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Unit Stills Photography - Sometimes the set is just too small!

June 06, 2018

The number one question for any unit photographer on a film set is "where can I stand?"

Sometimes, the answer is "nowhere".

This shot was taken on a tiny set, and the crew had managed to squeeze two cameras in, covering the whole space, so there was nowhere I could be safely out of shot. I really wanted this picture - Peter with the Dalek and the dramatic lighting - so I asked if I could mount my camera onto the tripod legs of B camera. I rigged a small silent mirrorless camera just below the big Arri Alexa and fired it using an app on my iPhone.

New technology is making shots possible that we couldn't have dreamed of just a few years ago. The only way to get this picture otherwise would have been to ask the 1st AD if I could step in after the take and pose it just for stills. If I can possibly avoid that then I do - I'd rather get it for real, and the actors and ADs would rather I get it for real and save the time for actual shooting!

On-set unit stills photography, Doctor Who, BBC, Cardiff, Wales.

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