Scene Deconstruction with Milos Kodemo SAS
Miss Scarlet is the imaginary tale of a female detective doing a man’s job in Victorian London. After being left almost penniless following the death of her father, Miss Eliza Scarlet decides to try to make a living by reviving her late father’s detective agency. Her search for the truth leads to a series of adventures as she battles with the male dominated establishment.
For Serbian cinematographer Milos Kodemo SAS, it was very important to create a look for the series appropriate for the story and it’s setting. Milos tells of how the general look of the show became known as the “Eliza look” named after the stories main character. This look was established when the first season was shot and has been used throughout all 5 seasons. The look uses orange and blue tones – for night scenes, blue is used to represent moonlight while orange represents the light from the street lights which, in Victorian times, would have been gas light.
To help obtain this period look, from the start of filming for the 4th season Milos chose the Sony VENICE as the primary camera, with a Sony BURANO being used for some specific types of shots in Season 6.
There is one common thing about every scene, it’s Miss Scarlet, and we are trying to make her a powerful, young lady detective. If I can get a backlight on her, like on a stage, that makes her stand out from the others.
Milos Kodemo SAS
Milos’ careful placement of his lights and cameras, along with carefully choreographed camera movements using cranes, jibs, Steadicam and handheld helps tell Eliza’s story.
Key Insights
- When planning the construction of a large outdoor set, consideration must be given to the orientation of key areas relative to the sun throughout the day.
- A sensitive and low-noise camera like the Sony VENICE can allow period gas lamps to be used for night scenes, helping to create an authentic look for period dramas.
- The IBIS stabilisation system built into the BURANO reduces undesirable jittery movements when shooting handheld, while preserving the handheld look.
Lighting by Gas Light
One of Milos’ reasons for choosing to shoot with the Sony VENICE is its high sensitivity, low noise and dual ISO function. This high sensitivity allowed Milos to use more practical lights to light the scenes for a naturalistic look. It also allowed him to shoot night scenes with authentic-looking handheld gas lamps, held by the actors. These period lamps provided the main source of light, giving an authentic but atmospheric and moody look. For added contrast, a little bit of blue light and haze was added into the background to represent cool moon light while the warm practical gas lamps lit the actors faces.
In the 21st century you have LED lights, you have neon lights. In period you don’t have that, you have sun, sky and practical [gas, oil, and candle] lamps.
Milos Kodemo SAS
Building the Set
Much of Miss Scarlett is filmed in Serbia on a very large backlot set built to represent Victorian London. Within the set, there are different areas such as Market Street, which contains many shop and office fronts.
Another street has a residential area on one side, and this is where Eliza lives. The opposite side of the street represent Scotland Yard. There is also a slum area for the seedier parts of London.
When construction of the set started, a key consideration was the orientation of the different areas relative to the sun. The art department consulted with the director, producer, and Milos to ensure that the different areas would by lit appropriately. Despite this careful planning, Milos explains how at different times of the day the light might not be ideal for some locations. So, certain locations are used at different times of the day according to the placement of the sun and the light it creates. Milos also notes that on overcast and cloudy days, it’s much easier to shoot almost anywhere on the set due to the flatter light.
Milos’ Perspective on the BURANO
As well as the VENICE, Milos has been using the BURANO on Miss Scarlet. Milos likes the BURANO because it is smaller and, as a result, fits better in some of the smaller sets. There is a lot of handheld work on Miss Scarlet and the BURANO works really well for this. The BURANO has IBIS (In Body Stabilisation System) which helps to stabilise the handheld shots, removing small jitters or shakes without taking away the handheld look.
The BURANO also has a built-in variable ND filter which allows Milos to change the exposure during a shot without changing the depth of field, as would happen if you used the aperture to change the exposure.
Milos found working on Miss Scarlet to be highly enjoyable. He notes that though a big part of this comes from the great actors, he also credits the dedication of every person in every department, with everyone pulling together like a big family, all trying to make Miss Scarlet look its best.
As much as we say it’s the same set, the same location, every day is different, every day gives you new challenges. Sometimes you make a mistake, but that’s what gives you motivation to find out something new.
Milos Kodemo SAS
