DEADHEADING PRODUCTION
wanted to go against that. We knew we wanted something much more vibrant and saturated.” That decision was also partly a reaction to what they were seeing on the festival scene, namely the ubiquity of moody aesthetics, heavy grain and vintage optics. “We wanted a cleaner image while still retaining plenty of character in the lenses,” he explains. This, plus the fact they wanted to use wide-angle lenses, led them to the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF, a large format camera that offered a clean, detailed image while still delivering plenty of depth. They paired it with TLS Vega lenses – full of character but also clean. “Combined with the large format sensor and Blackmagic’s colour science, it became such a magical combination,” enthuses Connaughton. “It was exactly the look we were after.” Throughout production, the URSA proved itself time and again to be the right choice, he continues. “The biggest factors were the large format sensor and the way Blackmagic RAW works, particularly in the newer camera. Although it’s a 12K camera, we actually shot Deadheading in 4K. It was a 4K image downsampled from the 12K sensor because we were working on a very low-budget production and simply didn’t have the resources to manage a full 12K or even 8K workflow.” SHOOTING ON A large format sensor HELPED GIVE THOSE CONFINED SPACES more depth ”
carried out,” he laughs. “We avoided blood and gore and leaned into the absurdity of it all. The aim was to leave the audience conflicted about how they should feel, but ultimately hoping they’d almost forget she’d murdered anyone because they were invested in her story.” Connaughton, who describes Deadheading as a ‘granny slasher’, loved the script immediately for its pitch-black humour but also the sweet love story at its centre. “Doreen’s doing something completely outrageous, but she’s doing it out of love for her husband and his dream. That’s what gives the film its emotional weight,” he explains. “Our earliest conversations revolved around
one question: how do we make it funny while still making it heartfelt?” Kevin McNally and Stephanie Fayerman’s performances were an essential ingredient. “They had worked together a long time ago and were already friends, so they had this wonderful chemistry together. There’s a scene where they’re talking in the flat about their situation, and Stephanie says the line: ‘If I could live my life again, I’d choose you.’ When we were filming that scene, it was so beautifully performed that members of the crew were genuinely welling up,” he shares. “Those performances are what hold the whole film together. They make the comedy land, but they also make Doreen’s motivations feel completely believable and emotionally grounded.” The director and DOP were inspired by the tone of old Ealing comedies, but visually the touchstone was Theatre of Blood , the Douglas Hickox film starring Vincent Price. “That film has such rich, vibrant colour, and we loved the contrast between its horror elements and its colourful aesthetic,” says Hughes. “Traditionally, horror tends to lean into cooler, desaturated palettes, but we
MIXED FEELINGS The team wanted to blend lightness with emotional weight, comedy with dark subject matter
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