Episode 270

Academy-Award winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF, join us to break down the striking visual language of Frankenstein, their latest feature collaboration after decades of working together. In this conversation, they explore everything from their use of large-format cameras and “painterly” light to the symbolic color design that shapes the emotional arc of the film. Theirs is a visual process that begins with ideas, not rigid storyboards, so the filmmaking can stay alive and collaborative.

“Obviously, we storyboard. But storyboards should only be useful in to breaking down the elements. I never say, ‘it has to be this shot, it has to be this element… medium shot, blah, blah, blah.’ Storyboards are taxidermy. And I want it to be alive. I want the animal to be alive… From that on, it's a collaboration. If I can put the fundamental touchstones of the film in place, then everybody can play. Then we can be flexible.”

—Guillermo del Toro, Director, Writer, and Producer, Frankenstein

Be sure to check out Frankenstein, now streaming on Netflix — in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos® — and in select theaters.

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