PRODUCTION | THE CROWN
CROWN THE A RETROSPECTIVE
WORDS CHELSEA FEARNLEY / P I CTURES NETFL I X
It’s not just the cast that changes. Cinematographer Adriano Goldman divulges the visuals from every season of The Crown
I am mesmerised by The Crown . There’s a strange pleasure and shock factor in seeing the royals portrayed as human beings. And this is before you even consider the visual sumptuousness of it all, which leaves you with a vague feeling that the world is enriched just because they live in it. But as the show has gone on, I’ve found myself oddly confronted. It’s now reached a period that’s much closer to home, and there’s a veracity to that, which is difficult to derive pleasure from. Adriano Goldman, the show’s cinematographer, explains that Seasons 1 and 2 only feel more like fiction because most viewers didn’t live through it. But, in fact, The Crown has never divulged the fairytale fantasies of this famous family. Goldman realised this as he read the script for the first time. “Peter Morgan’s intention wasn’t to depict the royals as living in a fairytale, but rather a nightmare,” he says. As a result, Goldman set up the visuals to be realistic, never naturalistic, and classic, never period, with style rules concerning lighting and framing to keep the look
consistent. “I always light from the outside in and rely very much on practicals, because interiors should feel real. Similarly, I believe that the exterior light should come from outside.” He adds that scenes shouldn’t be shot from too low or too high, and that close-ups should be caught on 50mm and 65mm lenses. OUT OF THE PALACE However, there are a few changes to keep things fresh. The biggest change – which is something Goldman and the entire crew have little control over – is the locations. “Even from Beryl, which was the fourth episode of Season 2, when Margaret leaves the palace, essentially leaving the royal side of the story, to meet Tony Armstrong at his London Studio – that signalled to me the show’s evolution, and there was nothing I or anyone else could do to change that.” According to Goldman, it was no coincidence Beryl performed so well at the awards. “I think it’s very likely the way in which we mixed the two sides of the story,” he explains.
04 DEF I N I T ION | JANUARY 202 1
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