On the artistic and logistic factors that together created a unique approach for the “Special Delivery” vignette
Like “Jezebel”, this vignette is based on a very simple premise (ten words or less) and designed to be shot bare and plain. At the same time, while “Jezebel” was built around heavy dialogue and a confined space, “Special Delivery” was built around no dialogue and a very open space.
“Special Delivery” was, more than anything else, an experiment in which our hard-developed production techniques were upended: our tried-and-true methods were abandoned in the pursuit of something new, and there were two major factors (one logistic and one artistic) that prompted this decision.
From a logistics standpoint, the shoot for “Special Delivery” had to be swift. The weather would be drizzling at best, torrential at worst, and we were piggybacking on to an already challenging morning shoot. The longer the story the higher the photo count, and every lighting setup and every frame we capture takes time. At our best, in a well-controlled environment with a full crew and thorough prep time, we produce at ten minutes per camera/light setup plus five minutes per photo, and there was no way this vignette could cover what I wanted in less than forty photos and ten setups… a minimum of five hours (not including breaks) in a perfect setup. Take that perfect setup out into the cold November rain, your only shelter being a 24-foot box truck leftover from the morning’s shoot, racing the ruthless darkness of a 4:30 sunset, and the truth becomes all to obvious. There would be no way we could accomplish “Special Delivery” with our standard method of production.
From an artistic standpoint, the shots for “Special Delivery” had to be visceral. This story had to be in-your-face sweat and blood and dirt and rain, up close and personal instead of clean and distant. In film terms, our standard production is like steadicam, and I wanted this to be hand-held. For shots of Natalie running, I wanted her to be running. For the blow-by-blow with the scratcher, I wanted fists swinging and legs dancing. I wanted every frame to be dark, gritty, and alive. Instead of masking action offscreen or awkwardly faking it with apple boxes and harness rigs, I wanted breath and pulse in every shot. If the regular comic is surreal, this one had to be hyper-real. I wanted to do everything the opposite of how we’ve always done, which meant there would be no way we could realize “Special Delivery” with our standard style.
Fortunately, there was a single solution to both of these challenges, and although it flew in the face of everything we’ve established, there was no better time or place to let the great experiment begin. We were still producing a photocomic, we were still storyboarding with shot-cards, and we were still tonemapping images for a unique look, but there was one staple of Night Zero that was no longer in effect: “Special Delivery” would not be shot in High Dynamic Range.