Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Ole Bratt Birkeland, BSC and Chris Dowling on Good Grief

18/06/2024

Now streaming on Netflix, Good Grief marks the feature-film directorial debut of Daniel Levy, well known as the co-creator and costar of the series Schitt's Creek. Offering an uplifting perspective on dealing with the permanence of losing a loved one, Good Grief follows Marc (played by Levy), who was content living in the shadow of his larger-than-life husband, Oliver (Luke Evans). But when Oliver unexpectedly dies, Marc's world shatters, sending him and his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they each needed to face. Cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland, BSC and gaffer Chris Dowling made each of their decisions with the aim of embracing these realities, and here the two collaborators discuss their approach to crafting the film's visual language.

Panavision London supplied the production's camera and lens package, and Panalux London provided lighting services. The filmmakers also worked with Light Iron for dailies and finishing services, including VFX and final color. Light Iron's VFX contributions included 3D tracking, reflection maps, motion vector mapping, rotoscoping, paint, and multi-layered compositing; in the final grade, Birkeland reteamed with supervising colorist Ian Vertovec. Supported throughout production and post, the filmmakers were free to skillfully explore the bright spots of bereavement.

Panavision: Ole, how did you become involved in this project?

Ole Bratt Birkeland, BSC: I read the script for Good Grief and thought it was a really lovely project about coming to terms with difficult emotions and life situations. When I then met Dan, it was brilliant to hear his ideas and how he had a personal connection to the story and feelings expressed. We had many similar thoughts on how film can be a way of releasing complicated thoughts and give a release to ideas that are otherwise hard to process.

How did Daniel Levy describe what he had in mind for the project's visuals?

Birkeland: Dan was interested in exploring something real that had a sense of warmth towards our characters. One of the ways we approached this was to make sure the camera focused on the characters at all times but also had a feeling of not being static. It is subtle, but almost everything is handheld or Steadicam throughout.

Were there any specific references or inspirations that informed your lighting approach?

Chris Dowling: These were more discussed with mood boards and color tones rather than directly referencing stills from films. It's good to get a clear picture of how you see the look, but I think you can easily blur the lines if you copy others. I prefer to get a guide and discuss these things without referencing films if I can. There is a world of things out there that can help, like fashion, art, music, books, photos, scenery and landscapes. If you reference a film, then it's already been done, and where is the challenge in that? Taking a still image or a piece of artwork and translating that into a moving image, and making that work, is the challenge.

Chris, how would you describe the lighting style you, Ole and Daniel were trying to achieve?

Dowling: Enhanced natural.' I'm not a big lover of obviously lit scenes within this kind of narrative, and Ole is very much of the same mind, but with this particular project, in order to show the journey the characters go on, we needed to slightly extend the spectrum. So, when we needed a warm, happy scene, we went slightly past the normal warm and organic tones, and likewise when it was a cold, sad scene, we took it slightly colder and bleaker, enhancing the change.

The lighting setups had huge restrictions in each of the locations, so we knew we needed to allow the lighting to be as fluid as possible to enhance the mood within each scene. The only thing we tried to maintain was as low a carbon footprint as possible throughout the project. Wherever possible, we used the latest LED fixtures to try to keep the times we used a generator to an absolute minimum. We are at a point now in the industry where we can really start to make a difference. Having the newest tech also allowed us to have a huge amount of control at our fingertips. This gave us the advantage of speed as well as fine-tuning whilst the shot developed.

Did you have a favorite lighting setup on the production?

Dowling: My favorite lighting setup normally ends up being the one that caused the most issues and headaches. Those are the ones that test you and push you forward. Being able to solve the issues and sell that it was done easily is very satisfying. On this project, I would say it was the studio shoot. We were in a tiny studio in the back of Acton, with no height, no space, no rigging, no mains. It really was a challenge given the scale of the sets required in it the Paris bedroom scenes were shot there. We needed two lighting setups as well as a Translight, and the set had huge windows. When I saw that on the screen, I thought, Yes, we smashed that.' The lighting and Ole's clever use of lens and camerawork absolutely shows how it should be done. Even with huge limitations, you can achieve amazing results.

