THIS IS GOING TO HURT PRODUC T I ON .
SMOOTH OPERATION With so much medical equipment on-set, the filming gear had to be light and mobile
action and the atmosphere is palpable. Stakes are high, and they feel real. Even when the story isn’t so high-octane, we often see it over the shoulder of Adam. As our protagonist, it’s natural he would feature heavily, but the extent to which he commands the screen communicates the extent of his tiredness. “He’s in every shot of his scenes – either face or shoulders.
This really hits home the exhaustion he experiences, because we are with him every step of the way.” Spence describes the method by which scenes were generally filmed: “Instead of using traditional wide shots, we would get coverage of the whole scene handheld, while following Adam with a 40mm lens – that would be our master. The rest of the coverage would be shot over his shoulder, on 50mm or 65mm for the most part.” This was captured via Zeiss Supreme Primes. “They’re fantastic, pretty much the fastest mainstream lenses you can get for large formats.”
All these facets in combination – the small Alexa Mini LF, practical lighting and naturalistic, controlled approach to production – facilitated the telling of a timely story. Allowing a viewer to step inside a hospital and understand the flawed humanity of its workers is vital, especially in a period when we’ve spent more time thinking about the medical world than ever before. Adam Kay – the real one – touched many with his book. Benedict Spence, and the whole team, did well to bring his words to life. Watch This Is Going To Hurt on BBC One
PERPETUAL MOTION The crew kept the camera moving however they could, to create an immersive view
45. APRIL 2022
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