Yeah, he likes to shoot wide-open, and with a very special glass. Netflix’s Rebel Moon directed (and shot) by Zack Snyder will have a very distinctive look. Zack uses a specially made Zero-Optik’s super fast anamorphic lens titled Summiscope, paired on the RED Digital Cinema V-Raptor XL.
Rebel Moon: Directed and shot by Snyder
Rebel Moon is an upcoming American epic ‘space opera’ film directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, based on a story he also created. Filming commenced in April 2022 and run until November 2022 (117 days of filming) taking place in California. Rebel Moon is set to release on Netflix. Similar to the previous Snyder’s Netflix project (Army of the Dead), Zack serves as a cinematographer as well.
All wide open (again…)
Zack loves bokeh and blurry/dreamy imagery. Thus, he shoots wide open by using super-fast specially made lenses. For instance, Army of the Dead was almost exclusively shot with Canon Rangefinder lenses that were rehoused by Zero Optik, especially for Snyder. He shot the entire film with a maximum aperture of T1.5 (some of the lenses were even below T-stop 1). “I’m going to shoot the entire movie wide-open (0.95). There’s never to be a stop on any lens, for the entire film… and I just feel that it’s a rude thing to ask for a cinematographer…It’s really about just sort of taking responsibility for the experimental nature of what I wanted to do..and then if it was a complete fuck-up then it would be my fault and I’m fine with that” Snyder stated back then. And it seems he is doing it again.
Shot on V-Raptor XL paired with Summiscope anamorphic
RED Digital Cinema CEO, Jarred Land, has posted a picture with him and his good friend (Snyder) holding the Raptor XL and a very special lens. “Super stoked to have the mighty Zack Snyder be the first out of the gate shooting the Raptor XL on his movie Rebel Moon. It’s a Magic combo the Raptor sensor with the Zero Optik’s insane custom f1.5 anamorphics that they shoot pretty much wide open all of the time. Keeps 1st AC Braden Batsford at the top of his game :)” Land said.
It’s a Magic combo the Raptor sensor with the Zero Optik’s insane custom f1.5 anamorphics that they shoot pretty much wide open all of the time.
Jarred Land – CEO of RED Digital Cinema
Indeed, the most intriguing thing in the picture is that super fast anamorphic lens, especially rehoused by Zero Optik. Unhappily, Zero Optik didn’t elaborate much and stated: “Unfortunately we’re under a pretty strict NDA on this project, but there’s a doc coming about these lenses so the details will eventually be very public”. Nevertheless, we’ve managed to gather some pictures of these lenses, and the name is Summiscope.
Little preview of 2 of the 4 focal lengths I custom-made with Zero Optik for Rebel Moon.
Zack Snyder – Director of Revel Moon
Even Zack said: ”Little preview of 2 of the 4 focal lengths I custom made with Zero Optik for Rebel Moon. More on these incredible bespoke anamorphic lenses to come”.
Unfortunately we’re under a pretty strict NDA on this project, but there’s a doc coming about these lenses so the details will eventually be very public.
Zero Optik
Final thoughts
There’s no doubt that the look of Rebel Moon will be special. We guess that the imagery will be very similar to Army of the Dead, which means a dreamy (but anamorphic) look. Note that Rebel Moon and Army were made for home TV, and not for the big screen. In our personal opinion, shooting with these lenses wide open will probably be an exaggeration when the movie will be delivered to the big screen. Let’s know your take on that.
Product List
Here’re the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers.
- Red Digital Cinema V-RAPTOR 8K VV DSMC3 Camera
- BUY the Y.M.CINEMA 65 – A Gift for Filmmakers
Big fucking deal.
I shot my last 3 shorts with a combo of fast. 95 and 1.4 Voigtlander lenses and Kowa anamorphics.
Difference is, my shorts have better stories than his full length features.
his has a very naive way to build up a lame story line. and for shooting wide open, it is not very cinema and nothing to brag about.
Where’s your Netflix deal then?
Exactly.
Dude can’t write a story of his life depended on it
It’s not especially made! It specially made – meaning it was made special for this task for him! I bet you say pacifically instead of specific too. SMH🤦
Fixed. And thx for the tip👌
I didn’t like the blurry look of Army Of The Dead at all. The bokeh stuff has been overused the last few years anyway and in Army it was way too much – I found it very distracting which can never be the goal of cinematography. Very frustrating because Snyder is at face value very good at staging compositions and framing.
At least it won’t have that other fad that’s been overused for a long time: a drab and dreary look with little color. Dolby Vision being available on many tv’s luckily put a dent in that. I hate it when movies look like it was shot with Wide Color Gamut but watched on a screen that doesn’t support it and you get that washed out look.