DRAMA | PEAKY BL I NDERS I N SSOC I AT I ON WI TH
picture canning
We had a Steadicam, but we also had an Arri Trinity, so you can boom the camera low and then jib up to head height
testing to choose between the Red Monstro 8K VV, Helium 8K S35 or Gemini 5K S35 and the Sony 6K Venice. Bell’s long-standing relationship with Picture Canning’s managing director, Jamie Hutchinson, proved invaluable for securing the new kit. Years ago, when Bell was learning the trade and working as a camera trainee and clapper loader in the north-east, he built his showreel using discounted or borrowed kit from Hutchinson at Picture Canning’s Newcastle branch, and they have both continued to support each other since. The camera testing concentrated mainly on the low-light scenarios that came from the script, down to a cigarette lighter at times. Natasha Larkin, Picture Canning’s bookings manager, explains the extent of the tests: “When we started testing, they weren’t
This fifth series of Peaky Blinders was shot over a gruelling 77 days between September 2018 and January this year. The Monstro used on the shoot was fitted with a customised EVF dioptre developed by Picture Canning in collaboration with Red, and production support was provided on- site by a level 3 Red technician and off-site by Picture Canning’s Red-certified warehouse team. The original intention was to shoot on the Alexa Mini with Cooke anamorphic lenses, which was already a departure from the norm. “Being a series that was already successful, there’s a lot of pressure to do Peaky as Peaky ,” Bell explains. “It took a while for me to be convinced to go down the anamorphic route, because I hadn’t shot that way before and I didn’t feel like we should be changing anything.” But, after testing various anamorphic options with the Picture Canning team, Bell was convinced: “It’s a subtle change, but one that reflects the different time period and story while staying true to the overall look and feel of Peaky .” Although the team also tested different camera systems at the outset, the selection of the Alexa Mini was almost inevitable, as the camera has become the de facto choice for shooting drama. But Netflix’s decision that the series needed to be delivered in true 4K meant the team needed to return to
sure they had to shoot in 4K. We tested a few set-ups; we had the Sony Venice there, the Alexa Mini, the Alexa LF and a Red Helium, which is the Super 35 8K, rather than the full-frame version. We also tested the Leica Summilux spherical lenses and were looking at the anamorphics, the Cooke S6s and XTals, which are unique-looking lenses and bring a lot of character.” She adds: “There was some talk to mixing spherical and anamorphic for different scenes, but then they settled on the anamorphic look.” LENS CHOICE Bell and Byrne discussed a popular, but potentially tricky lens option. Bell explains: “Anthony wanted to shoot anamorphic and that was one thing we did, but I was thinking, ‘You know what, it’s such a
24 DEF I N I T ION | OCTOBER 20 1 9
Powered by FlippingBook