Set on a migrant steamship, Netflix's mystery series 1899 tells the stories of a multicultural cast in search of new lives in the US, whose journey quickly becomes a nightmare. The show's innovative use of virtual production aimed to immerse viewers entirely in the drama. Collaboration between creative, technical, and production partners would be key to its success.
ARRI was already a long-term partner, having supported showrunners Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar on Dark through rental and postproduction services. ARRI Solutions, ARRI's dedicated team for designing and engineering high-end production studios, took responsibility for the planning, commissioning, and technical integration of the 1899 project. Cinematographer Nik Summerer takes us behind the scenes of this fascinating shoot.
Copyright Netflix
Cinematographer Nik Summerer captured 1899 in a virtual production environment
What were the main properties of the stage and how did they influence the shooting process?
To have a close-to-perfectly lit and naturalistic looking environment, you want to surround yourself with as much screen real estate as possible. That's why volume studios are built in a half-circle or elliptical shape. A perfect studio would most likely be a full circle, but you can't really do that because you need a large opening to bring in the physical sets and film equipment. So, the remaining opening-think of it as a light gap-you close with either additional movable screens or supplementary lighting. I chose to work with the latter for flexibility reasons.
All of our ship set builds were elevated, so that most of our framing angles would never see the real stage floor, which removed the need for replacement in post. Our most innovative element was a revolving turntable built into the stage floor. It was very important for our director that the volume did not restrict his way of filming a scene. This meant after the wide shots, you move into closer shots and then turn around for the reverse angle. However, if you have a fixed foreground set that only allows filming in one direction, the reverse can only be achieved if you basically flip the whole set 180 degrees. That's a very time-consuming process, and you risk losing the chemistry in the scene. With the turntable, which turns a full circle in about three minutes, we could quickly set up for the reverse shot, with the main lights and crane base already in position.
Copyright Netflix
An innovative revolving turntable in the stage floor was an integral part of the virtual production design
Lighting also plays a huge part in creating authenticity in virtual production-can you tell us more about the approach for 1899 ?
Overall, lighting is a critical element in a volume, because how well you can match the foreground to the background determines how successful the final picture will be. Certain elements within the backdrop asset can be shifted around, but it's the careful marriage of the foreground to the background scene that creates the illusion of one cohesive world that you're immersing your characters into. There are many different workarounds, and I'm hearing DPs trying different approaches, but what worked well for me is having a combination of professional luminaires that augment and complement the lighting source established on the volume screens.
In our testing phase, we found that replicating skin tones within the volume would be very challenging. There is a vast range of different skin tones in our cast that we had to consider, from pale, porcelain skin and red hair to brown and black skin tones, to characters with a lot of facial hair, like our captain for example. The light and color quality coming from the LED wall provided brightness, but not the distinct natural colors we needed. Mixing with another wider spectrum light source like the ARRI SkyPanel gave me higher-quality skin color rendering and a much better base to work from in the grade.
Copyright Netflix
Wider spectrum light sources such as ARRI SkyPanel fixtures ensured higher-quality rendering for skin tones and fine details
The series is incredibly atmospheric-how important was the lighting to the overall effect?
The lighting was critical. There's a lot of water in the series, naturally, but weather also played a huge part, with cloud rushes, fog, storms, rain, and lightning creating an atmospheric backdrop. Our volume stage was rigged with a large toplight, containing nine individual softboxes filled with a large amount of ARRI SkyPanels. This setup gave me the control I needed to enhance the drama of the atmospheric details in the environment we wanted to create.
What were your camera choices, and were these influenced by the volume shoot?
When filming in a volume, you want to avoid having the LED screens in focus, which led us to a large format camera-the ALEXA Mini LF. The camera gave me the immersive large-format look that I really like and could be fed with a genlock signal to communicate directly with the LED wall. The director and I wanted to work with anamorphic lenses to wrap the story in a certain characteristic look and feel. Additionally, the anamorphic lenses helped us soften the screens in the background even further. To get that specific lens look, I collaborated with Christoph Hoffsten at ARRI Rental. We experimented and ultimately customized a series of ALFA lenses with bespoke elements to give me the balance of bokeh, highlight flare, and enhanced focus fall-off that I was after for our storytelling.
Copyright Netflix
Shooting with the ALEXA Mini LF and customized ALFA lenses gave an immersive large format look that DP Nik Summerer wanted to capture within the LED volume
Did your approach to scene composition change when working within the LED volume?
Most of our background content was cre
Europe Stories
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...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
15/05/2026
Against that backdrop, IAB UK has added retail media to its Gold Standard. Jan Pitt, Commercial Director at ABC, spoke with Liv McCullagh, Retail Media Lead at ...
15/05/2026
Further to RT 's statement released yesterday and in the interest of full transparency, with the full permission of Derek Mooney, we are now publishing the ...
