YOU DON’T KNOW ME PRODUC T I ON .
Fact File
LOCATION Though the series is set in London, it was filmed in Birmingham, West Midlands.
CAST You Don’t Know Me is the British TV debut for leading lady Sophie Wilde. It’s only her second production ever, following Eden – an Australian series which aired earlier in the year.
impacting methods of production. “A lot of travelling shots were done on a gimbal, whether it was on a dolly, or controlled by me with a Ready Rig. Because of space, we often put it on a dolly and it becomes a remote head.” It’s a simple change, but one that retains control over the camera, while reducing risk. However, it was sometimes necessary to get up close and personal. Some shots had Hero in the back seat of JC’s car – and then a nightclub hangout – with a bag over
his head. We’re in there with him, while he contemplates his mortality and arrives at a scared, but joyful place of reminiscence. “It was worrying me when I read down the script and saw that I needed to do his point of view from the bag,” McDonnell muses. “Design got us a thin covering and we put a dioptre on the lens. I can remember the matte box was touching Sam’s face.” We spend a great deal of time in close proximity to Hero, with those shots being the most quintessential example of this. Choices regarding camera placement were well-considered, stylistic and narrative decisions. “Being up close just tells a totally different story to the faraway shots of the long lens – even though it’s maybe the same shot size, that physicality of being close makes a difference.” This can help manipulate the atmosphere of the show, by only moving the camera a short distance. “We take advantage of sliders a lot. You can use a 3.5-foot slider to move the camera only slightly around the actor. The whole background changes, but you’re still in this perspective. That’s a great storytelling device for something that is so simple and easy.” By employing simple, subtle, effective cinematography tricks, McDonnell constructs Hero’s tale in a way that feels authentic. One that lets us into the inner turmoil of his experience. It’s easy to become enthralled in the narrative of You Don’t Know Me . The cast, script, set and cinematography make for an immersive world, in which we have to make our own decision – is Hero guilty, or not guilty? Available to watch now on BBC iPlayer
NEW TALENT You Don’t Know Me is filled with rising stars, including Sophie Wilde (above), who plays the mysterious Kyra
STORY Imran Mahmood, who penned the
tome from which the script is derived, is a real-life barrister who took inspiration from the young men he has defended over the course of his career.
“It’s easy to become enthralled in the narrative of You Don’t Know Me . The cast, script, set and cinematography”
21. FEBRUARY 2022
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