Cinematographer Declan Quinn Brings Decades of Cooke Lens Experience to A Suitable Boy with S4/i Primes
data-src=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c562aaf4-bpthumb.jpg data-srcset=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c561c0e7-bpfull.jpg 2x class=lazyload avatar avatar-80 photo height=80 width=80 />
Brie Clayton January 15, 2021
0 Comments
When it came time to select lenses for the Lookout Point's six-episode series of Vikram Seth's bestselling novel A Suitable Boy, DP Declan Quinn knew exactly what he wanted: Cooke Optics' flagship spherical S4/i primes.
Produced to extremely high production standards and directed by Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, A Suitable Boy tells the story of spirited university student Lata (Tanya Maniktala) as she comes of age in North India in 1951, at the same time as the country is carving out its own identity as an independent nation and is about to go to the polls for its first democratic general election. The series involves more than a hundred characters, many belonging to one of four extended families.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/15223657/DeclanQuinn2_1200-1024x681.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2350256/>Mira Nair has been trying to make a live-action adaptation of A Suitable Boy ever since its publication in 1993, but the BBC Studios-owned UK production company Lookout Point only recently secured the rights. I've worked with Mira for a long time, with a history that goes back to 1996 with Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love and Monsoon Wedding in 2001, which was a homage to the book of A Suitable Boy, said Quinn. Aesthetically we're on the same page. Mira starts with a look book'; paintings, fashion and location pictures from her first scouting trip to India, then I add images from other movies or photographers and we narrow everything down to create a cinematic grammar for the story.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/15223710/DeclanQuinn3_1200-1024x683.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2350257/>The series was shot in 4K with four Sony Venice cameras - two each for the primary and second unit - and both units started out with full sets of Cooke S4/i primes (16/18/25/32/40/50/75/100/135mm) and a set of re-housed vintage Cooke Speed Panchros, all from One Stop Films of London.
Quinn first used Cooke lenses in film school in the 1970s. I knew they were something special, he said. I love the Cooke vintage lenses, the 25-250mm big Varotol zoom lens and then the 20-60mm zoom, it is just a beautiful lens that covers the focal lengths I like for hand held work. The sharpness and ability to keep close focus is unparalleled for a zoom lens of that time.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/15223818/DeclanQuinn4_1200-1024x683.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2350259/>Quinn's only problem with using his vintage 20-60mm zoom today is that it doesn't cover large format sensors. I just can't go all the way wide - 25mm is about the widest in 4K, he noted. But in 1998, Quinn found another set of Cooke lenses to love. When the original S4/i primes came out, I tested them. That's all it took for me to use them on every film for years, and I also started experimenting with vintage glass, like the Cooke Speed Panchros.
Quinn was so comfortable with his choice of the Cooke S4/i primes that he didn't even do any lens tests. I've got a long history with this lens and the Cooke Look . I knew what Mira was after and the S4/i delivered what she needed, while giving me what I needed: true colour, flesh tones - where the warmness of the Cookes worked wonderfully with the warm Indian flesh tones, sharpness across the entire field, a coating that's great for flare and exterior work, and reliability in a hot and dusty environment. The S4/i's were a solid choice for this project.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/15223830/DeclanQuinn5_1200-1024x683.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2350260/>One major change made after the first week of filming was to discontinue using the vintage Speed Panchros. They flare differently than the S4/i does, explained Quinn. With the S4s, I have more control with the flare and colours, so I decided to stick with the S4/i's because it is easier to grade when intercutting footage shot by two different units.
With a very dialogue-driven script with many characters, Quinn's tendency was to approach A Suitable Boy with natural light and to see faces most of the time, as opposed to silhouette. We would have the camera move through a scene from a certain character's perspective - usually Lata's [the story's heroine]. Tom Walden, our A Cam/Steadicam operator would keep a moving master shot where most of the scene played out. This wasn't a wide shot, but a very useable shot where the camera would flow through the space to follow the gist of the conversation. It was all choreographed, and we would use cuts to cover the other characters as they needed to be covered.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/15223854/DeclanQuinn6_1200-1024x683.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2350261/>Quinn's hero lenses for A Suitable Boy were the 32 and 40mm. Those have been my favourites for most of my career, said Quinn. They represent the human visual perspective the best and are great at separating the actors from the background. And with a 2:1 [18:9] aspect ratio, the 32/40 combo works very nicely.
With large format sensors becoming more commonplace, Quinn does have some experimenting to do. The S4/i are great lenses, but I'm looking forward to testing the S7/i for larger format projects.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/0
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
Cinematographer Declan Quinn Brings Decades of Cooke Lens Experience to A Suitable Boy with S4/i Primes 
