Johanna Coelho, Cinematographer of THE PITT

Johanna Coelho on THE PITT lining up a scene with Angenieux Optimo Prime 50mm on a Lindsey Optics Viewfinder.

THE PITT is a 15-episode series about a 15-hour shift in a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room. It is airing now on MAX. They call it “a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today’s America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital.” THE PITT comes from ER and West Wing executive producer John Wells, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh. It may remind you of ER with West Wing brilliant dialog.

Johanna Coelho is the cinematographer of THE PITT. They were still filming in January when we discussed her work on the series.

Jon: Really good job. It looks like you were very busy with handheld cameras.

Johanna: It’s almost all handheld. We use different tools, but the look is consistent. Sometimes the camera sits directly on the shoulder. Some of our operators use Ergorigs to operate handheld as they would normally, but the weight of the camera is transferred from your shoulders to the hips. For sequences where people move fast or the camera operator has to go backwards quickly, they use a ZeeGee rig on top of the Steadicam arm.

Are you operating as well?

No. We have two camera operators, and I watch the monitors from both cameras.

What cameras are you using?

Our camera gear is rented from Rare Breeds. We have ARRI Alexa Mini LF cameras shooting Open Gate ProRes 4444 XQ so we can finish in true 4K. The cameras were chosen because we wanted to be very mindful of the camera weight for the operators who are handheld all day. We also wanted to have a Large Format sensor to keep it cinematic—to be close to the actors but still have a shallow depth field to keep things more immersive.

Let’s talk about lenses. 

We are full Angénieux on this show. We have the Angénieux Optimo Primes. And we also use the new series of Angénieux Optimo Ultra Compact Zooms. They match beautifully and are extremely lightweight.

The 21-56 mm T2.9 and 37-102 mm T2.9 Ultra Compact Zooms do not weigh much more than the lightweight Optimo Primes. The zooms weigh about 5.5 pounds. They’re almost the weight of the primes which are very light as well, at about 3.75 lb each. We never physically see a zoom move in the final cut. But it’s easy for us to resize when we need to.

Obviously, we tested all kinds of different lenses during prep. We really love the Optimos because of the way they look and the way they capture skin tones. And we do have many different skin tones on this show. The colors of the set are respected with these lenses and I appreciate that. They have a lovely cinematic feeling. Honestly, I couldn’t find any other lenses that could fulfill the requirements needed for this show.

Did you use any Internal Optical Elements (IOP) or rear filters? 

No, just clean. We tested the IOP and I felt that any effect elements were taking away from what we were trying to achieve. But even without IOP or filters, there is still a gentle softness, a smoothness, with the natural glass. We also tested filters on set. We didn’t like them. So it’s all pure. We wanted this show to feel real, to see the details.

Was THE PITT done documentary style? Did you know where the actors would be going?

We block the scenes on the day, watching the actors move and making adjustments as needed. We rehearse with our operators for safety and because there’s so much choreography between the actors moving nonstop and all the background action. But things can change a little bit during the takes. We do not have any marks for the actors. That’s why we work handheld with the cameras, so we always adjust with the actors.

Your focus pullers must love you.

This was very challenging but very rewarding.

How do they handle focus? 

Our A-Cam 1st AC Jacob Depp and B-Cam 1st AC Kirsten Celo work off 13-inch SmallHD monitors. They are on set, as close as they can without being in the shots. They usually hide in rooms or in a place that’s out of view. But they’re not by the cameras. It’s impossible for them. There are many places for them to hide on our big set that occupies almost the entire stage.

We have a lot of 360 degree nonstop camera moves. We keep up with the actors for this feeling of being right there with them. In general, the distance between the front of the lens and the actor more or less remains consistent, but there is also a lot of improvisation. The camera wanders to what they see, comes back to them sometimes and then focuses on the background. There’s a lot of storytelling told by the focus. So our focus pullers are real artists.

The focus pullers understand what we are looking for. Everyone is paying attention to the script because everything—the medical information, the looks, the exchanges between the actors and what’s happening in the background—requires the full coordination of what we need to see and when. Our Camera Assistants are really good at judging the distances and they know when to anticipate moves.

Photo courtesy of Warrick Page and HBO. copyright MAX 2024.

Do they have focus tools?

They are using Preston Light Ranger 2 focus assist systems. They don’t really have any other choice in these situations.

