A new indie science fiction feature shot on RED has grabbed attention for its superlative budget-defying production value
All the high gloss cinematic spectacle of a studio blockbuster is delivered on a fraction of the budget. Monsters of Man, the guerrilla-style production from filmmaker Mark Toia, puts every cent on screen. The sci-fi action feature is generating Hollywood heat for the Australian writer-director-DP —which is just as he intended.
“Creating Monsters of Man was always an ambitious undertaking,” he says. “What started off as a hobby turned into more of a commercial experiment to see if I could create a really cool calling card to Hollywood by producing a compelling film with high end production values and studio quality visual effects with a budget that probably wouldn’t cover the catering on some big tent pole movies.”
Toia is no ingenue. He has 25-years’ experience as an acclaimed advertising TVC director in constant demand by the world’s biggest commercial agencies and brands.
“I wanted to do a movie under my own rules with no one telling me how I should make it,” he says. “If you are lucky enough to be able to self-fund your own film then you can create in a whole different way. Decision making is a lot quicker since you answer only to yourself. It’s why I can get large scale production values where nothing is wasted without compromising my vision.”
The script he co-wrote with Jeff Hand concerns a corrupt CIA agent (Neal McDonough) who sends four prototype robots into a suspected drug manufacturing camp in central Asia in a covert military operation that goes awry.
“In bringing this project together I had to think really smart in all areas. I wanted all of the budget we had on screen and not behind the camera. I began by putting together a small, multi-talented commando style crew who were more than happy to shoot in a minimalistic way.”
He continues, “I still wanted to shoot with at least four cameras stripped down to the minimum for obvious speed and agility reasons. Having multiple cameras on an action film can get you so much extra coverage. Continuity becomes far easier and actors can start to breathe into a theatre style performance which I know a lot of actors really enjoy.”
Since the story was set in the Golden Triangle (which traverses Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia), Toia decided to shoot on location in Cambodia.
“We didn’t have to build any sets. No giant art department was required. No lighting or grip teams. We just shot lay of the land and the images we captured are just incredible.”
He would be shooting in the jungle over several weeks, encountering mud, rain, heat and rugged terrain. Filming began in late 2016 with three RED EPIC DRAGON 6K and one of the HELIUM 8K’s test units: No.#00003.
“The choice of camera was easy. I give RED cameras a flogging day in day out around the world in all sorts of crazy tough conditions. I know how robust they are that if we did drop one it wouldn’t matter.”
The same couldn’t be said of lenses. Instead of high value cine lenses Toia bought sets of less expensive Rokinon glass and a few Canon zooms. “I was expecting a lot of damage and didn’t want to worry about smashing them in the effort to get the shot. We tested them and they were as clean and sharp as any true cine optics and did a more than adequate job.”
To move through the jungle at pace they didn’t run a video village. The cameras were stripped down so that Toia and four operators including main camera Tony O’Loughlan, ACS, could move around free of cables and hardware. The REDs were time-code synced so they could shoot multi-camera at any time. Rushes were transcoded on location and available for the director to check each night and early morning.
“All I needed was to know if the operators were on point with exposure and that everything was looking good,” Toia says. “I lensed for different types of emotion contained in the script from tripod, to handheld, to crazy. I have confidence in the operators and the cameras and in my ability that we were capturing the visuals so that I could concentrate my attention on the performances.
“The main reason I shoot RED is for the dynamic range,” he continues. “For me, having 17-18 stops is the biggest drawcard especially when you are making an HDR finish. When we shot in the caves using real light bouncing around the walls, the HELIUM really came into its own and saved the day.
“These cameras give me a ton of information to play with in post - more than I need. I can get so much extra control by manipulating the RAW files and digging into the shadows or bringing down highlights. The low noise attribute of the cameras allows for far better results when keying, tracking and compositing.
"If we do make a mistake on set with color temp or if we slightly over or under expose the camera, the RAW data gives you that much more room to alter in post and to do the final grade. It’s just more flexible in very sticky situations. I know I can come out of it and still be in a safe place.”
Toia stresses that the final look is not set by the camera’s sensor or some default color setting. “The final look is set by the cinematographer, our lens choices and the decisions during final color grade.”
Resolution is another critical creative advantage for Toia. “When you’re doing an action movie you tend to shoot quite feverishly with your angles because of all the running and jumping. If you want a close up, then instead of asking actors to repeat that movement or reaction from an earlier take I can zoom into the frame. A 6K and 8K resolution allows me to reframe easily to enhance a scene or an actor’s performance. To push into a shot up to 200-300% is like throwing on another lens. I reframe a lot of my shots. It might be 5% or 200% but I reframe because I want that shot to be right.”
The additional resolution also helped accommodate the film’s aspect ratio which is delivered 2:1 but shot 2.39. Another “massive time saver” for Toia is the ability to pull high resolution production stills straight off the RED. “Resolution really does help you from a creative point of view,” he says.
He also shot scenes in New York and Vancouver during breaks between TVC jobs. The robot characters were modelled in 3D and rendered in RedShift with the entire film finished at full 4K.
The film has already been hugely successful for Toia. Advance screenings and word of mouth have resulted in more than 30 feature and TV drama scripts from 20-plus producers landing at his door inviting him to direct. They want a piece of Toia’s magic.
“A lot of big producers are not seeing any real return on their productions and hopefully what I’ve been able to show them is that they can deliver a great product and make a profit,” he says.
“Shooting Monsters of Man on RED was a no brainer. They are small, powerful and super reliable. I have no idea what you will watch my film on, whether an 8K TV screen, iPad or phone but whatever you watch it on I just want it to look amazing. That’s why I chose RED.”
Monsters of Man was screened at the 2020 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and will be released on multiple streaming platforms worldwide on December 8th.
Special thanks to Mark Toia for sharing behind-the-scenes on Monsters of Man.
MONSTERS OF MAN Trailer: https://youtu.be/Ada9SU8tShA
https://www.monstersofman.movie/
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