Jacob Elordi as The Creature and Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein in 'Frankenstein'. Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Guillermo del Toro's long-gestating Frankenstein finally reached audiences this fall, premiering in Venice in August before bowing globally on Netflix on Nov. 7. It's the fifth collaboration between del Toro and Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen, a partnership that began on Mimic (1997) nearly 30 years ago and has included Crimson Peak (2015), The Shape of Water (2017), and Nightmare Alley (2021). "It was just like coming back to a brother," Laustsen says of reuniting with the director after long gap between Mimic and Crimson Peak. "We have the same feeling about light, about colors. We're not afraid of the darkness." Related Stories TV Tilly Norwood Creator Unveils AI-Led Time Travel Series for History Channel Movies 'Hunger Strike Breakfast' Director Explores Collective Action and "Occupation of the Mind" in Cinematic "Metaphor" for Russian Invasion of Ukraine Del Toro had been talking about making his Frankenstein for decades. But it wasn't until Nightmare Alley that the project took firm shape. When Laustsen finally read the script, del Toro's take on the monster classic surprised him. "I was like, 'Oh, this is a very, very special twist.' For me, it's a movie about love and forgiveness. It's a love story. Not a horror movie." Visually, del Toro and Laustsen built the film around a stylized contrast of "amber and steel blue," with moody single-source lighting and sweeping camera moves across Tamara Deverell's cavernous sets. Laustsen insisted on shooting the entire production on the Alexa 65 - including all Steadicam work - for what he calls a "much more beautiful image." That choice, combined with wide-angle Thalia Leica lenses, allowed the film's signature deep-focus staging: "We can start with a big wide shot... and then end up in a close-up in the same shot. It's like shooting 70mm in the old days." In keeping with del Toro's preference for in-camera craft, Frankenstein relied heavily on physical builds and practical effects. "There's not one scene shot on blue screen," Laustsen notes. Miniatures were used for the castle explosion and collapsing laboratory; the ship was built full-scale on a gimbal; and torchlight remained entirely real. Even the creation sequence - a complex blend of sunset, rain, smoke and lightning - was engineered practically. Designing it, he admits, "was a challenge," but "in the movie, obviously, it looks pretty okay." Laustsen spoke with The Hollywood Reporter at this year's Camerimage festival about developing the film's palette, working entirely on large-format, and why he and del Toro still prefer doing everything for real. Guillermo del Toro has been thinking about making Frankenstein for a long time. When did he first mention it to you? I think it was on Mimic (1997) He said, "You know, this is my dream project." But that was with another studio. He was a young dude, and he didn't know what the future was going to give him. We did Mimic, and then we didn't do anything together for like 15 years. Our calendars just weren't matching. And then I did 1864, a big Danish television show. And I had a two week hiatus and he called out of the blue he called me and said: "Come to Toronto. I want to show you something." I hadn't seen him for 15 years, and it was just like coming back to a brother. He asked me to do Crimson Peak, which was an amazing movie. It died, I don't know why. It just disappeared, but I love the movie. I think it's a fantastic, good-looking movie, and it's a good story. And then we did The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley. And he was talking about Frankenstein. By Nightmare Alley he was talking about it a lot that it would be his next movie. So I read the book, which is amazing. And then I got the screenplay, and I was like, "Oh, this is a very, very special twist." Which shouldn't be surprising, because Guillermo does that all the time. I think the way he changed the story really makes it a masterpiece. For me, it's a movie about love and forgiveness. It's a love story. Not a horror movie. Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein in "Frankenstein" directed by Guillermo del Toro. Ken Woroner/Netflix What was your first discussions you had about how you wanted the film to look? We talked about the color palette, the amber and steel blue. Guillermo does these kinds of mood boards for each scene. He makes a sketch of the scene, and he's color-correcting that. It's a guideline for everybody: for costumes, makeup, hair, and myself, the cinematographer. So we are starting on the same level. But I've worked together with him so many times, so we have the same feeling about light, about colors. We're not afraid of the darkness. We