BEAST TAKES
ALEXA 65 TO
THE AFRICAN
SAVANNAH

Beast, the 2022 Universal Pictures feature film about a marauding lion, brings to mind Universal movies of the past like Earthquake, Jaws and even Jurassic Park. Shot over ten weeks in South Africa, Beast was shot by master cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, ASC, AFC on a reported budget of $36 million, with a cast that includes Idris Elba, Sharlto Copley and Iyana Halley. The director was Baltasar Kormákur.

Rousselot’s credits reach back to the 1970s. Highlights include Hope and Glory, Dangerous Liaisons, Henry & June, Diva, and A River Runs Through It, the latter of which earned him an Academy Award, on his third nomination. To depict the intensity of a fight for survival against an apex predator, he chose to shoot Beast partly on the ARRI ALEXA 65 large format camera equipped with ARRI Signature Prime lenses. The ALEXA 65 gathers a huge amount of picture data, working in tandem with the efficient CODEX Vault XL to maintain the highest resolution through to visual effects and post production. The ALEXA Mini LF was used for close work. Both cameras use CODEX recording technology and rich ARRIRAW file formats. 

DIT Lentsoe Mamatela on set

Rousselot’s team included second unit cinematographer Baltasar Breki Samper, son of the director, and Digital Imaging Technician Lentsoe Mamatela. Mamatela is a first-call DIT for Africa-based shoots, having worked on Black Panther, The Mauritanian, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Mamatela’s background includes an early interest in 35mm still photography and architecture. “One day I was walking to catch a bus when I came across quite an elaborate lighting set-up in town,” Mamatela recalls. “They had recreated an entire street, and I thought that painting that picture must be a fascinating endeavor. As I watched, I became fascinated with what the DIT was doing. I wasn’t sure, but it looked very interesting. 

"PHILIPPE'S IDEA WAS TO USE THE ALEXA 65 TO SHOOT THE BEAUTIFUL VISTAS AND LUSH ENVIRONMENTS..."

“I kept thinking about what I saw, and my parents were open-minded enough to allow me to explore,” he says. “Eventually, I went to the South African Film Institute and from there, I’ve never looked back. I worked at Panavision Rentals for a time, and began on set as a second AC, and moved to the DIT side after that. Today, I have a company based in Cape Town with two partners, one of whom mostly works in Europe.”

An actor friend recommended him to Rousselot. He was a little intimidated in the interview, but excited by the prospect of working with the ARRI ALEXA 65. 

“Philippe’s idea was to use the ALEXA 65 to shoot the beautiful vistas and the lush environments, in order to give the audience a real sense of where we were,” says Mamatela. “The trees and the indigenous wildlife, and the colors as the sun rises and sets, are really a sight to see. And we used the compact Mini LF to shoot in the tighter spaces, like vehicle interiors. The 65 was often used on establishing shots and the LF was for picking up details.”

Director Baltasar Kormákur on set

Mamatela’s on set rig included LiveGrade for color decisions and to generate CDLs. The CDL information ensured that the color decisions would travel with the metadata. Near the set at a mobile dailies lab, a data wrangler used the CODEX Vault to quickly and dependably code the media to the CODEX Transfer Drives, which are solid-state drives. He would add the CDL information and do a basic lineup and translation check before sending the Drives on to post. 

"THE CODEX VAULT IS AMAZING... IT SIMPLIFIES THE DATA FLOW SO MUCH..."

Depending on the distance from the set to the mobile lab, there were usually two runs – one at midday and another at the end of the shooting day, usually about a 40-minute drive. The dailies processing was important to production in case of a continuity problem, or if the need for another shot or a schedule change became apparent. Rousselot and Kormákur usually reviewed dailies back at the hotel. Because of the remote settings, there was no internet or cell service. 

“The CODEX Vault is amazing,” says Mamatela. “It simplifies the data flow so much. As you can imagine, the large format cameras produce a lot of information. The Vault allowed us to confidently offload all of the media in a timely, safe way, with the capacity to handle the Mini LF as well as the ALEXA 65. Because of the situation, the workflow had to be simplified as much as possible. The Vault and the Drives allowed us to do that without sacrificing image quality or security. We didn’t have the luxury of communication, but we got great images.” 

Mamatela also worked closely with visual effects pros from Black Ginger, a Cape Town visual effects house. The lion required extensive CG work.

DIT Lentsoe Mamatela on set

“The VFX supervisor or their representative was often in my tent, discussing things like exposure, format and resolution for their requirements,” says Mamatela. “We’d always take a moment to go over what was needed to ensure a good neg for them. Of course, we never really changed resolution much, because the VFX people love the rich file formats.”

"THE CODEX WORKFLOW SAVED US A LOT OF TIME, PAIN AND HEARTACHE..."

Mamatela says that working with Rousselot also brought home the importance of the digital equivalent of a thick negative. “Technically, I think Philippe made his choices with the goal of getting the most we could out of the negative,” says Mamatela. “We used the full latitude of both cameras, and that just ensures that there’s a lot more room later on in post production. 

“The CODEX workflow saved us a lot of time, pain, and heartache,” he says. “It was a very tough show – very hot for the most part, and we were constantly moving around. I’m glad we had the option to use the CODEX Vault and workflow. It’s simplified and yet high fidelity. We needed a dependable solution to take care of our assets after long days in the bush. We had no delays or technical issues in getting the media to the lab in good time. And that confidence meant I could focus on Baltasar and Philippe and what they needed from me in terms of the images.”

According to Box Office Mojo, Beast has earned close to $60 million at theaters worldwide. The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime and other outlets.