As a film enthusiast with a keen eye for cinematography, I find myself utterly captivated by the intricate and innovative lighting techniques employed in Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune: Part Two.” The scene featuring Feyd-Rautha’s meditative walk through the grand hall is particularly noteworthy.
The use of Creamsource Vortex lights, programmed with found footage of people arc welding, to create an anti-fireworks effect is nothing short of genius. It’s a testament to the creativity and daring spirit that permeates Villeneuve’s work. The scene is a perfect example of how lighting can be used not only to illuminate but also to evoke emotion and enhance narrative.
I must admit, I found myself wondering what it would be like to be the gaffer or dimmer board operator tasked with creating this unique lighting sequence. It’s moments like these that make me appreciate the life experiences of those behind the camera. They take us on a journey through their minds, and we get to witness the fruits of their creativity unfold on the big screen.
Lastly, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of a gaffer excitedly saying, “I’ve got it! We’ll use found footage of people welding for our anti-fireworks!” It just goes to show that sometimes, the most extraordinary ideas are born out of ordinary circumstances.
By late May 2021, Denis Villeneuve and his primary team were moving into soundstages in Budapest, Hungary, when the director disclosed that the filming for Dune: Part Two would kick off with one of the most daring creative decisions throughout the entire project.
As a seasoned cinematographer with several accolades to my name, including an Oscar for my work on Dune: Part One, I have learned that creativity often strikes at the most unexpected moments. In this particular instance, Denis, a fellow artist and director of the film, was immersed in his creative process during the mornings while the rest of us were busy preparing for the day’s shoot.
One day, as he stepped out of his office to grab a quick coffee, he casually mentioned to me that he had an idea for the scene on Giedi Prime – it should be shot in black and white. I was taken aback by the brilliance of this concept and immediately felt inspired. I knew right then and there that this would not only elevate the visual language of our film but also create a powerful emotional impact on the audience.
I shared my enthusiasm with Denis, and we began to brainstorm together, building upon each other’s ideas and crafting something truly unique and memorable. Experiences like these remind me why I chose this artistic path – the collaboration, the discovery of fresh perspectives, and the transformation of those ideas into stunning visual stories that captivate audiences worldwide.
Fraser continued, ‘I didn’t merely want to tell him about it; instead, I proposed, ‘Let me have a day, and I’ll demonstrate it to you.’
In creating the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic 1965 sci-fi novel “Dune,” director Denis Villeneuve and his team encountered a significant visual hurdle: designing the appearance of the story’s antagonists, House Harkonnen. The first part of the movie offers glimpses into the world ruled by the Machiavellian Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, portrayed with chilling intensity and swagger by Stellan Skarsgård. However, the second part promises a prolonged sequence on the Harkonnen home planet of Giedi Prime, where the Baron’s cruel nephew Feyd-Rautha, played by Austin Butler in an almost unrecognizable transformation, establishes himself as a formidable leader in a thrilling arena combat scene. This encounter signifies Feyd-Rautha as the main adversary to Timothée Chalamet’s character, Paul Atreidies, setting up their much-anticipated confrontation at the movie’s finale.
In the book, the Harkonnens represent a culture that strikes terror with their elements of fascism, harshness, and suspicion, but there aren’t many details about what this world actually looks like beyond knowing it’s highly industrialized. On the other hand, Villeneuve explains, the desert planet of Arrakis and its indigenous Fremen inhabitants are vividly depicted.
As a lifelong reader of science fiction, I must say that one thing that consistently draws me into a story is when the author masterfully weaves the concept of environment and ecosystem shaping characters. In Frank Herbert’s Dune, this idea is brilliantly demonstrated through the Fremen people, who are intimately connected with their arid desert home.
From understanding their culture, religion, technology, poetry, and behaviors, one can learn a great deal by simply observing and studying the desert itself. The Fremen have adapted to survive in this harsh environment, and their resilience and wisdom are reflected in the landscape around them. This immersive approach to world-building is what makes Dune stand out as an exceptional work of science fiction, and I believe it offers valuable lessons about the interconnectedness of humanity and nature.
