INDIE SPIRIT MEETS TV PRODUCTION
We decided at the very outset to make our TV pilot with an indie-style approach. We wanted to use a 14-person crew and minimal gear. No generators, no big lights – just a small, self-contained production unit. We also planned on a long shooting schedule, and that’s exactly what we’re doing, we’re shooting 2½ pages a day and we’re maximizing the production value of The Time Traveler every step of the way. This pace gives us the latitude to craft the images and the performances, and it gives us room to explore, get creative and find fresh visuals. We’re going for a light, bright look in this show. Lots of saturated colours, lots of backlighting on our lead actors. We’re not afraid of using unconventional compositions, and there’s lots of handheld in this show, not because we want a gritty feel, but a spontaneous feel. It’s a small budget and a small crew, but the story and images aren’t gritty or street-feel. It’s more like a hypnotic, dreamy look with kind of an elevated feel. The look of The Time Traveler is alluring and beautiful, like a glowing, coloured jewel.

COMPACT, CREATIVE APPROACH
Everyone knows that making the production-apparatus small and light has been happening since the French New Wave, so it’s not a new thing. But this idea of using a compact production unit to enhance the filmmakers’ creativity has always been stuck with lesser formats like 16mm, or DV, or highly compressed consumer HD. But that’s changed now because of the RED camera. The RED camera has been described as a DSLR on steroids and it’s considered by some people to be revolutionary and to signify a kind of turning point in the industry. For me as a filmmaker, the RED is a tremendous leap forward because the camera makes it possible for me to shoot in a new way, it’s a whole new way for me to create images. A big part of this is the ability to shoot with natural light and super fast prime lenses. I’m a fan of filmmakers like Nestor Almendros, Terrence Malick and Santosh Sivan – they use natural light for a lot of their work and they really manage to capture something special and elusive. That’s what we want to achieve in The Time Traveler: a special look. A world that’s familiar but a little bit transfigured, a little bit magical.

NATURAL LIGHT
Whenever possible, we’re shooting The Time Traveler with natural light. The RED camera is rated at 320 ISO and we’re using really fast primes for 95% of the shoot. We can even shoot our interior scenes with natural light. For some interior scenes we’ve fired up the camera and found that even without any lights, even without any bounce-boards, the shots we’re getting look absolutely gorgeous. It’s a new way to shoot and it’s a very exciting, very liberating way to shoot.

Richard Story
Creator/Writer/Director