DP Pierre Gill reveals how he balanced epic scale with emotional intimacy in Dune: Prophecy, using precise lighting, anamorphic lenses and immersive collaboration. 

BC: Lighting a large set in a way that still feels intimate is a delicate balance. How do you approach lighting vast, expansive spaces in Dune: Prophecy while maintaining the desired mood and tone for both wide shots and close-ups? What strategies do you use to ensure scale doesn’t diminish emotional connection? 

PG: Dune Prophecy needed to be strong, powerful and immersive, but blending the epic with the intimate was the ultimate goal.  

Establishing the tone of a deeply atmospheric science fiction project—requires a cohesive blend of visual elements to immerse the audience in the unique universe of the story. Every element, from lighting, camera, wardrobe, effects, production design, and others, came into play.  

For me, there were two aspects to my approach: the choice of shooting anamorphic lenses was part of the solution by having the camera really close to the actors and feeling intimate with them. And to keep the lighting subtle and clean with not too many “artifacts” while creating scope with a few practical lighting elements like chandeliers and LED strips. 

For example, in the “ritualistic chanting” scene in the Sisterhood Common Room at the beginning of episode 1, all the young sisters sit down and chant in a prana-bindu meditation style in front of a big golden bowl. We meet young Valya Harkonen for the first time. This is a very big set (40’ high x 120 feet long), but as Young Valya turns around her close-up is quite powerful. Part of the closeness is created by the proximity of the camera due to the anamorphic Hawk class-x 65mm lens. It is only a few feet away from her but the anamorphic lets us enjoy the depth of the scene; we can feel the other acolytes reactions behind her. 

 I also wanted to enhance the intimacy with lighting by adding a light source inside the bowl to create a velvety feel of lighting. We rigged an LED strip inside it, and I controlled the temperature of the light on the dimmer board. I create a warm golden light that envelopes the acolytes faces. At the same time, the scope was created by these long lines of LED strips indented in the high-column structures. To blend this perfectly I also use four very soft “light boxes” that were at 45 feet high on the ceiling that I maintain on a very low-level. It was quite successful to my eyes. 

BC: Wide shots and close-ups often demand different lighting techniques. How do you plan the lighting for these contrasting types of shots, particularly when the set is as large and intricate as the worlds in Dune: Prophecy? How do you ensure continuity and visual harmony across different shot scales? 

PG: It’s always a challenge to balance the breathtaking scale of the sets with the intimacy of the actors’ performances. I had to create “tableaux” of Dune scale yet light human size characters.  

A lot of this work is done in “prep,” and the first part is mainly done with the production designer. We work together to ensure his/her vision, mood boards, and artwork, can be accomplished as best as possible. Do we have enough space to light through the windows, can we remove certain ceiling to accommodate lighting, which wall do we make removable, do we have practical light source for the night scene? 

Then I work with my (amazing) gaffer and rigging crew and we come up with a carefully thought lighting plan. The main task is to rig every light source on separate movable trust so we can change the height quickly in order to go from a very wide shot to the coverage. I can lower the light boxes at ease and this is a key element to be able to follow the shooting schedule and create big wide shots and human size close ups.  

The Throne Room in Salusa is a good example. During the day scene I wanted to have a lot of sunlight poring through the windows. We build a 100 feet long track outside the windows with 6 permanent 18K HMI’s that could be slide left to right at any time to control the lighting direction. This way I was able to do a reverse quite quickly and avoid seeing and moving big lamp tripods. Just a note to tell you the comprehend the size of the set; I barely had T2.8 at 1200 iso has a general ambiance! 

Then, I could switch all this set to night by turning off the HMI’s and use a row of warm Arri s-60’s from the ground outside the windows, (just to give a glow from the exterior lights that we would eventually see in VFX shots). I could quickly switch to night lighting because we build a lot of “light boxes” in many places around the room. All these boxes were actually giant “Book Lights” packed with “Vortex” bouncing into white material than was diffused with a silk to make the falling light very soft (I used “Gray silks” in the Library sets because the quality of the light was colder). 

So by working with the “light boxes” at different heights and using the practicals and the chandeliers to create the depth, I was able to manage big scenes quite fast like the weeding party where Young Prouet is showing the AI machine (lizard) to Princess Inez. I got those boxes as low as I could during the close ups to envelope the faces and I made sure there was a nice glowing chandelier or practical light in the background. 

BC: Given the scale of the sets in the film, what specific equipment (cranes, scaffolding, high-powered lights) do you rely on to achieve the cinematic look? How do you decide which equipment is necessary for each scene and what are some of the challenges in positioning and adjusting these tools? 

PG: The first “tool” would definitely be my amazing crew. I had a great team of Hungarian gaffers, grips and riggers that made it possible.  

Then I used as much LED lighting as possible in order to control the intensity and color of the lights at ease. I used “ARRI S” panels for softer source, “Vortex” for the punch and power  and a lot of “LightMatt” because they are light a lady to use. I also had to use 18K HMI’s in the Throne room 

We build giant soft boxes on movable trust loaded with Vortex or ARRI S-60’s . I also used powerful HMI’s to light through the Throne Room windows due to the size of it.  

I think most of the challenge is always the physical space we have on set and specifically on exterior locations where we have to use a lot of cranes for the lights, sob box and /or blue screens… We often have to rely on big construction crane to defy the wind that could cause of to stop shooting. 

