Provide camera kit and post services for the BBC Two 90-minute drama

Post and hire Films at 59

Client Whitby Davison Productions for the BBC

Brief Provide camera kit and post services for BBC Two’s 90-minute drama based on the birth of the Paralympic Games.

How it was done Shot on location at Bristol University, DoP Matt Gray used Arri’s Alexa for the majority of the shoot interlaced  with shots from the Canon 5D Mark II for intimate macro close ups.

Gray worked closely with Films at 59 colourist Tony Osborne who used Digital Vision’s Nucoda Film Master to conform and grade the piece.

“When you’re shooting a period drama digitally, one of the things at the top of your list is to try and take the audience back in time photographically and sometimes that requires taking the edge off the digital element,” says Gray.

“We also wanted to get away from the sepia look that traditional period drama has addressing the 1940s time frame in the costumes and the sets, not in the grade.”

“To achieve this, in the test shots we introduced little hints of colour to the shadow areas and to the highlights,” explains Osborne.

“We didn’t want the slightly de-saturated and bleached look that favours the warmer brown colour palette and so we created a blue element in the shadows and a flesh tone range that was very natural, with a slightly warm almost creamy look to the highlights.”

Watch it Thursday, 9pm, BBC2

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