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 ...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
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.
