Following the highly successful debut of the new series GAME OF THRONES with a viewership of 4.2 million viewers, HBO immediately ordered the second season into production. The show is based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, which chronicles the violent power struggle among warring families for control of the kingdom. New York Post’s Linda Stasi wrote, “The art direction, acting and incredible sets are as breathtaking as the massive scope of the series.” To enhance the epic scale of the production, ARRI ALEXA digital cameras were chosen to bring cinematic visuals for the television drama.nnAlik Sakharov, ASC and Marco Pontecorvo, AIC, shared cinematographic duties on the show, though Matt Jensen took over for Pontecorvo when he left the series to direct a feature. Production took place in Northern Ireland and Malta with camera equipment supplied by ARRI Media in London and lighting from ARRI Lighting Rental. Production recorded to HDCAM SR and the SxS cards concurrently.nnAs this was the first experience shooting on ALEXA by both cinematographers, the two cameramen did extensive tests to select the camera format. Notes Sahkarov, who won an Emmy for his work on another HBO Series, ROME: “It’s remarkable, the latitude of the camera, its look, and also its ability to so closely represent the curve of film; I was just flabbergasted. We tested a film camera and two digital cameras very extensively for a full week and took the tests all the way through postproduction, working with Gary Curran, our colorist at Screen Scene. There was so much information in the ALEXA images that it just won us over.”nnHBO’s GAME OF THRONESnSays Pontecorvo, who also shot episodes of ROME: “Both Alik and I are more used to shooting on 35 mm and it remains our first love, but ALEXA is very, very close and after we’d seen the test results we didn’t have any doubts that it would deliver both in terms of budget and quality.”nnALEXA’s superior dynamic range and wide latitude were extremely useful considering the high contrast look the filmmakers were going for and the extreme lighting conditions they shot in. Sakharov shot scenes at 1600 ASA and witnessed very little noise. “One of these scenes was set in a crypt and I barely lit it at all – it was basically all done with candles. The colorist sent me a message and said that I obviously knew what I was doing because the image was perfect, but I had no idea what I was doing, I just relied on the camera! In general I lit it very much like I would a film set,” he explains. “I wasn’t a slave to the technology; the technology was there to help me and the results were the same if not better than film.”nnnn
nnGAME OF THRONES airs Sundays at 9 p.m.nTo view the behind-the-scenes featurette: http://bit.ly/lKJBsznTo learn more about the ARRI ALEXA on the production: http://bit.ly/ejJs6jnnAbout the companynLocated in Munich, Germany, Arnold and Richter Cine Technik (A&R) was founded in 1917 and is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of motion picture camera, digital intermediate and lighting equipment. In 2001, ARRI was converted into a public limited company; it is involved in all aspects of the film industry: engineering; design; manufacturing; production; visual effects; postproduction; equipment rental; complete turnkey lighting solutions and both film and sound laboratory services. Manufactured products and technologies include professional digital acquisition with the ALEXA and ARRIFLEX D-21 cameras; film camera systems for 16 mm, 35mm and 65 mm; location and studio lighting fixtures; digital imaging solutions such as the ARRISCAN, ARRILASER and various archive tools. These products and services are offered through a global network of subsidiary companies, agents and representatives. For locations and more information please visit www.arri.com.Franz Wieser ARRI 845 353-1400 (office) Contact Fran via email
Contact:An Tran ARRI 818 841-7070 (office) Contact An via email
Goldcrest Post Speeds Delivery of “Severance” Season Two
The New York Times recently wrote that the just-released Season Two of Severance will “blow your mind”—and we couldn’t agree more. Created by Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller, the Apple TV+ drama is smart, spellbinding, distinctly original and packed with surprises. For those who aren’t already devoted fans, the show centers on Mark Scout (Adam Scott), leader of a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a “severance” procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. Goldcrest Post provided post services for both seasons of the show, including picture editorial support, sound editorial, ADR and sound mixing. Editorial for Season One began in 2020. Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Goldcrest supplied both onsite production offices and edit suites, and remote editing systems for individual editors, with everything linked to a central server. "Mixing at Goldcrest with our team has been a great experience,” says Stiller. “Bob and Jacob are in sync with our creative process and so good at what they do that the experience is always one where it's about how we can enhance the creative vision, with a baseline of knowing everyone is totally committed to making something as good as it can be." Diana Dekajlo, the show’s co-producer, says that the arrangement worked so well, they chose to continue the hybrid approach for Season Two. “We’re a remote friendly show,” she explains. “Whether we’re at Goldcrest, our studio in the Bronx or at home, our workflow is seamless. I conduct remote daily meetings with my immediate staff, and weekly meetings with editorial and VFX, and we talk to each other as if we were just down the hall. It makes for great staff... Read More