FEATURE | MAK I NG OF A LEGEND
Ed Lachman, ASC
Carol (2015)
“I’ve always worked with Cooke lenses. I have a set of older Speed Panchros and for Carol I used those alongside the S4/i lenses and two Cooke zooms. Early on when Cooke was deciding to make the ‘newer’ [S4] lenses they asked a number of contemporary cinematographers why we were so enamoured of the old Cooke lenses – what made them special for us? In my research I found that the early Cookes were made like ‘portrait lenses’ – they have a slight fall-off in the flat field of the lens and create a certain contour and shape that is very pleasing to faces. With the new generation of lenses, Cooke has kept that pleasing, rounded look that is wonderful for character-driven work. “I knew that this story was going to take place in the emotions of the characters, and so Cooke lenses naturally lent themselves to this feeling of shape – they always feel like they have more depth, they’re not so clinical in their representation and they enhance the imagery.” “I love Cookes and will always use them when I can. The S4/i range is perfect, it gives you a huge choice from 14mm to 180mm and everything in between that really covers every eventuality. The aesthetic is a more forgiving look – which is not to say they’re not sharp, because they are – but they give a rounder finish and a nice depth-of-field which is particularly good for a period drama.” Nick Dance Poldark series 3 and 4 (BBC, 2017/18)
Stephan Pehrsson Jonathan Strange andMr Norrell (BBC, 2015) “The production was very atmospheric, with lots of flickering candles, smoke, moonlight and firelight – as a period drama it needed to feel a bit dirty and smoky to evoke the atmosphere of the time, and the Cooke S4/i lenses handled smoke and light contrasts very well. They have that slightly gentle look which is especially suited to period productions. We shot most of the series on slightly longer lenses further back, giving the actionmore freedom. When the action got more intense or magic was happening we often used wider lenses closer up.” Dane Lawing, SOC Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History (CNN six-hour, six-part miniseries, 2018) “I just love these lenses. For the last year and a half, I’ve used either the S4/i series or the Mini S4/i primes pretty much exclusively. I like the cinematic look that Cooke gives me; they’re not harsh – especially with digital cinematography – and they have
a contrast I love, with deep blacks where midtones don’t suffer and great bokeh.”
Shane Hurlbut, ASC Fathers and Daughters (2016)
“After two days of lens tests with a variety of manufacturers’ prime and zoom lenses, once we projected onto a 40-foot screen, it became clear Cooke was the best lens to tell our story. The ‘jaw drop’ for [director Gabriele] Muccino was the three-dimensional quality of the Cookes. We were shooting in small places – a New York City apartment, a social services office – and the Cookes pulled the actors out of the background, giving depth to the image. Actors appeared to be 30 feet away from the background with the Cookes versus ten feet away with other lenses. We were able to get a three-dimensional feel through the optics. In hair and make-up tests, the lenses made the actors come alive.” “I was looking to give Midsomer Murders a new look, to update it a little. When VMI took over the contract [to supply camera equipment] we explored some uncoated Mini S4/is along with Arri Alexa cameras. I took them for one episode, and ended up keeping them for the whole series. Cooke lenses give a nice colour rendition, they are detailed without being harsh and the ‘Cooke Look’ is very kind to faces. We do a lot of handheld work, so the size and weight of the miniS4/is was helpful, and we went with uncoated lenses as I wanted to get some nice flares which would help update the look. Shooting in different lighting conditions wasn’t a problem for the Mini S4/ is. You name it, we’ve shot in it – day, night, candlelight – they cope with whatever you throw at them. They handle colour very well and give a contrast that I like. I had the full range at my disposal and used them all, as they are consistent across the whole set.” James Moss Midsomer Murders series 19 (ITV, 2016)
IMAGES Top, on location with Jonathan Strange and below, Ed Lachman on the set of Carol
50 DEF I N I T ION | APR I L 20 1 9
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