Bringing Frankenstein (Netflix) to life is an extraordinary feat but paradoxically this daunting task represents what in a sense has become the norm for cinematographer Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF and production designer Tamara Deverell as they are both well accustomed to helping writer-director Guillermo del Toro realize his creatively ambitious vision.
Laustsen and Deverell’s exploits span assorted del Toro projects over the years, gaining accolades along the way–and now Frankenstein puts them once again in the awards season conversation. Laustsen and del Toro first established a deep creative rapport on the feature Mimic but logistical and scheduling hurdles kept them apart for some 15-plus years before they reunited on Crimson Peak. The cinematographer recalled that even after that lengthy hiatus from one another, his artistic kinship with del Toro didn’t skip a beat, further intensifying over collaborations on The Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley and Frankenstein. For both The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley, Laustsen’s work garnered Oscar, ASC Award and BAFTA nominations.
Deverell also initially teamed with del Toro on Mimic, serving as an art director. She then became del Toro’s production designer on the TV series The Strain, the anthology series Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and the noir thriller Nightmare Alley starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett. Deverell earned Oscar and BAFTA Award nominations in 2022 for Nightmare Alley which also won her an Art Directors Guild (ADG) Excellence in Production Design Award that same year. In 2023, Deverell garnered an Emmy nomination and won an ADG Excellence in Production Design Award for Cabinet of Curiosities.
The tale of Frankenstein has long been a dream project for del Toro. The well-worn caveat, though, is be careful what you wish for as a dream project can often turn into a nightmarish reality. However, del Toro’s reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic tale has proven fruitful, fresh, relevant, profound and decidedly different from the time-honored narrative we thought we knew.
Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi head a cast which also includes Christoph Walz, Mia Goth and Felix Kammerer. Isaac portrays Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant, egomaniacal scientist who’s seemingly estranged from society and even humanity in some respects. His experimentation yields The Creature (Elordi). Their relationship is at the core of the movie–a father and son of sorts. At first Victor is proud of his creation but those feelings descend into cruelty as The Creature doesn’t live up to what the scientist envisioned. The Creature is left to fend for himself, learning to speak, experience and feel. Sadly among The Creature’s desires is vengeance against his father. But ultimately The Creature matures, developing and embracing the capacity to forgive, altering our perceptions as to what on the surface seems a monstrosity but at its heart is the beauty of divine humanity.
To do justice to this inspired narrative, Laustsen noted that del Toro wanted a contemporary feel to make the story all the more relatable–while not losing the classical style of a period setting. The movement of the camera, the light, focus and texture had to be deployed in a way so that scenes felt alive and contemporary despite being set a couple of centuries ago.
To attain that delicate balance, Laustsen and del Toro went with a large format camera, the ARRI Alexa 65, and used 95 percent of its full sensor, paired with Leica Thalia lenses. This produced a big, classic feeling to the imagery, like vintage 70mm film but with a modern sharpness. Laustsen regards the Thalia lenses as ideal for capturing the beauty of large format filming. The drawback, though, is that Alexa and Thalia in tandem can at times deliver too sharp an image so Laustsen opted to use a diffusion filter on the back of the lens. The filter flares out a bit and has a lovely effect on skin tone without touching the much-desired black in the image. Laustsen had used Thalia lenses before on several films but they were mixed with other lenses. Frankenstein is his first movie where Thalias were the only lenses deployed. The Alexa 65 too was used for all of Frankenstein but that carried its own weighty issues, literally. The camera is big and heavy so the expert work of operators Gilles Corneille and James Frater, and 1st assistant cameraman Doug Lavender was vital.
Laustsen is a master of lighting as a means to define space and convey emotion. A case in point is the laboratory where The Creature was born. Though situated in a tower which conventionally is depicted as dark and ominous, the lab had at times shafts of sunlight pouring through, making the venue almost idyllic–reflecting a place where Victor, a misfit seemingly everywhere else, feels secure and at peace.
Laustsen noted that he and del Toro are simpatico when it comes to lighting and camera movement. Interestingly, back in 2018 when SHOOT connected with Laustsen to discuss The Shape of Water, he shared an observation that remains accurate today relative to his relationship with del Toro. “Guillermo knows exactly what he wants to do and how. As a cinematographer, I find him very easy to be around. We understand each other. A lot of stuff we don’t even have to talk about.” Being figuratively on the same page, noted the DP, has proven invaluable–particularly on the creatively ambitious movies on which he and del Toro team.
