Cooke MiniS4/i lenses bring new look to Midsomer Murders

The latest series of long-running British drama series, Midsomer Murders, is being shot with uncoated Cooke miniS4/i lenses, supplied by VMI.

Now in its 19th season, Midsomer Murders, produced by Bentley Productions for ITV, documents the investigation of grisly murders that take place in the otherwise idyllic and quintessentially English region of Midsomer. James Moss has been the lead DP on the series for five years.

“I was looking to give Midsomer Murders a new look, to update it a little,” he said. “When VMI took over the contract to supply camera equipment, we explored some uncoated Cooke miniS4/is along with ARRI Alexa cameras. I took the lenses for a single episode, and ended up keeping them for the whole series.”

Moss had used Cooke lenses before, though this was his first experience of the miniS4/i range. “Cooke lenses give a nice colour rendition, they are detailed without being harsh, and the ‘Cooke Look’ is very kind to faces. The combination of the miniS4/is with the Alexa works really well. We do a lot of handheld work, so the size and weight of the miniS4/is are helpful. We went with uncoated lenses as I wanted to get some nice flares, which would help to update the look of the drama.”

He added: “We’ve shot in all sorts of lighting set-ups – day, night, candlelight – and they cope very well with whatever you throw at them. They handle colour well too, and give a contrast that I like.” Season 19 of Midsomer Murders is expected to air on ITV in 2017.