Cold, wet, tired and pursued…actor Sydney Babcock was put through the paces during the production of Final Girl. Locations ranging throughout the Columbia River Gorge included frigid streams, sun-baked fields, and razor sharp brambles. The film Final Girl is a collaboration between Porter Panther and fashion designer Daniel Vosovic. Final Girl opened Daniel’s Fashion Week show in unique form, setting the tone for the unveiling of his Spring/Summer 2011 collection. I hope you enjoy these frame grabs!
Dashing through the forest from an unseen predator – our protaganist mid stride. These are the woods of my youth and I was very excited when Director Byrd McDonald agreed they fit the bill for this sequence. Final Girl required us to travel light and move really quickly. As Byrd has been a big proponent of the 5D and 7D, there was never a question which cameras would shoot. The big hurdles for me were to embrace the inherent motion artifacts, pulling together for elements for wireless follow focus, which I consider a must for 5D/7D work.
Is the coast clear? We had 4 camera bodies on hand which allowed us to always have our most used lenses mounted and ready to go. The camera was kept moving and primarily hand-held or on a Steadicam rig operated by Efrem Peter. Other gags included sliders, over/under dollies, and a very cool vertical dolly that Bruce Lawson rigged. Matt Davis built a trick cable rig for us as well. Unfortunately some of sequences around these shots didn’t make the cut…but the efforts where very much appreciated.
A flashback to an evening in the city provides respite from the chase. This sequence gave us a nice opportunity to show off one of Daniel’s works of art. I absolutely loved the details of this dress.
There’s something so magical about underwater work. The way hair, bubbles, and light interact with water is really captivating. Another nice advantage to using the Canon cameras was the availability of inexpensive underwater housings. We went with an Aquatica and domed lens port for both the underwater and split/surface work.
The Sandy River Delta provided us with our last two “looks” of the film. This deer trial through the trees made for a nice transition zone between two key environments in the film. The entire understory was lightly covered in a fine dusting of Cottonwood fibers . Sydneys scrambling kicked the fibers into the air making for a really nice haze effect.
Here’s that Canon motion blur heightening the sense of panic and enhancing the frenetic feel of the chase.
Hear Her Roar! Sydney looking determined. So much of this project was about managing sun-angles and the shooting schedule. This shot is the prime example. A beautiful girl, the yellowing grass, a small jib move…and the right time of day… all came together for a powerful sequence.
