We asked Simon about his approach to ‘Lovesick’, the Netflix 4K show now in its third season which is posted at The Look
“I approach all my projects in the same way in so far as the style of the photography stems from the script and the director in the first instance. I then apply my own interpretation and sensibilities. To me comedy is just drama where funny things happen so I have never felt it should be lit differently to any other drama.
For Lovesick we always had a clear idea of how the show should look. I aim to achieve a naturalistic style but always strive to make the cast look great and represent the emotional content of the script through the lighting. Its a funny show so it needs to look upbeat and positive when the story demands it. This also allows for greater contrast when the drama gets a little more intense. The scripts have a really big emotional range and shooting large format at 5K really helps us try to do justice to the actors performances.The flashback elements in Lovesick lend themselves well to a slightly romantic look which I find really suits the material. This is achieved via a combination of lens choice, filtration and grading.
On a practical level I like not to restrict the freedom of the actors performance on the set. Lovesick tends not to involve too much improvisation but it is an ensemble show so it’s important to allow the cast to develop ideas especially during the blocking of the scenes. This often leads me to a softer style of lighting which is great for scenes involving a lot of characters crammed into small interiors on real location sets.
Working closely with Thomas at The Look I know how to bring the best from the rushes which allows greater efficiently in the way I light the set without compromising how it looks. The grade is always in my mind whilst we are shooting. The power of the grade makes it a crucial part of the creative process.
Season 2 was the first show I finished to a 4K delivery and I’m really happy with how good it looks.
I’ve really enjoyed working with Thomas across all three seasons of Lovesick to create a finished article I’m really proud of and reflects our ideas and intentions. I’m looking forward to our next collaboration!”
The Look blog 