Speaking of teamwork, Laustsen shared that among the biggest takeaways from his experience on Frankenstein is a reaffirmation of the power of artists coming together. He said that a cinematographer “needs all the help you can get from everybody–costumes, production design, creature-making, makeup.” Laustsen marveled at how joyful it is when everybody aligns creatively–particularly “when it works so well as it does in Frankenstein.”
Another prevalent lesson learned is one that Laustsen hopes resonates with the audience. Frankenstein, he observed, is a story about love and forgiveness between a father and son. “To love and forgive is so important,” the cinematographer affirmed.
Tamara Deverell
Production designer Deverell related that her bond with del Toro is in some respects difficult to define. “We are such different people but something clicks with us,” she observed, noting that her working initially as an art director with del Toro helped make him feel “comfortable” and served in the advancement of his artistry. Deverell explained that her orientation as an art director–at times coming at things from “a logistics perspective”–allowed del Toro to go off and “push the fantastic.”
Deverell and del Toro share a love of historical art references and through her thorough research and their free flow of ideas, the production designer and the writer-director found that they spoke the same language, building a creative rapport and a high level of trust. Deverell’s familiarity with del Toro’s taste and visual language meant that right out of the gate on Frankenstein she knew that “a circular geometry” and “360-degree architecture” had to go into the sets. Deverell related that the focus on detail–style, textures and feel–is essential throughout each set in that del Toro and Laustsen are “going to shoot every corner of it.” The environment is immersive, placing viewers right in the heart of the story.
Deverell noted that for Frankenstein, del Toro “wanted something operatic and hand-built. It’s the closest to live theater design I’ve ever come to,” she affirmed, translating into one of the film’s major challenges–the work had to be “theatrical and operatic but still grounded enough so that the audience would believe it.”
There were big and small dynamics inherently in that proposition. Settings had to be “breathtakingly large” and “painstakingly detailed at the same time,” said Deverell. And they all had to be blended into a relatable yet uniquely authentic environment.
Among Deverell’s compatriots on Frankenstein were supervising art director Brandt Gordon and set decorator Shane Vieau–artists whom del Toro originally brought her together with on Nightmare Alley. This core team spearheaded the creation of a wide range of settings from the larger-than-life laboratory to a modest rural cottage where The Creature found refuge after escaping from the burning tower. There was also a massive arctic ship lodged in a frozen expanse of water. This latter creation represented an artistic treat for Deverell who noted that as an art school student she worked for a wooden boat company. Before Deverell knew she would be a production designer, she harbored a bucket list wish to build a ship. Deverell got that opportunity, heading a team that constructed a full-sized ship on a massive mechanical gimbal for practical effects. She credited del Toro with giving her a measure of creative freedom to take on that task–and Gordon for his comprehensive support, freeing her for ship duty. Deverell said that by taking on varied logistical and interdepartmental responsibilities, Gordon “allows a production designer to take the time to design.”
Deverell also praised Vieau for his hands-on approach. Rather than just sending out and relying on buyers to make discoveries and purchases, Vieau excels at finding places and things, artifacts and elements that contribute greatly to each set’s realism, particularly enhancing period pieces. Deverell recalled that upon meeting Gordon and Vieau, she immediately felt a strong creative kinship with them–which has been born out in projects like Nightmare Alley, Cabinet of Curiosities and Frankenstein. Gordon and Vieau go back even further with del Toro. For example, Gordon earlier worked with the writer-director on Crimson Peak and the anthology series Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark. Vieau made integral contributions to The Shape of Water and Crimson Peak.
Deverell feels fortunate to be part of del Toro’s creative ensemble, noting that Frankenstein–like all the filmmaker’s projects–carries a steep learning curve from all angles. For Frankenstein that included the Victorian Period, the Industrial Revolution, all the related sciences, and the building of an arctic ship. Having all the departments come together to advance a story and its characters–growing out of del Toro’s imagination–is, she said, a high creative honor.
This is the first installment of SHOOT’s 16-part The Road To Oscar Series of feature stories. Shining a light on such disciplines as directing, cinematography, producing, editing, production design, visual effects and animation, this series will appear weekly all the way through to the Academy Awards gala ceremony. Nominations for the 98th Oscars will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Hollywood, Calif., televised live on ABC and streamed on Hulu.
