DEFINITION March 2018

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PEAKY BLINDERS SHOOT STORY

roadcast at the end of 2017, the fourth season of Peaky Blinders has continued the success of the previous three in terms of both

critical and audience reaction. The word ‘stylish’ comes up repeatedly, perhaps in reference to the assured sangfroid of the characters, perhaps in reference to the use of modern music, but certainly in response to the visuals. To date, all but one season has used a single director of photography, with George Steel establishing the look in the 2013 season. Simon Dennis (with a single episode by Peter Robertson) worked on the 2014 season, and Laurie Rose, BSC, in 2016. The fourth season was photographed by Cathal Watters, ISC, who took a break from grading the feature film Dark Lies the Island to discuss his involvement in Peaky Blinders . The production’s fourth season was Watters’ first collaboration with director David Caffrey, who was also new to the world of 1920s gangsters. “This was his first season,” Watters begins, “and it was my first season. I did all the episodes… it was massive, absolutely massive pressure going in. I thought it looked completely amazing, every season. I was being handed over a mantle and it was this precious thing: Peaky Blinders is more than the sum of its parts. It has this massive cult following. If you go onto Twitter, once the season has aired fans are putting up new cuts of stuff, people are commenting – my main aim was to get to the end without being fired!”

ABOVE Apart from regular shoots around Birmingham, Bradford and

IS THERE INTENT IN EVERY SINGLE SHOT? IS IT MOVING THE STORY ALONG, TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING? IS IT BELOW A CHARACTER TRYING TO MAKE HIM A HERO? IS THE LIGHT SOFT ON HER SO SHE BECOMES THE LOVE INTEREST?

Manchester, there are excursions to the coast.

cinematographer is well known for its variability, with some directors preferring to be very specific, and others delegating almost entirely to the camera department. Watters describes his interaction with Caffrey as avoiding either extreme while affording the flexibility to pursue that crucial intent. “I would suggest ‘this is how I think we should shoot it’, and he’d say ‘go ahead’. He didn’t micromanage me. He got the best out of me, the best out of the actors. That’s the sign of a good leader, you’re trying to do your best for him.” Watters describes the 75-day schedule, during which the crew would produce six hours of high quality television, as “absolutely gruelling... some days you’d be doing eight pages, nine pages.” The production allowed more time for more complex material, particularly involving a spectacular shoot-out that takes place, “meandering through a tenement house. Thankfully we had a good few days for that, we were doing one or two pages a day – I guess we were nearly five days’ shooting it.” With a clear mandate to be

maintain the series’ experienced crew. “Everyone from Phil Brookes, the gaffer, and all the camera crew – they’d worked on it before. I just called up the producer and I ensured he’d recommend everyone, and he did, so I called them and asked them back. Phil had lit the sets before, he knew what sort of an animal Peaky Blinders was. Chris Hutchinson had done Steadicam on three series. His moves were amazing. There’s a familiarity in the crew as well and I didn’t want to be changing that. They came back on a show that they loved.” The cinematographer describes his approach as being based on two key considerations, “intent and consistency. Does season four have a consistent look from beginning to end, and is there intent in every single shot? Is it moving the story along, trying to say something? Is it below a character trying to make him a hero? Is the light soft on her, so that she becomes the love interest? That’s the most important – intent.” The distribution of responsibilities between director and

KEEPING CONSISTENCY Peaky Blinders is shot around Birmingham, Bradford and

Manchester, with the fourth season wrapping in July 2017 and completing post-production as the series began to be transmitted in November. Watters made an early decision to

BELOW Cillian Murphy, as anti-hero Tommy, dominates the skyline.

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MARCH 2018 DEFINITION

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