On many of their assignments, the duo create composite elements in-house. "We may do the mask, we may do the artwork that goes in the back," says Kestermann. And though the final composite may be done on a Flame, he adds, "there’s a lot of preliminary work we can do on the desktop."
For example, they recently took use of their system to pull mattes, create layers and do preliminary composites for a Wish perfume spot. The commercial featured a young woman walking on a tightrope in outer space. Kestermann and Walker initially photographed her against a bluescreen. Later, they were able to isolate the actress from the background and composite her with other elements that they had created. One of the layers a nebula effect had also been shot live, by bouncing Xenon lights off a rotating, warped, mirrored Plexiglass disk into a dark blue cyclorama. "One could probably animate basics like that, but for us, it’s a lot quicker just to shoot it," says Kestermann.
The filmmakers did conceive other elements of the shot in the computer, however, including a star field (done in Photoshop) and a brilliant lens flare (crafted with an After Effects plug-in). All of the layers they created then moved easily into Flame, for its final compositing. In Flame, the duo also widened the commercial’s final image, a beauty shot of the perfume bottle photographed on glass. "We took pictures of the original frame and extended it," explains Kestermann.
Digital technology’s options for color manipulation also intrigue Kestermann. "I think the greatest thing is the possibility of color correction," he says. "One of the great advantages of working in the digital media is that you have a lot more control over colors and contrast than you would in the printing process. Sometimes we do shift the colors, so that [the images] still seem natural, but also have a bold tonality."
Though Kestermann does much of his color-correction work in AfterEffects, he does have a few reservations about the program. "I wish the interface was a little easier to read," he submits. "It’s hard to see what you’re doing."
Kestermann and Walker’s participation in postproduction illustrates an important difference between American and European productions. On stateside jobs, says Kestermann, he and Walker may be able to give references for colors, but they’re often not permitted to remain onboard long enough to see the venture all the way through the post process. European production companies, on the other hand, not only encourage the pair to be more impressionistic, but also expect them to carry the project through to its completion. According to Kestermann, such spots, allow them to perform more complex layering and color work, again using AfterEffects.
The next step for Kestermann and Walker will be long-form projects. "We’re trying to do more dramatic work," says Kestermann. This year, they plan to make their first feature film, Chains, which will be produced by Janet Yang; Kestermann recently made his directorial debut with a short film called Air Time.
"Rolf is one of the most intuitive people I know, as far as the way he works," says Walker. "He shoots in a way that makes things easy to cut. The most distinctive things about him are his mechanical ability, his artistic side, and his musical impulse. I always feel as if his shots are alive."
