The excitement surrounding the latest cinema camera has reached a fever pitch as it finally becomes available for purchase and shipping. This article delves into its innovative features and the creative possibilities it unlocks for filmmakers.
Building a Bigger-Than-Budget Funhouse
From the start, Timo Tjahjanto (our director), production designer Michael Diner, and I agreed the funhouse hallway had to feel bigger than the budget really allowed. We wanted it to hide Hutch and to give the audience that dizzying sense of being trapped in a maze of reflections. We also planned to use it earlier in the film for a lighter scene with Hutch and his daughter at the fair, so the space had to serve two purposes. For that playful version, we designed a lighting look we called “Bubble Gum” — bright, candy-coloured, and cheerful — before shifting the same set into a much darker, more menacing space later in the story.
Michael’s team built scale models with miniature mirrors and hinged panels so we could test angles. We landed on a tapered 40-foot hallway with a hidden bend so characters could enter and exit without revealing too much of the layout. The floor was finished in glossy black tile — reflective enough to add depth, but safer and less chaotic than adding even more mirrors. Too many reflections simply became visual noise.
Shooting Around Reflections
The sequence began in a real location before moving onto the stage, where we could control the geometry. Reflections were still a constant challenge. Our A-camera operator, Matt Schween, wore a black “ninja” suit so he would disappear in the glass. We also had a two-way mirror that could be slotted down one side of the hall for tracking profiles. It’s a simple trick that worked well. One thing I was cautious about this time was the quality of the glass — I’ve had bad experiences with cheaper material that cut too much light. The higher-grade glass we used here only lost about two stops, which was manageable and gave us a clean image.
For the shattering glass, the art department brought in six panes of fragile sugar glass, which we shot with pellet guns to break into tiny pieces. It’s amazing how delicate — and expensive — sugar glass is. The team handled it with extreme care, rehearsing carefully so that every take counted.
Behind the scenes of the mirror sequence for ‘Nobody 2’Credit: Universal Pictures
Lighting a Mirrored Set
Lighting was another big challenge. In a mirrored set, every source shows up endlessly. Instead of fighting it, we leaned into it. We ran full-spectrum LED rope lights down the roof of the corridor. By switching the chase direction, we could have Bob walking with the flow and the goons walking against it. That solved a lot of screen-direction issues in a space that might otherwise have been impossible to follow. The LEDs were DMX-controlled and mounted in front of mirrored ceiling panels, adding depth without cluttering the floor.
Camera Tests and Visual Tone
We did a lot of camera tests in prep, experimenting with angles and lenses to see where we could hide and how much distortion felt acceptable. Those tests proved invaluable. We shot on the ARRI 35 with Panavision T-series anamorphic lenses, paired with a LUT created by Dave Hussey at Company 3. The setup gave us a bold, colourful look with an underlying darkness that fit Hutch’s situation. The hall of mirrors was never meant to feel realistic — it was meant to be immersive and a little over the top, matching the summer energy of this film. Where the first Nobody had a colder, wintry look, our version was designed to feel brighter and more playful, while still carrying danger underneath.
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Teamwork Under Pressure
A sequence like this is all about teamwork. Timo, Michael, Matt, my gaffer John Clarke, and I spent days testing how to make the set feel endless, how to hide crew, and how to keep the geography clear. Every department had to problem-solve constantly. Of course, things still went wrong. At one point, our DMX system failed completely, which could easily have cost us a third of the day. Thankfully, John worked a miracle and had it back up and running in no time. Those moments are stressful, but they make the successful takes that much more rewarding.
Other On-Set Challenges
The mirrored hallway wasn’t the only challenge on this film. We also built an oversized stage elevator with swinging walls so Matt could move freely during a fight scene. We recreated a small-town police station and shot it day-for-night under blackout tenting, which made the space hot but also gave us the sweaty atmosphere we wanted. And we shot a night sword fight in the forest with RZA, who plays Hutch’s brother Harry Mansell. That scene was interrupted by a tornado and forced us to improvise lighting setups when our crane was hitting the clouds instead of the set. Each sequence had its own set of problems to solve, but the goal was always the same: to keep the energy of the action clear and immersive for the audience.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Lessons Learned
In a film full of set pieces, the hall of mirrors stands out for me as the one where problem-solving and style came together best. It captures the playful, colourful, and dangerous tone that Timo and I wanted to bring to this sequel.
What I took away is that you can’t always avoid reflections. Sometimes the trick is to work with them and let them become part of the design. That’s what made this sequence feel unique. For me, that’s one of the most rewarding parts of cinematography — turning limitations into creative choices that give the audience an experience they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
