Secrets of the Neanderthals
We shot the Drama sequences for Secrets of the Neanderthals in Croatia after extensive testing in the UK for Netflix and BBC Studios. Helmed by director Ashley Gething, we sought to find a photographic style that would bring to life the mystery of the Neanderthals, whose DNA we all still share. The film, narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart, moves from the current archaeological work to Science’s new understandings of Neanderthal behaviour, bonds and rituals. The task of shooting these Dramatic moments, woven as they are throughout the narrative, required a distinctive photographic approach. Within these , by using the humanity and tactility of a handheld camera, we sought to immerse the audience and place them in an almost abstracted proximity to our mysterious ancestors. The resultant sequences employ an altogether more painterly approach to seeing with organic optical accident, flares and distortions as we leaned in to vintage lenses and large format photography.
Shooting on Red cameras two large format offerings, the 8K Red Monstro and V Raptor, we used a rehoused vintage set of 1960s Canon Rangefinder glass. This was a TLS rehoused set built around the legendary 50mm f0.95 Canon ‘Dream’ lens.
These lenses were originally built to work on rangefinder cameras and so sit far closer to the film plane than any of the later reflex lenses. This allowed for a far simpler telecentric lens design and the lenses have warm minimal coatings without any flare suppression at all. The results are soft, vignetted, curved focused, flarey lenses with the Large Format depth of field character. We tested extensively before shooting and were all overwhelmed by the results which fitted perfectly with our world. Ashley was a huge fan from the first moment of our tests, we had found just the right note of soft, veiled seeing and an altogether more human point of view. With both our firelight and sunlight sequences we leaned into flare. These light elements were so decisive for our Neanderthals that we wanted to feel them in our frames whenever we could.
For all of the closer moments we were handheld, but for any wider or following shots we used a Ronin 2 gimbal with a Red V Raptor on board. I have always found the ‘footsteps’ in a handheld moving shot to be a distraction. But ultimately our style was that of vérité, to place our audience alongside and within the group of Neanderthal ancestors, completely immersed in a world we are only now beginning to understand.