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 ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
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.