[A-Camera Focus Puller Jacob Depp adds: The Preston Light Ranger 2 is pivotal on this show. With no marks, actors going from gurney to gurney, and the cameras always moving, it’s the best tool to feel confident that the image is sharp every time. I have my LR-2 set up off the front of the top handle just above the lens. I’m using an MDR 4 with the HU3. My monitor is a SmallHD 1303.]

How do you keep both cameras out of each other’s way, especially when doing 360s?

The A-Camera generally defines the move. That’s why we have A-Cam Op Erdem Ertal with a prime lens. It’s usually the 50mm or 75mm Angénieux Optimo Prime, but we mostly use the 50mm. We place the B-Camera where we know it will be out of view. That’s why we have B-Cam Op Aymae Sulick with an Angénieux Ultra Compact Zoom lens.

She sets the focal length for a specific moment and then has to run to another spot to get another moment and then yet another.  We do a lot of this. She’s a ninja running through the set.

Like a Ninja running through the set!

Sometimes we have calm situations where the actors are sitting down, and then we’ll use both cameras for matching coverage at the same time, with the prime and zoom matching sizes. The camera crew members are really great. They have to work as hard as any medical team. This show would never be the way it is without them and the pace at which they work.

Are you shooting mostly wide open?

No, lens apertures are usually at a T4 — almost all the time except for some night scenes. The reason for T4 is for focus. I want to be mindful of the Full Frame shallower depth of field with so much improvisation and so much play of focus. At T2.8, focus might have been more risky — and I think it looks great at T4.

If  you’re working at a T4, what is the reason to choose Primes for the A-camera instead of having zooms on both cameras?

That’s a good question. It is a way to respect the style we are going for. Being on a Prime forces us to always stick to our field of view and the distances we’re trying to keep with the actors. Also, the Primes are a little lighter than the Zoom, so that helps with the rigs and handholding. So, I really feel that Primes give us the structure that we have to respect and match with the Zooms.

Rhetorical question: why did you choose the Ultra Compact zooms rather than Angénieux Type EZ Zooms?

Because the Ultra Compacts match to the Optimo Primes perfectly. They are such an excellent match that we do not have to correct between the Zooms and the Primes in grading, which is amazing. The EZ Zooms are great, but they don’t have exactly the same quality.

How would you describe the look of Optimo Primes and Ultra Compact Zooms?

They’re very artistic. Are they as soft as some other lenses? No, but that’s not what we are looking for. We want something real but still cinematic and that’s really what these lenses provide. They’re great on skin tones. Color rendition is beautiful. And as I mentioned before, they are so compact and lightweight.

Are you filming in a real hospital? 

We are on stage at the Warner Bros Studios. Some of the hospital exteriors are in Burbank at St. Joseph’s hospital.

What about the opening aerials and exteriors of Pittsburgh? 

We went there for a week in September. The opening aerial sequence was done by Drone Operator John Tremba and his team piloting a DJI Inspire 3.

Please tell us about your lighting.

I have an incredible collaboration with Production Designer Nina Ruscio, who involved me in every set decision that would affect camera and lighting. When we built the set, I was lucky to be involved in the placement and choices of lighting. We installed troffers in the ceiling with dimmable, bi-color Cush Hybrid x2 24V LiteRibbon LED strips inside. That gave us full control with good CRI [98 TLCI] that worked for all the skin tones. Generally, we didn’t want any lighting on the ground. In addition to the troffers that were set at 4,000 degrees Kelvin, the recessed LED can lights were at 3,200 Kelvin—slightly warmer to add a bit of color contrast.

No lights on the floor at all?

We do not have any lights on stands except for some very specific situations—for example, through a window. Also, we hae custom lights made by our chief lighting technician Keelan Carothers, attached directly to the left and right sides of the camera matteboxes, using the same LED tape used in the troffers, but with some diffusion on them.

We have pole lights with ROSCO DMG Lumiere DASH DOT LED fixtures on the ends.  Sometimes we hae several of them, as actors pass by multiple electricians holding the lights which are often moving with the cameras. [DMG DASH is a battery-operated LED fixture about the size of an iPhone. The DOT is a round Diffuser accessory that attaches magnetically to the front of the DASH.]

Our key grip Maxwell Thorpe made a lot of tools to help us out. He also created diffusion frames that attached to the troffers.

Do you have a DIT on set?

The series is continuous. The story begins in the emergency room at 7:00 AM and continues for 15 hours because it’s 15 episodes. We go from early morning to sunset and then to twilight. It’s all progressive. So it’s really helpful to have a DIT on set to help calibrate the color before it goes into final grading.

