten Derr...

21/03/2024

SGL Carbon CEO Dr. Torsten Derr will not extend his contract

The CEO of SGL Carbon SE, Dr. Torsten Derr, informed the Chairman of the Supervisory Board today that he will not extend his contract, which expires on May 31, ...

21/03/2024

Women Making History, Part 4

In Part 4 of Panavision's Women Making History interview series, the conversation turns toward career highlights. Prompted by Panavision President and CEO K...

21/03/2024

Amrica Mvil leads the way to High-Quality Video Streaming in LATAM with Broadpeak

March 21, 2024 -- Am rica M vil leads the way to High-Quality Video Streamin...

21/03/2024

Creating a fully managed live sports streaming service

As the way that viewers watch sport continues to evolve, broadcasters and streaming services must keep a finger on the pulse of the market and adapt their offer...

21/03/2024

Planetcast brings OTT in house with Switch Media acquisition

The acquisition transfers full control of Switch Medias assets to Planetcast, enabling integration of their online video solutions with Planetcasts NexC unified...