“SCARS” is a strong quick movie in regards to the position that mendacity can play and the consequences it may have in our lives. My crew and I had a beautiful — albeit quick — weekend working alongside the movie crew to assist create the visible content material to assist promote this story, from in-character social media profiles to microsites and, in fact, the film poster.
I’ve at all times been fairly fascinated by the trouble it takes to place collectively a movie. Whether or not a full Hollywood manufacturing or a small artwork home quick story, a outstanding variety of proficient folks should work collectively to fully rework a banal studio or patch of out of doors house into one thing fully new and wonderful.
After I received the decision from my acquaintances Tim Frazier and Jonny Zeller to hitch them on set for a number of days, I jumped on the alternative. They warned me that their futuristic sci-fi thriller referred to as “SCARS” was going to be set, shot, and struck in solely three days! If anybody may pull it off, I knew it could be this duo.
Tim and Jonny had the movie crew put collectively, in addition to a video manufacturing firm to deal with behind-the-scenes images and video, however nobody to provide the high-resolution artistic nonetheless pictures they wanted for a film poster and different promotional content material. Not realizing the total scope of the quick movie but, I packed up my Nikon portrait equipment and Elinchrom moveable lighting and joined them for 2 of the three days on set.
Just a few scenes happen in a cadet coaching camp, and for the reason that story is about someday sooner or later, it was necessary to stage the shoot in a location that was fully devoid of any up to date Twenty first-century markings. So that they booked Fort MacArthur, a former coastal protection base in San Pedro, California that dates all the best way again to the Eighteen Nineties. It’s recognized for its massive concrete doorways and partitions which might be sculpted proper into the grassy hillsides across the facility. It’s a fantastic place to shoot since at any time of day there may be moody smooth mild bouncing off the sunshine grey concrete partitions.
Probably the most fantastic particulars I found is that images itself performs a task within the story of the movie. One of many characters (Prole) is a photographer, so quite a lot of the photographs we took of her on the set featured her with a prototype sci-fi digital camera and a digital camera bag with an easter-egg patch on it (The patch is an online handle, and if you happen to kind that in, it takes you to the character’s photograph weblog). Prole is among the kinder, quieter characters. She doesn’t instantly let the viewer know what introduced her right here, however she is aware of the significance of documenting her story by way of her digital camera.
We needed to emulate the look of a movie nonetheless, so we selected the 50mm f/1.4 lens to lend a cinematic depth of subject and pull the characters ahead. The 2 pictures of Aris, one on the bus and the opposite within the firing vary, are each shot at 50mm at 2.2. Each pictures of Baker and Aris on the firing vary had been captured working off the DP’s cinema lighting to protect the temper. We used Seize One Professional to crush the black tones a bit and soften the colours.
I knew I might solely have a brief period of time with every of the actors for the reason that manufacturing schedule was packed. When on location at Fort MacArthur, I instantly scouted a small recessed concrete doorway main into the bottom that was solely a brief stroll from make-up.
The trick to being an on-set photographer is carving out the house you want, the time you want, after which shaping your flashes… all in a approach that doesn’t have an effect on everybody else on the set. My lighting assistant and I needed to form the sunshine right into a “sliver” to mild the actors’ faces, hoping that skinny slices of sunshine may play on the movie’s theme of scars showing on the physique when a lie is instructed. We arrange two lights on an Elinchrom 1200 pack, one naked bulb skimming throughout the decrease rear wall as background lighting, and the opposite with a seven-inch reflector behind two black flags (with a one-inch hole between them). The over-spill from the principle mild stuffed within the actors’ faces whereas the sunshine peeking by way of the flags highlighted their eyes.
We had been fairly happy with the outcomes! It’s at all times thrilling to deal with a brand new problem and find out about a distinct artistic outlet, and getting to have a look backstage of movie manufacturing like this was one thing I gained’t quickly overlook.
You possibly can watch Scars for your self on the Omeleto YouTube Channel, and see a few of my work on the challenge on the movie’s Instagram.
Picture credit: All images by Paul Sargeant and Julio Dueñas
Jonny Zeller describes the movie: “Scars” was initially written as a response to a viral Reddit writing immediate, which was learn by over a million folks. The challenge is, at the beginning, a digital quick movie. Nevertheless, my producing associate and I needed to do greater than say, “HeY, WaTcH My ShoRt FiLm.” We’re obsessed (not in a bizarre approach) with 360 Storytelling/transmedia so we constructed a broad internet of over 100 supplementary content material deliverables designed to take the viewer on a story-driven journey throughout platforms and deeper down the rabbit gap of a cinematic universe. Faux advertisements primarily based on fictional in-world merchandise, Snapchat and Instagram filters to accompany pageant screenings, and an easter egg weblog web site written as one of many primary characters are only a few of the artistic avenues utilized to garner consideration for the piece.
We’d prefer to assume that the movie stands out in some ways, however we did fixate on the significance of various cultures being seen and heard whereas making a fictional one in every of our personal. The larger image, although, was in regards to the theme and message. In a movie about lies and the marks they depart, the theme is pretty easy… at the least on the floor. “Don’t choose a e-book by its cowl,” or, “There are two sides to each story.” In “Scars,” society is cut up into three distinct castes primarily based solely upon an individual’s seen scars. The true world is turning into an increasing number of used to creating snap judgments to the detriment of all. Our movie tries to point out its viewers that an individual’s ability, value, or motivations can’t be decided by their outward look. As an alternative, it’s their actions and, maybe, their very own inside causes for taking them, that ought to mild the best way for a way we deal with each other.
Concerning the creator: Paul Sargeant is a photographer primarily based in Los Angeles and operates Sargeant Artistic together with his spouse Leanne. With BFA levels in Images and Illustration and over 15 years of operating a profitable images and artwork follow, the duo understands the significance of visible storytelling. Extra from Sargeant will be discovered on his web site and Instagram.
