--
When cinematographer Scott Peck first learned that Stargirlwas going to become a series on the DC Universe streaming service, he started doing a lot of research about the DC Comics character STARGIRL and its creator Geoff Johns. That led him to the Cooke Optics'Anamorphic/istandard and Anamorphic/i SF (Special Flair) lenses.
To me, the look was always this idea of the past meeting the present, said Peck. The Cooke Anamorphic/i standard primes combined with the Cooke Anamorphic/i SF versions were a part of that from the start. Inspired by the original Justice Society of America (J.S.A.) comics, where they mix older comic characters with new comic characters, I saw the show as having a slight retro vibe combined with modern day flair. That's why I wanted to use both the standard and special flair lenses.
The Cooke Anamorphic/i SF prime lenses are specially manufactured with a coating that allows for even more creative options. They are called Special Flair because they allow filmmakers to kick the flares, bokeh and other aberrations into new visual territory.
Known for lensing the CW Network's series Black Lightning, AMC's Fear the Walking Deadand the Sony/WGN AMERICA series Outsiders, Peck's research paid off, having recently finished shooting six episodes of Stargirl, which is set to premiere on the OTT service in 2020.
Stargirl follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger), a teenage girl originally from California who just moved to Nebraska with her recently remarried mom, Barbara (Amy Smart), who discovers that her stepfather, Pat (Luke Wilson), has a secret past - he used to be the sidekick to a super hero named Starman (Joel McHale), a member of the legendary J.S.A. After Courtney stumbles upon her stepdad's secret stash of old super hero equipment, she is drawn to Starman's staff and takes on his legacy to become the crime fighter Stargirl. With Pat's help, Courtney inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past and rebuild the J.S.A.
After several discussions with series pilot DP Chris Manley ASC and fellow alternating DP Michael Karasick, it was agreed that Sony VENICE cameras with two sets of Cooke Anamorphic/i prime lenses - would give us the beautiful consistent look and versatility we needed to deliver the show under very demanding conditions, according to Peck. Stargirl is very ambitious; given the production scale, delivery requirements, stunts and special effects, we knew we would have two full units often shooting simultaneously.
With cameras and lenses supplied by Keslow Camera of Culver City, CA, both Cooke Anamorphic/i lens kits consisted of 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65 MACRO, 75mm, 100mm, 135mm and 180mm primes.
What I love about Cooke glass is that you can always count on its beauty and its consistency, said Peck. Michael Karasick and I carried two sets of Cooke Anamorphic/i primes: one set of standard lenses and one set of Special Flairs. The two sets cut flawlessly from scene-to-scene and episode-to-episode, with the 25, 40 and 65 MACRO being our most commonly used lenses.
Like other superhero movies and television shows, Stargirl is filled with a world of interesting and challenging lighting scenarios.
All of our lighting work is done with hybrid and full colour LED units to achieve a more unique comic book colour palette, explained Peck. This gives us the ability to subtly change the colours we use for varying skin tones and environments. Being able to utilise all of our LED lighting tools has given us the flexibility to not only have every gel in the book, but also create flicker and other lighting effects that just aren't possible without the use of LEDs.
When it comes to Cooke lenses, I'm very familiar with the look I'm going to get and that's really important, said Peck. I'm a huge fan of the Cooke S4/i spherical lenses and have used them on several projects. In today's marketplace, cinematographers have a plethora of options when it comes to choosing cinema optics. I love Cooke lenses because they exhibit beautiful warm skin tones, smooth contrast and just the right amount of sharpness.
Stargirl is a great adventure story that has that sense of wonder I remember from watching movies as a kid, like The Goonies, Back to the Future andThe Karate Kid, said Peck. We set out to create a superhero television show that is lighter in tone and appeals to the entire family, while offering a cinematic experience from episode to episode. Cooke lenses were the right lenses for Stargirl because of their beauty, consistency and reliability.
DC Comics Stargirl airs Tuesday, May 19, 2020 on the CW Network.
About Cooke Optics, LTD
Cooke is a storied name in both cinematographic and ultra-high-end professional photography markets. Known worldwide for their precision, exacting tolerances and superior quality, Cooke lenses are specified by many of the world's most respected cinematographers. Cooke is also the developer behind /i Technology, the protocol enabling vital lens and camera information to be captured and passed digitally to post-production teams. Cooke was honored with a 2013 Academy Award of Merit (an Oscar statuette) for its continuing innovation in the design, development and manufacture of motion picture camera lenses.
Features in production or recently shot with Cooke lenses include Pinocchio, Onward, Toy Story 4,Birds of Prey: and the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn, Motherless Brooklyn,Sweetheart,Vice, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, Venom, Call Me By Your Name, Motherless Brooklyn, Stan and Ollie, Darkest Hour, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House. Television shows in production or recently shot with Cooke lenses include Dead to Me, Save Me Too, Insecure, Dark Crystal, Star Trek: Picard,Pe
Europe Stories
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
19/12/2025
19 Dec 2025
VEON's Mobilink Microfinance Bank Launches Islamic Banking Oper...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
19/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz drives the future of mobility at CES 2026 At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rohde & Schwarz will present a powerful lineup o...
19/12/2025
RT is proud to return to the RDS to support the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist & T...
18/12/2025
Canada's largest indoor arena has transformed its live production capabilities with a full ST 2110 infrastructure and Calrec's compact Argo S console. S...
18/12/2025
Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...
18/12/2025
18 Dec 2025
VEON Upgraded to Nasdaq Global Select Market, Enhancing Investor Visibility Dubai, December 18, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital o...
18/12/2025
Thursday 18 December 2025
Sky Sports remains the exclusive home of the Masters ...
18/12/2025
Using the additive process of 3D printing, layer after layer gets printed until an object is as close to the final shape needed as possible. Historically, machi...
18/12/2025
In 2025, RT proudly supported 185 arts and cultural events across the island of Ireland, reflecting significant growth since the scheme was re-launched in 2014...
18/12/2025
RT Sports Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
18/12/2025
RT lyric fm presents a very special Winter Solstice edition of Ambient Orbit, l...
18/12/2025
At 7.45pm on 1st January 1926, the precursor to RT , then 2RN, delivered the fledgling new Irish state's first public radio transmission. From those first c...
18/12/2025
December 18 2025, 05:30 (PST) The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhib...
17/12/2025
Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...
17/12/2025
The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...
17/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
17/12/2025
Wuppertal December 17, 2025
Riedel Builds Global Communication and Commentary ...
17/12/2025
December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...
17/12/2025
Wednesday 17 December 2025
Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...
17/12/2025
RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...
17/12/2025
With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
16/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December.
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
16/12/2025
Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...
15/12/2025
Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...
15/12/2025
Luxembourg, December 15, 2025 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Abra Group launched fast and reliable multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on t...
15/12/2025
15 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...
15/12/2025
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself the topic of year's cracker jokes
Oasis, David Harbour, Celebrity Traitors and Angela Rayner all feature in this y...
15/12/2025
Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...
15/12/2025
RT .ie has reached one billion page views this year and is on track to finish 2025 2% ahead of last year. Average time spent on the site is up 3% on 2024, with ...
12/12/2025
Last month, Spotify announced a new collaboration with the ATP Tour, the global governing body of men's professional tennis, aimed at bringing the next gene...
12/12/2025
Friday 12 December 2025
Ted is back! Seth MacFarlane's live-action comedic ...
12/12/2025
Uachtar n na h ireann, Catherine Connolly visited RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's...
12/12/2025
Ireland AM host Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant taking to...
-- 
