“The final images from the RED MONSTRO and the DXL2 are pretty much the same,” Sigel said. “If we were on a dolly, crane or sticks, then the DXL provided a user-friendly, studio configuration. But if I was running-and-gunning or just needed a very small profile, the DSMC2 MONSTRO was the better choice. We tended to be on the DXL when we were in our studio mode, and we would go to the smaller MONSTRO for the more kinetic, visceral handheld sequences.”

Another advantage of the RED package was its 46.31mm-diagonal sensor, which is compatible with large-format lenses. Sigel selected Panavision’s H Series lenses for the bulk of the movie, and Panavision Sphero 65s for its climactic third act. He says he likes the way the lenses’ “less clinical” optical characteristics interact with the high resolution of the MONSTRO sensor. “Flaws that used to be detrimental on film become cosmetically attractive when you’re shooting with a very sharply defined, high-resolution sensor,” Sigel said. “The H Series are very subtle in those terms, but the Spheros, as a generally older lens, have more of those characteristics. They’re all beautiful. I find it ironic how lenses we used to think were almost too sharp and cold are now organic and beautiful. It’s funny how fashion changes.”

Sigel adopted one more set of lenses for the shoot. For a sequence that’s presented as a “oner” (albeit seamlessly stitched together from multiple takes), Leica’s small M-Lenses kept the profile of the DSMC2 rig as low as possible. Hargrave operated the camera on part of the 11-minute segment, including a stunt that required him to leap from roof to roof, and at one point the DSMC2 was pushed through the window of a moving car. “You have one person getting hit by a car, one person getting hit by a truck, two guys fighting and falling over a balcony two floors down on to the street, and several car chases,” Sigel recalled. “It was a very intricate, carefully planned fight scene that presented a whole slew of challenges in terms of planning and shooting and stitching.”

The production recorded REDCODE RAW with 5:1 compression, capturing the full 8K raster whenever possible, but operating in a lower-resolution mode when necessary for higher frame rates. Sigel said the extra resolution wasn’t a primary concern for him, but he knows that VFX teams appreciate the extra detail. “We needed to use helicopters to control a bridge, and we ended up in Thailand for those scenes,” he said. “We did subtle VFX extensions of existing locations and sets in order to stay grounded in the Bangladesh world.”