Behind The Scenes – VOICE OF SHADOWS

By Lou Wallace

VOICE OF SHADOWS follows Gabriel, a devout Catholic, who travels with his girlfriend Emma to the country where she stands to inherit a large estate. However, not everything is as it seems when they learn, in order for the inheritance to take effect, Emma must adhere to an increasingly strange set of rules while staying there for the weekend. As things escalate and Emma is pulled deeper into the darkness by a mysterious cult tied to the estate, Gabriel must battle his dark past and find a way to save her and himself before a powerful evil awakens and they are lost forever…

Voice Of Shadows is a genuinely spooky, atmospheric film. We talked to the Director, Visual FX Artist and Colorist about their roles in the film.

Nick Bain, Director (ArkEntertainmentCo)

“I wrote Voice of Shadows, not just because I thought it would make a great movie, but mostly because there was something I needed to explore within myself while writing it”, said Bain. “Voice of Shadows is a horror-noir about a flawed individual who is up against something much greater than himself. It’s a story about discrimination, class and the responsibility of sacred power.”

Describe your role for this film

I was Director, Writer, Producer, Executive Producer. Yes, I did a lot, but a lot of people wore many hats in this film.

What tools did you use in this project?

As the director, I rarely touched a computer to actually physically make changes. Instead, I worked remotely with each department, spending thousands of hours staring at my monitor in Los Angeles, while Sardar worked in Canada, Pierce worked in Florida and Mark worked in Minnesota. In addition to that our composers were in England and my cinematographer worked with the colorist in Barcelona. 

Mark Ferris the editor and I were in charge of the post and he really worked  in tandem with me and brought the precision and expertise to post which was very much needed. Together, we worked with Sardar and Pierce while collecting notes from the producers to finish the film. I have known Mark since I was 16 I think. We worked at a movie theater together. I met Sardar living in Hollywood. That’s one really great thing living here. You can meet these great people who are wildly talented and they live next door. So Sardar, who had moved to Quebec to work for Technicolor, would finish his day working on some huge movie and spend his nights and weekends working on Voice of Shadows. He was really passionate about the project as he was able to have some artistic freedom with it. The rendering of the torch was a nightmare. I wrote an eight minute torch sequence into the end of the film. It looks brilliant, but I will never have a torch in any movie ever again. Sardar and I really see eye to eye with artistic vision and I’ve come to realize that’s pretty special and rare. 

Finding a colorist was tough. I felt like Mike Nicol’s casting Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, we just couldn’t find anyone. We originally were going to do the coloring in Spain but had an issue getting the hard drive into customs. Then we briefly hired someone in Los Angeles, but their test work looked terrible. Finally, we found Pierce, who was fresh out of school but incredibly patient as we figured out the palette. Also, he’s very talented. He’s absolutely someone I would work with again.

Sardar Jaf, Visual FX Artist

Tell us about yourself and your role in this film

My name is Sardar Jaf, and I am a visual effects artist with a deep passion for storytelling through digital imagery, alongside a profound love for art and the camera. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working on various projects ranging from high-concept films to more intimate, character-driven stories. My expertise lies in creating immersive visual effects that enhance the narrative without overshadowing it.

Previously, I worked on films such as Voice of Shadows and Juba the Sniper, where I was responsible for all the visual effects. Additionally, I’ve contributed to major productions like Spaceman, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Call of the Wild, Hawkeye TV show, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Shazam, where I served as an Effects Artist. In these projects, I collaborated with large teams to bring the directors’ visions to life.

In 2024, I was honored to receive the Winner Festival Award for Best Visual Effects for my work on Voice of Shadows. Beyond feature films, I’ve also applied my skills to visual effects in advertisements, consistently delivering high-quality work that meets the unique demands of each project.

 I was the sole CGI artist responsible for creating all the visual effects in the movie. Although I was not available on set, I maintained effective communication with the director and cinematographer to understand their vision and specific requirements. I had the freedom to brainstorm and develop CGI ideas independently, and I received full support and green light from the director throughout the process. This level of creative freedom and collaboration made for a productive and successful partnership, allowing me to integrate the visual effects seamlessly with the live-action footage.  

What tools did you use in this project? Software, hardware, etc. Why did you select those for the task(s).

