PRODUCTION BRIDGERTON
“The challenge was to carefully expand the show’s look without breaking the spell” As the new season of Netflix’s Bridgerton ventures below stairs for the first time, cinematographer Alicia Robbins, ASC lifts the curtain on the visual rules and camera craft behind the show’s new chapter C obbled streets, orchestral pop song covers, decadent balls WORDS VERITY BUTLER IMAGES NETFLIX
has got to be sunlight, firelight, moonlight or candlelight – there’s nothing else.” This limitation becomes a powerful storytelling tool in Season 4, especially as the show moves downstairs. Robbins leaned into the capabilities of the Sony Venice 2, the camera used this season. “The Sony VENICE has actually been the camera since Season 2,” she says. “Season 3 was on a Sony VENICE, then we switched to a VENICE 2, which is an 8K camera.” Robbins found that the full-frame sensor allowed for greater flexibility with stabilisation and intimate framing – vital in confined servant spaces. Lens choice is another cornerstone of the show’s look, with ARRI Signature Primes once again the glass of choice. “They are a really well-rounded lens,” Robbins says. “They’re gorgeous and clean and that’s the look of Bridgerton – we’re not doing the gritty period piece style.”
To soften the inherently sharp digital image, she relied on filtration: “Most of the time it is Tiffen Soft/FX,” she explains, sometimes paired with smoke or fog filters to introduce atmosphere and glow around candlelight. CHOREOGRAPHING THE DIVIDE In past seasons, Bridgerton has been noted for its playful use of colour and visual indicators. It creates distinct schemes in both wardrobe and sets among the various families living in Mayfair, as well as using them to inform viewers of the emotional states of each character – often even as subtle as a loose cravat or relaxed hairstyle. Robbins explains how they chose to weave this signature feature into the new season’s theme. “The upstairs- downstairs for the Bridgerton house is a very different look to the upstairs- downstairs of Penwood house,” she
and bodice-ripping rendezvous. It can all only mean one thing: Bridgerton is back. With three seasons under its belt, the visual language of Bridgerton – think glowing candlelight and pastel-toned Regency London – is shifting gears. This season doesn’t just twirl through ballrooms; it descends into kitchens and servants’ quarters. For the first time, Bridgerton is exploring the upstairs-downstairs dynamic. Each series centres on the love story of a different sibling from the eight Bridgerton children, with the fourth instalment focusing on the charming Benedict (Luke Thompson). His mystery woman is Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), who was born into privilege but forced into servitude, moving invisibly through the same grand houses as ‘the ton’, while never being allowed to belong. For cinematographer Alicia Robbins, ASC, who shot four of the eight episodes, the challenge was not reinventing the show’s beloved look, but expanding it carefully without breaking the spell. REGENCY REIMAGINED One of the fundamental rules of shooting Bridgerton , and period pieces more broadly, is the lighting – or more specifically the lack of it. “Because it is a period piece, we are locked into shooting with natural lighting,” Robbins begins. “It
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