Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1489831
18 cgw o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 EMBRACING THE DARKNESS Fincher is known for embracing low-key lighting and dark color pal- ettes to explore the pitfalls of human morality in his films. The Blur team began establishing a lighting style very early in the look-devel- opment process, which required the aesthetic of each sequence to be fully refined prior to creating any assets. "Fincher is keenly aware of the practicality of different textures, surfaces, and materials, and the physics of how they react to light in the real world," notes Karnik. "His eye for color is insanely precise. For example, when we were establishing lighting for the ship's cargo hold, Fincher specified that he only wanted oil lanterns and moon- light — specifically 1,800K and 4,000K, respectively. And of course, they were all spot-on in look and feel." Karnik also recalls a review session during which the director no- ticed a very subtle trace of color. "He was looking at an image and saying that the glancing angle of the light reflecting off the varnish, filtered through the panes of glass, was making this wood look ma- genta. It was interesting to hear his thought process. He was break- ing down the physics of why magenta existed in the image." Fincher was also very intentional about the emotions he intended the audience to experience as the events of the episode unfolded. "We worked hard to make these characters feel like they were in a horrible, wretched place, and to make the audience feel as uncom- fortable as the characters looked," explains Karnik. "We also played with lighting on the characters. For the antihero, Torrin, our art di- rector had the idea of using a 50/50 lighting style, where only half his face was lit. Conceptually, we thought this lighting mirrored how morally gray his behavior was. You can see this transition from the Blur Studio delivered 386 shots for the episode in only six months. Torrin's 50/50 lighting style mirrors his morally gray actions.