House of the Dragon & Jim Henson: Idea Man cinematographer Vanja Černjul, ASC

For cinematographer Vanja Černjul, ASC, finding creative
inspiration within House of the Dragon season 2 wasn't difficult.
“House of the Dragon includes such a range of settings, from huge
battle scenes to remote locations with just a small crew, a camera
and tripod,” he says. “What's in front of the camera is so strong
that you really have to exercise every filmmaking or storytelling
muscle that you have developed over the years.” Vanja was the
director of photography for episodes 6 and 7 and the production
team chose to use the ARRI Alexa 35 for season 2. They knew that
the Alexa's superior sensor would retain all the details of
candlelight and fire, showing the highlights of light without
blowing out the source. Vanja was happy that House of the Dragon
Season 2 included many more locations and amazing sets on a large
backlot, with much less filming on volume stages. The volume stages
were mainly used for the dragon riding scenes, on a stage in London
with three large LED screens surrounding the actors on a mechanical
device. The pre-production and prep process for House of the Dragon
season 2 was lengthy and extremely detailed. Five director and DP
teams worked on eight episodes. They started with creating a shot
list that was approved by the show producers, then shared with the
visual effects department and storyboard artists. “In order to
create the best visual effects, they needed to know what we were
going to do on location as early as possible,” says Vanja. “It
really streamlined the visual effects process and allowed enough
time for them to build excellent visual effects.” Prep was just as
intense as the pre-production period. House of the Dragon was a
huge production that required multiple directors, DPs, and
assistant directors to prepare each episode while others were being
shot. All five teams had to shoot and share the same locations, so
there was a rigorous schedule with little room for extending shoot
days. Episode 7 features a stunning dragon battle sequence,
seamlessly done as what appears to be a oner. Vanja worked with
director Loni Peristere to plot out the scene, which takes place in
a huge cave where the dragons live. All the action was centered
around the shot, and featured practical stunts. “There were 16
people on fire in a dragon battle in one scene. It's really
mind-blowing when you're there in person, they really know what
they're doing- but it's people on fire, falling from the ceiling!”
says Vanja. Once the stunt person was ignited, they could only be
on fire for a few seconds, so it was important to get the shots as
fast as possible. Vanja is also Emmy-nominated for the documentary
Jim Henson: Idea Man, along with friend and fellow cinematographer
Igor Martinović. Vanja grew up watching The Muppet Show, and is a
huge fan of Jim Henson's work. Vanja and Igor worked together to
shoot all the interviews for the documentary, as well as the
stop-motion sequences within it. Vanja had never shot any
stop-motion animation before, so it was a fun and interesting
challenge. All the interviews were shot first, in several different
locations and over a long period of time, so it was important that
all of the scenes matched. They chose a set design that could be
reproduced no matter where it was located, keeping exact notes of
the depth of field, camera placement, and lighting. Find Vanja
Černjul: https://vimeo.com/showcase/5574603 Instagram:
@vanjacernjul Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras www.hotrodcameras.com
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