Varicam 35 adds colour to BBC’s Broken

LA Productions used Panasonic’s VariCam 35 to exclusively shoot the six-part BBC One drama Broken, featuring Sean Bean and Anna Friel. Created by screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and in Liverpool, Broken was broadcast in May 2017. It shows unflinching portrayals of modern British life, highlighting the colours of Northern England within a hard-hitting storyline.

The DP was Joel Devlin, whose credits with VariCam include BBC’s 2015 series Dr Foster, as well as the 2017 C4 drama Born To Kill. “The colour aesthetic was one of the reasons I went with the VariCam. I was lucky enough to have used the camera on Doctor Foster, so had confidence in its abilities, which allowed me to spend less time testing for Broken,” explained Devlin.

For visual inspiration, Devlin looked at photographers, in particular the work of American William Egglestone, who was prolific in the 1970s and ‘80s and focused on America’s so called ‘Bible Belt’ in the south and the Midwest.

“They’re similar communities to those covered in Broken – impoverished, feeling very distant from the mechanisms of society – and yet Egglestone photographed these communities in a very bright and colourful way,” said Devlin. “He celebrated light and colour in ordinary life, and I really wanted to use that approach in Broken and stay away from the ‘grim up north’ palette.”

Working closely with rental provider Panavision, Devlin used vintage Ultraspeed lenses on the production. “There’s a lot more drama out there, but there’s not necessarily a lot more money around. So you’re under a lot of pressure to shoot something high-quality, fast. The technology allows us to do that, but it still has to be tempered against something that gives an artistically good look. From a cinematography point of view, I think it’s very important.”

“Even though the low-light capability may be the deciding factor on certain shoots, the VariCam also has an advantage in that it’s a 4K camera. There are not a lot of cameras out there that will produce this kind of picture and do it in 4K. Capturing deliverables in 4K is also becoming more and more important.”

“Like the old documentary VariCam from way back, it offers not just one thing. It offers a range of things that elevate it above its competitors and that’s what I like about it.”