Behind the scenes

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Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 1 – pickup shots

Tuesday, November 21st, 2017

Behind the scenes during filming of pickup shots for Endeavour series 5, episode 1 in Exeter College, Oxford. There are lots of nice shots on this roll but I can’t share them just yet because of spoilers so for now these are the only ones I can share. This is the first time I had seen the Endeavour crew filming pickup shots for an episode that had finished filming months previously and goes to show how the production team never stop short until they’re completely happy with an episode.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 40/1.4 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 800, developed in Kodak HC110 1+31. Pakon scans.

Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 9

Saturday, November 11th, 2017

Behind the scenes photography during filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 4. This was the final day of filming on this episode and the whole day was spent filming interiors of Cowley CID. It was fascinating to see how a space could be transformed in terms of mood and tone by subtle changes in the lighting and how it interacted with the actors. The main cast were in most of the scenes and I had a wonderful time spending the whole day documenting the cast and crew at work. Filming on series 5 wrapped yesterday (10-Nov-2017) as I put this blog post together so I won’t be seeing Team Endeavour until next year but between now and then there are many more photographic memories still to come.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 35/1.2 Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock. Pakon scans.

 

Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 6 – part 2

Wednesday, November 8th, 2017

The Endeavour crew were back in Oxford for two days of filming for the sixth and final episode of series 5. These behind the scenes pictures are from the morning of day one. More pictures will follow after the episode has been broadcast but for now here are the spoiler-free ones. For this roll I used the 50/1.5 Voigtlander Nokton lens for a change because I’ve been favouring the 40/1.4 Nokton for a long time now but because the Leica M6 displays 50mm frame lines when you use a 40mm lens it’s difficult to be precise with composition. On another technical note I used distilled water to dilute the D76 developer. The water in the darkroom I use is quite hard and I’ve also been using distilled water for the wetting agent and have seen a big reduction in drying marks on my films.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 50/1.5 Voigtlander Nokton lens, Eastman Double X motion picture film developed in Kodak D76 1+1. Pakon scans.

 

Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 6 – part 1

Sunday, November 5th, 2017

Behind the scenes during the filming of Endeavour series 5 episode 6 on the first of two very busy days in Oxford for the cast and crew. I documented as much as I could and have a lot of behind the scenes pictures to share but in order to avoid spoilers I will post most of them after the episode has been broadcast. Oxford city centre was particularly busy on this day – especially for a Sunday – and it was most likely due to it being the first weekend after the new Westgate shopping centre had opened. Turl Street ended up getting crowded quite quickly as more and more people stopped to watch the filming.

[Tech info:] Konica Hexar AF, Ilford HP5 film developed in Kodak HC110 1+31 for 5 mins. Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 5 – part 3

Sunday, October 29th, 2017

Behind the scenes during filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 5 in the grounds of Brasenose College, Oxford. The whole day was spent at Brasenose but these are the only shots I can share from this roll without giving any spoilers. The others will follow after the episode has been broadcast.

[Tech info:] Konica Hexar AF, Ilford HP5 developed in Kodak HC110 1+31, Pakon scans.

 

Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 8

Saturday, October 28th, 2017

A day of filming inside the police station interior set for series 5 of Endeavour. I was fortunate enough to spend a day with the cast and crew and this is a little peek behind the scenes. On this occasion I took a lens with me that doesn’t usually get a lot of use – 35/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton. This is neither a small nor a light lens but it comes into its own in low light situations, even wide open.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 35/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock, Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 7

Saturday, October 21st, 2017

Behind the scenes during filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 4 in Oxford. At the start of this roll the main action was taking place inside rooms at Exeter College – you can see the big lights used to simulate sunlight through the windows. After that it was a location move around the corner to Radcliffe Square for a very quick shot involving supporting artists only and once again a big light was used to simulate sunlight. It’s amazing how much work goes into what will probably end up being seconds on screen.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 40/1.4 Nokton lens, Ilford FP4 developed in Tetanol Ultrafin. Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 5 – part 2

Friday, October 20th, 2017

This is a short Endeavour post because most of the shots on this roll contain spoilers so they will have to wait until after the episode has been broadcast. This day of filming took place in the grounds of Brasenose College and apart from a rain shower in the morning and at the end of the day we were fortunate with the weather. It was a busy day with quite a few setups to get through and because of the rain at the end of the day and the rapidly dropping light level the last setup was reshot the following day in much better conditions. Rain or shine the crew always soldier on.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 40/1.4 and 75/1.8 lenses, Eastman Double X motion picture film developed in Kodak D76. Pakon scans.

Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 6

Tuesday, October 17th, 2017

Behind the scenes photography during filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 4. This was the last day of filming and it was interiors all day at the Police station. Watching how the set was brought to life with simulated sunlight pouring in through the fake windows was fascinating, add in some haze and you’re instantly transported back to the 1960’s. It was a fun day and we even managed to finish slightly ahead of schedule which always makes for a happy crew.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 40/1.4 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Xtol stock. Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 5 photo shoot

Thursday, October 12th, 2017

It’s not every day you come across an Endeavour photo shoot on the streets of Oxford so when I did I thought it would be nice to document a little behind the scenes. I didn’t do much because I didn’t want to be too distracting and disrupt the shoot. The Endeavour crew were in town to film some pick-up shots for the first episode and this photo shoot was slotted in before that. After the shoot had finished I got to chat briefly with the photographer who must be one of the nicest and most down to earth photographers I’ve ever come across. I didn’t have long to chat because I wanted to catch the filming that was taking place in Exeter College – more on that in a separate blog post.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 35/2.8 Zeiss Biogon, Eastman Double X motion picture film developed in Kodak HC110 1+64. Pakon scans.

Oxford: Giffords Circus, 2017 – part 3

Monday, October 9th, 2017

Behind the scenes during a Giffords Circus performance in University Parks, Oxford, June 2017. For this set of pictures I tried out a longer lens than I would usually use to give me some distance for more candid results. It also allowed me to stay out of the way as the performers were preparing for the opening of the show.

[Tech info:] Nikon FM2, 100/2.8 Series E lens, Kodak Supra 200 film (expired), developed in Fuji Xpress C41 kit, Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 5 – part 1

Sunday, October 8th, 2017

Behind the scenes photography from filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 5 in University Parks, Oxford, September 2017. The weather in the morning started off very overcast and dull which was a shame because the scenes due to be filmed called for nice sunny weather but in a stroke of luck the sun eventually burnt through the clouds to completely transform the location. These shots are from my first roll of the day before the sunshine arrived. As this was a new episode I decided to try something different in terms of lens choice for a change so instead of using my Voigtlander 40/1.4 Nokton lens I opted for my 35/2.8 Zeiss Biogon instead. My reasoning for this was that I wouldn’t be needing the speed of the 40/1.4 because there would be plenty of light and I wanted to more accurately compose in the viewfinder – the M6 displays 50mm frame lines when using a 40mm lens. I’m very pleased with the results and have used the images uncropped apart from one frame.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, Zeiss 35/2.8 Zeiss Biogon, Eastman Double X motion picture film, developed in Kodak D76 stock, Pakon scans.