Ndrika Anyika discusses the technical approach for the NFTS graduate film Sunset on Pluto, focusing on the surreal and abstract visuals. 

A supernatural thriller exploring grief, loneliness, and self-forgiveness through surrealism. 

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

Ndrika Anyika (NA): Sunset on Pluto is a supernatural psychological thriller that follows down-and-out Connell as he returns to his childhood home. There he struggles to make peace with a family tragedy that he must now confront. We descend into the disturbing world of Connell’s inner turmoil, shame and loneliness, as he journeys throughout the house accompanied by his imaginary childhood friend, Pluto.     

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

NA: Director, Daniel L. Martin, and I are both fans of anime, which due to the nature of the medium, can operate in a world without rules. As Sunset on Pluto is a mystical film, it was liberating to dream outside the confines of reality. The many warped and surreal sequences within the film meant that Daniel and I could be ambitiously abstract from the get-go. We would eventually streamline these ideas based on their importance to the story and through thorough testing.    

We wanted to create a world that existed outside of a specific period but with an overarching sense of the past. A feeling of being left behind while everyone moves on and the anxiety and trepidation that can come from not being able to forgive yourself.    

I didn’t want to shy away from using hard light to create a severe and dramatic feel, especially in the beginning of the film when Connell is at his most closed off and volatile.     

It was important to Daniel that the house felt like another character in the film and so we gave importance to the shots in which the camera drifts through the house giving the audience time to contemplate its history.   

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

NA: I introduced Daniel to All of Us Strangers (2023) and he suggested we watch A Ghost Story. These became our two main film references as they deal with extreme loneliness and have melancholic tones that convey being trapped in grief.    

We particularly enjoyed the way All of Us Strangers dealt with the depiction of dead characters. It manages to subvert the use of traditional flashbacks and instead has the audience questioning if what they’re seeing is past or present.    

Regarding colour, we often referenced Ad Astra (2019) and Paprika (2006) due to their vivid colour palettes, which we drew upon for the deeply physiological elements of Sunset on Pluto.    

Whereas for texture, shadow and the use of hard light, Far From the Madding Crowd (2015) and photographer Tish Murtha’s book, Youth Unemployment were important references.       

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

NA: Our main filming location was a derelict house. The house had a long hallway/landing needed for specific scenes and was in a remote location.    

The main benefit of this location was that it had recently been sold and the new owner was pretty happy for us to do what we wanted as they planned to renovate the whole property.    

Our talented production designer, Kätlin Loomets, completely transformed the house. She made it feel like a sad place that had once been loved and was full of memories.  

  Our secondary shooting location was in a warehouse space, in which we filmed some of our most abstract void-like scenes.       

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?  

NA: Once we agreed that shooting anamorphic was right for the story, I began a variety of tests. The aim was to identify which lenses would have the right intensity of anamorphic characteristics to enhance the film and not distract from it.    

For a time, I considered shooting on the JDC Xtal Xpress lenses, which I tested at Panavision London. I found that they would work well in the more abstract sequences, as they have a strong optical distorted look. That said, I didn’t want to rely on shooting at T4 or T5.6 to reduce these characteristics and lose flexibility regarding exposure for the rest of the film.     

I’m extremely grateful for the support of Benedict Spence BSC, who let us use his Caldwell Chameleon SC lenses. These 1.79x squeeze anamorphics paired with the Alexa Mini proved to have controllable flares that didn’t overpower the frame, yet had attractive distortion.    

Panavision London were very kind in providing us with anamorphic zoom lenses and various filters such as the black satin filters, which I used throughout the entire shoot, and pearlescent filters. The latter added a beautiful, dreamy softness to the final sequence of the film. An extra big thank you in particular goes to Kate Preistman at Panavision, who was a fountain of knowledge.   

BC: What role did camera movement, composition and framing and colour play in the visual storytelling?  

NA: It was important for the house to feel like a ghostly character in the film, anchoring Connell to the past. Smooth tracking camera movements were used in the beginning of the piece to give the audience a sense of drifting through the past – lingering on empty rooms as Connell pieces together his fragmented memory of the place.  

  Colour was also seminal within the film. Daniel was deeply drawn to the warm colour of a golden yellow fabric that we used to symbolise a threshold between reality and Connell’s visions.     

The majority of the film has an extremely warm golden tone to it. The saturated palette we chose leans into our anime references, such as Magnetic Rose (1995) and Paprika (2006), which I feel adds to the hazy dreamlike quality of the film.    

This warm wash of golden yellow is increased further for the flashbacks and surreal abstract moments that symbolise Connell’s journey into the past, with past and present seemingly merging.        

BC: What was your approach to lighting the film? Which was the most difficult scene to light?  

NA: Regarding lighting, it was agreed that it should have the sense of the sun rising and then setting by the end of the film.     

We worked with the lovely team at Greenkit, who were fantastic in providing us with our extensive LED lighting package.     

We opted to use their Nanlux Evoke 2400Bs, which have a CCT range of 2700K – 6500K. Due to the extremely warm golden tones of Connell’s visions and flashbacks, these bi-colour lights worked great.     

Overall, we wanted a heavily contrasted look, with minimal fill, and to be confident to leave things to fall off into the shadows.    

During the recce, I discussed with gaffer, Shaun Waldie, how important it was that the house feel like it was breathing, so we aimed to have dappled light pulsating on the walls, especially in the more bizarre scenes.    

There were a few dramatic in-camera lighting changes which took a lot of prep and scheduling from Shaun and synchronisation from multiple teams. One of my favourite moments on set was everyone working their hardest to achieve our lighting change in the hallway, which was our last shot of the day. It felt like true collaboration and pure joy when we nailed it. These moments on set were priceless.       

BC: What were you trying to achieve in the grade?    

NA: We let our colourist, Ivan Michael, know that texture and shadow were important, and he achieved a consistency throughout the film that helped enhance the emotion of the story.  

  Ivan also managed to bring out the detail in Pluto’s costume. The bear costume was completely black and Daniel wanted to avoid lighting the costume due to the quality of the faux fur and wanting Pluto to look like a shadow. Ivan helped a lot in adding depth to Pluto’s fur and making his eyes pop, which made him feel more lifelike.    

Connell forgives himself in the final scene, so it was important that this have a different quality to the rest of the film. Ivan reduced the warmth of this sequence and made the colours truer and realistic, highlighting the fact that Connell was finally able to forgive himself.    

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

NA: We wanted to film all the mystical and warped elements of the film practically.     

A sequence that stands out is when we track a close up shot of a marble as it travels throughout the house. Through intensive research, I worked out the lens and rig that I would need to achieve the shot but we didn’t have a budget for it and other items were not available during our shoot.  

This meant testing a series of ways to create a similar look. I even made my own epoxy resin giant  ‘marble’, which could be rigged to a skateboard dolly. We still didn’t get it quite right before the shoot, so Daniel and I went to the location on our own and after many failed attempts came up with the contraption in the picture, which we called ‘Marble Cam’.    

It was a full-on day, partly because I didn’t have my brilliant camera team Ralph Simmons (1st AC) and Nat Rowbotham (2nd AC) or gaffer Shaun Waldie with me.     

We used the Laowa 24mm f/14 probe lens, so getting a decent exposure with minimal lights was tricky, especially as the marble sequence took place in four different rooms. We managed to achieve the shot with the  marble slotting into the top half of a toy tennis racket and Daniel pushing me through the rooms on a makeshift dolly.    

It really proved to me that necessity is really the mother of invention and that when you don’t have all the tools you want, it forces you to be even more creative.