Death Camp 'Friendship' Movie Opens

Just opened across the UK and set to run in the US from 14th November 2008, a new look at concentration camp horrors, 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', is an adaptation of John Boyne's award-winning best selling novel.
It was written for the screen and directed by Mark Herman (Brassed Off, Little Voice) and produced by David Heyman (the Harry Potter films, I Am Legend).
The film's cinematographer is Benoît Delhomme (1408, The Proposition), who brought the film to Framestore for its Digital Intermediate, making it his fourth straight project in a row to be graded by Framestore's DI team.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a fictional story told through the eyes of an eight year old boy largely shielded from the reality of World War II.
Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp, form a forbidden friendship. Though the two are separated physically by a barbed-wire fence, their friendship grows and their lives become inescapably intertwined.
Working with Delhomme and Herman was Senior Colourist Adam Glasman, who collaborated with Delhomme on his previous Framestore projects.
"Benoît and I have been working together for several years now," said Glasman.
"And we've developed an understanding when it comes to grading. He trusts us to bring out the elements that he wants in his work, I think."
Delhomme and Glasman worked together for a three week period in Spring 2008 at Framestore's London premises, with director Herman attending review sessions.
Matching the film's action, the looks of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas move through three quite distinct phases, as we follow Bruno and his family.
The first reel of the film takes place around the family home in Berlin, and then they move to their new house in the environs of Auschwitz, and finally the action shifts into the camp itself.
"The opening section is a happier time for Bruno," said Glasman.
"We aimed to give it a somewhat 'golden' look. When the family moves to their new home, near the camp, the look is much less vibrant, more subdued.
"Finally, the scenes in the heart of the concentration camp at the end of the film are really drained of colour, very 'contrasty'," he explained.
(BMcC)