A couple of days ago, I managed to catch up with Richard Dodd, director of photography on some of the classic TV shows of yesteryear including HOLBY CITY, THE ROYLE FAMILY and the superb CRACKER.
On the set of his latest project, the fifth series of BBC drama WATERLOO ROAD, Richard talks future plans and the move to the new format, HD.
Q: Hi Richard. Pleased to meet you. Can you tell me a little bit
about your background and how you started out in the business.
A: Strangely enough, and unlike most people in the profession today, I arrived from an unlikely start point. As a young man I was training to be a mining engineer in the coal industry and actually worked underground at a local coal mine.
The blackness down a mine when you switch off your helmet lamp is extremely intense and at convenient moments I would do this and visualise my future.
On the set of his latest project, the fifth series of BBC drama WATERLOO ROAD, Richard talks future plans and the move to the new format, HD.
Q: Hi Richard. Pleased to meet you. Can you tell me a little bit
about your background and how you started out in the business. A: Strangely enough, and unlike most people in the profession today, I arrived from an unlikely start point. As a young man I was training to be a mining engineer in the coal industry and actually worked underground at a local coal mine.
The blackness down a mine when you switch off your helmet lamp is extremely intense and at convenient moments I would do this and visualise my future.
In those days there really wasn't a TV industry in the UK so for entertainment we had to rely on the cinema. In this respect, I was very fortunate. In the small Northern town where I was raised there were five cinemas, each had two performances a night and changed the programme on Thursdays, plus one had a Saturday morning and afternoon matinee.... Movie heaven.....
It was a rare week when I did not get to see every one of those screenings, I had to take out a paper round to pay for it, life was quite hectic. So in my underground visualisations I imagined working in the film industry, it offered Travel, Money and the chance to meet glamorous girls....a no brainer..
The journey from underground coal miner to film industry worker was very long and difficult but I was driven by a deep belief that the effort would be worth it and it was.
My first film job is easy to remember. I managed to obtain a job with a local news agency and on my third day there was sent as part of a team to film a world water speed attempt on Lake Coniston in the Lake District .The boat was called "Bluebird" and the drivers name was Donald Campbell.
I actually operated a camera with a 20-1 lens and filmed that tragic moment. It was a terrible day for Mr Campbell and his family but I was hooked. I have been filming all around the world since that day....No other job would do.
Q: What projects have you worked on recently?
A: After a long career I have recently been concentrating on TV drama especially for the UK market covering such diverse programmes as "Ultimate Force" "Holby City" "Cracker" "Royle Family" etc: (A fairly full CV can be seen on IMDb) and now Waterloo Road.
Q: You are currently shooting the new series of "Waterloo Rd" (Series five) on HD. Tell me a little bit more about the equipment you are using and how it differs from what you have used on your other projects.
A: I worked on series four of Waterloo Rd which was shot on Beta Sp. This year the BBC which is the commissioning company and Shed Productions Ltd, the production company, have decided this new series will be shot on HD.
There are numerous horror stories and industry myths circulating about this system and being a natural technical luddite I was slightly apprehensive about taking on a new technology..The big surprise is.....I love it.
The system is so sensitive that I have reduced my lighting requirements by almost 50%. The pictures are much clearer, cleaner and the skin tones are much easier to control. It does not like bright sunshine (no tape system does), but in low light conditions it is extremely malleable and user (D.O.P) friendly. I tend to use a strong backlight with a threequarter back fill and as soft a key light as possible Yes, any skin flaws will show but it is possible control the light very finely to eliminate them.
In a number of locations within the school I have actually not used any lights and relied on the natural daylight or prevailing light, whereas in the same location last year every area would have had to be lit....not only are the resulting pictures better but in production terms it speeds up the process.
On most shots we use a number of filters to reduce the depth of field so that the back ground and areas in front of the subject are out of focus, this helps to delineate our principle actors from the crowds of supporting actors and also takes the edge off any careworn elements in the fabric of the building although the very talented production designer John Collins and his dedicated team address any of those problems with almost fanatical vigour.
The Make up team and the Costume department all like the system and my operators revel in the opportunity to use long lenses wherever possible, the operators love it, the follow focus boys hate it, but see it as a challenge, particularly when I ask for another point six ND filter to be put in... what fun.
Q: Take me through a day on the set of Waterloo Rd
A: I am currently living about fifty miles from the location of the set, a redundant local school, in Rochdale Lancashire.
My day starts at 5.30 am, an hours drive to the set, I arrive a 7am, have breakfast, usually cereal for me but for some of the crew it is always the full monty English fry up. Back to my car for a read of the days schedule, a crossword to clear the brain and then at eight am its head down and running for the next eleven hours.
