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THE CROWN SHOOT STORY
WE DECIDED HOW TO SHOOT IT IN A VERY ORGANIC WAY; WHICH SEQUENCES DESERVE MORE COVERAGE
sequences we have prepped for, so you can cover everything in a very simple way. You have 50 minutes of screen time and around 90 sequences. “We don’t question our approach every single time we come back to the show,” explains Adriano, “you basically confirm things that everybody likes and then you question a few things that you might have done wrong in the previous season. You have to keep moving; you don’t need to start from scratch and recheck and question your own options of taste. So it’s a little easier in that sense. “We read the script and decided how to shoot it in a very organic way; which sequences deserve more coverage, which can be done in a couple of shots. This is something we all learnt from Stephen, including Ben Caron. I keep hearing this sentence in my mind from Stephen: ‘It’s all about rhythm.’ The Crown is not pacy but it does have a very nice rhythm. For instance we could come from two pages of dialogue, which could become static and boring, but the next scene should be a little bit more dynamic and maybe we should consider a camera move. For me it works the same way, I could be finishing this sequence on a very tight shot on a word from the newspapers for instance. So I know the next shot should be a massive vista somewhere in Scotland for instance.
“For Season 3 I’m shooting a four-episode block back to back and I’m still not sure if I’m going to stay all the way to the end for episodes seven to ten. I’m glad to be at the very beginning of the season in case there is something we have to change or just check. Also we’ll establish a short list of rules that we will present to the new directors and the new DOPs.” ORGANIC SHOOTING Right from Season 1 The Crown has developed an enviable rhythm which came from the initial director Stephen Daldry. This is the key element that drives everything Adriano shoots. “So although we followed the same kind of rules with the same types of framing and so on, it’s supposed to be a classic or classy show so we don’t struggle much when we ask ourselves, does this look too conventional? We’re used to this type of framing and composition as that’s very much what we like about the show. Especially when I’m working with director Ben Caron or Stephen, we have the overall look in our minds from the very beginning. You don’t have to question yourself, you’re concentrating on finding elegant framing and simple ways to cover the scenes. “Although when you watch the episodes they don’t feel too pacy, when you break down the scripts, they are pacy, because of the number of
definitely feel a different period but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to go handheld or question all the visual rules, but there will be new elements and freshness. Especially as you have an entirely new cast. “On the other hand as a DOP I’m also a little bit afraid of changing too much when you’re presenting a new cast. Maybe visually you have to stay consistent in a sense, you don’t want to scare the audience. Of course we want to embrace a few changes but I think overall it needs to look like The Crown somehow. We need to evolve within this look that we all love. But there will, of course, be changes. I’m thinking we will probably keep the same camera body and still use vintage lenses but probably newer ones. I was using Cooke Panchros from the 50s so now I will use Zeiss Superspeeds from the late 60s and 70s. They still deliver a more period, more romantic look but they are newer. These are a few of the things that I’m considering.”
ABOVE The Queen strutting her stuff – in keeping with original director Stephen Daldry’s mantra, ‘it’s all about rhythm.’
ABOVE Giving the actors space on set and to create a sense of reality, DOP Adriano Goldman keeps his light sources out of the way.
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JULY 2018 DEFINITION
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