Dan Laustsen, the cinematographer for Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” discusses the filmmaking process, highlighting his long-standing collaboration with ARRI. Laustsen emphasizes del Toro’s unique approach to storytelling, which involves creating detailed “mood boards” for each scene as a guide for the entire production team.
Having previously worked with the ALEXA 65 on “Nightmare Alley,” director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Dan Laustsen ASC, DFF returned to ARRI’s digital 65 mm format for the Netflix feature film “Frankenstein,” adapted from Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic horror tale. This time, however, the filmmakers used 65 mm for the entire movie, including Steadicam and crane shots.
Shooting in Canada and Scotland supported on both sides of the Atlantic by ARRI Rental, Laustsen paired the ALEXA 65 with Leitz Thalia optics. Frequently, he used the Thalias with combined ND/Black Pro Mist filters that were custom-made by ARRI Rental to fit on the back of the lenses breaking up highlights while maintaining blacks and avoiding filter flare.
Key aspects of the cinematography discussed include:
- Inspiration: The visual style was inspired by classic paintings like those of Rembrandt.
- Camera Choice: They chose to shoot the entire film on the ARRI ALEXA 65, utilizing its full sensor to achieve a large format look reminiscent of old films.
- Steadicam & Crane Shots: Unlike previous projects, all Steadicam and crane shots were also done with the ALEXA 65, which required figuring out how to mount the camera.
- Lenses & Filters: Laustsen favored Leitz Thalia lenses and used custom-made magnetic diffusion filters (ND/Black Pro Mist) placed behind the lens to break up highlights while maintaining deep blacks and avoiding filter flare. The production aimed for a single-source lighting aesthetic.
- Aperture: The entire movie was shot at T4.
- Wide-Angle Shots: Approximately 80-90% of the film was shot with a 24mm wide-angle lens, which provides a super wide-angle view on the large format sensor while still allowing for close-ups that don’t appear distorted. This approach required keeping all lights outside the set.
- Color Palette: The color palette was established early and maintained throughout the production, with no significant color changes in post-production to preserve the integrity of makeup, hair, and costumes.
- Practical Effects: The team preferred practical effects whenever possible, building large sets like a ship on a gimbal in Toronto and shooting on an ice lake in Northern Canada for specific scenes.
- Creature Lighting: The creature’s coming-to-life scene involved a massive lighting setup with practical “old-fashioned 100K lightning strikes”.
