Literal and emotional adventures collide in Studio MGM/Amazon’s latest feature film, One Fast Move, premiering on Amazon Prime on August 8. Starring KJ Apa and directed by Kelly Blatz, the film follows Apa’s character as he tries to repair his relationship with his estranged father while pursuing a lifelong dream: becoming a motorcycle racer.

Moody, suspenseful, thoughtful, the film’s aesthetic was carefully crafted by cinematographer Luca Del Puppo and GABHA Studios senior colorist Andrew Francis. Andrew eschewed cinematic references and says he and Luca looked through photography books and visited museums to agree on the film’s look. They agreed that the film “needed to be grounded in reality and almost ‘documentary’ in order to effectively drive the narrative,” Andrew explains.

The projection needed to be at least 20ft wide to achieve the quality for a theatrical release, says Andrew. GABHA Studios was more than equipped for this challenge, thanks to a recent installment of a brand new grading suite that includes a full 7.1 sound system, a Christie CP4420-Xe projector with colour-accurate 4K DCI projection, a 250” Severston pinhole screen for true colour accuracy and the ability to convert the room from a colour grading to a VFX review room.

A close relationship developed between Andrew, cinematographer Luca and director Kelly and this trust enabled a fluid grading process in which ideas were exchanged and implemented and color correction was part of the discussions from the beginning.

Below, LBB asked Andrew about the grading process, the behind-the-scenes creative conversations between himself, Luca and Kelly, and how the ideas came to life in GABHA Studios’ brand new grading suite.

Trailer for “One Fast Move”

LBB> What were the director and cameraman’s instructions for color correction?

Andrew> Before color correction, Luca Del Puppo (cinematographer) and Kelly Blatz (director) were able to design the aesthetic of the film. I’m very lucky to have Luca. Thanks to our long-standing collaboration, we had the opportunity to conceptualize our film artistically from the very beginning. Visual elements and cues influence the meaning, mood and style of a film, and we always love being able to establish these aesthetic considerations before the camera is selected. Luca, Kelly and I initially flirted with the idea of ​​using Super 16mm film, and while the medium might have presented logistical challenges for this particularly hectic narrative, the testing we did with the film proved essential to what eventually became the “look design.”

LBB> Did you consult any references or get inspiration from other films before grading?

Andrew> Luca and I don’t necessarily take inspiration from other films – we are passionate about collecting photo books and visiting museums. For this film, Kelly, Luca and I felt that the world of the characters needed to be grounded in reality and almost “documentary” in order to effectively drive the narrative. To quote Mike Nichols, we wanted to create a “version of life” full of countless complexities.

Christie CP4420-Xe projector

LBB> Why was your new correction package so important for the perfect correction?

Andrew> At GABHA Studios we designed and built a cinema colour timing suite that rivals the best environments in Hollywood. To complete the finishing and mastering process for a theatrical release, the projection needed to be at least 20ft wide to simulate how audiences will enjoy the film. To light this screen we invested in Christie’s latest 4K projection offering; the suite is ideal. The suite is of course colour critical but we also installed 7.1 surround sound which makes the grading experience absolutely subversive, no stone was left unturned.

LBB> Tell us about the evaluation process itself – how long did it take? How did you go about it?

Andrew> Since we were doing extensive testing with three cameras, we created a comprehensive “lookbook” consisting only of images Luca and Kelly took together that I color matched. These images accompanied the project until completion. I reviewed these images over and over to stay true to the direction we had set. Of course, shooting digitally there are fewer moments of the kind of bliss you often get when shooting film, but when something happened we focused on the result and embellished it. These moments were so rewarding and made for a great experience. We graduated for three weeks and pre-color time was about a week intermittently.

LBB> How does the rating support the film’s narrative and cinematography? What do you think is being communicated to viewers visually?

Andrew> I mentioned earlier that the aesthetics of the film drive the narrative, that happens in almost every way. However, you also have to be sensitive to the process – the color grading has to complement the photography, and the photography has to complement the narrative. If any of these creative aspects draw too much attention, it will damage the viewer’s willingness to suspend their skepticism. Decisions have to be precise, well-executed, and maintain the integrity of all elements of the project, because any great film is the sum of its parts.

LBB> How much creative freedom did you have while working on it?

Andrew> The guys trust me a lot, I’m very lucky! That being said, they’re excellent at their respective roles and have a hard core with high expectations – I enjoy this aspect of our collaborative process. At each session, I make sure my preparation is complete, which means when I get them in the suite, the results are fabulous. I have options ready for audition, sometimes they make the final selection, sometimes they inspire the filmmakers to take the scene in a direction that works in a way that might not have been discovered without my research and development. It’s a lot of fun.

LBB> How closely did you work with the director and the cinematographer? What was the feedback process like and did you do it in person or online?

Andrew> Throughout the project, from start to finish, we maintained a close relationship with the cinematographer and director, both professionally and personally. This strong bond between the post-production and production teams was essential to ensure that the creative direction was consistently maintained and well structured.

As part of our working structure, we use the software Louper, which allows the director/cameraman to view our color feed as we see it in the studio. A perfect image match between me and the team, because if a certain color is adjusted, we can be sure that the image is the same.

LBB> Were there any challenges in evaluating One Fast Move? If so, how did you overcome them?

Andrew> When grading with OFM we had to take the camera characteristics and mixed media into account. At GABHA we always work with the OCNs (original camera negatives) so we are as close to the source as possible and make it clear to our filmmakers that their digital negatives have not been tampered with in any way, which gives them confidence. However, we had to tread carefully to create a beautiful Sony Venice cut using a helicopter and integrated Arri Alexa Mini cameras in mixed lighting conditions. A myriad of creative grading techniques had to be used to ensure the flow of the racing sequences was enhanced by the Digital Intermediate grading.

LBB> What did you enjoy most about working on this feature? Did you learn anything new?

Andrew> Every project is unique and One Fast Move was no exception. What we discovered was that the highly experienced team at GABHA Studios were able to deliver a multi-million dollar Hollywood production in Dublin on time and on budget – but more importantly to me, the filmmakers were delighted with the results. We were all so proud of the film we made together.