BBC's War and Peace 2nd Unit Production Shot with Blackmagic Digital Film Cameras Manchester, United Kingdom - February 10, 2016 - Blackmagic Design has today announced its Production Camera 4K digital film camera was one of only two camera packages to be used in the production of War and Peace, a new adaptation by the BBC, based on Tolstoy's classic novel. The six part drama was lensed by director of photography (DP) George Steel, and graded on DaVinci Resolve Studio by colorist Simone Grattarola.
Director Tom Harper reunited with DP George Steel ( The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death and Black Mirror ) and colorist Simone Grattarola ( Peaky Blinders and War Book ) to bring to life Andrew Davies's ( Pride and Prejudice ) adaptation of the epic story, which follows the fortunes of three Russian aristocratic families during the Napoleonic War.
Second unit production was directed and shot by Stephen Hall and included Blackmagic's Production Camera 4K, shot spherically. A second Production Camera 4K was employed as a grab bag' setup for the director. It was worth its weight in gold. In episode one there is a shot of Andrei Bolkonsky outdoors with the fog swirling around him, before it cuts to a close up. That is something we got using the grab bag, explains Steel.
He continues: Having a small, handheld camera that matches your primary package, is perfect. It allowed us to react to unexpected moments. In fact, George shot one of his favorite scenes using this setup. Without revealing too much, we film a very intimate moment when Jessie Buckleys character deals with the passing of a loved one, explains Steel. We didn't have time in the schedule to shoot it so while everyone stopped for lunch we spent 45 minutes filming.
The DP was also a little more creative when it came to using aerial shots. A Production Camera 4K was fitted to an optocopter and used to capture elements of dialogue scenes for example. In one particular scene we see a top down view of a father and son walking through the snow, which starts with an aerial view through the tree line, according to Steel.
The biggest challenge in delivering the grade was the sheer vastness of it all, according to Time Based Arts colorist Simone Grattarola. I've not previously worked on anything quite as dense or layered as War and Peace' he reveals. There is an arc to the narrative and cinematography that we had to understand and evolve over the six episodes.
To do that we worked on two episodes at a time, and then once work had finished on episodes three and four, we'd revisit one and two, and then tweak the grade to ensure that arc unfolded as we intended. And that was repeated once episodes five and six were finished. It's a rare thing in television that you have the opportunity to go back and do this. But it was something we all pushed for with the producers.
For the battle scenes Grattarola developed a process of crafting a hand tinted feel. I began by desaturating everything and then made use of parallel layers in DaVinci Resolve to bring back a specific key channel for specific colors and then washed color back in. Resolve allowed me to recreate something from the past using modern techniques to ensure it is timeless.
It's a testament to Tom [the director], who's done an exceptional job of modernizing the story and making it relevant again, concludes Steel. Simone has delivered a sophisticated, yet subtle grade that was in keeping with Tom's desire for a natural looking aesthetic. Audiences won't fully appreciate the arc of the story, cinematography and grade until they've watched all six episodes.
Press Photography Product photos of Blackmagic Production Camera 4K and DaVinci Resolve Studio are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/images.
About Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Design creates the world's highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design's DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company's Emmy award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
04/03/2026
Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the governing body for Italy's premier basketball...
04/03/2026
Wrexham AFC co-chairmen Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds will host a first-of-its-kind ...
04/03/2026
The countdown is underway and with just 100 days to go until the world's greatest sporting event begins on Thurs., June 11, FOX Sports, America's Englis...
04/03/2026
No matter where they are in the world, service members and veterans can stream N...
04/03/2026
Telemundo officially releases Somos M s, the anthem for the network's cove...
04/03/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) concluded the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, convening more than 800 industry leaders, technologists, creatives, and execut...
04/03/2026
Smith Entertainment Group transformed how local sports are consumed by creating ...
04/03/2026
The production method, which spans a distance of 36.2 miles, was designed and im...
04/03/2026
Haivision, a global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and...
04/03/2026
When Hugues Meyrath came out of retirement to take the helm as CEO of Quantum, i...
