Director Matthan Harris recently turned to Burbank-based AlphaDogs Post to finish his new independent thriller The Inflicted. Postproduction initially began with AlphaDogs editor and colorist Sean Stack working one-on-one with Harris to decide the best approach to meet the desired look for the film. After the final edit was completed, cinematographer Cira Felina Bolla joined the team to review master shots and help shape the cool dark feel of the story. Stack created this vibe by adding just the right amount of contrast and shadow consistently throughout the film, with secondary color grading applied to balance and even out skin tones of the characters.
Scenes shot with different camera angles required careful attention during post to make certain they matched surrounding shots. “Sometimes errors happen during a shoot, or an effect shot comes back from graphics with a gamma shift,” explained Stack. “With the use of powerful color correction tools, external video scopes and professional monitoring, those rare but extreme problems are technically analyzed and repaired so the actors’ performance is saved.”
In charge of audio for the film was AlphaDogs’ VP of audio Marcus Pardo. “I was pleasantly surprised when Marcus salvaged some less-than-stellar ADR lines by seamlessly combining the necessary parts with the original dialogue,” said Harris. Junior audio mixer Curtis Fritsch supervised the background sound effects, adding suspense to the film.
“I worked on finding a good balance of realistic and scary sounds to make sure they complemented the film,” explained Fritsch. “The biggest challenge was in making sure places like the hospital and the farm didn’t interfere with music or dialogue.” The film’s Italian composer Marco Werba visited from Rome to assist Pardo and Harris with the final audio mix.
The Inflicted stars Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects), Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser) and Giovanni Lombardo Radice (The Omen), as well as Harris. This edge-of-your-seat thriller takes audiences into the dark world of a troubled medical student who kidnaps and murders young women. Attempting to replace the family he lost as a boy, he impregnates one of his victims. When the victim is rescued by police, the troubled student goes on a murderous rampage to get his family back.
“The team at AlphaDogs worked very hard on the film with everyone going above and beyond the call of duty,” said Harris. “I can confidently say that we made The Inflicted as good as we could within the budgetary limitations.”
