The Cinematography of "Final Destination Bloodlines" with DP Christian Sebaldt, ASC
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025
Cinematographer Christian Sebaldt, ASC, and B Camera Operator John Davidson, in New Line Cinema’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo By Eric Milner
“Final Destination Bloodlines,” the sixth installment in the long-running Final Destination franchise, takes audiences back to the very beginning. Reinventing the series mythos with a generational twist, “Bloodlines” has set records as the highest-grossing and best-reviewed installment in the franchise.
We connected with Emmy-winning Director of Photography Christian Sebaldt, ASC, to discuss the experience of crafting “Bloodlines,” from defining the visual style of different time periods and shooting for IMAX, to collaborating with powerhouse directing duo Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein.
by Ryan Rosenblum
In "Bloodlines," there's a strong contrast visually between the past and the present. We've got this fantastic opening flashback sequence of this event that was circumvented in the past by the main character, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana)’s grandmother, Iris (Brec Bassinger.) What was the process of developing that distinction, and the unique look for both time periods?
I'm embarrassed to say that we fell into that look! (Laughs) The plan was to shoot footage and then sit with my regular colorist, Paul Westerbeck at Picture Shop, develop looks, show them to the directors and say, ‘What do you enjoy? What works for you? What's interesting? What's a little unique? What's different than what other people are doing?’ Prep was happening and there was so much going on. We're building a gigantic restaurant set and we're doing camera tests on that set. As the LED volume was being built, the native color of the LED volume was really daylight, because that's when the LEDs produce the most output. You can tweak it and turn it to other colors, tungsten and so on, but we left it daylight and we shot our first test. All the practicals inside the set were tungsten, the chandeliers, the little table lamps and the sconces on the set walls. We set our camera to daylight so that the outside of the set, the LED volume, would look correct.
As a result, we found that there was a really rich warmth in this restaurant set. It just looked really nice. We looked at each other and said, ‘That's the look.’ The characters walk inside and there's this glorious inviting warmth from this brand new, state-of-the-art restaurant way up there on top of a 400' tall spire. And we said, ‘We got it, that's it.’ And so that's what we went with. Then, with the exterior, as they arrive, we tweaked the look a little bit in that warmer direction, but not too much, so it wouldn't look weird to have such a warmth out there. The present day scenes had a 'normal' look, so that it looks like where you and I live, the reality that we're familiar with.
The 360° restaurant set on stage during prep with the LED volume outside, in New Line Cinema’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
What kind of process was it like preparing for IMAX? How did that impact the camera and lens choices that you were going with?
When we were officially told that we are going to be releasing in IMAX format, I contacted Bruce Markoe, head of post production and image capture at IMAX here in Los Angeles, in Playa Del Rey. I asked him for permission to use my Blackmagic Design cameras for additional angles on the film. I was in Vancouver at that point and offered him to shoot tests and have him look at them and if there's any camera that doesn't work for IMAX, to let me know and we will not use them. He was kind enough to say yes to that.
Bruce actually came up to Vancouver and we met at an IMAX theater with the directors and projected all the footage. We had tested the Sony Venice 2s, and also my two Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera 6K Pros and my URSA Mini Pro 12K. All performed well and we got the green light to use them to supplement our Venice 2s on the main and second unit. We filmed with a full Leitz Prime set (18-180mm), the Angenieux Optimo Ultra 12X zoom and other lenses. The Angenieux zoom was instrumental for me to shoot the Final Destination signature shots going into and out of eyes for premonition transitions.
The film was framed in 2.39:1 and, when shooting, we protected the image for the taller IMAX format 1.90:1. During post we created a standard 2.39:1 version for regular theaters, and for IMAX the directors switched formats for only certain scenes during projection!
So you were mixing cameras and throwing in different angles to get the most coverage possible. What kind of choices did you make in terms of how you were flying the camera? There's a lot of fantastic camera movement in the film.
We had the ability to use really any tool that was appropriate for the scene, like telescoping cranes and drones. Dean Heselden, who was our A Camera Operator, came with an ARRI Trinity, which is almost like a body-worn small crane. It's extended off your body. So you can start with the camera really on ground level and go like six, seven feet up high. We used that in a bunch of shots. He also brought a regular Steadicam.
Cinematographer Christian Sebaldt, ASC and on the left Special Effects Coordinator Tony Lazarowich, above the garbage truck set, in New Line Cinema’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo By Eric Milner
One of the setpieces that I really loved in the movie is the tattoo parlor sequence, where you've got this fantastic red light throughout. What was it like developing the look for some of these specific kill sequences?
Yeah, the tattoo parlor was actually a tremendous amount of fun filming, because our actor Richard Harmon (Erik) just played it so well. Pretty early on, the color red was the choice, you just see the first shot and the red gives you an alert, that sense that something bad's gonna happen. I asked our production designer, Rachel O’Toole, and our set decorator, Benjamin Mullen, not to give us any real neon, because I can't control them well enough. They're so bright and they aren’t properly dimmable. All neon is technically dimmable, but there's a chance that they flicker when you dim them down. Neons may also just die entirely, and then we're screwed. So all the lights in that sequence that look like neon are actually LED strips that have been made for us. They really enhanced the tattoo parlor scene. They were fully remote controlled by our gaffer, Sean Rooney.
