Director Michael Chaves, Editor Elliot Greenberg, and FotoKem Senior Colorist Phil Beckner gave us the scoop on their experience using FotoKem’s SHIFT analog intermediate process on The Conjuring — Last Rites to give the film, shot on digital by DP Eli Born (Companion, The Boogeyman), a true filmic look by taking the digital footage to film stock, then back into the digital realm.
Chaves was convinced SHIFT was right for his film after Greenberg (who worked with it on Smile and Smile 2) asked him to check out the FotoKem demo in one of our theaters. Plus, Chaves comes from a strong VFX background and appreciated how well FotoKem’s SHIFT blended the VFX.
As the cinematographer of The Boogeyman (2023), also finished at FotoKem, DP Born had already experienced SHIFT and was excited to learn that it was an option for this new installation of The Conjuring franchise. Says Beckner, “I remember him specifically liking the life that the film gave to what otherwise would have been more of a flat field (white walls, overcast skies, etc.). He was very pleased with the whole finishing process and felt that the results from SHIFT really brought the feel of the movie even closer to the look that he intended from the beginning.”
TRANSCRIPT:
CHAVES: Honestly, I was skeptical about it (SHIFT) before we started. Once I started seeing, you know, they have a great reel that they showed me — we did a test with our own footage and putting it through there —and I was totally a believer.
GREENBERG: Using SHIFT, it basically kind of gives a nice photochemical analog patina to the film that just makes it more engaging. I think it brings you in and it makes you feel a little bit more just at ease. And I say ease in a way… just the viewing experience. It feels just more organic, which to me is more beautiful, which is has a better aesthetic and just it’s just a better viewing experience.
CHAVES: I mean, the grain is, like the most obvious, but also the most superficial thing. It’s like you can see it in like little like edges and fringing and, you know, halation and just all of these different things that just kind of weaves the image together. And it really gives it that, that kind of that feeling — that classic old school feeling.
BECKNER: The SHIFT on this film…. the movie takes place for the most part in the mid 80s and they were really kind of trying to find a shift combination that kind of made you feel like you were watching a movie in the theater in the 80s. You know, with SHIFT, we have a couple of different stocks that we can go to – there’s a couple of different ways that we can process it, the ways you can preprocess the image before it goes to the lab… So we we tested 4 or 5 things and then they chose one.
CHAVES: Obviously it (SHIFT) was used in all these amazing movies like Greig Fraser with The Batman and Dune, and it looks great in those. And they obviously had great effects, great photography in those films. But it’s — it really transforms when it goes through the process.
BECKNER: I think the mirror room looks really cool, especially, that’s one of the IMAX scenes that opens up to 1:9 aspect ratio.
CHAVES: I think one of the biggest reasons to use this is how it just integrates visual effects. That the shots that are like 90% there, it takes it that final stretch. It just — it gives it this kind of this hug. Elliot always calls it “the hug.”
GREENBERG: In terms of using SHIFT, I really think, you know, if you can get a chance to use it for your film, I think particularly for visual effects or even non-visual effects, if you really want an engaging, final look for your film, I would really consider using SHIFT. It’s an amazing process.
CHAVES: This is my fourth movie, all of them with FotoKem, all great experiences. Elliot said, “There’s no other option.” He said you got to use SHIFT, otherwise you’re not cool.”
Check out the trailer here and then watch the film. And click here to learn more about FotoKem’s SHIFT process.
