Picture Shop’s Maxine Gervais reunites with director Jonathan Levine and cinematographer Yves Bélanger to enhance the stunning scenery and intense acting in Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers.Boasting lush scenery and an all-star cast, Hulu’s latest miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers, is both a feast for the eyes and a wild, satirical ride. Based on Liane Moriarty’s New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, Nine Perfect Strangers follows nine individuals from the city – played by Melissa McCarthy, Regina Hall, Michael Shannon, Bobby Cannavale and more – who seek to find solutions to their problems by visiting an exclusive health and wellness resort, the Tranquillum House. The resort is led by director Masha (Nicole Kidman) who helps the guests work through their problems using unconventional, and some questionable, treatment methods.
The mini-series, whose premiere has set the record for most-watched Hulu Original, is set in Northern California, but was shot in Byron Bay, Australia, providing a spectacular scenic backdrop to the intensity that unfolds. Senior Supervising Colorist Maxine Gervais and her team, including associate colorist Jeff Pantaleo and finishing editor Erik Kauffman, once again collaborated with the director, Jonathan Levine, and cinematographer, Yves Bélanger, behind the stunning eight-part series. “Nine Perfect Strangers is one of those dream projects,” exclaims Gervais. “I absolutely adore this team. This was my fourth collaboration with Yves and second with Jonathan; they do absolutely brilliant work.”Continues Gervais, “I couldn’t stop complimenting Yves as we were coloring. The material is absolutely breathtaking, and Jonathan always has a fresh take and is so original in his approach. It definitely makes the show that much more interesting.”
As with so many of the projects produced in 2020, Nine Perfect Strangers encountered challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Gervais was not able to review color alongside the director and DP as she would have in normal circumstances. TecStream, Picture Shop’s iOS app, was used to enable secure, remote collaboration sessions between Gervais and the clients to simultaneously view and discuss the color grade, giving everyone involved more flexibility with their schedules and work locations.Adds Gervais, “I am so excited for the world to see this awesome series and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did working on it. It is truly a gem!Nine Perfect Strangers releases Wednesdays on Hulu beginning August 18th