In regards to the other scenes where deaths happen, we approached every single one of them differently because they are so unique in how they happen. For example, the garbage truck sequence, we built the interior of the garbage truck on stage, so we could put the cameras anywhere we wanted, and so it was safe when the accident happens. That was all built by our special effects team, headed by Tony Lazarowich, so that nobody could get injured. In the opening sequence, our stunt lady in flames (Yvette Ferguson), that was all real, shockingly real. So there were no visual effects. She was put on fire, and she ran through the set multiple times. That was actually a bit scary for us on set, but once you hire the right people, like Simon Burnett, our Stunt Coordinator, anything is possible. We had two people on set that developed a new gel that protects human beings and their skin from burns. Dustin Brooks and Colin Decker are getting an Academy Award from the Motion Picture Academy this year for the development of their 'Naked Burn Gel.' I just found that out a few days ago. So every death was its own challenge.
Bad things starting to happen in New Line Cinema’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo By Eric Milner
In terms of challenges in the camera department in particular, were there any obstacles that came up where specifically working with Keslow Camera, we were able to alleviate during production?
Keslow was great because when you make a movie, you just have to be flexible. Sometimes our schedules change and sometimes we’re told, ‘If we don't do this second unit sequence in two days, then we won't get it.’ And suddenly we have another unit shooting, and then you need either more cameras or more lenses or more support or whatever. Our second unit, with Stirling Bancroft, CSC as our DP, came in often at the last minute, not because we didn't know what we were doing, but it might've been the weather, like, ‘Wow, it just rained for a week. In the next two days, it's going to be sunny. Second unit, here we come.’ And so the support from Keslow was very, very crucial for us with being able to get additional lenses, or the LAOWA Periscopes or whatever it might've been at the time. And so that was a good working relationship.
Since you mentioned the LAOWA Pro2be, in terms of the glass, the lenses that you were going with, what qualities were you looking for? What was that testing process like?
Court Weeks (General Manager & Business Development, Vancouver,) was kind enough to let us shoot tests in the room in the back of the Vancouver facility. It was a beautiful, perfect room for testing. We did some appropriate lighting there with good contrast, Christmas lights in the distance and all the tricks that you use for a test that tells you how a lens performs. I had grand plans of using different lenses for the period sequences and the present-day sequences, and Adam and Zach, the directors, were totally on board with that. We tested old Canon FD lenses, and K35s, and this and that, anything that I had been dreaming about applying for those period sequences. They all looked nice. And we’re all going, ‘Yeah, this is a possibility. Those are good. We could use those.’ And then Court came and said, ‘Have you tried the Leitz Primes?’ And I said, ‘I actually have not. I've worked with many other of the Leitz lenses, but not those.’ And he said, ‘Just try them.’
We put the first lens in and everybody, the directors, Tyler Woeste our First AC, Mark Allan our DIT, and myself, we all looked at the images and said, ‘This is so beautiful. These lenses are really, really gorgeous.’ We just fell in love with them. They're not too big or heavy. They're all pretty much the same size. They're easy to work with. And we all said, ‘Let's just shoot both the period and present day segments with these, because we like the look of them.’ They’re spherical, which I preferred over anamorphic because with so many visual effects, I just thought that would make our life easier down the road. Also, to play it safe with IMAX, if we had lenses with aberrations and issues on the edges, that might be a mistake. Everybody's happy with the outcome. We're thrilled.
(L-R) Teo Briones as “Charlie”, Andrew Tinpo Lee as “Marty”, Kaitlyn Santa Juana as “Stefanie”, April Amber Telek as “Aunt Brenda”, Alex Zahara as “Uncle Howard”, Richard Harmon as “Erik”, Anna Lore as “Julia”, Owen Patrick Joyner as “Bobby” in New Line Cinema’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo By Eric Milner
It's stunning visually. I mean, obviously there's a lot of grotesque things happening, but very stunning visuals.
(Laughs) I apologize about the grotesque things.
You come to expect it with Final Destination. You know what you're getting into. But this one definitely feels like it's elevating the carnage to a new level, which is very entertaining. In terms of the camera team, is there anybody that you would like to highlight their contributions to the film?
Dean Heselden, our A Camera Operator, was very instrumental in collaborating and suggesting shots and techniques to get stuff done. John Davidson was our B Camera Operator. When I met him, I told him that his job with the big Angenieux Optimo Ultra 12X zoom was to find and cover the coolest moments of any scene, shots that would then end up in the trailer. (Laughs) He lit up and was immediately on board.