Ole, you'd worked with Ian Vertovec at Light Iron before Good Grief. How has that relationship and collaboration evolved over time?

Birkeland: The first time I worked with Ian was on Tales From the Loop. He did such an amazing job on that, so when it came time to grade Good Grief, I jumped on the opportunity to work with him again. He has such a beautiful eye and a great sense of story. It was brilliant to have his expertise to fine-tune the visuals. We are currently doing it again for another movie, and it's very exciting to keep exploring ideas with him.

How does this project differ from others in your respective careers?
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/breadth-of-sup...
See more stories from panavision

Most recent headlines

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

17/05/2025

Celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month With Music, Podcasts, and Audiobooks That Illuminate a Wealth of Cultural Diversity

Globally, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists, creators, and authors contin...

17/05/2025

Cox Media Group Promotes Joe Cowan to WSB-TV News Director

ATLANTA Cox Media Group (CMG) has announced that Joe Cowan will rejoin WSB-TV Atlanta as news director, starting in mid-June....

17/05/2025

Xfinity Adds Free Access to Sunday Night Soccer on MLS Season Pass

PHILADELPHIA Comcast's Xfinity has announced that Sunday Night Soccer on MLS Season Pass is now available for free to customers. The access will start with ...

17/05/2025

Korn 30th Anniversary Concert: Letting The Fans Capture The Show!

Korn 30th Anniversary Concert: Letting The Fans Capture The Show! Brie Clayton May 16, 2025 0 Comments Cinematography: S bastien Paquet Production Co...

17/05/2025

CETA Software debuts reporting tool for studio-wide financial and operational insight

CETA Software debuts reporting tool for studio-wide financial and operational in...

16/05/2025

New Study Reveals Changing Audience Behaviours in Eastern Europe

Across Central and Eastern Europe, journalism is no longer the default source of information. It competes and often loses against a chaotic content stream drive...

16/05/2025

Entries Open for the 2025 EU Investigative Journalism Award

Journalists working in investigative reporting across the Western Balkans and T rkiye are encouraged to enter their published work for the 2025 edition of the E...

16/05/2025

Celebrate Beyonc's COWBOY CARTER Tour With Exclusive Cover Art Stickers

As Beyonc s COWBOY CARTER Tour sparks excitement around the world, Spotify is helping the BeyHive get concert-ready with a limited-edition collection of playli...

16/05/2025

Proper Loved Up Stage One Recipients Announced

Proper Loved Up Stage One Recipients Announced 16 May, 2025 Media releases Screen Australia's First Nations Department, the Australian Broadcasting Cor...

16/05/2025

Cox, Charter to Merge in $34.5 Billion Deal

Charter Communications and Cox Communications announced today that the two companies will merge in a deal valued at $34.5 billion. The transaction which consist...

16/05/2025

CBS Sports Adds Innovative AR to Massive PGA Championship Coverage

(Editor's note: CBS Sports coverage of the PGA Championship began May 15 and wraps up May 18. Interviews for this story were conducted on-site May 14.)...

16/05/2025

COW Jobs: Hiring Freelance Video Editor, Part-Time Remote

COW Jobs: Hiring Freelance Video Editor, Part-Time Remote Brie Clayton May 16, 2025 0 Comments We're Hiring: Freelance , Part-Time, and Remote Vid...

16/05/2025

Cox, Charter to Merge in $34.5 Deal

Charter Communications and Cox Communications announced today that the two companies will merge in a deal valued at $34.5 billion. The transaction which consist...

16/05/2025

Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils New Ad Platforms

NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Ad Sales has unveiled NEO and DemoDirect, two advertising solutions it said will provide clients with more effective and ef...