04/03/2026
Last week's launch of Banana Ball Championship League has spurred a significant upgrade of production facilities
The Savannah Bananas, arguably the hottest...
04/03/2026
sldkfjsdlfkjsldkfjsldkjfslkdjfslkdjfsl
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus...
04/03/2026
For many fans, a song's backstory can be just as compelling as the final pro...
04/03/2026
In 2006, Spotify was founded on the belief that technology could bring artists a...
04/03/2026
Spotify is back on the ground for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and we&#...
04/03/2026
Spotify had an energizing week in Sydney, Australia, filled with powerful conver...
04/03/2026
Earlier this year, we launched Directed By, a documentary-style series that pull...
04/03/2026
100 Days to Go: SBS Unveils World Class Team for The Greatest Show on Earth -The...
04/03/2026
KT and Rohde & Schwarz to showcase AI-enhanced radio transmission performance In a joint 6G AI proof-of-concept demonstration, the CMX500 one-box tester from ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, 3 March 2026 - SES S.A. has today published its 2025 Annual Report, following the announcement of the company's full year financial results for ...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/03/2026
Luxembourg, March 3, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, along with I...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON Partners with GSMA Innovation Fund to Accelerate Digital Innov...
04/03/2026
04 Mar 2026
VEON's Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony Partner for Open...
04/03/2026
Wednesday 4 March 2026
Sky Sports unveils plans for 2026 Formula 1 coverage
Sky Sports is preparing for one of the most highly anticipated F1 seasons in recen...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Bloodhounds' Season 2 Gears Up for April 3 Premiere with ...
04/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Ads Suite Expands Capabilities
Business
04 March 2026
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to clipboard
After launching the Netflix Ad...
04/03/2026
Scripps Research welcomes healthcare innovator Joe Kiani to the Board of Directors Kiani brings decades of experience in patient safety and public service.
Mar...
04/03/2026
Nanoparticle vaccine approach takes on a new target: Hepatitis C virus Scripps Research scientists reengineer critical proteins on the surface of HCV, paving th...
03/03/2026
Beyond Sports, a Sony group company, and LIV Golf, the world's golf league, ...
03/03/2026
Ilitch Sports + Entertainment announces the launch of Detroit SportsNet (DSN), a year-round broadcast home for two of Detroit's franchises. With flexible op...
03/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media ...
03/03/2026
The PGA of America, NBC Sports and USA Sports extend their media rights agreemen...
03/03/2026
AI device ecosystem company HONOR enters into a strategic technical collaboratio...
03/03/2026
Cleveland's Telos Alliance, pioneers in broadcast technology for 30 years, l...
03/03/2026
The MD 9235 microphone head for wireless handhelds has been a firm favorite with many engineers and artists for its ability to cut through high on-stage levels ...
03/03/2026
Haivision Systems Inc. (Haivision), a global provider of mission-critical, real-...
03/03/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) announces the expansion of its 62,000-square-fo...
03/03/2026
Maroon 5's musical tour in 2025 marked a leap forward in live audio as Monitor Engineer Dave Rupsch utilized Sennheiser's all-digital Spectera wireless ...
03/03/2026
Designed specifically for pro basketball, the renovated space at Gainbridge Fiel...
03/03/2026
As part of the move, former CEO Phillipp Lawo joins the broadcast-tech provider's Supervisory Board
Lawo has announced appointment of Jamie Dunn as chief e...
03/03/2026
A team of legendary announcers and analysts and a classic graphics look will bring the past to life
NBC Sports and Peacock will return to yesteryear for tonigh...
BBC's War and Peace 2nd Unit Production Shot with Blackmagic Digital Film Cameras Manchester, United Kingdom - February 10, 2016 - Blackmagic Design has today announced its Production Camera 4K digital film camera was one of only two camera packages to be used in the production of War and Peace, a new adaptation by the BBC, based on Tolstoy's classic novel. The six part drama was lensed by director of photography (DP) George Steel, and graded on DaVinci Resolve Studio by colorist Simone Grattarola. 
