The Secrets of Frank Herbert's Dune
Page 6
In describing what it was like working with Vittorio Storaro, director John Harrison said, "It's been a phenomenal experience because Vittorio has been able to take what I created on paper and turn it into a visual feast. The reason I wanted to work with Vittorio was because I've always loved his application of light and color as story elements. Vittorio has made it his career to understand the psychology of color and light, and there's no better project for that than ‘Frank Herbert’s Dune’."
While some films credit the kind of work he does to the Director of Photography, Vittorio has very specific reasons why he prefers the designation of "Cinematographer."
"I say cinematographer, not director of photography, because to me the meaning of the word is very important. Cinematographer, in my opinion, means writing with light and movement. I'm trying to write with light in each movie that I've been called to."
This was not the first time Vittorio had been approached to work on a motion picture adaptation of Dune. In the late 1970s the European director Jodorowski was mounting a production of the film and he approached Vittorio to be the cinematographer. Although he really liked the book, Vittorio chose instead to answer Francis Ford Coppola’s call to film Apocalypse Now.
Left to right: Vittorio Storaro, John Harrison, and (far right) Ernest Farino
The decision proved fortuitous as Jodorowski's movie collapsed when the backers decided that science fiction films were not a profitable investment.
Years later, Vittorio crossed paths again with Dune. "I was in Los Angeles shooting Picking Up The Pieces with First A. D. Matthew Clark," he said. "One day Matthew said, 'Vittorio I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is John Harrison. He just wrote a script that came from a book that maybe you know. The book is called Dune.' I said, ‘What?!’ I met with John, and we had a wonderful meeting. We talked about the love that we have for this incredible story, and I showed him what I was doing with Carlos Sara, what I called a revolutionary way to mix the art department and cinematography in order to achieve a new dimension in visual art."
Vittorio and his son Fabrizio create gigantic canvas backdrops called "Translites" that are stretched across the back of a sound stage and are lit from behind to achieve a more realistic effect than one could achieve with a painted backdrop.
Stilgar and Paul Atreides
"These Translites are huge," said John Harrison. "They are designed on the computer using photographs and drawings that we had created. The images are then manipulated, changed, reconfigured, re-colored, put together in numerous different ways and then printed on this huge can-vas material which can be lit in a lot of different ways to signify different times of day and different locations.
scene from the production
"By integrating these Translites with Kreka’s sets, Vittorio was able to design a lighting scheme for each sequence that was never dependent on natural or available light. Color and intensity could change within each scene to enhance the emotional drama, to indicate character change and development, to increase suspense or intensify passion. In short, the production scheme enabled Vittorio to shoot the film in his own, inimitable style.
scene from the production
"Because he was such a knowledgeable fan of the book, we were able to communicate about the storytelling visually in a more profound manner than is usually the case. Every day of pre-production Vittorio and I would meet in my apartment with Matt Clark and Visual Effects Supervisor Ernie Farino and literally read through the script scene by scene, to design the movie visually from moment to moment. The result is, I believe, unlike any television event before."
Vittorio Storaro
"The Translite backdrop that's been given to us is very exciting," said Saskia Reeves who plays Lady Jessica. "It can be overwhelming some-times because the sets are so fantastic. Will I be able to be as fantastic as that? It's beautiful what's been done."
In photographing the mini-series, Vittorio conceived an entire thematic program for the use and representation of color. Each major group would be identified and defined by a distinct color—the warm, earth-tone of ocher for the Atreides, violent red for the Harkonnen, blue for the Emperor, green for the Fremen, black for the Bene Gesserit and white for Paul. Color Timer Lou Levinson at Post Logic had the difficult task of color correcting all the richly saturated film that Vittorio shot.
Count Fenring and Emperor Shaddam IV
Actor Alec Newman found Vittorio’s thematic approach to be a particularly amazing and satisfying one. "Vittorio doesn't just stick a light in and roll the camera. No cinematographer ever does, of course, but he came up with this huge theory for ‘Frank Herbert’s Dune’ and worked with John [Harrison] on a lighting plan for the whole thing. His idea is that Dune is basically the journey of Paul Atreides, from the boy who begins the story to enlightenment and the fulfillment of the human soul."
William Hurt found Vittorio’s approach particularly rewarding for him in his role of Duke Leto.
"Every scene was an inspiration," Hurt stated enthusiastically. "Vittorio's presence—there's no way you can measure his input. The color schemes he used were all very carefully worked out. He wrote a wonderful amazingly eloquent essay about the use of light and color, and the themes for ‘Frank Herbert’s Dune’."
Lady Jessica
While Vittorio has strong views about his work, he recognizes and appreciates the cooperative effort inherent in filmmaking. "Film is not a single expression," he said. "It is a common expression between the writer, the producer, the actor, the cinematographer, the production designer, the costume designer, the editor, musician; all together, linked and directed by the director, of course. Each one of us is giving some kind of energy into it. And each movie is different because the chemistry is different."
Reflecting on what appealed to him most about the story of "Frank Herbert’s Dune," Vittorio said, "The journey of the main character, Paul Atreides, is a symbol. A symbol of the journey for all of us."
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