For this project, I used Houdini for creating and rendering all the 3D effects. Houdini was selected for its procedural capabilities, which were essential for handling elements like fire and smoky ghosts that required a consistent look across various sequences. The procedural nature of Houdini allowed me to generate numerous variations of effects and adapt them efficiently for different shots.

For compositing, I utilized Nuke from The Foundry. Nuke was employed for 3D camera tracking, compositing CGI elements over live-action footage, as well as rotoscoping, and cleaning and removing footage that required some cleanup. Its node-based workflow and comprehensive toolset were instrumental in seamlessly integrating the visual effects with the live-action footage and ensuring a polished final result.

My workflow operates as a small production running on a single machine. This setup allows me to efficiently manage and execute all tasks while maintaining a streamlined and focused approach to the project.

And any other info you want to offer of course from your time working on the film. 

During my time working on this film, I had a lot of fun and found the process to be smooth and enjoyable. The project was a gratifying experience that highlighted the benefits of effective collaboration and the power of advanced visual effects tools in realizing a cinematic vision.

Pierce Ryan, Colorist (LinkedIn)

Tell us about yourself

I’m a colorist with a diverse background in film and video production. I’ve worked on a variety of projects, including short films, documentaries, and feature-length productions. Before working on Voice of Shadows, a couple of my favorite collaborations were with Director Jon Amiel and Cinematographer Will Turner on a really cool black-and-white short. I’ve always loved Copycat and The Man Who Knew Too Little, so getting the chance to work with Jon was an incredible experience.

I started coloring at FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts. At the school, you color the films you shoot, and in my second year, while on set, we ran late, and some shots that were supposed to take place in the evening ended up being shot at twilight. So, I had to learn a lot about DaVinci Resolve to get those to match. Then, in my final year, the same thing happened! I spent the next couple of weeks locked in the color lab, really honing in on the mismatched shots. After these two trials by fire, I became more interested in DaVinci and decided to give it a shot as a freelancer.

For Voice of Shadows, I served as the colorist, responsible for shaping the visual tone and atmosphere of the film through color grading. We spent a lot of time at the beginning testing different palettes and styles, coloring stills from each scene to decide what felt cohesive and most appropriate for the story. Nick, the director, came in with a lot of great references and inspirations, which made the process a lot of fun. I love horror and especially enjoy how the genre allows for so many creative liberties visually. Nick and I had a great time experimenting with different approaches, pushing scenes in unique directions, and seeing where we landed. In the end, my work focused on enhancing the mood, deepening contrasts, and fine-tuning the color palette to reflect the film’s narrative themes, creating an immersive experience for the audience.

As for the tools I work with, I used DaVinci Resolve for the obvious reason that it’s industry standard, intuitive, and the best out there. I also used the black magic micro panel. It’s not totally necessary, I’ve heard stories of well known directors coloring their films with just a mouse, but I’ve found that it really helps with the fine-tuning.

It was great working with Nick and the team. I’m excited for the audience to get to experience the film!

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VOICE OF SHADOWS

Directed by: Nicholas Bain

Written by: Nicholas Bain

Starring: Guillermo Blanco, Corrinne Mica, Bee Vang, Michael Paul Levin, Martin Harris

Produced by: Guillermo Blanco, Martin Harris, Jamie Roberts

Executive Producers: Nick Breid, Todd R. Johnson, Dan Lehto,

Stephen McGraw, Nicholas Bain

Associate Producers: Matthew Fahey, Matt Roy

Cinematography by: Neil Murphy

Edited by: Mark Ferris

Music Composed by: Utkucan Eken, Elif Karlidag

USA I 2024 I Horror, Thriller I 90 minutes | NR

Scatena & Rosner Films is proud to announce the North American release of the gothic horror thriller VOICE OF SHADOWS, the debut feature film from director Nicholas Bain. The film was acquired in a deal negotiated by Bain and Gato Scatena, Managing Director of Scatena & Rosner Films.

Infused with nods to cinema classics The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, and The House of Sand and Fog, the film stars Guillermo Blanco (The Queen of Flow) and Corrinne Mica (Always, Lola) as a couple caught in the clutches of a mysterious cult and a supernatural evil entity, and Bee Vang (Gran Torino) as a young priest trying to save them all before it’s too late.

VOICE OF SHADOWS will arrive September 17 on digital and streaming platforms, including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango at Home, Vimeo, and local cable & satellite providers.