Filmmaker Interview: How Cantini Crafted Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado from Classic Films

Shot across the Colombian jungle, in Doradal and Girardot, and in cave systems built on sound stages in Bogota, Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado found inspiration from classic adventure films of the 80s and 90s.

"[Belli] envisioned a movie in the visual realm of Indiana Jones and The Goonies," Cantini said. "Those adventure movies that were shot in real locations, in the jungle, and on practical sets that are palpable, theatrical."

With this foundation in mind, the first challenge for Cantini and Belli was to develop a visual lan-guage that translated the original animated series but also paid homage to the classic adventure films they had in mind.

"There were some colors that we borrowed from the original palette, like the wardrobe, of course, that's so iconic that you have to go with it" Cantini said. "But again, Alberto's vision was cinematic, bold and action-packed. Completely different than the animated series.” 

"He really embraced how Spielberg lensed Indiana Jones. Classic Hollywood storytelling. Every single shot is telling us something."

Another challenge for Cantini was balancing the exterior world of the jungle and theme parks with the moody and colorful cave systems Dora would explore. For this, the cinematographer would lean on color depth and lighting, as well as the Sony VENICE 2, to capture the nuanced colors and the high dynamic range.

"Visually and creatively, the adventure was pretty much 50% real jungle and 50% sets built by Todd,” Cantini said. "The sunlight in Colombia is really powerful. It's very strong and unpredicta-ble. You can have the sunniest day and pouring rain in the same hour.

"So, we have 50% completely outside with minimal control, and 50% soundstage with 100% con-trol. That was a very interesting mix because it was like two movies in one.”

The cave systems were a challenge of their own. With complete control over their environment, Cantini focused on using lighting to make each cave scene a distinct world. 

"It was a lot of work with Alberto and the production designer on how we want each of these caves to look,” Cantini said. “Dora goes through four different caves during the movie, and we all wanted a very different look and feel for each one of them.”

"Since all the caves are mostly rocks, we picked different textures for the walls, but also many different colors for the light. We even had a bioluminescent cave,” Cantini added. “For this we used a huge array of different LED lighting fixtures, all supervised by our gaffer Juan Manuel Barreto.”

Cantini and his team had to remain flexible and move on set in order to capture these different elements, which became pivotal as the production had to balance their creative elements with their tight and intricate schedule with such a young cast.

Filmmaker Interview: How Cantini Used the Sony VENICE 2 to Capture Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado

With the film split into two distinct parts—bright exteriors with chaotic weather and dim interiors that were completely under control—Cantini needed a camera system that could thrive in both worlds. The cinematographer found this support in the Sony VENICE 2, which he used for the first time on this film. 

"My biggest fear was how to marry these two places. How we go from absolute nature to a fan-tastic but realistic world inside a cave," Cantini said. "I wasn't that scared about the interiors, but outside…I knew I was going to have to rely a lot on the dynamic range of the VENICE 2, the DIT, and on Walter Volpatto, our senior colorist.” 

"Even with the great crew that we had, nature is ungovernable. We were literally in the middle of the jungle. Even a 12x12 bounce was hard to manage. And lighting-wise, maybe you can bring one big LED light, but it's impossible to bring a big generator for some 18Ks."

Cantini found the VENICE 2 was capable of capturing the bright sun of the jungle and the intri-cate shadows that the trees would cast on the talent. Even as the weather changes, the camera system could be trusted to capture all the nuances of the exterior. 

"That was going to be my fighting chance, "Cantini said. "Having a lot of dynamic range and be-ing able to register, at the same time, the full sun and the deep shadow. Having rich volume, and a beautiful negative."

The VENICE 2 also offered creative support across a wide exposure range. With the film's char-acters traveling from bright exteriors all the way into caves where they would use just their flash-lights, Cantini utilized the entire ISO range the camera offered.

"About 85% of the movie we shot at ISO 800," Cantini said. "But then we have some scenes, like night scenes in the jungle, that we shot at ISO 3200. And then, we had some scenes in a cave that we lit only with flashlights."

Cantini had several cameras across two units. At each time, the production would use two or three cameras, with one always on a Steadicam, one on a dolly or a technocrane. But to capture a thrilling yet comical chase through the Hacienda Nápoles theme park, Cantini would also use the Sony FX3 in conjunction with the VENICE Extension System. 

"We have a car chase on a theme park tram, where we used the Rialto to speed up things," Can-tini said. "Instead of 50 minutes, it takes 15 minutes because you just rig the Rialto module there, and it's much faster for the rigging grip. And we also used the FX3 on a motorbike."

Filmmaker Interview: Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado, a Film That Inspires

Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado is a film that takes its audience on a grand and colorful ad-venture. Yet for Cantini, it is also a film that he hopes will inspire the viewers and young filmmakers to be.

"When I was a kid, [Indiana Jones and The Goonies] were the movies that made me want to be a filmmaker," Cantini said. "I remember being deep in the jungle thinking, 'Let's hope that with this movie we can inspire the next generation of filmmakers.'"

"I have been shooting movies, commercials, and TV shows for more than 20 years all around the globe, but these kinds of movies are the reason that I wanted to be in this industry," Cantini said. "Well, I feel Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado is my Goonies. This is our Indiana Jones."

To see Cantini's work and get inspired, catch Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado streaming on Paramount+. And to learn more about the Sony VENICE 2 and the other cameras in the Sony Cinema Line, check out our Camera Comparison chart.