
When Apple TV+ was unveiled earlier this year, Apple positioned the video subscription service as the new home for the world's most celebrated creative artists. One of the first projects ordered was Dickinson, a quirky series loosely based on the writings and biography of Emily Dickinson. The unique tone blends 19th century period details with modern, anachronistic aspects and flights of fancy meant to bring viewers into the poet's imagination like literary history crossed with teen angst and a dash of feminism.
Photo courtesy of Apple
Apple's stated emphasis on quality in material and personnel brought creator Alena Smith to director of photography Tim Orr, who chose to shoot on the Panavision Millennium DXL2. Light Iron, whose color science is an integrated part of the camera ecosystem, also supported Orr's creative process from the start.
The producers wanted it to be fresh and contemporary with a bolder, younger vibe, says Orr. It was billed to me as a kind of comedy and there are very funny moments, but there are also some very serious dramatic moments. It's certainly not Masterpiece Theater!
Orr tested several cameras that meet Apple's requirement for 4K origination. I was really struck by the way the DXL2 rendered color, he explains. What Panavision and Light Iron have done in terms of remapping the color science, and the way the camera uses the MONSTRO sensor, is really beautiful. It's the best of all worlds in terms of color depth. And I also really liked the build of the camera. Panavision is the best in the business for a reason. They've been building cameras for a long time, and they listen to filmmakers about what a modern, robust digital film camera should be.
Photo courtesy of Apple
Light Iron senior colorist Sean Dunckley helped develop a series of LUTs based on early camera tests. The DP-colorist duo previously worked together on The World Made Straight and the pilot for Amazon's Z: The beginning of Everything. On Dickinson, Orr decided to shoot at 8K for maximum resolution as well as for depth-of-field characteristics. Occasionally he'd switch to 6K for higher frame rates or to mitigate the effects of a very wide lens. He says that wrangling the massive amounts of data didn't slow down production at all.
Even though the final result isn't going to be seen in 8K, that resolution is baked in, Orr says. And it's future-proofed for the day when 8K is viewable by the general public.
The cinematographer chose a set of Primo 70s with a specific level of customization in the middle of the range of possibilities. The glass is expressly designed to work with larger digital sensors with more consistency across the frame.
I've always been a fan of Primos, Orr relates. I knew we wanted a present-day look, but with solid performance in terms of color matching and flare characteristics. Primo 70s are reminiscent of the classic Primos in color, skin tones, and edge-to-edge sharpness. They keep the blacks solid, which worked well with our night scenes and flame sources. With the customization, even at the high resolution, I didn't need to use much diffusion, and the skin tones look silky and beautiful.
Photo courtesy of Apple
Dunckley supervised dailies and post color. Orr saw dailies every day and communicated his intent in part with reference stills. With the exception of some of the more fantastic scenes, where we might stretch the color or add saturation, it's grounded in naturalism, Orr describes. I built the look mostly through lighting, so we were usually finessing the original intent.
Dunckley points to the unprecedented level of integration between camera and post that led to superb results and streamlined benefits. As a colorist, I am constantly making the same adjustments to various cameras, he notes. DXL color science integrates many of those adjustments earlier in the workflow, so the image coming out of the camera provides me with an improved starting point as I work toward achieving the final look. With DXL, I spend less time normalizing shots and more time with the DP refining the grade, which creates a much better result.
Dickinson has a very mixed tone, and we had to balance between the historic, romantic tone and a more modern feel, Dunckley adds. The production design really helped with this, and Tim lit in a very period way. Then I tried to separate the reds and cyans. In the end, we ended up with something unique.
Orr is currently working on Season 2 of Dickinson and is collaborating again with Panavision and Light Iron. Considering the positive reviews and buzz on social media, it seems critics and fans want more. It's exciting to be part of this project, says Orr. I'm looking forward to working with the team on another successful season.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
07/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/07/2026
New appointments to Screen Australia board 7 July 2026
The Albanese Labor Government has made new appointments to the Screen Australia board.
Dr Tania Chamber...
07/07/2026
The right team. The right time.' How The Killings at Parrish Station stuck t...
07/07/2026
Berklee College of Music Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's...
07/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists train the immune system to make antibodies against numerous HIV strains Preclinical findings mark progress toward a long-sought vacc...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Open source AI has shown how quickly developers can innovate when models, data a...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...