PROJECT INSIGHT
Horrors of the deep
Blur Studio and Chaos reveal lighting tricks behind David Fincher’s Love, Death + Robots debut
Above: Different versions of a still frame featuring the crew were made under a range of lighting scenarios and colours, and shown to Fincher to help develop the look of the episode
From Fight Club to Mank, David Fincher is a master at using low-key lighting and dark palettes to explore the pitfalls of human morality. Now, the director has taken his characteristic aesthetic to Bad Travelling, a thriller about a dishonest crew sailing alien seas – and a monster who strikes a murderous deal with the ship’s captain.
The Love, Death + Robots episode marks Fincher’s first completely computeranimated film. It’s also the first time he’s directly contributed to the Netflix anthology he executive produces alongside Tim Miller. To create the nautical world of Bad Travelling, Fincher worked with the team at Miller’s VFX firm, Blur Studio, who used V-Ray for 3ds Max’s lighting tools to help Fincher embrace the darkness.