My favourite shot in Matriarch comes about halfway through the film; it’s where Celia, Laura’s mother, drags her out of bed unconscious, thumping her down the stairs and out across the garden towards the greenhouse. It’s the middle of the night, so it’s all very shadowy and dark, but it was also important to enhance the greenhouse creating a sense of foreboding, given its presence in the dénouement of the film.
Here’s how we built the shot:
- Dark / Light Balance: There were two main concerns here; I had to make sure that the levels of moonlight were consistent throughout, and that the light and dark balance was right. The team was very conscious that because it was for Hulu and Disney+, the film had to be watchable on phones and tablets, so we couldn’t make it too gloomy.
For this, I used the luminance mix and log tools after the primary grade nodes to balance the overall exposure levels and shadow tints as the characters move between locations
- Contrast: This was particularly important, because inside the house we had to create a warm but muted effect; there’s lots of peachiness, whereas outside, it’s very cold and grey, but without being a ‘blue wash’.
For this, I used the temperature and tint tools to evenly control the change from the interior peachy warmth to the exterior cooler moonlight.
- Exteriors and Costumes: These were both already very grey, blue and natural in tone; with very few reds or bright colours in the outfits that the characters wore. We toned down the greens and blues even further in the exteriors to make it eerie and oppressive, causing those moments of warmth to stand out.
For this, I used the curve tools to manipulate the hue and saturation, this was consistently used to push the warmer tones such as the pops of sunlight towards a muted peachy tone.
Words: Michelle Cort
