TECHNIQUE ONER
Camera-wise, Lewis needed something that could achieve an under- the-radar visual language. “Ultimately, doing a oner TV series, we had to be able to move the camera in interesting ways,” he says. “Achieving this was no easy feat and came down to card space, battery life, video transmission, a gimbal that wouldn’t drift or struggle over a long period of time, mobility and, of course, operator fatigue.” He turned to DJI’s Ronin 4D, a camera he claims blew everything else out of the water. “It doesn’t take very long to understand and set up the system,” he explains. “It’s all built in very cleanly, and it comes with a really strong video transmission. It gave us enough storage- card space, but we had to run the 6K head, which had slightly more rolling shutter issues.” Lewis admits there were lens-choice limitations because of how lightweight the system was. “We had to find lenses that worked while also figuring out how to manage exposure when moving between interiors and exteriors – often a range of around ten stops,” he says. “We had to come up with a way of navigating exposure changes, which resulted in us choosing a Tilta Mirage variable ND filter. It was the lightest thing we could find on the market and is a fairly consumer- friendly option.”
NO EASY FEAT Single-shot takes on Adolescence (below) and The Studio (right) demanded strict choreographing ahead of time
© APPLE TV
During the shoot, the crew also had to hide lights where possible. “We had a lighting desk for a bunch of the episodes,” says Lewis. “We changed the level through scenes, so it was about getting all the timing right. Without knowing your technical foundations, it is impossible to start choreographing because you don‘t know what your limitations are.” Ultimately, Lewis wanted the camera moves to feel inevitable and omnipotent without audiences ever thinking about the decision-making behind them. “The choreography and technical challenges were so intertwined,” he recalls. “We had to walk with the actors and test systems constantly to make sure everything was going to work and limit the thousands of things that could have gone wrong. “My spinal column really appreciated being able to share the camera between multiple operators. With most other systems we were tied into being the sole operator. Here, it was easy for camera
operator Lee David Brown and I to pass the camera back and forth.” According to Lewis, the secret behind a strong oner is to always think about the motivation behind the movement. “It is about making sure every decision the camera makes feels like a result of the action in the scene and not of a layer above that, like a conscious decision- maker choosing to do something,” he explains. “I became very fastidious about making sure everything had a reason to happen. I think it paid off because people forget it’s a oner and that’s the aim.” There was one element of the shoot Lewis found slightly distracting, however. “For me, the most distracting moment is the drone shot,” he admits. “That was in part because of the wind. Annoyingly, I just see the gusts of wind pushing the camera left and right as it descends. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice it anyway, except someone who knows images.” Lewis was initially hesitant about oners before undertaking both projects. “I’m hoping people watch Adolescence and think oners are valid as a filmmaking technique and are not just a gimmick,” he says. “I wanted to try to approach it slightly differently. I wanted it to be the least flamboyant oner possible. I think anything that gets people stoked about filmmaking and excited by the behind the scenes is really cool as well.” It remains to be seen whether anyone else will attempt a oner as ambitious as Adolescence . Choosing to capture a film, show or even single sequence in one take is always a risk. There is a distinct possibility the result will feel like a show- off device. As McGarvey and Hitchcock suggest, perhaps oners are more of a technical exercise for filmmakers than truly effective filmmaking. Crafting the one shot nonetheless takes meticulous planning, skill and, as is the case with Adolescence , can work exceptionally well with the right story.
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