Cinematographer Akis Konstantakopoulos GSC mixed natural lighting, handheld camera work and Cooke Panchro/i Classic Prime lenses to bring a natural and informal dimension to The Chosen, a multi-season TV show charting the life of Jesus Christ. “If you normally find Bible projects boring or unrelatable, like I do, this will feel different. And I like … Read more
Cooke Optics brings an element of showbiz to virtual Camerimage 2020 by finishing the festival week with a studio-based experiential event called DOP Roulette. Book a ticket for the event at 6-8pm GMT/7-9pm CST on Friday 20th November and you will meet croupier host, comic actor and impressionist Anil Desai in the Cooke Virtual Casino. … Read more
Following the lift of the first lockdown in London caused by the Covid-19 outbreak in early July, cinematographer Matteo Bangrazi and filmmaker Alfred George Bailey immediately jumped on set with the rest of the team to film I Still Breathe. Relying on Cooke Optics’ S7/i series of lenses for full frame capture on an ARRI … Read more
As Cooke Optics chairman, Les Zellan, steps down from the company, and CEO, Robert Howard, retires, Tim Pugh takes over as CEO, while Kees van Oostrum ASC NSC SBC AIC, currently a Cooke Optics board member, becomes non-executive chairman. Cooke, which is among the oldest lens brands to have continuously served the motion picture industry … Read more
David Makes Man is the first TV series written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, who won an Academy Award for co-writing the 2017 Best Picture winner Moonlight based on his play, “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue”. McCraney, serving as the series executive producer along with Michael B. Jordan and Oprah Winfrey, tells a semi-autobiographical story … Read more
Cooke Optics will add further depth and character to its acclaimed Cooke Anamorphic/i lens family at IBC 2018, when it presents the 50mm focal length of the new Anamorphic/i Full Frame Plus range. This addition to the Anamorphic/i range has been designed to meet the growing appetite for large format production, while applying the popular … Read more
Connecting with tech at NAB Across The Pond / Mark London Williams Connecting with tech at NAB Across The Pond / Mark London Williams As NAB 2018 wraps up, the show, with its multiple layers, programming tracks, and exhibit halls, seems like the “elephant” in the tale of the blind men and the pachyderm: Feeling … Read more
Cooke Optics has revealed the first use of its Anamorphic/i SF lenses. The lenses are the same as standard Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses but feature a special coating that accentuates flares, bokeh and other Anamorphic aberrations. Adam Kimmel ASC used the brand new Anamorphic/i SF lenses to shoot Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The … Read more
As You Like It John de Borman BSC / Will As You Like It John de Borman BSC / Will BY: Kevin Hilton Episodic TV drama usually follows a template for directorial style, camera technique and overall look that is laid down in the pilot. But there are always exceptions. The TNT production Will was … Read more
Cooke Optics, the multi-award winning manufacturer of precision lenses for film and television, will bring a coveted collection of its latest lenses to this year’s Camerimage Festival, where the company will exhibit alongside Digital Sputnik. On show will be the new S7/i Full Frame Plus lenses on a RED Digital 8k Vista Vision Camera. The … Read more
The Replacement, BBC1’s three-part prime time drama, was shot with Cooke S4/i lenses by Nick Dance BSC. Written and directed by Joe Ahearne and starring Morven Christie and Vicky McLure, the unsettling story follows a woman who falls pregnant just as she lands a big contract at work. Her maternity replacement, Paula, seems ideal at … Read more
Cooke Optics, the multi-award winning manufacturer of precision lenses for film and television, has announced that it now offers uncoated front elements for its S4/i series. The uncoated front elements offer more choices to cinematographers, with lower contrast, milkier shadows, flares, streaks and other aberrations that give a ‘vintage’ look. The Cooke S4/i series currently … Read more
Cooke Optics has released details of how the forthcoming film Jungle, based on Yossi Ghinsberg’s memoir, “Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival”, was shot using its Anamorphic/i lenses. The film recounts Ghinsberg’s 1982 journey through the Amazon where he ended up alone for three weeks, before being found and rescued. Jungle stars Daniel Radcliffe … Read more
Feel The Heat Spotlight / Cine Gear Expo 2016 Feel The Heat Spotlight / Cine Gear Expo 2016 The 21st edition of Cine Gear Expo was held on the backlot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. This year, the “heat” wasn’t only on the latest products, but also in the ambient weather that stuck through each … Read more
Panavision has joined the list of Cooke Optics’ /i Technology Partners, pledging to build support for the /i Technology protocol into its portfolio in the future. Cooke’s /i Technology is an open metadata protocol that enables film and digital cameras to automatically record key lens data for every frame shot and provide it to post-production … Read more
Cinematographer Felix Wiedemann chose Anamorphic/i lenses from Cooke Optics, to shoot the action thriller Stratton. The production was Wiedemann’s first collaboration with director Simon West. “Simon has been directing action films for 20 years (his credits include Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Expendables 2), so clearly he knows what he’s doing, but … Read more
Cooke Optics has set out a roadmap for the delivery of its latest lenses, as well as an update about /i3, the latest version of its /i Technology metadata system. The 65mm Macro and 135mm Anamorphic/i lenses began shipping in November 2015, with the 180mm and 300mm following in January 2016. The first of two … Read more