Tim Sidell BSC

"This is a thriller full of espionage, so we leant on those long lenses inspired by The Conversation and The Day of the Jackal and played this against wide architectural frames inspired by The Parallax View and The Conformist. "But perhaps even more so, the series was so much about identity, which was a central theme for Georgi, and the associated subjectivity is something I really relate to. We got in close to heighten this, sharing their experience." The Night Manager returns, plunging Jonathan Pine into espionage. DP Tim Sidell BSC’s precise lens choices, lighting and camera movement render shifting identities, tension and global intrigue with striking clarity. Read more on our website!

#nightmanager2 Roxy’s Family Holiday Home. . If cameras could handle just a teeny tiny extra stop or four of dynamic range (not a complaint, we have incredible tools), a location like this would be a breeze. With the 15 or so that are currently available (give or take) here we were on the usual absolute limit, trying to retain highlights in the sun-struck flora and fauna outside alongside detail in shadowy faces inside. We’d requested an overcast day, but, didn’t happen. . I pushed for a schedule to make the best use of the sun’s path, favouring backlight to reduce exterior highlights and maximise sunlight entering the space, and we eyebrow bounced some HMI’s through the windows (itself a tricky balance of cutting ambient with the bounce assembly, but gaining some consistency…). . So why not use fill inside? Because the space was small, the ceilings low and there was barely anywhere to hide anything (I did try…). But we also wanted to allow the space to be one of dark memories that are opened up as Roxy ventures through, wrestling with those memories. Freedom of movement was key and that works both ways - to move freely in the space with @camilamorrone while conjuring those emotional depths… it’s one of the highlights of the job. . This was yet another space full of the beautiful and authentic colours and textures of @vimolero (was a gleaming white box before he and his team got there…). . Tenerife also did a great impression of Colombia. . @twhiddleston @georgiporgie . @samaaaalberg @dan.dan.cameraman @josephmastrangelo @laracossack @oh.cronk @simone_grattarola_colour @timebasedarts . @stephenjgarrett @character7production @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer

#nightmanager2 Teddy’s Villa . one day, 6 ½ pages 3 scenes spanning day, evening & night exteriors, interiors windows everywhere plus, this close to the equator, sunrise and sunset take 30 seconds rather than 30 mins and everything in between is “high noon” . Pine’s arrival; meeting “the muscle”; deals with Teddy & Roxy; champagne flowing (and other things) >> progressive inebriation. The passage of time from midday sun, through dusk to night… we also introduce Teddy’s world, the glamour, the heights, Medellin beyond. And there’s the swimming pool sequence. . We had to shoot chronologically. I’d plotted shooting directions per scene, with a clear timing window for each, starting at 12:30. Track & dolly, steadi, handheld, floaty jib, plus spinning prisms and diopter play (in camera). It was one of those days where everything worked and everyone nailed it - my teams and especially @georgiporgie and @twhiddleston and @camilamorrone and @diegocalva . - floaty Jib (pic @deswilliephoto ) - shot plans - much improved desk space (pic @dan.dan.cameraman ) - shot list - dingle + 20ft swinging Colombian leaf gobo courtesy @samaaaalberg - duo . @dan.dan.cameraman @josephmastrangelo @vimolero @oh.cronk @simone_grattarola_colour @timebasedarts . @stephenjgarrett @character7production @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer

