Panasonic Varicam Pure and S7/i Full Frame Plus lenses add dimension to Netflix movie 'The Perfection'

Cinematographer Vanja Cernjul combines the S7/i and Anamorphic/i lenses to create multiple looks in the same universe.

The S7/i Full Frame Plus and Anamorphic/i lenses from Cooke Optics have been used in the production of the film The Perfection of Netflix.

Shot by the cinematographer Vanja Černjul (The Deuce, Crazy Rich Asians...), the film was directed by Richard Shepard (The Matador, Dom Hemingway, Girls), written by Eric C. Charmelo, Nicole Snyder, and Richard Shepard, and follows the story of a haunting musical prodigy searching for the new star student at his old school, with shocking consequences. The Perfection was released globally on Netflix on Friday, May 24, 2019.

“The Oerfection it demanded different styles for different parts of the story. We wanted each part to have a unique organic look, something integrated into the images on set, during filming. A lot of this came from the lighting and our various locations, but we wanted to add another visual layer optically. After initial testing of many different optical systems, we decided to combine the Cooke Anamorphic/i's with the S7/i's. We chose both lens systems because of how they looked, rather than because of the sensor coverage or aspect ratio," says Černjul.

The cinematographer shot most of the film raw, uncompressed in 4K with a Panasonic Varicam Pure with a Super 35 sensor and achieved the desired aspect ratio of 2.39:1 by cropping the top and bottom while using Spherical Lenses S7/i and trimming the sides when using Cooke Anamorphic/i.

"As part of the visual structure of the film, we shot selected scenes in VistaVision format with the S7/i. With this approach we created multiple looks that still feel like part of the same universe, united by the round, cinematic representation of Cooke lenses," adds Černjul.

Černjul has previously used Cooke lenses in productions such as Orange is the New Black and Marco Polo.

"My favorite lenses were the Cooke 5/i's. I love its dimensionality and the smooth quality of the sparkle, even when created with intense specular lights. The S7/i's give me all those much-valued qualities and allow me to use a single set of lenses in multiple formats," he says.

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