The Sisterhood Courtyard was not built on the back lot but in a very difficult location. We didn’t had access to bring construction crane to light or to use frame to control the sun. The sun was actually causing a problem because it was low and was changing the ambiance inside all the time. I ask my rigging grip if he thought it would be feasible to build a giant adjustable silk on the roof. The came with a clever solution and rigged a movable ceiling of 5 pieces of 20 x 40 feet white silk to diffuse the sun and the same in black silk to cut it. It was amazing but also pretty scary, if the wind went over 15 nots we had to take out immediately. But I went very well and I use it all the time. 

BC:Lighting on such a grand scale requires coordination among a large crew. Could you walk us through your approach to managing the logistics of rigging, adjusting and moving equipment efficiently? How do you ensure that every member of the crew is aligned with the visual goals of each scene? 

First, we scout location and sets with the crew and heads of department as early as possible and I share all the info possible I can think of, even if I haven’t been through all my creative process yet.  

The rigging crew is a very important part of the puzzle because they are the one to prepare every sets in advance. They prepare a set and I go see during lunch or after or shooting day or during weekends. The Board Operator is always with us and we turn on lights, try some lighting pattern and I give my adjustments. Then I usually just see the final result on the morning of the shoot day which means it’s a very intense day. 

BC: Lighting a large space with precision is a key challenge. How do you manage the precise positioning and adjustment of lights, especially when dealing with high-powered equipment or cranes? How do you ensure that every light contributes to the desired tone and mood without compromising other elements? 

PG: The precision comes down of the work with my board operator. The “prep” is always tight on a TV series, even with scale. We do have more time than other series to shot, but we don’t get that much time to prepare. I get as much info from the director as possible about the blocking and then I make a lighting plan. To be honest the only way to realize these kind of scale in the time allow is because of the great new “LED lights and Board operator”… and I actually like this part a lot !!. Its the moment that you finally start to paint. You have the control of every lights under your hands and you can start to finesse your work and ideas. On the day of shooting I spend more time with the board operator than anybody else. I get him to change the lighting pattern, intensity, colors quite quickly to create the right mood. 

For example in the finally of episode 6, Valya Harkonen is running in the industrial section of the Spaceport with Inez and Kieran to make them safe… I wanted to fell this section was different than the passenger on so I explored different colors during my pre-light.  We had over 200 Vortex in the ceiling of the giant spaceport and with the board operator I was able to quickly try an array of colors. I finally went for a deep Turquoise to give it an ominous and monochromatic feel. The next day we change it all for the new Spaceport set: passenger side. Again with the great new technology I was able to transform this immense place with a more neutral color palette.  

BC: Scaffolding and high-powered lights are essential for lighting vast, open sets in Dune: Prophecy. Can you describe the role these tools play in achieving the look you want? What challenges do they present in terms of safety, efficiency, and maintaining the visual integrity of the scene? 

PG: We built giant soft boxes on movable trust and used powerful HMI’s. 

BC: In scenes where the tone shifts dramatically—such as between the harsh, sunlit world of Salusa Emperium and the soft lighting of Wallach IX—how do you manage the transition in lighting setups? What’s the process for adjusting equipment quickly and efficiently without disrupting the flow of shooting? 

PG: This was achieved through a blend of production design, cinematography, and visual effects. I carefully employed very distinct looks to capture the unique atmosphere of each locations explored in the series to create clarity. So visually separating different areas through distinct lighting tones helps the audience instantly grasp where a scene takes place and that gives priority to the story telling. It was very important for me. For example, the use of soft cool, gray tones of the Sisterhood in Wallack IX contrasted sharply with the harsh whites and amber hues of the opulent palace of House Corrino on Salusa Secundus.  

BC: When working with other departments (e.g., production design, costume, and visual effects), how do you ensure that lighting complements and enhances the work they’ve done, especially in large, detailed sets? How important is this collaboration for maintaining visual continuity across scenes and locations? 

PG: I love to work with the creative team. I usually organize a complete test during pre-production with Hair, Makeup, Wardrobe, SFX and Production design. We look at different colors, swatches, practical lighting. We make sure to find the right pallet so the faces are harmonised with the sets and the costumes. I also had many discussion of what type of practicals can be good for the lighting and respect the production design at the same time. I have a complete crew in charge of the practical. 

For example, in the Throne room there’s some clear ball hanging next to the windows. I had to keep them at a low level in order to look good but I wanted them to light the wall at the same time but was not achieving this because of the low level. So I had my practical crew to rig a few strip of LED behind the ball and I would put these bright so it would light the walls. Its a good way to cheat a source lighting its environment. 

BC: Whether it’s dealing with the natural lighting of outdoor environments or the controlled conditions of a studio, how do you approach the challenges of lighting the different locations. How do you maintain consistency in lighting when transitioning between outdoor locations, soundstages, or massive interior sets? 

That is always a big challenge and you cant control the exteriors as much as you like. I wanted The sisterhood to be always cloudy and stormy. But then we shot a full week outside and it was unfortunately sunny without one cloud in the sky… so I can back to the studio and added a little more light throughout the windows in the sisterhood. You have to adjust all the time. But we I could I cover the exterior set with giant cover hanging from a construction crane.