Behind the Scenes of George Clooney’s “The Midnight Sky”— Video Interviews with DP Martin Ruhe and gaffer Julian White

Shot with a camera and lens package supplied by ARRI Rental and among others also illuminated with ARRI lights, “The Midnight Sky” was an audience favorite on Netflix before being nominated for Best Special Effects at the 93rd Academy Awards. Join us for a look behind the scenes from a camera and lighting perspective.

Praised for its visual effects, “The Midnight Sky” is an emotional, sci-fi thriller that is set on an uninhabitable, future planet Earth. The picture, in reality, was filmed on location in England, the Canary Islands, and Iceland. George Clooney directs and stars in the film as the terminally ill astronomer Augustine Lofthouse, whose duty it is to remain in the harsh Arctic to warn a group of astronauts about the perils of returning to their home planet.

ARRI and ARRI Rental sat down with cinematographer Martin Ruhe and gaffer Julian White to talk about their experiences filming “The Midnight Sky” and their use of ARRI and ARRI Rental equipment.

Videos

Sep. 7, 2021

Interview with DP Martin Ruhe ASC

In this interview, that took place in Berlin, Martin Ruhe talks about the advantages of the ALEXA 65 camera, the dynamic shots he was able to achieve with the ALEXA Mini LF, and the DNA lenses that were personalized for the film. He also goes into detail about using virtual production technology and the perils of location shooting.

Sep. 7, 2021

Interview with Gaffer Julian White

In our interview with gaffer, Julian White, which took place in London, he relays how he met DP Martin Ruhe and talks about the intricacies of lighting a sci-fi set, a space ship, and arctic scenes. White also explains his approach and usage of a 280° lighting installation to create modulated light and the LED screen system that was on set. His vision to reintroduce theatricality and illusion in film making are also interesting takeaways.

Sep. 7, 2021

Official Trailer "The Midnight Sky"

Our humanity always endures. This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine (George Clooney), a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully (Felicity Jones) and her fellow astronauts from returning home to Earth, where a mysterious global catastrophe has taken place. Clooney directs the adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton’s acclaimed novel Good Morning, Midnight, co-starring David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir and Tiffany Boone.

DP Martin Ruhe chose to work with the ARRI Rental ALEXA 65 camera and the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF camera along with Prime DNA and DNA LF lenses, both from ARRI Rental. The ARRI Rental exclusive HEXATRON crane positioning base vehicle was also used to maneuver over the toughest terrain. Gaffer Julian White chose, among others, ARRI lighting equipment, including nearly 600 SkyPanel S60s for a customized 280° lighting construction he concepted.

Photo credits: Netflix and Julian White
Photo credits header image: Netflix