DoP Lean-Vercoe Lights Intrigue with Astera on Outrageous

Astera Titan and Helios Tubes Add Style to a Period Drama

BAFTA-nominated cinematographer Annemarie Lean-Vercoe (“Breeders”, “Call the Midwife”, “Murder in Provence”) was just the DoP to set the look on sophisticated and scandalous Brit Box limited series “Outrageous”. Set in the 1920s, the aptly titled show is a lush British period dramatization starring the infamously unconventional Mitford sisters. With an expansive narrative that spans historical landmarks from the grand country estates of Buckinghamshire to the Georgian elegance of High Elms Manor in Hertfordshire, the locations used in “Outrageous” ground the Mitfords’ story in a richly authentic 1930s setting. Lean-Vercoe choose Astera Titan and Helios Tubes to create the lush, pastoral-British tone that connects and elevates the very different characters.

Featuring an ensemble lineup that sounds like the set up to a joke–a writer, a fascist, a fanatic and a communist–”Outrageous” explores the lives of the six Mitford sisters. “It was exciting to get the opportunity to film such very unique characters and tell the personal stories of these notorious individuals,” relates Lean-Vercoe. The semi-autobiographical writings of the eldest sister Nancy serve as source material for the series which embodies the levity of the author’s satire. “We had a very energetic camera and a lot of Steadicam, so we had to light in a way that allowed freedom of movement.”

The production began filming in summer 2024. The decision was made to shoot night interiors as day for night, rather than fight to finish filming during the truncated summer evenings. While some locations could be tented, others needed windows to be blacked out from the inside. This posed a challenge for Lean-Vercoe: how to best maintain the elegant lighting appropriate to the Mitfords within these restrictions?She opted for a two-pronged approach to lighting. Given the kinetic camera movement, the cinematographer avoided placing large fixtures in the set that would limit the frenetic pace of scenes. Instead, where possible, large lights were placed outside windows as key lights. However, sometimes the sensitivity of location or a tight schedule required an inside approach.

“Part of the series films in a big country house,” describes Lean-Vercoe. “It wasn’t possible to build exterior blackouts on the second floor, so we made internal blackouts on the windows with muslin drapes in front of the blackout and under the set dressing curtains. The windows had Georgian-style sash windows, so we had to be quite sensitive with rigging.”

Lean-Vercoe turned to Astera Titan and Helios Tubes for help. Featuring 8 pixels which can be individually colored, flashed and programmed from the Astera App, the Titan Tube (40.7″ x 1.7″/1035mm x 43mm) and smaller Helios Tube (21.7″ x 1.7″/550mm x 43mm) are highly controllable and versatile. Lightweight and with ample rigging options, the Tubes were optimal to get the look. “The lights were perfect, not too heavy and with an eggcrate placed at the top, they gave off a soft glow like moonlight just outside the window.”

The Astera Tubes also played a role in close up coverage during the show’s many night scenes. Lean-Vercoe would place a Helios or Titan just off camera, which could be adjusted easily on the fly for precise sculptural lighting. “For night scenes we shot with the Venice 2 at high ISO and the Astera Titans and Helios were a great match for that,” she explains. “In close up shots, when we had the camera on the Sony RIALTO and there wasn’t much room on set, I would use an Astera Tube to add a very natural eye light. It creates a tickle of illumination in the eyes. You can’t get that much control with many other lights. The Asteras are really easy to work with remotely from a gaffer box – it makes it very quick to make adjustments without the whole set even noticing.”

Lighting Intrigue at the Opera

When it came to designing compelling lighting for a small space, no set fits the bill like the opera box where second-eldest sister Diana meets Oswald Mosley during an illicit tête-à-tête. “We filmed in a real theater in Richmond just outside of London, a beautiful Georgian building with boxes on either side of the stage,” says Lean-Vercoe. “The boxes were quite small, and we had four people in them, with the Sony RIALTO.”It is when the lights dim, and the pair are truly alone that their rumored affair is realized. Like her approach lighting large sets such as the countryside house, Lean-Vercoe made use of illumination coming from outside the box: the actual theater houselights. “We had various lighting phases of houselights to create ambient–they could brighten or dim, and we had an effect of the curtains going up. Meanwhile in the box itself, I used the Helios and Titans again to give edges to the characters. It was a very small space, and we were working with low light levels.” The scene mixes romance and dramatic irony. The audience can well imagine the repercussions of this adulterous liaison.

Rich with pastels, greens and blooming highlights, “Outrageous” is the quintessence of its genre. The show evolves from a muted British tone to a bolder aesthetic as the Mitford sisters become increasingly decisive. Lean-Vercoe’s approach utilizing haze, vintage glass and soft lighting, captures the vintage era turning each scene into a memorable drama. “I am now using Asteras all the time,” the cinematographer says. “They’re fantastic to fit in small spaces. With the low-light level of this show, the Asteras made for beautiful eye lights while sculpting the face. It was very much like portrait work.”

Outrageous is available to watch now on Britbox.

To learn more about Astera Titan and Helios Tubes visit:

astera-led.com/products/titan/ and astera-led.com/products/helios-tube/