When Guardians of the Galaxy was released in theaters in August 2014, one of the best aspects of the Marvel movie was the way director James Gunn incorporated comedy, action, and visual effects. From the green Gamora to the blue Yondu to the purple Power Infinity Stone, Guardians of the Galaxy looked absolutely great with different and colorful alien species taking over the big screen.
For the sequel, it seems that James Gunn and his production team might try to outdo themselves when it comes to expanding the cosmic world of Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s not going to be an easy undertaking, but it appears Marvel and Gunn now have the tools to make Vol. 2 look really, really sharp.
Digital camera company RED announced that they will partner up with Marvel Studio for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which will be the first movie to use RED’s new WEAPON 8K camera during production. From the press release from RED:
“We are all hugely excited to be shooting the next Guardians of the Galaxy on the new WEAPON 8K. This is my third collaboration with RED, having previously shot with the RED EPIC® on Prometheus and the EPIC DRAGON on Tarzan,” says Nik Korda, Executive Producer. “The large sensor size and super high resolution offered by the new WEAPON 8K, combined with its lightweight and compact size open up a whole range of new creative possibilities.”
While a majority of modern movie theaters can only digitally project at 4K, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will shoot at a higher resolution of 8K, which could make images sharper and more vibrant. The high resolution sensors on RED’s WEAPON 8K can capture more color information for clearer and more crisp images than 4K. In addition, the cameras can also be outfitted with 35mm lenses. No Film School has a good breakdown of the benefits of shooting with 8K cameras and sensors here.
At the moment, it’s unclear if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will be filmed entirely with RED’s new WEAPON 8K cameras or simply a few key scenes. For example, some of the scenes for first movie were filmed in IMAX, such as Groot lighting a dark room when the gang crashed on Ronan’s ship, while the rest of it was not. Either way, it will be interesting to see what James Gunn and his production team will come up with to take advantage of the new camera system.
“RED’s 8K WEAPON is the little big camera. Perfectly counterintuitive. And perfect for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2,” says Henry Braham, BSC, Director of Photography.
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
Source: RED
