Even before the trailer, a BTS of the forthcoming Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon was released. The sci-fi opera was shot one an unconventional and mighty combo of RED V-Raptor XL and bespoke Zero-Optik rehoused Summiscope lenses. It seems that the ‘Army’ cinematography style was well implemented…by Snyder.

Rebel Moon: Made for Netflix

Rebel Moon is defined as an epic science-fantasy opera, It tells the story of a young woman who seeks out warriors from other planets to fight the tyrannical armies terrorizing her peaceful colony. Complete synopsis as described by Netflix: “When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants, and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed”. The film was directed and shot by Zack Snyder. 

An entire world invented by Snyder

The concept was cooked in Snyder’s head since 2005, as it was developed as a Star Wars film that Snyder had pitched to Lucasfilm. This pitch was to be a more mature take on the Star Wars universe. However, the project was redeveloped by producers Eric Newman and Snyder, first as an original television series, before settling on a film by Netflix. Snyder is not only the director, but the cinematographer as well. Filming commenced as of April 2022 with Snyder sharing the first images from the set on Twitter that day. It ran until December with 152 days of filming taking place in California. Rebel Moon is Zack Snyder’s second fully digitally shot film after Army of the Dead. (‘Army’). The rest of his films are shot on 35mm or 65mm film. Resources claim that this is likely due to the partnership with Netflix, which has a long-standing shooting on the 4K rule. However, we assume that one of the main reasons Snyder jumped into digital, and RED Digital Cinema cameras, is his close friendship with Jarred Land, which is RED Digital Cinema CEO.

Exclusive cinematography style

As we wrote about it before, Rebel Moon was shot by Snyder with the RED V-Raptor XL (he was one of the first to get this camera model), paired with bespoke Zero Optik’s custom Summiscope f1.5 anamorphic lenses. These are specially made super fast anamorphic lenses, that were designed to cover the vista vision sensor of the Raptor. Moreover, it was stated that Snyder shot on maximum aperture in order to grant the creamy dreamy special look (and to challenge the 1AC :-)). It seems that Snyder couldn’t help himself to shoot with ultra shallower depth of field, as it was in Army.

Shooting the entire film under f1.00

For instance, Army of the Dead was shot entirely on f0.95!  “I just feel that it’s a rude thing to ask for a cinematographer…and then if it was a complete fuck-up then it would be my fault and I’m fine with that,” Snyder said by explaining the unusual cinematography decision to shoot entirely on wide-open aperture. Furthermore, Snyder takes over the cinematography aspect as he wants to hold the camera and shoot the film by himself which, in that case, we must respect him for doing that. Furthermore, Snyder is a fan of unique glass. In Army he utilized Canon rehoused Rangefinder vintage full-frame lenses paired with the RED Monstro. These lenses were specially made for Snyder by rehoused company Zero-Optik, which has also made the unique super-fast Summiscope anamorphic for Rebel. Zero-Optik stated back then, that those lenses were built with stainless steel Leica M mounts so it could be ensured that the housings would stand up to the abuse of shooting for months in the desert when shooting Army. Anyway, according to the BTS, it looks that the production environment for Rebel was not so different. It will be interesting to explore the wide-open full-frame anamorphic imagery. That’s for sure! Some of you will like it, some won’t. Rebel Moon is expected to be released on Netflix on December 22, 2023. Snyder revealed that the film will have an extended R-rating cut, in addition to its original cut. Furthermore, part 2 is expected as well. Interesting to explore what toys Snyder will use for that one. Check out the BTS below: