MPC Grades Gus Van Sant's 'Promised Land'

Matt Damon in Promised Land. Photo by Scott Green

MPC colorist Mark Gethin defined the broad panoramas, bar rooms and homesteads of rural Pennsylvania for director Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land with a look that resembles classic Kodachrome stills. Working alongside cinematographer Linus Sandgren, Gethin blended this varied footage into a unified “vintage” look.

“Gus and Linus had a strong vision of how they wanted the movie to feel,” says Gethin. “Their references were old Leica or print photography, which lent a very authentic and beautiful feel to the characters and landscape without feeling nostalgic.”

Promised Land marks Gethin’s first feature as digital intermediate colorist.