Filmmakers Allen and Albert Hughes (Menace II Society, From Hell) always bring a distinct visual style to their films, and The Book of Eli is
no different. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic America, which is now a wasteland. A wandering warrior named Eli (Denzel Washington) seeks only peace, but if challenged will cut his attackers down quickly. He wants to fulfill his destiny and bring help to a ravaged humanity, but he faces a big challenge when he comes upon Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the self-appointed despot of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen.
In creating the look of this world, producer David Valdes explains that, “The challenge was creating this primitive existence 30 years into the future. Usually, on a futuristic movie you’re thinking about concept cars and trying to figure out what a blender is going to look like decades from now. On Eli, the idea was that in the future only the most rudimentary mechanical things, relics from the past, would still work.”
The directors imagined a stark and gritty landscape that was dramatic and yet realistic in its depiction of what the earth might resemble following a major calamity. “We researched material about the likely impact on the environment, whether from a nuclear or biological assault or even ash from a super-volcano,” says Allen Hughes. “What would happen to plant and animal life, weather patterns, cloud formations? What degree of decomposition would there be? What would such a future look like?”
“In some ways it was inspired by graphic novel imagery, even though the story doesn’t have those origins,” adds Albert Hughes. “We used comic book artists Tommy Lee Edwards, Chris Weston and Rodolfo Dimaggio to help us arrive at the overall look of the movie: the color template, characters, sets and locations … a kind of visual script.” Extensive storyboarding then developed into a set of reference books that set the tone for each department, from preproduction through scoring and color timing. “The cast and crew could look at them and instantly get the vibe of the movie.”
Though naturally austere, exterior footage shot in New Mexico still required digital adjustment, a task entrusted to visual effects supervisor Jon Farhat (The Mask), who describes, “Even in shots of the most barren parts of New Mexico, the sage and tumbleweeds had to go. The directors wanted a totally denuded environment. Essentially, every exterior shot in the movie-from the horizon up, and behind anything in the foreground-was modified.”
Visual effects also enhanced the sense of movement and urgency the Hughes brothers wanted. Says Farhat, “In this fragile atmosphere, the sky needs to move a little faster than normal. Clouds were a significant design element. During most of the movie they are moving against Eli’s forward progress, indicating that he’s heading west.”
After some experimentation, the directors and cinematographer Don Burgess elected to shoot The Book of Eli with a RED Digital Camera, which records directly to a flash or hard disk. “With computers set up in the trailer, we had the opportunity after every scene to color-adjust and immediately project the image onto a screen. It kept us in tune with the changes of color or texture we’d be making in post,” says Burgess.
Color and texture were also the focus of production designer Gae Buckley, reuniting with producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew A. Kosove after The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. “Gae had worked with us on a very different kind of film,” Kosove says, while adding, “I knew she could create Eli’s world. What she did is magnificent. The sets were spectacular; everywhere you look, it’s a post-apocalyptic universe.”
“The Book of Eli” is now showing on Video On Demand. Check your cable system for availability.
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Key art: © 2009 Alcon Film Fund, LLC.
Behind the scenes shot: © 2009 Alcon Film Fund, LLC. Credit: David Lee
