DEFINITION July 2018

24 FEATURE VERA

MATCHING THE MASTERS More great cinematography fromUK series Vera. This time DOP Stephen Murphy talks about using Fujinon zooms to enhance Master Prime glass

s we’ve mentioned before in Definition , the UK drama series Vera has become a hotbed for superb cinematography. Series

close-ups with a 4x4 key light, usually a Kino Flo four-feet 4tube through a frame of Lee 129 using a DOP Choice Snap Grid to keep the light off the walls. I’d usually add a light amount of atmosphere too. I’m not a huge fan of LED lights so I try to favour larger HMI or Tungsten Fresnels outside the set with smaller lamps and practicals indoors.” NARRATIVE GLASS Stephen and his director had definite ideas for focal lengths to make the most of the Vera personality but also used an old but tried-and-tested movie technique using Fujinon telephoto lenses. “For our interior coverage the director (Paul Gay) and I found a very nice visual language relying primarily on a 25mm for our wide shots and moving physically closer on a 40mm for our close ups. While we did use other focal lengths when needed, that initial limited lens choice gave us a visual core that worked incredibly well and gave a very consistent, classical visual style. “For our exterior coverage I had something slightly different in mind. I had wanted to carry a set of

eight particularly had some amazing examples, including episode one, shot by Stephen Murphy. Episode one was a grisly tale from the off, involving a blackened body found in an abattoir incinerator; perhaps it’s no wonder Stephen wanted to darken the mood. “I wanted this season opener to have a darker, moodier feeling to it,” he says. “It had some very visual locations right from the start, with the abattoir, the seaside landscapes, the moors... so I was aiming for a Scandi-Noir version of Northern England. “I tried to keep most of the interiors feeling like they were lit from a large single source outside the windows, letting the light fall off very naturally inside. To achieve this, I’d usually work with Gaffer extraordinaire Tony Cook to use large HMIs (18K HMI Fresnels and ARRI M90s) pushed through layers of Day-Grey muslin, sometimes double diffused through an additional layer of Lee 129 Heavy Soft Frost. If necessary I’d supplement

WORDS JULIAN MITCHELL IMAGES ITV

STEPHEN AND HIS DIRECTOR USED AN OLD BUT TRIED-AND-TESTED MOVIE TECHNIQUE USING FUJINON TELEPHOTO LENSES

DEFINITION JULY 2018

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