16/05/2025

Netflix Breaks Ground on Major N.J. Production Facility

As Hollywood tries to digest the potential impact of President Donald Trump's proposal to impose tariffs on foreign-produced films, Netflix has broken groun...

16/05/2025

Berklee Announces Jonathan Mahoney as the New Dean for Pre-College, Online, and Professional Programs

Berklee Announces Jonathan Mahoney as the New Dean for Pre-College, Online, and ...

16/05/2025

Mark Gatiss drama Bookish re-commissioned for a second series ahead of premiere on U&alibi

UKTV today announces the re-commission of Bookish (6x70') for specialist cri...

16/05/2025

Tribeca Festival 2025 Reveals Creators Market Recipients

May 16th, 2025 Tribeca Festival 2025 Reveals Creators Market Recipients Bold New Projects Include Doggie with Anna Baryshnikov and Juliana Canfield; Cop Ci...

16/05/2025

The FA Cup Final: Telling the Story With Graphics Technology

The FA Cup Final: Telling the Story With Graphics Technology Manchester City meets Crystal Palace on Saturday in this years FA Cup Final By SVG Staff Friday,...

16/05/2025

PBR's Wild 11-Day Stretch Culminates in World Finals at AT&T Stadium

PBR's Wild 11-Day Stretch Culminates in World Finals at AT&T Stadium The operation will have produced 250 streams and broadcasts across 10 platforms By Mar...

16/05/2025

SVG Cloud Production Forum Draws 200 to NYC to Tackle One of the Industry's Significant Growth Areas

SVG Cloud Production Forum Draws 200 to NYC to Tackle One of the Industry's ...

16/05/2025

Eurovision Song Contest: Behind the Scenes with Eurovision Services

Eurovision Song Contest: Behind the scenes with Eurovision Services By Jo Ruddock Thursday, May 15, 2025 - 09:41 Print This Story Credit: SRG SSR The 69t...

16/05/2025

NEP Mobilizes European Network for Eurovision Song Contest 2025

NEP mobilises European network for Eurovision Song Contest 2025 By George Bevir Thursday, May 15, 2025 - 10:29 Print This Story NEP camera operator Tomas ...

16/05/2025

WNBA Tip-Off 2025: ESPN Elevates Coverage Through Expanded Remote-Production Workflows

WNBA Tip-Off 2025: ESPN Elevates Coverage Through Expanded Remote-Production Wor...

16/05/2025

WNBA Tip-Off 2025: Scripps Sports' Friday Night Spotlight' Features More Games, Dedicated Studio Show on ION

WNBA Tip-Off 2025: Scripps Sports' Friday Night Spotlight' Features Mor...

16/05/2025

FloSports Debuts The Athlete's Lounge' Alternate Broadcast for Wanda Diamond League Track and Field

FloSports Debuts The Athlete's Lounge' Alternate Broadcast for Wanda Di...

16/05/2025

Sky releases Official Trailer and Key Art for Sky Exclusive film Mountainhead, written and directed by Jesse Armstrong

Friday 16 May 2025 To view this content, please enable our use of cookies. To d...

16/05/2025

Award Winning Bridgerton Garden Permanently Opens at Cambridge University Hospitals

Back to All News Award Winning Bridgerton Garden Permanently Opens at Cambridge...

16/05/2025

RT Live at Bord Bia Bloom 2025: Live shows, live music and chat, live RT Weather, and much more

Live RT Radio 1 shows with Louise Duffy, Countrywide and Mooney Goes Wild RT ...

16/05/2025

May 15, 2025

Two HIV vaccine trials show proof of concept for pathway to broadly neutralizing antibodies North American and African clinical trials led by Scripps Research, ...

15/05/2025

Detroit Is Gorgeous and Grief Is Gritty in To Live and Die and Live

PARK CITY, UTAH JANUARY 20: Skye P. Marshall, Omari Hardwick, Cory Hardrict, Qasim Basir, Dana Gourrier, and Amin Joseph attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festiva...

