Anatomy of a Scandal shot by Balazs Bolygo BSC, HSC with camera equipment from Pixipixel

For Netflix’s psychological thriller Anatomy of a Scandal, cinematographer Balazs Bolygo BSC, HSC chose to shoot on a Sony Venice with a range of lenses supplied by rental house Pixipixel.  

Based on Sarah Vaughan’s bestselling novel of the same title, the six-part drama is developed by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies) and Melissa James Gibson (House of Cards), directed by S.J. Clarkson and stars Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend and Naomi Scott. 

Anatomy of a Scandal is set in the shadowy parliamentary offices of Westminster and looks into personal and political scandals of Britain’s elite. At the heart of the story are junior minister James Whitehouse and his doting wife Sophie Whitehouse whose lives are upended by a sexual consent scandal. 

Speaking about Anatomy of a Scandal, DOP Bolygo shared: “The script has a non-linear structure, full of twists, flashback sequences and abstract ideas motivated on a psychological level. We opted for a modern and kinetic look with fluid camera movements taking the audience around with some spontaneity and serendipity. This approach elevated the atmosphere especially in the courtroom scenes as well as at the family house. We lit these sets in a way that was naturalistic, day and night, giving us freedom and ability to switch the camera whichever way we wanted, without constraining the movements of the characters by the actual process of filmmaking.”

In supporting the production, Pixipixel supplied the camera equipment including a set of Leitz Primes, a Fujinon Premista 80-250mm zoom, a 58mm Lomo Petzval rehoused by TLS. For the flashback scenes Bolygo used Cooke lenses adapted and retrofitted in-house by Renos Louka [Technical Director at Pixipixel]. 

“We decided to use the Sony Venice as it's probably the most versatile camera for what we wanted to do. I tested about nine sets of lenses for various scenarios such as daylight interiors and low light night-time scenes to find a lens with personality. I wanted a modern and sharp look and decided on the Leitz Primes.”  

“Pixipixel’s team has been really supportive. All the crazy ideas that I've thrown their way, they've made work. Vince Wild [Director of Cameras at Pixipixel] managed to get hold of the only one lens set of Leitz Primes available in the whole of Europe and made it work for us budget-wise along with all our extra requirements” says Bolygo. 

For Anatomy of a Scandal, Bolygo opted for eco-friendly LED lighting fixtures and avoided having massive tungsten lighting setups to reduce the carbon footprint of the production.

“Anatomy of a Scandal has quite a few theatrical moments and I really enjoyed playing a part in creating these elements that turn this show slowly away from the norm.”

Anatomy of a Scandal is streaming on Netflix.