19
GAME FACE SHOOT STORY
Get your face on The ARRI Amira isn’t best known for use on scripted comedy shows but DOP Benedict Spence found it the perfect camera for E4’s GameFace
WORDS BENEDICT SPENCE PICTURES E4
hen director Andrew Chaplin and I shot the pilot for GameFace in 2013 we didn’t realise it would be
none in my opinion feel as good as the Alexa sensors. Very early on in production Andrew and I decided that GameFace should be a handheld show. The gently observational style would create more of a subjective gaze for the viewer, plus it would allow Roisin and the cast to be more natural with their performances, rather than concentrating on the technical aspects of hitting marks and the like. I also chose to operate the camera
EARLY ON, ANDREW AND I DECIDED THAT GAMEFACE SHOULD BE A HANDHELD SHOW
four years until we were allowed to shoot the full six-part series. With GameFace we were attempting to tell a heartfelt story about a woman struggling through life, but also – and more importantly – make it funny. Writer and star Roisin Conaty poured her heart and soul into the script, which is semi-autobiographical, so Andrew Chaplin and I were keen to really do it justice in terms of visual storytelling. Because we had to work to a UK comedy schedule, speed of working was key to completing the day. We shot the show over six weeks on location in London, on the ARRI Amira Premium with a set of Cooke
5/i primes, all supplied by S+O Media. Lighting was supplied by Cinelease and included ARRI, Kinoflo and Litegear kit. I’ve been shooting on the Alexa sensor since 2011 and I love how it sees the world. The way it handles highlights, skin tones and shadows feels cinematically natural and beautiful, and I know exactly how far I can push it. Technically, there are sensors which perhaps have higher resolution or greater latitude, but
ABOVE Writer Roisin Conaty also stars in this warm, semi- autobiographical
comedy show. RIGHT Benedict Spence and camera on-set.
@DEFINITIONMAGAZINE |
@DEFINITIONMAGS |
@DEFINITIONMAGS
JANUARY 2018 DEFINITION
Powered by FlippingBook