The Cinematography Podcast Episode 145: Director Ruth Platt

When director Ruth Platt first wrote and developed Martyrs Lane, it started off as much more of a horror film rather than a psychological thriller. She had the opportunity to develop the film into a feature from a short through BFI, the British Film Institute. In its feature form, Ruth pulled Martyrs Lane into a more unsettling ghost story that's told from the point of view of Leah, a 10 year old girl, who lives in a large old house with her family. Her mother always seems very sad and distant, and Leah doesn't know why, until a strange nightly visitor gives her a new clue to unlock every night.

The visual palette of Martyrs Lane has a timeless and impressionistic feel, creating an atmosphere of hovering between the conscious and unconscious world. The house Leah and her family lives in is a reflection of the interior and exterior world of the family. Ruth knew that finding the perfect “haunted house” was key, and they were lucky to have found the perfect location. With two inexperienced child actors as the leads in the movie, Ruth focused on trying to keep the lines sounding natural instead of scripted, and kept the kids energy up in between takes and setups. Because she and the crew only had a short amount of prep time for the movie, they had to creatively problem solve for a few issues and were able to do almost all the special effects in camera.

You can see Martyrs Lane on Shudder.

Find Ruth Platt:  Instagram and Twitter: @RutharioP

Close Focus: We begin with a discussion about the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. Ben and Illya talk about the importance of set safety and the use of guns on set and if it's even necessary to use blanks anymore. You can read Ben's full Twitter rant here.

Ben's short end: Here's some inexpensive visual effects that create muzzle flashes for gunfire. There's a multitude of amazing resources out there that can be used safely, cheaply and responsibly.

Video CoPilot's Action Essentials

Action VFX

Bang by Red Giant- a 3-D modeler for muzzle flash.

Corridor Digital: The Corridor Crew on YouTube discuss everything about muzzle flash to make it seem realistic, such as their discussion of fixing John Wick's gun effects.

Illya's short end: The new Dune movie directed by Denis Villeneuve has very mixed reviews, but it's an impressive experience in cinematography, visual effects, production design and sound design.

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