Cal Ola discusses Oneiros, an NFTS graduate sci-fi short that blends infrared and conventional cameras, revealing the creative choices behind its distinct visual style. 

Oneiros follows Isaac Meyer on a mission to rescue his mother on a mysterious planet. 

British Cinematographer (BC): Please can you share an overview of your film?   

Cal Ola (CO): Isaac Meyer is on a rescue mission to find his missing mother on a distant, mysterious planet. As he crash lands on that same planet, he quickly notices that this misty chunk of rock, is more dangerous and treacherous than he thought. He embarks on a journey unsure of what he will find: himself, his mother or a mysterious creature lurking in the mist?    

BC: What were your initial discussions about the visual approach for the film? What look and mood were you trying to achieve?   

CO: As this film is basically without dialog, creating a suspenseful mood was pinnacle. Junbo Qui, the Director, always knew how to poetically describe the inner journey of our protagonist, which I tried to translate into the camerawork. We both were eager to shoot as little shots as possible for a given scene, to limit cuts and explain the action in continuous shots. Also thinking of transitions and how to change locations without cutting. The camera was supposed to feel „light“, fluid and unstoppable. The audience should float through the story, guided by an observant eye.   

I knew that Junbo initially wanted to shoot on Tenerife or Iceland, to find alien landscapes which should sell the exterior of the film. And I also knew that the budget only allowed to travel no further than Wales. My pitch to Junbo was to mimic the Aerochrome Film stock, in order to transport us from a welsh quarry to an alien planet. Junbo and Dominique Delfuego (Producer) both loved the idea and it enabled us shoot vast exterior landscapes.    

BC: What were your creative references and inspirations? Which films, still photography or paintings were you influenced by?   

CO: Junbo and I are both big fans of the Sci Fi genre. We wanted to make a clear Genre film. In discussions we did reference big block buster Sci Fis, talking about the feeling of the individual films and in one case looked at a crash sequence to see what we don’t like and what we do like.  But Junbos key influences for this project were the feeling and mood of Solaris and Dreams. Which really isn’t the student film cliché, but a man’s deep appreciation of masters at work. Nevertheless we also drew inspirations from real life. In my research I found mesmerising footage of Artemis 1 Orion re-entry into the Atmosphere. As the ship breaks through the atmosphere, it creates spectacular visuals. These were a direct reference for our opening shot which was beautifully crafted by Manraj ‘Manny’ Deol (CG lead artist).   

BC: What filming locations were used? Were any sets constructed? Did any of the locations present any challenges?   

CO: The film is a patchwork of Wales and four studio builds. Production Designer William Mansell beautifully designed and built the cockpit, a science lab, a cave and an exterior “net” construction. Through meticulously planning the sequences in preproduction and storyboarding each scene, we knew exactly each camera position and movement. This enabled Will to use his small budget only for everything within frame. It really was a fantastic time, as we took over the entire Stage 1 at NFTS. With additional kit dumps and the video village, we really used 110% of the space.    

We shot in these locations with two different cameras. An infra-red and a conventional Arri system. I was very focused on blending the two cameras, hoping the viewer wouldn’t notice when one camera swapped from one to the other, in order for the audience to fully immerse into the story and not call attention to the technical aspect of the filmmaking process.    

BC: Can you explain your choice of camera and lenses and what made them suitable for this production and the look you were trying to achieve?   

CO: I want to thank Simon Surtees at ARRI for providing the camera package for the film and for the support throughout the production and also Sumolight for providing a few heads. We shot interiors on a conventional mini but wanted the exterior to feel different and especially to not look like Wales. We didn’t want to create the look in post because I didn’t believe we could achieve it to a consistently high standard with our resources, and the mist would make a good consistent colour key near to impossible. Getting the effect in camera was the solution. 

Earlier that year I did a comprehensive infrared test at Arri which influenced the camera choice as well as lighting techniques. Arri was able to supply us an Infrared modified Arri Alexa SXT. Pairing that with a filter from Kolari Vision, a fantastic ground-breaking company when it comes to infrared, enabled us to mimic Aerochrome. Junbo and I wanted to shoot this project on Anamorphics and chose the Atlas Orions because the anamorphic effect seemed to be slightly subtler and for to their modern qualities. Infrared gave the footage a certain quality and fuzziness, so we wanted a sharp and clean glass. The danger was combining them with the infra-red camera, as modern coatings can cause infrared hotspots. The Orions did as well, however that didn’t bother us to the point that we chose different glass. We either embraced the faults or got rid of them photographically. Shooting on Infrared was quite an experience, as there is a box of worms which comes with it. But I like to go fishing.   

BC: What role did camera movement, composition and framing and colour play in the visual storytelling?  What was your approach to lighting the film? Which was the most difficult scene to light? 

CO: I was blessed to work with Pete Kehoe as a Gaffer who really accelerated the work. Planning out and lighting the studio sets was great. The most memorable moment came when we lit the net construction, a set build, which was playing as an exterior. This was the only time when we took the infrared camera inside. An infrared camera needs infrared pollution which there is plenty of outside thanks to the sun. However being inside, the choice of type of lamp has a profound impact on the image. LED produces little to no infrared light and a lot of visible light, but Tungsten blooms out massive amounts of infrared. Mixing these in a contained space, created some spectacular effects.    

A few hours before we came to shoot the scene where our protagonist wakes up in the mist, I wanted to rework my plan and I asked Pete to rebuild the lighting rig differently as I had the feeling we needed more tungsten heads, more infrared to bloom out the background. No problem with Pete, who re rigged the lights and I was very happy with the result.    

BC: Which elements of the film were most challenging to shoot and how did you overcome those obstacles?   

CO: There were a few obstacles like quicksand, SFX in the mountains and a bathtub full of milk. But most obstacles we encountered were in prep. We had to convince a lot of people that we could pull this off and would kill ourselves in the process. Evidentially we are all still breathing and I believe we had quite some fun making this film. Meticulously planning made production swift and nothing went wrong. Our rigorous plans actually even meant we were able to throw them overboard at occasions and follow the spirit of filmmaking on the day. There was a proper can do spirit amongst the team. Especially the hustle from the production and ad department, most notably Dom Delfuego, Luke Ascot(PM) and Sean Frost 1st AD.    

BC: What was your proudest moment throughout the production process or which scene/shot are you most proud of?   

CO: I really enjoyed shooting the final sequence and believe it is fun watching it as well. After having done all the SFX shots and having run around with the infrared camera, it was liberating being in this closed space with two actors having to react to their performance. The sequence involves both dolly and handheld and is in somewhat a dance between the characters. I am very happy to say that I was able to fully rely on Ralph Simmons Grip work and am very grateful for George Normington (jimmy jib op) and James Thomas (Steadicam) for helping me out. Also a shout out to Edmund Bishop for desk opping and my AC team Gabrielle Scobie and Ran You. 

BC: What lessons did you learn from this production you will take with you onto future productions?   

CO: I really had a deep dive into infrared with this one. In the past I was mesmerised by how Hoyte van Hoytema ASC NSC FSF utilised infrared and then how Greig Fraser ASC ACS embraced the technique. Their work inspired me to look into the medium. Thanks to the support of the NFTS, especially Oliver Stapleton BSC, Stuart Harris and Duncan Quay, I was actually able to experiment and try out techniques I was very interested in. 

I think there are two key lessons I learnt. Team work makes the dream work and planning is key. It was really fun working with a director who wants to go over and beyond and I hope to take that joyful spirit of the filmmaking craft with me on future projects. I always dreamt of shooting a Sci Fi and now at least I have shot a short film Sci Fi!