Grading and finishing Netflix’s ‘Lupin’ with BaseLight by FilmLight at Mikros

An interview with colourist Aline Conan, Mathieu Leclercq, head of digital cinema at Mikros, and DoP Christophe Nuyens, BSC

by FilmLight Contre-Champ AFC n°318

[ English ] [ français ]

The French series "Lupin" is a worldwide phenomenon. Ranked number one on Netflix in more than ten countries, the ten-episode series revisits Maurice Leblanc’s French literary character of Arsène Lupin - Gentleman Burglar, but is set in the Paris of today, rather than in1905 when the original stories were written.

For this discussion, FilmLight brought together the DoP, Christophe Nuyens SBC, as well as the colourist Aline Conan and Mathieu Leclercq, head of Digital Cinema at Mikros Image, to discuss their artistic collaboration.

Upstream, Christophe created some moodboards to provide visual colour references and atmosphere. “We discussed the look with director Louis Leterrier, who gave me a lot of freedom. This work then served as a reference for light and decoration”, explained Nuyens. “For example, for the flashbacks, we chose a colour palette different from that of the present day, to light a little more, to look for the flares... In grading we warmed it up slightly, but the desired aesthetics were already there.”

One of the main challenges of the series was to film Paris in a cinematic way, and to avoid making it look too touristy. During the shoot, Christophe used new 1.5x Technovision Classic optics from P+S Technik. These lenses are inspired by the famous anamorphic Technovision of the 1960s, very popular at the time and used in films such as Apocalypse Now and Leon.

“These full aperture optics have a very soft flare, with a slight diffusion”, said Nuyens. “It gives an organically textured feel to the image that has allowed us to have a modern fairy tale aesthetic for "Lupin", while avoiding the use of smoke, which isn’t allowed in settings like the Louvre.” [...]

  • Watch the video of FilmLight Colour Online: Creating the look for Netflix’s series "Tribes of Europa" webinar.