In crafting the details of Giedi Prime, Villeneuve chose to follow Herbert’s reasoning in reverse. Instead of starting with the planet and working his way towards the Harkonnens’ twisted, power-hungry psychology, he began with the psychological traits of the Harkonnens and envisioned an alien landscape that could have fostered such a mindset over centuries of evolution.
Villeneuve recalls thinking it’d be intriguing to explore their inner selves using light. He pondered, what if their sun didn’t show colors but instead erased them? This would be a sun that tells us about their worldview in a stark, binary manner. Thus, he developed the concept of a daylight mimicking black and white.
In the making of Dune: Part One, Villeneuve and Fraser devised a unique cinematic style that combined aspects of modern digital cinematography with traditional film stock, resulting in visuals that seemed both strikingly futuristic and timelessly classic. Using ARRI’s large-format digital camera, the Alexa LF, Fraser filmed the movie, but then transferred the footage onto 35mm film for processing. This film was subsequently scanned back into a digital format.
As someone who has spent countless hours poring over the latest tech gadgets and innovations, I can attest that finding the perfect balance between familiarity and novelty is a true challenge. One device I recently encountered struck this elusive sweet spot – it was vaguely reminiscent of futuristic designs we’ve seen in sci-fi movies, yet distinctly different from anything I had ever laid eyes on before. Its edges weren’t too sharp and polished to a mirror finish, but rather, they retained an organic, almost rustic quality that hinted at its unique origins.
This device wasn’t analog, of course – it was far too advanced for that. Instead, it straddled the line between the digital and the tangible, offering an experience that felt both cutting-edge and grounded in reality. In my years of tinkering with technology, I’ve come to appreciate the value of this delicate equilibrium: enough familiarity to make the device approachable, yet just enough novelty to leave me awestruck and eager to explore further. This enigmatic gadget certainly met that ideal scenario, and I find myself eagerly anticipating its release.
Using black and white for filming the Harkonnen would present the same fundamental challenge for Villeneuve and his cinematographer. There was a potential downside that the black-and-white portrayal might appear slightly outdated or nostalgic, reminiscent of Metropolis and Giedi Prime. What could be a compromise?
As a filmmaker who has spent countless hours immersed in the realm of science fiction, I have always been captivated by the allure of extraterrestrial worlds and their enigmatic lights. In my pursuit to bring these fantastical visions to life on screen, I strive for authenticity; to create a light that not only illuminates our characters but also transports us to distant realms far beyond our own. This is why, when crafting the visual language for my latest project, I eagerly sought an alien light – something that would feel as if it were beaming in from another planet entirely. Having grown up enamored by the cosmos and its mysteries, this desire to capture a sense of otherworldliness is deeply rooted within me, and it fuels my creative process as I continue to push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.
It was fitting that Fraser was chosen for this task, as he proved to be an exceptional cinematographer for such a brief. During his work on Kathryn Bigelow’s Academy Award-winning thriller Zero Dark Thirty (2012), he utilized infrared cinematography to illuminate scenes depicting U.S. special forces raiding Osama Bin Laden’s compound using night-vision goggles. Infrared light, a part of the electromagnetic spectrum beyond what humans can naturally see, gives digital cameras unique, ethereal images when captured.
As a gamer, I found myself deeply captivated by that virtual world, but on my past projects, I hadn’t discovered an infrared application that served a compelling narrative role. When Denis shared his vision, it ignited a spark of excitement within me.
Professional digital cameras are built to detect not only visible light (divided into blue, green, and red) but also infrared light. However, infrared light can subtly alter an image’s appearance, giving it a reddish tint as described by Fraser. To prevent this unwanted distortion, manufacturers typically include an infrared-blocking filter on top of the camera sensor to keep infrared light from affecting the captured image.
During an experiment in Budapest, Fraser made adjustments to one of his team’s cameras. He took out the infrared-cut filter from the camera sensor and added a visible light-blocking filter onto the lens instead.
He says that when you attempted to peer through it, nothing could be seen – it was darker than a welder’s glass. This is due to its unique property of blocking all visible light completely. As a result, the camera could only detect infrared radiation.
In this arrangement, Fraser spent an entire day crafting a demonstration for Villeneuve. They filmed trial scenes using Roger Yuan, the selected actor and stunt organizer, portraying the formidable Atreides soldier who engages in swordplay against Butler’s Feyd-Rautha within the arena.
