PRODUCTION


BIG PICTURE DREAMLAND


off point for the palette for their houses…. The tone and personality of each sister distilled to a colour.” The palette stretched from French noir for Allen’s character Mel, to animal print for Nan. Each sister had their place on the spectrum. The grade leaned into the brightness, with


flashbacks being cloudy and the look slightly redder when the setting is Margate. Bright, but not too bright. Working closely


with DoP Rob Kitzmann, they added texture and something slightly softer, by using dappling light as much as possible, “so the sun felt it was there without becoming a blanket of light,” says Heydon. Merman fought for a week of rehearsal time


before the six-week shoot, which was divided between Margate and London, with most of the exteriors being shot in Kent. They were on location in the record-breaking heatwave of July last year. Margate became “a central heartbeat for


the shape, style, shooting of the show,” says Heydon. She spent several weekends in the town beforehand, describing its “gorgeous eccentricity and uniqueness…. I wanted to make sure the


show was rooted in authenticity, specific to Margate, not a generic British seaside town.” The crew were as supportive as Bell and


Mountford had hoped. First AD Chris May was a “lifeline.” Heydon calls Kitzmann “a calm,


“IT’S A MERMAN SHOW. WE DIDN’T WANT TO GO TOO


BRIGHT AND SHINY. THERE’S DARKNESS IN IT AS WELL”


sensitive and collaborative presence.” They shot on a Sony Venice with spherical lenses,


Cooke S4, aspect ratio 1:2:39, “which was a choice to get those wide, expansive shots and make the most of bringing the exterior in and trying to involve as much of our ensemble in juicy group shots,” says Heydon. Editors Mark Henson and Garrett Heal


were “super collaborative and supportive. It felt like we were creating something together.” Heydon found the daily assembly from Henson a comfort. “He cut really tight, and I found that


helpful to see which comedy would land. “Sometimes a scene wouldn’t be working


and they’d flick through a music library and the scene would be elevated.” “Music was key in setting the tone against


all of those lovely colours,” says Jane Bell. “The brief was fairground, but with darker tones, minor chords to hint that it’s not all sunny seaside town without a care in the world. “It’s a Merman show We didn’t want


to go too bright and shiny” she notes. “There’s darkness in it as well.” It’s also a Heydon show and, as such, is a


flag in the ground for giving opportunities to breakthrough women directors. “For a while I thought I’m going to have to learn to be more dominant, more of a ball basher,” says Heydon. “But this job gave me the confidence to think they employed you because of the way you are.” In the searing July temperatures, she kept


her cool, and took her team with her. “She was leading the heads of department and crew into the sea at the end of the day,” says Bell.


28


televisual.com Spring 2023


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