There are usually two full camera teams with a floating crew, third camera, at all times and the logistics of working that system in one location can be a schedulers nightmare but we seem to finish the days allotted scenes every day.
The director and the principle artists arrive on set, discuss the scene, work out their movements, the crew are called to watch this and then the scene is broken down into camera set ups, the artists leave for costume and make up checks, tracks are laid and lighting takes place, the artists are called back and a final rehearsal and camera moves are fine lined. Lighting is tweaked and we commence to shoot the scene .this repeated all down the day with crew moving from location to location within the school and attempting not to disrupt the other camera team.
Lunch is called at approximately 1pm, this is usually the highlight of the day, and another mountain of food is devoured, back on set exactly one hour later and off we go again until near seven pm we hear that most beloved word in the English language.
"WRAP"
The car park is empty within minutes and we all disappear for a short while until tomorrow when we do it all again. It truly is a glamorous life style and occupation, not...
I am often baffled why so many people are keen to do it but then I have been doing it for over forty years and still want to do it, so hey, it must be some rare form of brain disease.
The storylines obviously call for a large number of school pupils and there are often scores of them attending the school as back ground artists everyday. They arrive from all over the country and are fitted out with school uniforms very early in the day before eating massive sausage and bacon sandwiches. They are all great kids and tackle the request to repeat their allotted tasks over and over again, with great enthusiasm. They really do give the programme a very authentic look.
The show is proving a ratings success and looks set to continue for some time .I finish my six episodes this week and am not scheduled to return but its been great fun, I have worked with superb crews and cast and have enjoyed it immensely
Q: What does the future hold for you?
A: No idea really, this is a business where your immediate future is often decided by a phone call. And if the job is exciting enough then off you go again. It has been a great run for me so far and amazingly shows no sign of letting up. I will be returning to Italy at the end of my stint on Waterloo Rd and helping out my partner Mary Lou in running our website for film students www.reelshowint.com
It is very busy at the moment as we have a Russian Festival coming up and then maybe another one for Indian Students after that. It does keep both of us very busy. I might have to work out a way of making it actually pay as all of the costs are borne entirely by me; I hope those students out there appreciate that....
Q: Any ambitions to move to the big screen
A: Yes, of course. It would be impossible to work in this industry without harbouring ambitions about making an Oscar or Bafta winning movie. I have, over the years been offered a number of films but they have all fallen down at the starting gate, usually because the finance has been a problem, but this week I have been offered a film that is actually green lit financially and I will be having more discussions later this week.
It is scheduled to be shot on 35mm film but because it is set during the second world war in Russia I have made a case for shooting it on Super 16mm,blowing it up to 35mm and bleaching some of the colour, just to give it that forties look. The Director is still sucking his teeth on that one.
If the film happens I will be happy to run a daily blog for The Hollywood News re progress, more on that later.
Just as a final thought Paul, if any of your readers want to have a chat about any of the above or anything pertaining to the industry then they can contact me on this email address info@reelshowint.com. I will be happy to talk to them. Many thanks for the chat.
It was a rare week when I did not get to see every one of those screenings, I had to take out a paper round to pay for it, life was quite hectic. So in my underground visualisations I imagined working in the film industry, it offered Travel, Money and the chance to meet glamorous girls....a no brainer..
The journey from underground coal miner to film industry worker was very long and difficult but I was driven by a deep belief that the effort would be worth it and it was.
My first film job is easy to remember. I managed to obtain a job with a local news agency and on my third day there was sent as part of a team to film a world water speed attempt on Lake Coniston in the Lake District .The boat was called "Bluebird" and the drivers name was Donald Campbell.
I actually operated a camera with a 20-1 lens and filmed that tragic moment. It was a terrible day for Mr Campbell and his family but I was hooked. I have been filming all around the world since that day....No other job would do.
Q: What projects have you worked on recently?
A: After a long career I have recently been concentrating on TV drama especially for the UK market covering such diverse programmes as "Ultimate Force" "Holby City" "Cracker" "Royle Family" etc: (A fairly full CV can be seen on IMDb) and now Waterloo Road.
Q: You are currently shooting the new series of "Waterloo Rd" (Series five) on HD. Tell me a little bit more about the equipment you are using and how it differs from what you have used on your other projects.
A: I worked on series four of Waterloo Rd which was shot on Beta Sp. This year the BBC which is the commissioning company and Shed Productions Ltd, the production company, have decided this new series will be shot on HD.
There are numerous horror stories and industry myths circulating about this system and being a natural technical luddite I was slightly apprehensive about taking on a new technology..The big surprise is.....I love it.
