The concept:
This film presented some challenges from the beginning:
First, it was a psychological thriller, a genre not so common in Brazilian films at that time (2015). One of the biggest concerns was to create a visually appealing film that, at the same time, felt real and connected to the Brazilian identity.
The script called for a specific geography, with this mysterious misty lake very significant to the plot, which led us to shoot during the winter in a small town in the countryside. We had trees all around the location, so green was a constant colour to keep in mind when creating the palette.
We also had a lot of night scenes, which meant that the colors had to work both day and night.
And lastly, despite being a psychological horror film, it was a film about a family, mainly these two girls, so my work was more focused on creating these personal and relatable spaces to contrast with the scary narrative.
To bring the warmth that was missing outside, I used warm colours and cozy ambientes . I used a lot a patterns in the fabrics, clashing plaids and florals, but always in a natural way. The same patterns will be present in the costumes too, that used a lot ok knits and comfortable winter outfits.
The pallete:
Davi’s flat
David’s home in São Paulo, was moss green, wood and navy in a black and white base. He lived alone in the city and his skeptical mind could be represented in a high contrast of colours, where there’s no space for grey areas.
The family’s house:
The main house was not too big and due to the amount of present honey wood, a creamy shade of ochre was used as a base in the common areas to make it looks more spacious. Stoned dark reds highlighted specific points bringing dynamic to the composition.
The tones were desaturated as the fog has invaded the ambients, contrasting with the sage green from the nature.
New and old objects were mixed, showing a house that changed over time to accommodate new members as the family grew up. One curiosity: we opted to have always water scenes in the framed paintings.
The bedrooms reflected the personality of each family member, much like real life. The palette was distributed by them in a harmonious way according to this premise.
The Caretaker’s house:
The script asked for his house close to the main house and to the lake, so we have to built it. Also, the house was seen in 1970 and 2015, so during the shooting, we had to age it showing the effects of time and the lack of maintenance.
In the final scenes, also there was a fire in the house. We prepared it along the SFX team to make it visually strong but safe and easy to be controlled.
The Fire scenes:
We shot in two different places:
The Interiors was a real empty house close to the smallholding that was painted and dressed.
The Exterior was a replica of this house in the place we need it. Inside the scenographic house there was just the entrance to be used in the POV shoots.
We also constructed the small pier and the boat for the shooting:
1970
In a traditional Brazilian colonial style, the house was painted white and blue, and the clay tile roof added a rustic look. Therefore, the house was well kept and ornate with plants.
The house was limewashing painted in faded colours, a traditional technique in the countryside.
The wooden furniture, handcrafted elements and patterns from past decades brought the authenticity we were looking for.
2015
This is when the main story happened, 45 years after the incident. Due to this, the house remained closed, only used as storage. We had to age it and distress it showing the effects of time and the lack of maintenance.
