Director Anastasia Mikova and colourist St phane Azouze recall shooting and grading a powerful documentary
By Contributor
Published: April 2, 2020
Director Anastasia Mikova and colourist St phane Azouze recall shooting and grading a powerful documentary
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Director Anastasia Mikova and colourist St phane Azouze recall shooting and grading a powerful documentary
https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/woman-the-voice-of-women-across-the-world title=Share via Email class=share-email>
Directed by Anastasia Mikova and Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Woman is a remarkable documentary, which brings to the screen almost 2,000 women, from 50 countries. It focuses on what it means to be a woman in today's world by looking at various topics in women's lives, both big and small. It was graded on Baselight by freelance colourist, St phane Azouze, who had worked with Mikova and Arthus-Bertrand as DIT (digital imaging technician) on an earlier project called Human.
Human saw Mikova and Arthus-Bertrand interview men, women and children all over the world. Men were really happy to share their story, Mikova, who was then the first assistant to the director, recalls. They were proud and quite at ease talking in front of the camera. But the women at first would be quite suspicious - why were we asking all these questions?
However, once in front of the camera, it was like they had been waiting for this moment their whole lives - things that they had kept inside for many years could finally be released. It was so powerful and so incredible.
The two directors began working on the project four years ago, before the #metoo movement and the Weinstein scandal and were not surprised by the events that unfolded.
I have been doing documentaries for many years and in some countries, 10 or 15 years ago, it would have been almost impossible to find a woman who would be able to share her story and intimate experience in front of a camera, explains Mikova. So, seeing more and more women willing and ready to be heard, was a big difference and we thought, OK, the time has come, let's create a window for them'. And that's where this project began.
Mikova and Arthus-Bertrand have worked together for 12 years, first on an ecological TV show for French television. Then Mikova joined Arthus-Bertrand at his small, tightly bound production company to create these epic documentaries. A project like this takes three or four years, Mikova says. It's a very long time, so it creates quite a strong relationship across the team.
Having spent the first year in planning and preparation, over the next two years they shot almost 2,000 interviews, in 80 sessions and 50 countries. Mikova did as many of the interviews as she could, but had a trusted team of five journalists, only women, to support her as well as several camerawomen and cameramen - one of which was Mikova's husband, Dimitri Vershinin, who worked on Human and Woman and was already comfortable with the specific format of the interviews the two directors wanted to reproduce everywhere. They also worked with local journalists, again only women, in every country where the interviews took place to find the women to interview and prepare each shoot in advance.
Once you have 2,000 interviews with women, many of whom have opened up for the first time in their lives, the challenge is to go deep into yourself to determine which ones you should use, she says. We would gather topics - like sexuality, motherhood, empowerment, education or work - then we would listen for hours and hours to make a selection on which we all agreed.
That first version was maybe eight or nine hours long! Mikova recalls. Starting from there, to get it down to one hour 45 minutes was really difficult, because we had to lose so many interviews that we really wanted to keep. It took us almost a year to come up with the final editing, which is long for a documentary. Thankfully, we were chosen to premiere the film at the Venice Film Festival, which gave us a deadline to work towards. If not, I'm afraid we'd still be editing the film today !
The editing process was made slightly easier in the knowledge that accompanying the film will be a book and an immersive exhibition that will travel the world. All of the women will exist in some way in our project, Mikova insists.
The nature of the content means that the filming style is extremely simple and intimate. We set up simple studios, sometimes in incredible locations like in the middle of the desert, Mikova explains. It was always the same thing: you see just a face, on a neutral background, with one light, all very minimalistic.
Armed with all this material, the directors turned to freelance colourist St phane Azouze. Azouze came to the Baselight seat via a very unusual route: as a camera operator and shading supervisor, also specialised in aerial photography. He first met Arthus-Bertrand when Yann needed helicopter shots for a feature project he was creating in 2006 - another two-year documentary project called Home - and became DIT.
For Human, the previous project from Mikova and Arthus-Bertrand, Azouze was colour and workflows supervisor, ensuring every operator stuck to the defined set-ups and protocols. He also worked on the dailies with colourist Gilles Granier at Technicolor. Gilles is fascinating by his ability to artistically respond to creators' demands, with great teaching skills, Azouze says. He gave me the bug. With my experimented shading operator's eye I understand colour and contrast, so I had a great foundation to work on.
Azouze then went on to establish himself as a colourist, not least on television projects for Arthus- Bertrand.
Woman was shot on a mixture of cameras: the Canon C300 was largely u
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Director Anastasia Mikova and colourist St phane Azouze recall shooting and grading a powerful documentary
