technology

The technology used in making a film should be appropriate to the subject. For Dutch Light we used the latest, high-quality lenses, filters and lens coatings to obtain sharp, panoramic images of vast overcast skies, often against the light. The film was shot with fixed lenses to achieve harmony and balance, both of which were important from an aesthetic point of view and to achieve the best results with this kind of subject matter. We also used new, supersensitive Fuji film stocks to make the most of the available light. They bring out the rich variety of blacks and greys in scenes shot in dimly-lit museum storerooms or on dull, overcast days. For special effects we used motion control, Steadicam and Wescam aerial camera systems.

Motion control (varispeed technique) is a computerised system for all camera functions, including speed, track, pan, tilt, zoom and focus. It can be used to repeat exactly the same camera movements to capture ‘time versus light’ in a single shot. The resulting image reveals even the most subtle changes of light. Motion control can also be used to take a series of exposures of the same subject under different lighting conditions and run them together smoothly. In this respect, it is more sensitive than time-lapse. Wescam is a stabilised, three-dimensional camera suspension system, ideal for aerial shots, where steadiness is a vital factor. It can be used to shoot from unusual angles – straight down or head-on – or for close-up aerial footage over land or water, to produce evocative images of earth, sky and light.