This is a sponsored article, created in partnership with Cooke Optics. New lens series is a state-of-the-art statement for the future. Cooke Optics has announced the launch of the S8/i Full Frame (FF) series of seven lenses for full frame production with an all-spherical design and T1.4 throughout. A further nine lenses will join the … Read more
Cooke Optics has announced the launch of the S8/i Full Frame (FF) series of seven lenses for full frame production with an all-spherical design and T1.4 throughout, these currently include 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm focal lengths. A further nine lenses will join the range from late 2022. The S8/i are a … Read more
For the small budget adventure-thriller Nine Bullets, DP Byron Werner used Cooke Optics Anamorphic/i prime lenses to give him the scope he needed for the intimate nature of the film, while elevating the look to that of a bigger budget project, all with the help of The Cooke Look. Nine Bullets tells the story of … Read more
To shoot the sequel to the acclaimed political thriller King of Boys, cinematographer Kagho Idhebor chose the Cooke Optics Panchro/i Classic to help Nigerian director and writer Kemi Adetiba achieve her vision for the project. The original King of Boys feature film, also written and directed by Adetiba, follows the story of Alhaja Eniola Salami, … Read more
Chaperone, the 2022 Sundance Film Festival nominee for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize, is a 16-minute dark drama beautifully shot by cinematographer Jordan T. Parrott, with a final moment that “brings Chaperone’s story to a sombre conclusion – one that manages to touch at the emotions, despite sparing use of dialogue, sound or musical … Read more
Set in in New York City in the 1880s, a period marked by the clash between old traditions and new paradigms, Julian Fellowes’ HBO original series The Gilded Age tells a story of two families from different socioeconomic backgrounds and the relationship between them as they are trying to navigate these times of immense change. … Read more
The Last Thing Mary Saw – a Shudder original movie for the AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural – was shot using Cooke Optics S7/i Prime Lenses so that cinematographer David Kruta could capture the exact skin tones and colour needed to deliver beautiful images to the audience. The Last … Read more
Shooting a second season of an award-winning show could potentially be creatively restrictive, but cinematographer Caroline Bridges and director Patrick Harkins chose to evolve the original look of Guilt with Cooke Anamorphic/i Special Flair (SF) lenses, enhancing the cinematic nature of the show. “We did a lot of lens tests for the second season and … Read more
The CBC/IMDb TV original crime drama series Pretty Hard Cases – now in its second season – was shot in Toronto; not as the typical stand-in for New York, but for Toronto itself, as the series embraces the Canadian city and makes it a character as part of the storylines. Using Cooke Optics 5/i prime … Read more
Mission hires Catherine Crawley as head of marketing, following nearly 5 years prior leading marketing, events and social media strategy for UK Cinema Lens manufacturer Cooke Optics. Crawley began her career in sales, marketing and management roles across the media sector, from production to post production and distribution, at companies including The Hospital Club Studio, … Read more
An ambitious new modern take on Romeo & Juliet, where a theatre rehearsal and performance gradually morph into heightened reality, was captured by cinematographer Tim Sidell using Cooke S7/i Full Frame lenses and Canon K35s on a Sony Venice camera. Shot at the National Theatre over 17 days while it was closed during the pandemic, … Read more
The Disney Channel’s original musical comedy movie Spin is full of the type of colour palettes expected of a story that follows an Indian American 15-year-old – played by Avantika – who discovers her artistic side through the unique world of DJ culture, and learns she has a passion for creating mixes that blend the textures of her Indian … Read more
Matt Lloyd ASC CSC has used Cooke Optics S4/i prime lenses extensively since they first came out – including the pilot for the limited television series Fargo. But in discussions with director, producer and actor David Oyelowo, they both knew that the look of The Water Man would need to be more majestic than a spherical lens … Read more
Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery will bring viewers further into the story than previous seasons, as lead DP Philip Lanyon adds shooting in full frame to his creative look with Cooke Optics (1.8x) Anamorphic/i Full Frame Plus SF (Special Flare) prime lenses, to supplement the (2x) Anamorphic/i SF lenses that have been used since Season 2. Although each lens range has … Read more
Cooke Optics has announced the launch of two exciting additions to its expanding range of Full Frame lenses. Two new Varotal/i FF zoom lenses bring leading-edge modern design and materials to this historic line of zoom lenses that were first seen in 1971, while the extensive Panchro/i Classic FF range offers the beloved vintage Speed … Read more
Cinematographer Diana Olifirova chose Cooke Anamorphics to film We are Lady Parts, Nida Manzoor’s anarchic and irreverent music comedy about a Muslim female punk band – called Lady Parts – who are on a mission to find a lead guitarist and maybe, just maybe, get a proper gig. It was the first time Diana and Nida … Read more
“When you’re preparing a film you can indulge in dreamy conversations – it’s an essential part of the process that gets infused into the work. But once you’re on set, and the clock is ticking, you find yourself a passenger on a moving train. Sometimes it’s a slow-moving train, but that train is moving. This … Read more
Cooke Optics announces the appointment of media industry veteran Roger Flynn as a new non-executive director to its board of directors. Flynn is an investor and non-executive director in media, technology, and travel businesses following a successful executive career in several international organisations, including CEO of BBC Ventures, commercial director of Virgin’s Media division, and … Read more
Just the word ‘ballet’ brings wonderful classic images to mind. To capture those images juxtaposed with the modern world for Birds of Paradise, director of photography Shaheen Seth relied on Cooke Optics S7/i Full Frame prime lenses for director Sarah Adina Smith, who not only adapted the A.K. Small novel for the screenplay, but also happens to be his wife. Produced for Amazon Studios, Birds of Paradise tells the story of two girls … Read more
In the 1990s, almost every DP in New York was using the Cooke Optics S4/i for commercials, music videos, and independent features, according to Aaron Medick, one of the DPs on Power Book III: Raising Kanan, who also became lead DP in the second season for Power Book II: Ghost after starting as B camera/Steadicam operator and moving up to DP for Power, which launched the franchise for cable and streaming service Starz. So, it should come … Read more