“When I showed it to Denis, he just flipped,” Fraser remembers.
Villeneuve describes how the transformation of the characters’ skin made them appear eerily similar to vampires, with a pale, delicate quality that revealed their veins beneath. Additionally, their eyes took on a piercing, dark, and somewhat insectoid quality.
He adds: “It all felt more Harkonnen than ever.”
However, the unique design of the experimental camera setup implied a significant risk, as the production of “Dune: Part Two” was embarking on a particularly high-risk venture in the realm of expensive movie making.
According to Villeneuve, if you employ that particular system, it’s impossible to restore the color even during post-production. Therefore, he felt it necessary to inform Legendary Pictures that our actions would lead to an outcome that could not be reversed.
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. As someone who has been in front of the camera numerous times, I can attest to the thrill and excitement that comes from committing to a role or project. It’s not just about performing, but rather embracing the character and bringing it to life for an audience. That’s why I always relish the opportunity to commit on camera – it’s a testament to my dedication and passion for what I do.
Speaking about Dune: Part Two, its Academy Award-winning editor Joe Walker notes, “The initial principal filming was quite bold. I was capturing infrared footage showing a nearly unidentifiable Austin Butler engaged in a fierce battle.
As a fan, I found myself taken aback when my selection of camera left other teams puzzled and momentarily worried, as they struggled to understand the reasoning behind it.
“The biggest challenge beyond anything was the costumes,” Fraser says.
Occasionally, items that looked black to the human eye during filming for ‘Dune’ mysteriously appeared as stark white in infrared shots. This puzzled the production team. Costume designer Jacqueline West had to frequently swap materials in Timothée Chalamet’s battle outfit due to its initial appearance as a confusing mix of white and black when viewed through an infrared camera, a look director Denis Villeneuve considered too comical rather than menacing. Similarly, various elements within the scene’s costumes and set needed to be adjusted multiple times to achieve the desired effect.
“You’ve got to just test and test and test,” says Fraser of the process that ensued.
Initially, production designer Patrice Vermette sketched out ideas for the Harkonnen world featured in the first movie, “Dune: Part One,” which showed a glimpse of Geidi Prime through some indoor sets and night scenes. However, for the sequel, he would need to expand and amplify that aesthetic across expansive landscapes.
At the onset of the design phase, Villeneuve made clear to Vermette that he envisioned the Harkonnen world as “insect-like” – “with a strong connection to the insect realm: exquisitely beautiful, showcasing natural, flowing contours and an exceptionally glossy, black finish that seems oily.
While in the early stages of preparation for the movie “Dune: Part One”, Vermette mentions that he was cruising around the outskirts of Montreal, a city where he resides with his family and is not far from Villeneuve’s residence. It was during this drive that he encountered a septic tank supplier, whose industrial waste containers, resembling large, rounded plastic structures, were dispersed across the landscape.
Vermette remembers, ‘They were only slightly old, and there was a field full of them – and it struck me suddenly. I thought, ‘This is Getty Prime!’
He explains that from there, he began delving into the study and exploration of various forms. He envisioned these structures as colossal in size. The challenge of expressing these volumes with rounded contours sparked the beginning of his unique vocabulary.
It finally clicked for me,” I say, “since a septic tank’s contents mirrors something quite similar to the Harkonnens.
Vermette mentions that Villeneuve and Fraser playfully jabbed him when he revealed the idea sketches for his unique, plasticky interpretation of brutalism in the Harkonnen sets – several of which strongly resemble S&M visual themes.
Many people on the set commented, ‘Patrice, your thoughts are quite suggestive!’, he admits with a chuckle. Upon reflection, it appears they were correct; some of the designs did have a more explicit connotation.
According to Villeneuve, this transgressive aspect aligns perfectly with his intended vision.
He describes his intention of infusing a sensual allure into the ‘Dune’ universe, making it seem as if the most exciting events take place on Geity Prime. He goes on to say that the inhabitants of this world are highly intelligent and refined, and their society is characterized by a unique, sophisticated form of eroticism, where pleasure is perceived in a different way.