#nightmanager2 . Espionage is a core theme of The Night Manager and the opening sequence of The Conversation was a key reference for @georgiporgie and I. Distance, long lenses and compromised viewpoints force the viewer to scrutinise image and sound, just as Gene Hackman’s Harry Caul has to. We leant on this approach for a sequence in Alpujarra Square, Medellin, where Sally (@hayzsquires ) gets a message to Alejandro (@albertoammann ), as privately as possible, in public. Alpujarra square is the municipal heart of the city, with three huge brutalist buildings surrounding the Heritage Monument, symbolising the history and resilience of the people of Antioquia. The significance and scale of the location begged for the same approach as that opening sequence of The Conversation. . While it was fun standing in the square pointing out all the desirable camera positions, the @agstudioslatam locations team had to make it happen. One camera team in each building, including the Mayor’s Office rooftop terrace, all crew ID’d and camera & grip kit scanned, comms maintained - massive thanks to @guillermozuluma @cafvga @pascalealjurevdb @rodrigo_guerrero …and in addition to @dan.dan.cameraman , our guest ops @hectoralvarezdop and @julianvcamara for nailing it, with the help of Key Grip @elinarcogaray , @alvarorozco and team. . . The Conformist and The Parallax View were also key references for the cold, unforgiving and dark spaces of our MI6 River House (actually shot on location in Barcelona). Here we again played distant camera positions and wide architectural shots, but emphasised darkness and the unknown for Basil’s (@paulchahidi ) journey in to face Mayra (@indiravarma ). . - Moodboards. - Elinarco & Hector. . @character7production @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer

#nightmanager2 Barquero Trade Office, night. . “Pine quietly walks in to the darkness of the main office…” 🤔 . We shot the exterior of Teddy’s Barquero Trade office at the Cartagena naval base, wedged between the waterfront and the one way perimeter road around the old town. Cars approach the base entrance directly then sweep left to follow the road around the complex and this light movement was a bit of a gift. . We shot the Barquero Trade office interior a few months later in a derelict office / warehouse space near Barcelona. Along with some fluorescent and sodium colour pushes the sweeping headlights seemed like the ideal way to create movement, intrigue and some places for @twhiddleston to hide… (and later @Diegocalva ). . As ever @samaaaalberg and team worked their wonders, setting tungsten fresnels on flatbed dollies and spiders with hand bashed rope winches, so the lamps could be rolled back and forth past mirrors / CRLS reflectors bouncing back through the windows and blinds, giving us fun shapes and delicious movement. Jonny Hot Pants @jonny_deskop was dimming, blending and finessing too. . The second scene with @camilamorrone and @unaxugalde was less sneaky / lights on. . Then shot / lighting plan with squiggles. . As ever, lovely… - freedom of movement because of the way @georgiporgie sets things up - colours and textures from @vimolero - costume colours and textures from @oh.cronk - camera movement @dan.dan.cameraman - colour finessing from @simone_grattarola_colour @timebasedarts . @stephenjgarrett @character7production @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer

#nightmanager2 . Two months of our schedule was in Barcelona and I LOVED living there. The food, the culture, the sun… 20mins to Tibidabo (then cycling heaven beyond)… and some great shooting locations! But, one was tricky… . … a signature Ep2 beat: “The Gold Museum”, our mini Bond moment. References were slick, seductive, glossy, showy-offy. Monied. “Matthew Ellis”, in a nutshell. However, our location was none of those things - instead a tired dusty municipal building. On a roundabout. . We wondered about projection, and @samaaaalberg recommended “Matthew Button” / @buttonlight . I told Matt I needed “syrup-y goldness and light refractions projected over a big grey building”; he requested some visual material so we set to with prisms and spinning glass things and Dedo’s and gels and macro lenses, then handed that over to Matt. He worked wonders. Admittedly the sequence is all over in a flash (nod to @stephenjgarrett …), but the opulence is established. . Inside, there’s a silent auction for Teddy’s Aurora Foundation. Here, in addition to the usual wonders from @samaaaalberg , @marinalewinr and the splendid Spanish lighting team, I’d like to shout a bit about “Jonny Hot Pants” @jonny_deskop who somehow managed to fluidly and continuously dim a ring of T12 chims and profile spots to maintain soft back light on @twhiddleston and @camilamorrone while they weaved laps around the space… AND, with Steadicam duo @dan.dan.cameraman and @staychingon circling them both… in continuous takes of this 8 page scene, which is how @georgiporgie and I wanted to shoot it. AND Jonny HP was in another room so had no line of sight…. . Gracias @vimolero for all the goldery. . Other pics: - Me modelling Matt Button’s coat and scarf when it got chilly at 4am - Local roads… . @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer @character7production @diegocalva @slavkosobin #thenightmanager #GoldMuseum #cinematography #cinematographer

