VO5 / General and Peasant

'It was instantly clear from the VO5 scripts that these were going to be very good films.’ Comments Lead Flame Artist, Steve Murgatroyd.

The scene for the films, is set in historic South America in which two men from starkly different backgrounds swap lives in a chance crossing. The change is orchestrated when they realise the power to shape their destiny is in their hands – in the form of V05’s Thicken Up Lifting Paste and Casual Control Rough it Up Putty. 

Colourist, Paul Harrison adds: ‘The brief for this grade was to create a unique and beautiful look to the films. They had to enhance the locations and wardrobe in a way that was cinematic but in keeping with the overall vibe of the images. The two films interact with each other from different perspectives but maintain a number of key visual features, which included the grading palette. Because of the intense detail needed to offer a sense of continuity, it was a very complicated grade as far as grades go. As these films were big exterior shoots, time and light change throughout the day and have a major effect on the captured image.’

Steve continues, ‘The VFX for the films was relatively straight forward, but given the length of the spots, not insubstantial. We had various bits of clean up, split screens and a number of pack replacements to do but the majority of the work involved layering photos of the general and the peasant characters into their respective posters.’

Director Rob Legatt says, ‘The films were shot in Cuba on old anamorphic lenses in a widescreen format - we had a concept that the stories took place in some kind of historical cinematic universe but it wasn’t until we started working with Freefolk that this idea really came into focus. Paul did a fantastic job of crafting a wonderfully period technicolour print feel from our HD master.  Steve's subtle flame work complimented the grade and the print feel we were striking for. Ultimately they helped us achieve a look that is bold, timeless and playful - reminiscent of classic Sunday afternoon widescreen movies. It was a real pleasure working with the team from Freefolk from inception to completion.’