The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Published

24.02.2022

We are so excited to be a part of this groundbreaking new project. A completely unique hybrid of stage, screen, live and recorded production rolled into one immersive performance infront of 400 people in the historic Leith Theatre. When the audience arrive at the theatre this weekend they will be walking onto a live film set, watching the story evolve and be shot around them whilst also viewing scenes on the big screen recorded a couple of weeks before in a bid to enable necessary unit moves throughout the night's show.

We began working with Producer Wendy Griffin and DOP David Liddell before Christmas, setting up lens tests pitching Tokina Vistas, Cooke S7s, Canon TLS rehoused K35s, Nikon Zero Optik rehoused FF AIs and Supreme Radiance lenses against each other in combination with a multitude of diffusion & FX filters. With it essentially being a live feature film, David was very keen to push the beauty of Full Frame cine style shooting over a traditional broadcast set up as seen on other live theatre/cinema collaborations. Any special & visual effects would need to be achieved in camera with only minimal changes allowed in post. 

In the end David opted for 6x Sony Venice cameras - their ability in low light with dual ISO, ease of back end 'broadcast' integration with Timeline's OB truck and the much loved and talked about combination of Sony's exceptional Venice sensor with vintage full frame glass - very much a sweet spot - helping the decision. Lens wise he chose a set of our beautifully Zero Optik rehoused Nikon AI & AIS glass from the 70s and 80s alongside TLS rehoused Canon K35s. For David it was a case of weighing up the risk of using vintage glass on a live show vs knowing they would give him exactly what he needed to bring the famous dual personality story to life. The world renowned re housings by Zero Optik and True Lens Services really do bring modern reliability and technical excellence to these old lenses enabling Cinematographers to fully trust them on any shoot. Their characteristics - the good contrast, strong colour, modest flares, unique blooming and gentle halation of the Nikons, the lower contrast, gentle focus fall off and beautifully rendered skin tones of the K35s not achievable with modern glass. Both sets are also fast - mostly around T1.3- T1.5 - perfect for the many dark and gloomy locations within a victorian theatre.

We can't wait to see this unique piece of work when it's released to the public in the next few weeks and wish the whole production team & crew the very best of luck throughout the 3 live performances.