Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495163
16 cgw j a n u a r y • f e b r u a r y • m a r c h 2 0 2 3 in DaVinci Resolve. "I was there during the grading pro- cess just to be able to react to any problems with the VFX shots. I was able to grab the machine next to our grader and do very simple comps in DaVinci Fusion that I could take off the VFX department," Petzold re- calls. "It came in handy because if you have a scene — and it's very monochrome the way we graded it — and then you have an overcast day, you have pretty much gray-greenish soldiers against gray-black smoke in the background, and you can barely make out the silhou- ettes of the tanks." The contrast became so sensitive that any small ad- justments to the gamma point would make the tank disappear and reappear. "There were a few shots that we had to render out twice; two versions: one with the tanks, one without. In the grading, we did a live mix when you start to see them appear, because you couldn't predict what the color correction was going to show in the end if you have so little contrast. That was a new thing for me, because usually action films are colorful and con- trasty. On this one, it was very, very touchy." Setting the Scene The production utilized LED volume technology to create exteriors for the train car sequences. "You can always see outside, and it takes place at different times of day. We opted to use LEDs instead of green, just simply because everything's very plush," Petzold recalls. "It's the Germans meeting the French to discuss the capitulation. There's all of this beautiful silverware on the table, and they're having dinner. If you would have done that with green screen, it would have been hell to get all the stuff out." Petzold greatly enjoyed working with Berger and Friend because of their thoughtful approach to capturing the film's visuals. "Nowadays, if there are action movies or war movies, it's like the camera has to do crazy movement and the cuts are quick," he explains. "Aer I saw the edit and even doing the shoot, James was setting up beautiful locked-off static shots with wide-angle lenses. We shot on 65, so ev- erything looked gorgeous." These longer shots also showcased the actors' emotional performances. "The soldiers, they're falling apart. You can't do that in two-second cuts," he adds. It was also rewarding to have matte paintings and visual effects elements stay on screen for longer, so the work and the attention to detail could be better appreciated. ¢ The VFX team scanned an authentic Saint-Chamond tank to produce accurate CG versions.