Tips for Shooting Special Effects

When special effects are done right in horror, or any film for that matter, they can really elevate the project and visually transport audiences to the world the film is living in.

The Fly, Hellraiser, The Blob and Invasion of the Body Snatchers being a few examples of this. Another new film pushing the boundaries when it comes to effects is Shudder’s recently released Hell Hole. Hell Hole (the latest film from the Adams Family, the filmmaking team behind Hellbender) follows an American-led crew working deep in the Serbian wilderness, clashing with government-assigned environmental advisors.

After receiving approval to drill, the crew makes a horrifying discovery: a living French soldier enshrined in the frozen rock. The situation takes an even more terrifying turn when a parasitic monster leaps out from the soldier, searching for a host within the mining facility. Can the crew survive the deadly nightmare?

So what are some of the different ways to shoot special effects?

We spoke to cinematographer Sean Dahlberg about some of his experiences shooting effects on the new film Hell Hole. He says, “All of the effects we did were really fun because we did as much as we could practically, which is my preferred way of working. My favorite effects scene was the exploding horse in the beginning of the film. That was a complete group effort deep in these thick woods within the mountain side. The horse was supposed to shoot blood directly into the lens, so the grips built a plexiglass box around myself and the camera. Coming from a documentary background, I can get a little “handsy” on set, so it was really pleasant being stuck in this box. I was sort of forced to sit back and watch all these teams work together, it was a beautiful dance”.

Sean discusses this topic in much more in the below discussion.

Editor's note: the following interview is edited for length and clarity.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

No Film School: How did you become a cinematographer? Was there a film that made you want to get into the business?

Sean Dahlberg: Oh man, I come from a family that documented most of my childhood on compact VHS camcorders, so I would say my initial interests in cinematography comes from watching all of these home videos as a kid. It’s a very nostalgic feeling for me.

The first real lightbulb moment for me though, when I became sort of aware that I was interested in the camera, was when I was in middle school. I became obsessed with skateboarding, like every 7th grade boy at the time (laughs). Skating and making skate videos became my life, everything was centered around it, all day every day. Every skate crew has “the filmer”, the person who shoots, edits and creates the videos to showcase the skills and the attitude, that person was me.

I saved up for a bit of a better camera, a Sony VX-2100 and I was off, I was sold. Time came to decide what was going to happen after high school and I really didn’t know what else I enjoyed aside from skating and cameras. So I decided to apply to art school, which was the thing that really changed my life and leads into the next question.

I ended up at Pratt Institute in 2009, majoring in film, without understanding I had an artsy bone in my body. I didn’t grow up drawing, painting, making things really; all I did was skate and film my friends skating. Movies were entertainment to me, I wasn’t thinking about them critically or anything like that as a high schooler.

About two weeks into art school, I’m sitting in a film class and the professor screens Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker. Three hours later, my life was changed. Specifically, the moment when the film transitions from the B/W photography to the color photography, the transition into “the Zone”. I wasn’t aware that one could make films like this, I wasn’t aware that one can make films about a feeling rather than merely forwarding a narrative or plot point. I wasn’t aware that one could have such an emotional reaction to a certain kind of change, photographically speaking. I wasn’t aware how an image could become this time and space capsule. I think I sat in my chair, stunned, for about an hour and then walked home a changed person.

It was after this film that I began thinking about the possibilities of what a camera could do, ideas about subjectivity vs. objectivity; etc. My brain really just turned on after watching Stalker, which began a (now) lifelong obsession with film.

Hell Hole

NFS: What did pre-production look like for you on Hell Hole? What sort of conversations did you have with the directors, John Adams and Toby Poser?

Dahlberg: We landed in Belgrade about two weeks prior to photography and dove right into it. Our PO was at Red Productions, in Belgrade. Justin Martell (EP), Seager Dixon (Producer), John, Toby and myself met there every day and went through the script line by line. We would go over the emotional arch and goals of each scene, but more importantly break down the different needs within the different departments. This was the part that was super interesting and fun for me. John and Toby had never worked with a larger crew like this, so it was fun to be able to sort of guide them through the process of collaborating with multiple department heads from scene to scene.

Throughout these two weeks, we also managed to cram in a couple table reads with the actors and a location scout down to Rtanj, three hours south of Belgrade, where we shot the film. Pre-pro is always fun, I thoroughly enjoy the problem solving that happens with all the different collaborators before shooting a film.

NFS: Can you talk about the camera, lens and equipment you used for Hell Hole?

Dahlberg: We shot on an Arri LF with rehoused Leica R lenses. We kept the equipment super simple, the camera was on sticks for the majority of the film. We went handheld a few times for fight sequences and I believe used a slider for 2 to 3 shots as punctuation for certain scenes.

NFS: How would you describe the overall look of the film?

Dahlberg: With Hell Hole, my idea was to take the look and feeling of an Adams Family film, but scale it a bit upwards in production value. I tried to set up an environment where John and Toby could make their film, the way they wanted to, but with more resources in terms of gear and collaborators at their disposal. The town we shot in and the energy that provided fueled much of the look as well. Rtanj, Serbia, known for its pyramid shaped mountains, energy force fields, UFO landings and a vampire story that predates Dracula was definitely a wild place to react to, visually. But that’s just what I wanted to do, react to these beautifully decrepit locations and this otherworldly energy, take that and allow all of those elements to fuel the visuals.

NFS: Hell Hole has a lot of special effects. How did that work for this production? What did you use in place of the parasites?