The system is so sensitive that I have reduced my lighting requirements by almost 50%. The pictures are much clearer, cleaner and the skin tones are much easier to control. It does not like bright sunshine (no tape system does), but in low light conditions it is extremely malleable and user (D.O.P) friendly. I tend to use a strong backlight with a threequarter back fill and as soft a key light as possible Yes, any skin flaws will show but it is possible control the light very finely to eliminate them.
In a number of locations within the school I have actually not used any lights and relied on the natural daylight or prevailing light, whereas in the same location last year every area would have had to be lit....not only are the resulting pictures better but in production terms it speeds up the process.
On most shots we use a number of filters to reduce the depth of field so that the back ground and areas in front of the subject are out of focus, this helps to delineate our principle actors from the crowds of supporting actors and also takes the edge off any careworn elements in the fabric of the building although the very talented production designer John Collins and his dedicated team address any of those problems with almost fanatical vigour.
The Make up team and the Costume department all like the system and my operators revel in the opportunity to use long lenses wherever possible, the operators love it, the follow focus boys hate it, but see it as a challenge, particularly when I ask for another point six ND filter to be put in... what fun.
Q: Take me through a day on the set of Waterloo Rd
A: I am currently living about fifty miles from the location of the set, a redundant local school, in Rochdale Lancashire.
My day starts at 5.30 am, an hours drive to the set, I arrive a 7am, have breakfast, usually cereal for me but for some of the crew it is always the full monty English fry up. Back to my car for a read of the days schedule, a crossword to clear the brain and then at eight am its head down and running for the next eleven hours.
There are usually two full camera teams with a floating crew, third camera, at all times and the logistics of working that system in one location can be a schedulers nightmare but we seem to finish the days allotted scenes every day.
The director and the principle artists arrive on set, discuss the scene, work out their movements, the crew are called to watch this and then the scene is broken down into camera set ups, the artists leave for costume and make up checks, tracks are laid and lighting takes place, the artists are called back and a final rehearsal and camera moves are fine lined. Lighting is tweaked and we commence to shoot the scene .this repeated all down the day with crew moving from location to location within the school and attempting not to disrupt the other camera team.
Lunch is called at approximately 1pm, this is usually the highlight of the day, and another mountain of food is devoured, back on set exactly one hour later and off we go again until near seven pm we hear that most beloved word in the English language.
"WRAP"
The car park is empty within minutes and we all disappear for a short while until tomorrow when we do it all again. It truly is a glamorous life style and occupation, not...
I am often baffled why so many people are keen to do it but then I have been doing it for over forty years and still want to do it, so hey, it must be some rare form of brain disease.
The storylines obviously call for a large number of school pupils and there are often scores of them attending the school as back ground artists everyday. They arrive from all over the country and are fitted out with school uniforms very early in the day before eating massive sausage and bacon sandwiches. They are all great kids and tackle the request to repeat their allotted tasks over and over again, with great enthusiasm. They really do give the programme a very authentic look.
The show is proving a ratings success and looks set to continue for some time .I finish my six episodes this week and am not scheduled to return but its been great fun, I have worked with superb crews and cast and have enjoyed it immensely
Q: What does the future hold for you?
A: No idea really, this is a business where your immediate future is often decided by a phone call. And if the job is exciting enough then off you go again. It has been a great run for me so far and amazingly shows no sign of letting up. I will be returning to Italy at the end of my stint on Waterloo Rd and helping out my partner Mary Lou in running our website for film students www.reelshowint.com
It is very busy at the moment as we have a Russian Festival coming up and then maybe another one for Indian Students after that. It does keep both of us very busy. I might have to work out a way of making it actually pay as all of the costs are borne entirely by me; I hope those students out there appreciate that....
Q: Any ambitions to move to the big screen
A: Yes, of course. It would be impossible to work in this industry without harbouring ambitions about making an Oscar or Bafta winning movie. I have, over the years been offered a number of films but they have all fallen down at the starting gate, usually because the finance has been a problem, but this week I have been offered a film that is actually green lit financially and I will be having more discussions later this week.
It is scheduled to be shot on 35mm film but because it is set during the second world war in Russia I have made a case for shooting it on Super 16mm,blowing it up to 35mm and bleaching some of the colour, just to give it that forties look. The Director is still sucking his teeth on that one.
If the film happens I will be happy to run a daily blog for The Hollywood News re progress, more on that later.
Just as a final thought Paul, if any of your readers want to have a chat about any of the above or anything pertaining to the industry then they can contact me on this email address info@reelshowint.com. I will be happy to talk to them. Many thanks for the chat.
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