PRESS RELEASE
Writer-director Zak Hilditch got the intense, dramatic look he wanted on his debut feature, “These Final Hours,” at Deluxe’s DDP Studios.
Hilditch, film producer Liz Kearney and cinematographer Bonnie Elliott collaborated with the team at DDP from preproduction, working on a series of pre-tests until they achieved the desired look for the apocalyptic thriller.
“We presented storyboards and references to DDP, which enabled colourist Brett Manson to develop initial concepts that we took into the testing phase,” Hilditch said. “The test shoots enabled us to find the exact look we were searching for, and the final grade was so integral to the story, it elevated all our beautiful visuals to another level.”
The teams conducted a series of shoots with actors Nathan Phillips (James) and Angourie Rice (Rose), incorporating production design, wardrobe and makeup to replicate the scenes as much as possible.
“The camera tests were key,” Manson said. “We applied a dynamic grade, which got warmer and more intense gradually throughout the film and ramps up as the story hits its peak. Bonnie was then able to take it further during the shoot by adding camera filters, which improved the results in post.”
DDP completed the colour grade, conform, DCP and HD mastering and deliverables for “These Final Hours.” The film is now in release throughout Australia, receiving enthusiastically positive reviews.
DDP previously performed colour pre-testing work on Ariel Kleiman’s 2014 dramatic thriller “Partisan,” Robert Connolly’s 2012 biopic, “Underground: The Julian Assange Story,” and other films.
DDP’s post-production team on “These Final Hours” included senior post producer Rachel McKellar-Harding, colourist Brett Manson and online artist George Awburn.