Luhrmann praises Cutting Edge design on Gatsby
Auteur Baz Luhrmann has publicly praised Sydney design agency Cutting Edge for its work on his latest spectacular, The Great Gatsby.
Nice work from Cutting Edge
He singled out Adrian Hauser, senior digital intermediate colourist for his work on the film.
"Adrian's precise sensibilities in the digital realm, and in terms of his colour together with his acute spatial stereoscopic knowledge and awareness, allowed the whole team to go far beyond our expectations on Gatsby in finding the vibrancy and color described in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel," Luhrmann said.
Describing the collaborative process, Hauser said: "Whilst appearing heavy handed in its approach to color and light in the final theatrical presentation, the 3D grade on Gatsby was in fact a very delicate process, realising and enhancing the subtle color nuances of Catherine and Simon's work.
"Baz has an amazingly sensitive eye for color detail, so a large part of the process was to set styles that retained these color nuances in low 3D cinema light levels, which can tend to bleach color from the screen and make things appear dingy.
“Baz's Great Gatsby is a modern retelling of a classic tale and I believe the graded result is a hybrid between the look of classic cinema with its gorgeous color reproduction processes and recently matured digital cinema technology.
"Working closely on the grade with Baz, Catherine Martin and DOP Simon Duggan, we spent quite a lengthy time developing and enhancing the final look of the film.
"Simon delivered such beautifully lit, grandiose and richly detailed sequences to work with, the scope for elevating and polishing the look of the film was vast, thus truly enhancing the grading process. It was a joy and honor to be involved in the film making process.
"With a little over half the shots in the film being delivered from VFX and the cut being progressively 'locked' up to near one week out from delivery meant the conform was truly a 'rolling' conform. We were constantly updating the cut and adding new VFX shots whilst grading and 3D sweetening the film."
Hugh Seville, lead flame artist, said: "There were particular scenes where we needed to convey a rich tapestry of multi-layered graphics, dissolves, and transitions. It was challenging but aesthetically beautiful, and Baz referred to these as the 'poetic glue' in the film.
"The Bazmark design team were an absolute delight to work with; it was a truly organic process and taking their briefs and translating them was a true highlight of my career."