DEFINITION February 2022 – Web

BRIDGERTON PRODUC T I ON .

Production Fact File

LOCATION Bridgerton is filmed in Bath, London and many of the nation’s grand estates

CAST Sex Education ’s Simone Ashley plays heroine Kate Sharma

COSTUME 238 people created 7500 eye-catching pieces for Season 1

STANDING OUT Season 2 sees new characters face the trials of the ton, with the Sharma sisters (above) making waves in the rule-based world of high society

operate. Still, I wanted to have the flexibility of handheld, but not make it a handheld scene, with me leaning over their shoulders or crouching on the mattress with them. So, I found a 25ft crane with an underslung slider that allowed me to respond to their movements, without interrupting them. The camera became almost zero gravity, floating up and down, from left to right, in an effortless motion.” STYLE FOR SUBSTANCE In Season 1, there are two clear-cut families, both alike in dignity, but different in their costume and makeup design. The Bridgertons’ style revolves around an elegant colour palette of pastels and neutrals, to feel romantic and refined. The Featheringtons, on the other hand, mix garish canary yellows with neon pinks and greens, to evoke a Versace- esque feeling. It’s entertaining, much as they are. The addition of the Sharmas in Season 2 brings fresh tones to Bridgerton ’s painting palette, with the family awash in blues, purples and stunning, traditional South Asian jewellery. “I love the storyline of this show, but what I enjoy most is the spectacle of the costumes – and trying to honour the detail of it on camera,” says Blaubach.

“We were already confident in the look of our lenses, filtration and camera workflow after Season 1, but we did test some new looks for Anthony’s flashback scene to his mother, Violet. The memory is happy and sad at the same time, so we wanted two different looks; one that is lower in contrast and warm, and another cooler and harsher. We also used diffusion, and tested lots of options for this before landing on the Pro-Mist diffusion filter, which is a bit crude and old-school, but gave a softness to the scene that couldn’t have been introduced in the grading stage. It worked really beautifully, actually.”

took longer. “Daphne losing her virginity to the Duke in Season 1, for example, included discussions about what she liked and didn’t like, and was an emotional part of the storytelling – so director Sheree Folkson wanted me to shoot it from various angles and in different ways. But as a rule of thumb, I shoot intimacy scenes single camera to minimise the crew, and because there is often only one angle that doesn’t compromise the actors’ modesty.” He continues: “And, of course, these scenes often take place in a bed – not easy to shoot when you’re trying to capture the visual brief of the show, which is to be intimate. It would be the two actors lying down – with me and my camera on top of them – which is difficult to “We landed on the Pro-Mist diffusion filter, which is a bit crude and old-school, but gave a softness to the scene that couldn’t be done in grading”

IMAGINATION RUN WILD Part bodice-ripper, part soppy romance and part drama, Bridgerton is pure escapism

13. FEBRUARY 2022

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