Where are you grading?

Picture shop. Our colorist is Paul Allia. He’s grading on DaVinci Resolve.

How long does it take to do each episode? 

We complete each episode in 9 days. The original schedule was planned for 11 hour days, but sometimes we finish after around 10 hours. We complete about 9 to 10 pages a day. That’s a lot of setups. We work quickly.

We rehearse and often we are shooting 5 minutes later. No one waits. The cameras are ready to go. The lighting is ready as well. On many jobs, it can feel like they are waiting on the camera department or the lights. Here, it’s the reverse, in general. We just punch through. We don’t stop. We keep going all day because we are not really waiting for anything on the camera, grip or electric  side. However, there’s a lot of medical or prosthetic work that sometimes can take more time.

 

Photo courtesy of Warrick Page and HBO. copyright MAX 2024.

How do the actors and crew know medical procedures? 

They did two weeks of medical bootcamp. EMT technicians and doctors taught them how to do a proper suture, how you handle certain instruments or how to pronounce various terms. Every medical scene has been written with a doctor and also is rehearsed with a doctor. We have real doctors on set. Everything you see is medically accurate. Some of the nurses you see in the background are real nurses as well. We, the crew, are all working in scrubs. The reason is because the set is full of reflections and glass doors.

Do you monitor the cameras from the DIT cart?

Chief Lighting Technician Keelan Carothers and Key Grip Maxwell Thorpe are watching at DIT station, but I am not.

We have our own little mini monitors on set with the Director, 1st AD and Writer. We come as close as possible to the action. Our 13-inch SmallHD monitors are on wheels. And we don’t have director’s chairs. We have rolling stools that are used in hospitals. There’s also a video village off-set.

How did you plan the look of the show in advance?

I first interacted with Michael Hissrich and Michelle Lankwarden, the Executive Producer and Producer supervising the show. The look was discussed and approved by them as well as by Showrunner John Wells, by Scott Gemmill, and by our lead actor Noah Wyle. It was very clear from the beginning what they were looking for, not specifically how they wanted to shoot it, but what they wanted it to feel like. The scripts were written that way as well. When I read the scripts for the first time, it was clear on paper what it should look like. They always wanted the handheld approach. That’s something they were asking for from the beginning. And when I read the script, it made sense too.

Furthermore, they wanted the set to be a specific shade of white —to feel clean and bright. When you walk into a hospital, pass the waiting room and go to surgery, that’s what it feels like. Everything is white and bright. So that was very important for them. I think a reason they ended up choosing me for the show was that I did a pitch on how I wanted the camera to work within all of these ideas they already had. They knew they wanted it white and they knew they wanted it handheld, and I was able to define more precisely the style.

They wanted it to feel like a documentary as well, but obviously still feel like a narrative. So in my pitch, I brought up the idea that the camera should be in the middle of it all. The camera should be close to the actors. We should feel as if the camera is another staff member or one of the student doctors in the middle, following what’s happening. The camera should keep going with them and see what they see, focus on what they focus on and feel what they feel.

The show is also about the looks and dialog between everyone. It’s not so much about medical specifics, because few people really understand the terminology unless you’re a doctor, but it’s about what they feel and how they respond to their job and all of that. So it needed to feel busy because the hospital is so busy all the time. We play a lot with foreground and if there’s no foreground, the camera is right there close with the characters we are following.

Would you call it cinéma verité? 

That’s true. I didn’t actually mention it that way, but it’s totally a reference to cinéma verité. Absolutely.

Your work reminded me of Raoul Coutard.

Oh. That’s funny because I did many documentaries and that was part of the feeling I was trying to recreate.

How did you get started in film? 

I graduated from AFI in 2013. Before that, I completed a 2-year technical program in cinematography at  BTS Jacques Prévert in Boulogne-Billancourt [more than 7,000 applicants for 60 places] and then I graduated from the Bachelor of Arts program at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University.

When I was young, I wanted to do many things. I wanted to explore all the different jobs and crafts, all the different lives from being a doctor to making clothes and I couldn’t make up my mind on picking one path. And one day I held a camera in my hands and started creating stories. The camera let me explore every other profession or situation. I loved that concept, I didn’t have to chose anymore. I could explore it all. On every single job I did, I’ve learned something new. On The Rookie, I learned about the LAPD and the world police officers.  Right now I’m learning about the medical world. You get to explore all these things and that’s why I fell in love with cinematography.

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