14/05/2026
At Spotify, we're focused on making every listening experience feel intentio...
14/05/2026
Spotify recently welcomed songwriters, artists, executives, and music students t...
14/05/2026
New articulations, ostinatos, Motion Scoring Articulation Sets & more
Sonuscore's flagship cinematic string library has just been treated to a significa...
14/05/2026
World-class studio opens on T rkiye's Aegean coast
P r Recording & Residence have announced their official opening, introducing a new world-class reside...
14/05/2026
Now supports channel layouts up to 9.1.6
Nugen Audio have just released an update for their AI-powered dialogue intelligibility and compliance tool. Set to ...
14/05/2026
New recordings & one-key chord tool
UVI have just announced the release of Orchestral Suite 2, a ground-up redesign of their all-in-one symphonic orchestra ...
14/05/2026
Two new arrivals & expanded factory content
Rob Papen's all-encompassing plug-in and virtual instrument collection has just been treated to another upda...
14/05/2026
Embed QR codes into DAW sessions
FSK Audio's latest plug-in doesn't process audio, but serves as an organisational tool that allows QR codes to be e...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz transforms spectrum complexity into situational awareness and ef...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Quantum Systems join forces to redefine EW and C-UAS-enabled...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases STANAG aligned ARDRONIS Counter UAS capability at NATO...
14/05/2026
Code of Silence has won the BAFTA for Best Drama Series at Sunday night's ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall.
The series, starring Rose Ayling-Ellis and w...
14/05/2026
Vivid Broadcast was embracing remote production long before it became the industry norm. Now, with Calrec's True Control 2.0-enabled Argo M and Type R conso...
14/05/2026
RT is today publishing the earnings of its top 10 highest-earning presenters for 2025, ahead of the publication of RT 's Annual Report 2025 later this year...
14/05/2026
What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week?
This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...
14/05/2026
The high-stakes chase thriller from Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated writer Matt Charm...
14/05/2026
Back From The Brink airs Sunday 17 May and Sunday 24 May at 6.30pm on RT One an...
13/05/2026
13 May 2026
VEON Delivers Strong Start to 2026 1Q26: Revenue 17.0%, EBITDA 17...
13/05/2026
Thousands of props donated from Skys longest-running original seriesWednesday 13 May 2026
How a neon windmill from A League of Their Own ended up in a dogs'...
13/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 13, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that I...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
FOX Announces Schedule for 2026-27 Season FOX'S POWERFUL NEW SERIES PIPELINE FUELS A BREAKOUT SEASON WITH RETURNING HITS AND BOLD NEW STORYTELLING ACROSS ...
12/05/2026
Customer demand for data continues to grow in the first quarter of 2026 at Magya...
12/05/2026
The latest drama underscores Sky's continued investment in regional production and Welsh creative talent.Tuesday 12 May 2026
Wales takes the spotlight in S...
11/05/2026
As Eurovision fans gear up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic song ...
11/05/2026
Pela primeira vez na hist ria, o Brasil figura entre os oito maiores mercados de...
11/05/2026
New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance
Bastl Instruments have announced the Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modellin...
11/05/2026
Compact sampling workstation gains new features
1010music have announced the blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWl...
11/05/2026
Performance-focused sequencer with microtonal control
Berlin-based KOMA Elektronik have announced Monoplex, a new 42HP Eurorack sequencer designed for hands...
11/05/2026
Boasts wireless control from mobile devices
The latest iteration of IK Multimedia's compact amp and effects modelling pedal expands on the capabilities ...
11/05/2026
Spans traditional orchestral and experimental sounds
Sonora Cinematic have recently released the third instalment in their Transfigured Orchestra series, de...
11/05/2026
Our exhibition coverage
Watch all our SUPERBOOTH 2026 video coverage in one place. Check back to this page regularly as we will be updating with more video ...
11/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, is participating in the Equity Forum Ge...
11/05/2026
Bounteous Acquires Cartesian to Accelerate Enterprise AI
May 11, 2026
Business Assurance
News
Acquisition enhances deep data and analytics capabil...
11/05/2026
11 May 2026
VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board and Chairman, Reaffirming Confiden...
11/05/2026
Fox Corporation Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results NEW YORK, NY, May 11, 2026 - Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX; FOX or the Company ) t...
11/05/2026
Arvato Systems Becomes a Member of InsurLab Germany
Collaboration in the insurance industrys leading innovation network
G tersloh - Arvato Systems has joine...
11/05/2026
Pirate Predator uncovers new information from victims and survivors of abuse on ...
Set on a migrant steamship, Netflix's mystery series 1899 tells the stories of a multicultural cast in search of new lives in the US, whose journey quickly becomes a nightmare. The show's innovative use of virtual production aimed to immerse viewers entirely in the drama. Collaboration between creative, technical, and production partners would be key to its success.