15/05/2025

Directors Lab at 45: Writer-Director Marielle Heller Remembers Finding Her Voice in the 2012 Lab

Director of photography Benjamin Kasulke, actors Katie Henney and Hannah Marks, ...

15/05/2025

Australia's boldest network SBS launches new brand campaign: We Go There'

Australia's boldest network SBS launches new brand campaign: We Go There...

15/05/2025

We Go There SBS On Demand's new Hub is entirely bold and unmistakably SBS

We Go There SBS On Demand's new Hub is entirely bold and unmistakably SBS 15 May, 2025 Media releases The We Go There Hub brings together over 300 ti...

15/05/2025

L3Harris and Airbus US Partner on Systems Integration for Unmanned Aerial Logistics Connector

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and L3Harris Technologies announced a teaming agreem...

15/05/2025

Nielsen IBOPE Streaming Measurement Continues to Strengthen

Mexico City - May 15, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, announced the expansion of its streaming measurement panel...

15/05/2025

Warner Bros Discovery Unveils New Ad Platforms

NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Ad Sales today unveiled NEO and DemoDirect, two new solutions that the company said will provide advertisers with more effe...

15/05/2025

NEP Deploys TFC Orchestration Platform at Eurovision 2025

NEP Europe is utilizing technology and teams from across Europe for this year's Eurovision Song Contest....

15/05/2025

Scripps Inks Deal for Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Games

TAMPA BAY, Fla. & CINCINNATI, Ohio The Tampa Bay Lightning have inked a multi-year media rights agreement with Scripps Sports that gives it rights to produce an...

15/05/2025

Max to Once Again Become HBO Max

NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery announced during its upfront presentation that Max, the company's streaming platform, will be rebranded as HBO Max this summ...

15/05/2025

BBC Studios Taps 7fivefive for Cloud Workflows

LONDON 7fivefive said it will expand its work for BBC Studios' Global Media & Streaming team and that it is helping the U.K. public broadcaster's studio...

15/05/2025

Charter Names Jake Perlman EVP, Chief Technology & Information Officer

STAMFORD, Conn. Charter Communications, Inc. has named Jake Perlman executive vice president, chief technology and information officer (CTIO)....

15/05/2025

Mike Schmid of ACT Entertainment Receives Prestigious 202...

ACT Entertainment is proud to announce that Vice President of Talent Mike Schmid has been honored with a Gold Stevie Award as Human Resources Executive of the ...

15/05/2025

Arabsat Launches New Playout Services Powered by Grass Va...

Arabsat, a leading global satellite operator and the primary provider of satellite services across the Arab world, has partnered with Grass Valley, the technolo...

15/05/2025

Tyrell Unveils New Brand Identity

Leading media technology and services provider Tyrell, who has supported the broadcast, post-production, production, VFX, and corporate markets in the UK and Ir...

15/05/2025

LiveU To Showcase its Expanded IP Video EcoSystem Designe...

At Broadcast Asia 2025, LiveU will demonstrate its latest mission-critical IP-video solutions within its expanded EcoSystem, designed to add efficiency and shor...

15/05/2025

Lightware and NETGEAR Partner to Simplify AV-over-IP Depl...

Delivering High-Performance Network Switches Designed for Lightware AV Workflows Lightware, a leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for the profession...

15/05/2025

Cerberus Tech Named a 2025 StreamTV Awards Finalist

Cerberus Tech, a leader in cloud-native IP video contribution and distribution, today announced that the company has been named a finalist in the 2025 StreamTV ...

15/05/2025

Viaccess-Orca at BroadcastAsia 2025 Cost-Efficient Tools...

BroadcastAsia 2025 Exhibitor Preview May 27-29 Singapore Expo Stand 5F3-5 For today's broadcasters, telcos, content owners, and streaming platforms, eff...