Our first AC, Tyler Woeste, was the wizard in just running the crew, finding a good support team with B Camera First AC Leigh Jenkins, and making sure everything ran smoothly. That was a big job for him because we had so many cameras, and so many lenses, and a big crew. He certainly was helping me to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes, and that we had everything we needed. I relied heavily on our DIT Mark Allan not to screw up exposure and he kept an eye on focus and framing for me. Those were some of the key players that I needed and helped me. Tyler assembled a phenomenal camera crew for me, truly outstanding!! No camera operator can function well without a great dolly grip - A Cam: Thomas Woytkowiak and B Cam: Ryan Marcoux. Our amazing telescoping crane op was David Kershaw.
(L-R) Director Zach Lipovsky (with headset), Director Adam Stein, and Cinematographer Christian Sebaldt, ASC, in New Line Cinema’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo By Eric Milner
You've worked on a lot of horror films. How does BLOODLINES compare and contrast to some of the prior genre work that you've done? This was a very large scale project. Was there anything unique about the experience?
The greatest difference was how extremely thought-out Adam and Zach approached every sequence, and their amazing skill mixing horror with their very unique humor. Like the Rube Goldberg sequences where you just want to giggle and giggle, but you're afraid, because you know something bad's going to happen any moment now.
You hear a lot about duo directors, that one will be the one who talks to the actors, the other will be the one who talks to the crew or deals with the technical aspects. It sounds like in this case, they were very in sync dealing with everything together.
Absolutely. Which was awesome, because that's the way to make a good movie. When you have two directors who either can't make decisions or contradict each other, or they split themselves, then you don't really have the dynamic you need. You need to have one voice. That's what Adam and Zach deliver. It was really fascinating.
The directors were always on set or on stage an hour early. It's a huge benefit, while it's still quiet, to have our fabulous and super smart first AD Carl Mason and us just think through the day again. Often last minute ideas and solutions present themselves standing right there in the set and can make scenes better or shooting more economical and smarter.
(L-R) Director Adam Stein, Director Zach Lipovsky, and Cinematographer Christian Sebaldt, ASC, in New Line Cinema’s “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo By Eric Milner
I know that before we got things going, we were talking about the state of the industry, specifically in Los Angeles. What advice would you give to an aspiring DP who wants to enter the industry in this moment?
Oh, boy. That's a... Besides saying don't do it, (Laughs) I would give the same advice I would have given 10 years ago or 20 years ago. Just start shooting, shoot anything you can, grab an iPhone if you don't have a better camera, buy one of the more inexpensive cameras, you can get free editing software, just start shooting. I have a producer/director friend, who was bored during COVID. He started making fake commercials and put them on YouTube and then all over the internet. Some of them are so good. There's one that really impressed me. And I said, ‘Now, how much did you spend on that?’ And he said, ‘Nine bucks.’ I said, ‘What do mean nine bucks?’ And he told me, ‘Well, we had to buy two Starbucks to get us going while we were filming.’
So I mean, you can do anything. Just go shoot, and meet people. I think that one of the most important things that took me a while to learn, is stay in touch with people, build your community. If somebody is moving up, hopefully they will remember you, hopefully you stayed in touch with them. Maybe they pull you up. If you like somebody that is, say, a great first assistant, then maybe bring them on to your next little project. And then maybe you guys move up together. 'Never give up, never surrender' - we all just have to keep going, it will get better.
In terms of yourself and your own creative practice, how do you stay inspired? What helps cultivate your own creativity so that you're always feeling fresh and are able to approach things with the best perspective?
I watch movies. I love watching movies, I learn from them. I read the trades, American Cinematographer magazine, all the visual effects magazines, and articles online. There's so much out there that you can educate yourself with. Anything new, if I can, I try it out. The best camera rental houses, Keslow included, will let you come in and just look at stuff, test stuff, shoot stuff. So I keep educating myself as much as I can and at the same time, I put my feelers out for possibilities of jobs. There are production listings that are floating around that I go through every week, if I can't contact the producers and directors myself, I send those leads to my agents, to see if they can get meetings for me.
(L-R) VFX Supervisor Nordin Rahhali, Cinematographer Christian Sebaldt, ASC, Director Zach Lipovsky
(with headset), producer Craig Perry (behind Zach,) and Director Adam Stein in New Line Cinemaʼs “Final Destination Bloodlines,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo By Eric Milner
I stay in touch with directors. We go have lunch, we meet for coffee. I learn from other DPs, ‘Hey, if you guys need somebody to come in to shoot drive-bys, I'll do it.’ Then usually that leads to other things if I get the job. I don't just sit on the couch, I really try to work my connections and try to get the next thing going. I love what I do.
You touched on community a bit in both of those responses. It sounds like it’s also about keeping yourself humble so you can keep those connections alive.
Absolutely. Yeah. This is a tough time to get into the business, a really tough time. All the states in this country don't have enough production work, and a lot of production is going to other countries. But that said, I don't think anyone can say that it's impossible to make it in the business, because there's plenty of proof that people have made it before us. So just keep going, just keep trying. [x]