SVAPPAVAARA - A TECHNO ROAD MOVIE
Testshoot for the feature film 'SVAPPAVAARA' directed by Anthony Vouradoux
Svappavaara is a road movie between Berlin and Svappavaara (really far up in northern Sweden in case you don't know..) and its the story of Anna, a talented (but broke) swedish DJ, who has 5 days to collect about 3500 euro to pay her back rent to her ex. It’s not a lot to collect, but enough to put her + some people around in deep trouble. In a way, the movie will be shot as a video game where Anna will do her best to collect all the cash and try not to lose too much in the battle. The big question: how far will she accept to go? Till Svappavaara?
The script is ready, but the movie isn't shot though. We just wanted to make a little test shoot as a little warm up and have some pictures to show in order to help the financing process. The deal was to make it quick and light, with little resources and without spending a lot of money. We decided to shoot on ARRI AMIRA. First because we used to have strong and high saturated Colors and the ProRes444 LogC is capable of capturing the full range of it. Second we shot in a very small team and I was pulling the focus by myself and the Amira is the best option for a one man show (because of the handling).
One of the most interesting part was the concept of the Colors. From the very beginning it was pretty clear to use fluorescent tubes all over the place (her apartment) and create the basic lighting with them. What I loved about normal fluorescents is the characteristic After we tested different gels and combinations we decided to use the Bright Pink (LEE 128) in combination with Soft Green (LEE 322). The Bright Pink on a 6000C neon exaggerates the Pink even more and used as a side or backlight creates a fantastic acid looking image. When the pink light hits something red, eg. the lips of Alexandra Johansson, it makes the flesh look pretty extreme. The Soft Green fits perfect as a color contrast. Also on top of a 6000C neon it fades a little into a more cyan tone, that exaggerates the contrast as well smoothens the poppy look.
For the scene with her boyfriend we decided for a more darker but aggressive and violent look. The hanging (neon) lamp was gelled with Blood Red (LEE 789), extended by a Aladin Bi Flex 120x30 gelled with the same red. From the side there was a BBS Flyer gelled with Soft Green but dimmed down to go into a even more cyan tone.
From my side I have to say it was a very experimental and interesting shoot. I can say for fiction I have never worked with such a small crew and appreciate the help of all the people who helped with prepping the lights.
Cast: Alexandra Johansson, Malik Adan, Marc Hosemann Gaffer: Malte Siepen Music: Jamaica Suk (live @ Pornceptual, live in Malmö, Beyond Horizon/Gradient records) Set Design: Sonia Noya Styling: Rebecca Murtosalo Hair and Make up: Alexandra Johansson Line production: Emma Borg Film consulting: Nina Schermer Color grading: Lita Bosch, Konstantin Minnich Thanks: Frank Slopianka, Penny Lane
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