HEARTSTOPPER PRODUCTION
H eartstopper is one of those rare gems – a comfort show that’s simultaneously devastating and uplifting – that celebrates healthy relationships and doesn’t shy away from topics like gender identity, mental health and teen sex. Now in its third season, the Netflix series – created by Alice Oseman, who wrote and illustrated the original YA graphic novel – centres around Nick (Kit Connor), Charlie (Joe Locke) and their friends at the fictional Truham and Higgs Grammar Schools. The audience is alongside them as these characters come of age, with all the accompanying highs and lows. This journey is visually communicated through dreamy lens flares, split screens and overlaid leaves, sparks and scribbles, which evoke the original source material. Simona Susnea joined Heartstopper as DOP on Season 2, honouring the series’ initial visual language while also elevating it. “The topics we were approaching in Season 2 were more about friendship, community, elation, being high on love,” she describes. “It needed to feel a little warmer, a little bit more imperfect. It needed a different feel from Season 1.” Season 3 takes this even further, confronting more mature topics like mental illness and physical intimacy while documenting an entire academic year, starting and ending with summer.
ensuring that every decision – whether about framing, lighting or grading – captured the right idea. Susnea started by breaking down the script in terms of visual storytelling, making notes on each scene and how it should translate to the audience. She would ask, ‘What does the character feel in this moment’? “Everything connects with the other departments,” continues Susnea. “We worked together to create a coherent world.” From settling on a colour palette to selecting the most romantic lighting, there was plenty to discuss during the planning phase. “It’s important to prep as much as possible,” she states. “Once you’re on-set working with the director and actors, you can see what inspires you in the moment.” Many of the Heartstopper cast were first-time actors with little on-set experience. “It was a bit of a hit-and- miss at the beginning, but ultimately, we wanted them to have the freedom to be themselves,” Susnea recalls. She operated on Season 2, serving as the first point of contact during shoots. “With every project I do, it’s important that people in front of the camera feel calm, confident and have the space to be vulnerable. You are inherently vulnerable as an actor – you’re exposing yourself.” The crew did their best to be friendly and explain the filming process, but the series was relatively unrehearsed. “When we arrived at a place where we felt we were roughly there, we gave them the freedom to get into their performance and forget about us recording.”
SETTING THE MOOD Heartstopper ’s coherent visual identity required coordination between teams,
TO THE BEAT OF ITS HEART The show needed its visual aspects to resonate with and amplify the myriad of feelings it presented
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA FEEL calm, confident and can be vulnerable ”
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