#nightmanager2 . Bridcot Hotel. our first shoot day! 4 ⅜ pages. a TINY space. mid June (*hot). day for night and night for night. . This was a ferocious first day for @camilamorrone with a sequence of highly emotional scenes. . The location was a flea-ridden disused hotel in Queensway. Terraced. The hero room was up a few flights and outside the room, a sunken courtyard, only accessible through the restaurant behind. In addition to shooting day for night, a tasty neon hotel sign had to be visible through the window. So full control of light inside and out was required. And, the neon determined the exposure for everything else. IMMENSE kudos to the rigging team (yes you Al Brown, Ashley Connell & friends…) who quietly and patiently negotiated their way towards the perfect bespoke two storey tent - with smiles and good humour - despite also dealing with an awful tragedy. I tip my hat to you. . @georgiporgie and I strive for a location to look and feel like a location. However, we had to light this a bit like a studio, to achieve some shape and colour tension in the light but also get through the day. @samaaaalberg did us a fabulous rig of controlled soft LED sources JUST above the top of frame, so turning around didn’t take tooooooo long. Some considerable help from @simone_grattarola_colour @timebasedarts helped seal the deal. . The look and feel of these scenes is so much down to the colour and texture of our supremo designer @vimolero (featured in the recce shot of the room). Muchos gracias amigo. . Stills from night scenes; night scenes (that became day scenes); lighting and shot plans (Tom in blue, Cammy in bronze) and my rough shot list to walk on set with. @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer @character7production @stephenjgarrett @twhiddleston #thenightmanager

#nightmanager2 . Syria!!! Actually Tenerife and Fuerteventura. The landscape element was the last day of principle photography, the first shot in the series. Then: actual sun and pretend sun me and @georgiporgie figuring something out @laracossack standing in / out @samaaaalberg looking down on me (for a change) then sitting in @dan.dan.cameraman ’s seat @josephmastrangelo dreaming of home inter-departmental massage @georgiporgie waiting for the hero car, 1st AD Neil also (while doing another schedule) @laracossack enjoying the sandstorm, first sheltering between @chemamumford and @itsnickrandall , then hiding on the ground then with @carla.cerse elated that it was all over (my excitement barely visible) a Canarian sky . @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer @character7production @stephenjgarrett @twhiddleston @vimolero @oh.cronk @simone_grattarola_colour @timebasedarts #thenightmanager #cinematography #cinematographer

NIGHT MANAGER S2 . The pressure is building…! Will the real Jonathan Pine please stand up. . @georgiporgie @the_ink_factory @amazonmgmstudios @primevideo @bbc @bbciplayer

He promises not to explode. . #thenightmanager @georgiporgie @the_ink_factory @bbciplayer @primevideo

Not long now…! . #thenightmanager S2 2025 @the_ink_factory @bbc @amazon Production Still: @deswilliephoto

Don’t Swipe!! . Resurfacing after 18 months on a drama series… looking back on this little creative journey, in 2009, when 16mm film could be shot, processed & printed, overnight, in London (thanks @lenthornton2999 - the Patron Saint of Artist’s Film…) through Soho Images. Just a few moments shot on my Krasnagorsk while waiting for a metro in Prague lead to months of experiments on the Steenbeck, replaying those moments ever more slowly and figuring how to re-capture it. I turned the Steenbeck in to a sort of film printing machine, playing the image with one hand and shooting back to 16mm with the other… then printing that, slowing it even more… and repeat. Lots and lots and lots of cans of 16mm print later; an Arts Council grant and some major assistance from @duncanrussellcolour and it finally exists as a 35mm print with a 5.1. mix. The full film’s on my site. . #shotonfilm #16mm #16mmfilm #krasnagorsk #experimentalfilm #artistsfilm #portrait #cinematography #organic #celluloid #filmgrain #filmprint #texture #steenbeck