Matador Director Richard Shephard on the Value of DI

LaserPacific’s digital intermediate expertise was crucial to the success ofThe Matador, an independently financed feature film directed by Richard Shepard and photographed by David Tattersall, BSC. The filmmakers used the DI to create the illusion that scenes were filmed in exotic, farflung locations like Manila and Budapest, despite shooting entirely in Mexico for budgetary reasons.

In the DI suite at LaserPacific, Shepard and Tattersall worked with senior colorist Mike Sowa to create distinctive looks. It was Shepard’s first experience with a digital intermediate.

“Color is such an important part of this movie,” Shepard says. “The way it looks is so important, because it’s a talky, character-driven piece, and we needed very distinctive looks to keep the audience’s attention. At times we shot one angle for Mexico, and another angle at the same location for Manila. The Manila story is a flashback, so in DI we desaturated colors, and found a yellow, grungy look to make the audience feel that this was a different place and time.

“The cost of DI is really relatively modest when you consider the enormous production value you gain,” Shepard says. “The little tricks you can do to make things feel bigger and better and smarter -- I feel it would be foolhardy to not use these tools. Taking into account all the dissolves that would otherwise have been done optically, the DI saved us money. Not doing the DI would have been penny-wise and pound-foolish.”

“It was a really freeing experience,” says Shepard. “You can only imagine what fun Kubrick or Welles would have had with these tools. We were manipulating the film more than we had initially thought we would, and it was an incredible pleasure. I know The Matador got great press because of the way it looked, and I know that was the result of what David shot mixed with what we were able to do in the postproduction.”