Instead of describing Herbert’s book as stating that the Harkonnen battle arena is triangular in shape rather than the elliptical Roman Colosseum, it could be rephrased as:
Herbert’s book portrays the Harkonnen battle arena as having a triangular layout instead of the elliptical design found in the Roman Colosseum. However, most visual aspects for Feyd-Rautha’s battle scene on Giedi Prime required inventive imagination to create from nothing.
According to Villeneuve, the main focus of the scene revolves around how the public’s opinion towards Feyd-Rautha will transform and mature throughout the combat, transitioning him from an intimidating playboy figure into a respected leader.
Showing the throngs of Harkonnens occupying the grand stadium’s seats provided yet another chance to instill a chilling, alien dread into their culture.
The director clarified that he aimed for a different response from the audience, unlike what you’d typically see at a modern American football game. Specifically, he didn’t desire applause, nor did he expect whistles or boos.
Throughout the extensive production phase, the visual effects and sound crews behind “Dune: Part Two” took cues from death metal concert recordings. They creatively transformed the deep growls and aggressive footsteps of metal fans into an authentic Harkoken war dance, bearing a resemblance to the traditional Maori Haka.
Villeneuve explains that they aimed to develop an unusual crowd reaction, one that would interact with the character Feyd-Rautha,” or simply, “Villeneuve shares that their goal was to design a unique crowd behavior connecting with Feyd-Rautha.
Despite its harshness and violence, the arena fight scene is also a festivity, he notes. “It’s Feyd-Rautha’s birthday, and this bloodshed is taking place in his name. It’s a celebration commemorating him reaching adulthood at last.
To emphasize this idea, Villeneuve envisioned a unique alien version of fireworks bursting above the arena when the Harkonnen hero stepped into the battle triangle. Since Giedi Prime has a sun that obliterates colors, he asked his visual effects team to design what he called “reversed fireworks” to match this atmosphere.
Rather than an explosion of vibrant hues, the director refers to a burst of darkness as their team’s unique ink-blot effect,” he says. “To us, it seems nightmarish, yet to them, it’s strikingly beautiful. I find that juxtaposition fascinating – once more, it offers a glimpse into their perception of reality.
Following Feyd-Rautha’s triumphant battle, the camera captures him in quiet contemplation, strolling solitarily through an ornate hallway while the Harkonnen crowd rejoices his victory outside, illuminated by the bursts of their dark pyrotechnics. As the young ruler continues on his path, he becomes aware that a Bene Gesserit priestess, Lady Margot Fenring (portrayed by Léa Seydoux), is trailing him. It is she who will subsequently attempt to win him over.
Denis Villeneuve shares that the intention was to generate a sense of tension, stemming from the festivities outside and Feyd-Rautha’s inner contemplations about the emperor potential his uncle, the Baron, has hinted. To achieve this contrast, he plans to use a flickering, nightmarish light from fireworks that will then be manipulated by Lady Margot Fenring’s power, resulting in a captivating, hypnotic scene for viewers as they become engrossed in Feyd-Rautha’s hypnosis.
Fraser was tasked with finding a unique way to illuminate a scene focusing on a character’s inner thoughts, using “anti-fireworks” as a visual metaphor. After lengthy discussions with his gaffer and dimmer board operator, the Director of Photography (DP) came up with an innovative solution: lining the walls of the grand hall where Feyd-Rautha walks with rows of Creamsource Vortex lights, typically known for their bright, intense light. Instead of setting lighting cues on the dimming board, Fraser and his team selected a series of video clips showing people welding, capturing the sharp, manic light produced by metal striking metal through electric arcs. These clips were then connected to the lighting console to create the desired effect.
Fraser explains that the scene you’re observing under that lighting is, in reality, individuals performing arc welding. However, this wasn’t a single video; instead, it was multiple files edited together. As the character navigates through the space, the image shifts and flickers in various areas.
He mentions: “Denis instructed me for lighting that particular scene as follows: ‘Visualize it as if he’s being lit by dark fireworks – instead of emitting light, they’re absorbing it.’ It required a great deal of trial and error to bring this concept to life, but my immediate thought was, ‘What an incredibly poetic directive to provide a cinematographer as a starting point.’
He goes on to say, “Working with Denis is wonderful for me because when he presents an idea he’s enthusiastic about, it’s invariably extraordinary and captivating – well beyond the routine.
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