Major Production - Oli Russel - D.O.P Research

So for this unit, as my role within it is being the cinematographer, I need to get a better understanding of shooting bigger projects as this one will be the largest yet in terms of everything. I thought there wasn't really a better way for me to grasp what it takes and what i'll need to consider before I shoot, than to make contact with professional D.O.P's already out there, that're currently working on similar content to what i'll be shooting.

Oli Russel -


RESEARCH OF HIS WORK - DETAILED ANALYSIS
I've placed below two screenshots of his work, highlighting the consistent colour scheme presented on the show. I believe by understanding his work i'll be able to better understand approaching my own and begin to achieve my own particular aesthetic. There is a clear stylistic approach here which I will dissect down below. 

Firstly the lighting and colour scheme are consistent in both screenshots. The shows general themes and tone presents itself through every technical aspect, as the colours suggest it's a comedy with it's light pinks/yellows/browns and dusty brown. It's quite a surreal colour scheme, and at times the series itself with its characters can be surreal too. It's not a naturalistic aesthetic, as the content does not support that of a naturalistic approach of filming. Each character has unrealistic quirks about them, and this transcends through the use of it's cinematography with it's lighting and colour scheme set up. The colours of yellow, orange, brown normally do tend to be used in comedies as they represent humour, lightness, fun, pleasure and intelligence. All of these moods are again things that you'd associate with the general themes of the series and what its content delivers to its audience. The framing and composition for the majority of the series is quite generic, and is what you'd associate with a surreal sitcom series. The colours within this series also bring to light the innocence of some of the characters within it, as the colours are delightful and humorous, just like the characters are. The series tries to put across to the audience through it's cinematic techniques the humorous side to each character by presenting them in this nice, relaxed lighting, supporting the general themes of the narrative. 

The camera movement also conveys the narratives humorous message as throughout all the series the movement is smooth, fluid and easy to digest for the audience. There are no contrazooms, or any psychological inferring shots, it focuses on the dialogue mainly as that's where the action follows from. In this specific screenshot it's following a conversation between our two protagonists, and we pan to see the characters face on the left, for one whole shot. This is clearly an important scene as we don't want to break the conversation and stare held between both characters, clearly insinuating that there is signifance in this conversation between these two and that the audience are about to be revealed the motion he holds on his face. Camera movement is clever in its it holds back and allows the audience to feel what the characters feel for specific moments. As this particular narrative is comical with not often serious issues being presented, the reveals are the shock us with laughter rather than fear, so that's why these movements displayed within this series are gentle and smooth throughout, reinforcing the stories overriding themes. There is a clear colour palette that is being used throughout the entirety of this series, and each colour is significant in it's own story telling of the narrative. 

What cameras were used for the filming of Cuckoo, and what format was it recorded on? 

For Cuckoo we shot on the Arri Alexa Mini with Zeiss Master Primes. We shot HD, Log C, ProRes 4444, 25fps apart from slomo. I usually under expose by about a stop to a stop and a half, depending on what is in the frame. We used diffusion filters in front of the lens to soften the overall look. A key lens that we used a lot and one of my favourites was the 27mm. We almost always used that on key close ups. 

Nearly all of the colour rendition and correction was done in the grade after we had finished shooting. I would set the colour temperature as close to where I wanted it, and pull out any unwanted green if there was any, and my DIT would tweak luts that would go on the dailies. But all of this is just a guide until you get into the grade. 

How closely did you work with the director to capture the right aesthetic & tone for the piece?

On this job my prep time was very limited. So  I worked closely with the director initially about how we wanted the overall show to look, although there was a sort of template from the previous series, so we knew we were going to follow that, we just wanted to better it. I mainly worked closely with the director on the bigger set pieces, such as the opening fight scene and the car chase elements. Otherwise it was mainly just day to day. Block a scene and then shoot it.

Finally, any advice and insight into being a cinematographer & your preparations for shooting?

My humble advice on being a cinematographer is, enjoy yourself, take risks, don’t be afraid to try something different, don’t be afraid to fail. At least you tried it, if it didn’t work you have learnt something. Prep well, and don’t be afraid to ask questions, no matter how experienced you are. Remember, even the top cinematographers sometimes struggle and don’t know how to achieve something, there is always a way.


What I have learnt from this dialogue -

Once again I found this dialogue extremely insightful in terms of how i'll be approaching my own project now from the perspective of the DOP and what to expect when on set. I need to work really closely with Will and converse with him about the project, how we are going to approach certain scenes that i'm already having doubts about and come up with creative solutions to figure it out. I think it will be important to had a separate screen/atmos on set with us for our shoot after reading this response, for to see how the colour has came through on the camera and once we have it on an atmos, we'll be able to apply luts to it and see if we need to throw out any specific unwarranted colours. I think as well that I just need to enjoy this whole experience and soak it in as much as I can before I enter the real world. Ultimately though I want my project to look technically sound, and have a consistent aesthetic, then i'd feel proud.