“Duchess” – Shot by Simon Rowling
Hawk London’s creative team is back at it! We had the pleasure to interview DP Simon Rowling just before the premier of his latest work – “Duchess”. We hope you enjoy reading yet another piece on glass!
Director Neil Marshall and DP Simon Rowling bonded over an interview for Simon’s Youtube channel back in 2020 during lockdown. A year later, after watching Simon’s spy film “Legacy Of Lies”, Neil approached Simon with a proposal of shooting his new crime thriller “Duchess”.
Looks and tools
Simon describes the film as a “sun soaked crime thriller” that took its inspiration from films such as “Layer Cake” and is based around a diamond smuggling syndicate that the main character gets herself involved with.
A serious yet fun kind of film, inspired by films from the likes of Guy Richie, Michael Mann and Tony Scott. “Duchess” was intended to resemble these as well as some crime films from the 70/80s.
“While doing the recce’s, I was using my Fuji camera and one of the LUT’s on the camera I found just seemed to work very well with the environments we were filming in. The harsh de-saturation and strong contrast worked really nicely and so we used a Fuji stock as our basis for the films LUT’s.” – recalls Simon
For the desert scenes, the Director Of Photography wanted to achieve a cold rather than warm look to emphasise the scenes context. – “I wanted it to feel quite bleached and washed out, similar to a bleach bypass effect, something you wouldn’t normally expect in a film to represent the hot summer sun, as the scene is very dramatic and a big turning point in the story””
But before they “could play with the greys” to recreate that Fuji camera look, a decision on lenses was to be made.
As the film consisted of blended genres and quite a few action scenes, the DP needed some exceptional glass. “We needed something that was good across the board, quick to work with, and sharp almost wide open, especially with a lot of night scenes.” – Simon explains.
When the scene sets under a burning sun, the last thing a DP wants is a lens that malfunctions. – “We had a lot of heat, so I didn’t want glass and mechanics breaking or having any issues. You know, there’s probably more sweat hitting the lenses than rain.”
Considering a 70’s action film look, Simon had a type of lens in mind. A type he has previously worked with. It was the robust and compact 2x squeeze Hawk V-Lites. A set of lenses that give you just enough character whilst keeping the blooming under control.
”Not many lenses that have character, still hold together under pressure” – States the DOP
As Simon experienced shooting the short film “Boys” for director Ashley Walters on V-Lites, he wanted to get the same set of lenses for spy thriller “Legacy Of Lies” starring Scott Adkins but could not get the set due to its unavailability in Ukraine at that time. This time however, the DP did not have to push production regarding the kit, as the producers Kristyna Sellnerova and Emily Corcoran had him covered.
“Just get what you want” – they said – “I know it makes such a difference” – The Hawk team would like to work with these producer a little more 😉
And just like this, a one day of lens testing turned into two weeks of prep which then turned into 28 days of shooting. The V-lites test footage brought director Neil Marshall fully on board with the choice of kit.
Simon makes an emphasis on pairing the right camera with the right lens. – “It is story dependent, if you want something that holds the clean detail in the blacks and is full frame, you might choose a Red V-Raptor for example, but if you want a textured look with great dynamic range, and a small profile, you go with the Alexa mini and it’s S35 sensor”
And since Anamorphics and Super 35 sensors were Simon’s preferable combination, two Alexa mini’s were going to be shipped to Tenerife…
Action scenes! In cinematic locations
The cinematic, beautiful scenery that is teased to us through the “Duchess” trailer, indicates a successful location scout. This of course did not occur without a challenge. The longer the shoot is, the longer the recce and the prep itself, especially when every day – location changes.
The film was predominantly shot in Northern Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. Who wouldn’t want to shoot there! Especially if you get to shoot some explosions.
As the most challenging scene, Simon recounts a continuous shot involving a panther jib, an explosion and a long tracking shot that took 10 rehearsals to get right.
Having the advantages of the V-Lites’ compatibility was quite beneficial, as it could easily fit on a Ronin.
“A big propane explosion bursts out of a warehouse, with stunt men flying through the air. This is followed by the lead actors running out of the building whilst people were shooting at them” – describes Simon. “And then the assailants jump into the back of their truck as it drove away, shooting back over the top of the camera as we tracked with them down a road” … “none of this would have been possible without the small camera package of the Alexa Mini with Hawk V-Lites, especially when hand off’s were happening between the crane and the tracking vehicle. Delivering a continuously shot action scene.”
And so, you will be able to see the big jib down, the Mini on the Ronin2 with Hawk V-Lites and a whole lot of action on the big screen.
Going forward, going with Hawk
Simon expresses his love for Hawk lenses. “I loved how the Hawk V-Lites held together under pressure, especially shooting at 2.8. They have a lot of character but are still sharp. Most lenses are either vintage and fall apart or are new and have a boring look. I wanted something with brilliant character that still performed well.” – States the DP.
Going forward, Simon would like to incorporate more anamorphic zooms into his portfolio and we can’t wait to collaborate with him (and his lovely producers) on his next adventure.
Images: Trailer Stills as well as photographs taken by Simon’s camera crew
Article by: Anastasia Plisova 08/08/2024 | Updated 09/08/2024