Dahlberg: The special effects were definitely something new to me, as I’ve never done a project with this amount before. Luckily, I had two extremely talented individuals to lean on for any advice I may need in shooting the effects, Todd Masters our special effects supervisor and Trey Lindsay our visual effects supervisor. Todd designed two different monsters for the movie, one that was fully animatronic and one that was a compact “smaller” version. The animatronic monster was shot with a B unit against green screens, while we would be out shooting scene work; huge shoutout to Trey Lindsay for DPing this unit and to Seager Dixon who was a producer on the film, but ended up being one of the main operators of this monster.

There was a day I came back from shooting main unit to find Seager buried in a hole, which I’m pretty sure he’d been there for at least four hours, animating this monster. As he came out of the hole he discovered he had gotten a bug lodged in his ear. He actually had to go to the ER to get his ear flushed, but ended up being totally okay. Talk about a hell hole, huh?

All jokes aside, the coolest part for me was that all of the effects were done practically, even the blood explosions were shot on plates to be later composited into the scene. For these VFX elements, I’d have Lindsey at my side telling me exactly what he needed on the camera side of things so he could do his job later on in post. Trey utilized stop motion animation to make these effects come to life.

'Hell Hole' BTSShudder

NFS: Do you have any tips for other cinematographers starting out about shooting special effects?

Dahlberg: The best advice I could give for cinematographers just starting out would be to surround yourself with people who are more talented than you are. Trust collaboration and try everything, make mistakes! The best way to learn is to try something, decide how that felt, and try again if need be.

NFS: Did you have a favorite effects scene to shoot? Why?

Dahlberg: All of the effects we did were super fun because we did as much as we could practically, which is my preferred way of working. If I had to choose one though, my favorite effects scene was the exploding horse in the beginning of the film. That was a complete group effort deep in these thick woods within the mountain side. The horse was supposed to shoot blood directly into the lens, so the grips built a plexiglass box around myself and the camera. Coming from a documentary background, I can get a little “handsy” on set, so it was really pleasant being stuck in this box. I was sort of forced to sit back and watch all these teams work together, it was a beautiful dance.

NFS: Were there any obstacles that you had to overcome while filming?

Dahlberg: Location, sunlight, nature. We shot this movie on Rtanj, a mountain in Eastern Serbia about 120 miles from Belgrade, in the wintertime. It was cold, the locations were harsh and difficult to work in and the sunlight only lasted for about 7-8 hours of the day. Some days it would snow, other days it would be completely sunny, the weather and sunlight would constantly shift because we were at the bottom of this mountain.

The first week proved a bit difficult because of this ever-changing climate along with John and Toby’s usual mode of working. They come from a true DIY style of filmmaking and John, in particular, was adamant that he didn’t want to use any film lights on set. This proves extremely difficult when shooting interiors for a twelve-hour day when you only have eight hours of natural sunlight.

My solution was to keep (most of) my lights outside pushing in while working with Nikola, my gaffer, on how to hide certain interior lights as needed. By the end of the first week, we all found our step, trust was earned on all sides and the rest of the shoot went fairly well; we learned how to dance together! So even though this was a difficult obstacle, ultimately, it’s a positive problem we had because trust was earned, collaboration happened. And, isn’t that the most beautiful part about making movies?!

NFS: Hell Hole was filmed in Serbia. What was it like working there? How different was it than a movie shot in the US?

Dahlberg: Working in Serbia was a wonderful experience. This was my second feature I’ve shot over there (keep a look out for Eight Eyes, my freshman feature which is coming to Shudder) and both times have been some of the most beautiful of my life. The people, the food, the locations, the set etiquette; it all makes for a pleasant work environment. It was common to find a dance party at the breakfast truck at 4:00 AM, it was custom to have one rakija with lunch and it seemed necessary to smile and crack jokes while working hard. It was the kind of environment that I craved being back around the second we’d wrap our day.

I love working here in the U.S. (and I hope to continue for a long time) but it definitely feels more like a job, the majority of the time. Over in Serbia it felt more like making a movie with your high school buddies. Speaking of this, the crew I had the pleasure of working with over in Serbia was some of the best I’ve ever had. Miloš Mirković (1st AC) and Nemanja Oravec (2nd AC) kept the camera running and focused, Peter Sovilj (Key Grip) and his crew supported the camera (and myself), and Nikola Radovanović (Gaffer) and his crew quite literally lit up my life throughout the harsh Serbian winter. I owe it all to these collaborators, they are top notch and make work feel like play.

'Hell Hole' BTS Shudder

NFS: What do you think about the comparisons to John Carpenter some reviewers are drawing?

Dahlberg: Obviously the story comparisons are there, shape shifting tentacle-y monster in a remote area picking off workers one by one, but closer comparisons could be drawn to the original The Thing From Another World.

The Adamses were inspired by post WW2 creature features of the 1950’s, the dialogue and science was very important and a lot of those scenes in our film is their spin on the classic white coat scientist explaining the “rules” of the monster and their predicament. The SFX and the creature work, though, that’s where the influence of Rob Bottin and his team on The Thing comes in. When you have a legend like Todd Masters, it’s not just an influence, you’re given the soul of that style of filmmaking on set.

NFS: Where did you get the inspiration for this film?

Dahlberg: For me, the inspiration for this film came through the many conversations I would have with John and Toby prior to photography. Listening to their wild ideas harnessed with this DIY, punk energy inspired my work and inspiration for the film prior to shooting.

I know it sounds corny, but, while shooting I found inspiration for the film in all the beautiful people I was surrounded by every day, they kept me going. I owe everything that I do to my awesome crew out there in Serbia. When you’re sort of stuck in the middle of nowhere for a month, in the winter, with fifty plus people, you need to find inspiration in those humans every day. I don’t know any other way; they are my family.

Hell Hole is available to stream now.