Maxance Vincent
When cinematographer Mark Patten, joined Prime Video’s Young Sherlock, discussions were held with showrunner Matthew Parkhill and director Guy Ritchie on how this vision of Sherlock Holmes would be revamped, from a visual perspective, as he tells Awards Radar during a virtual press day:
“Early on, we started talking about ideas of what a revamped or reimagined Young Sherlock would be. In its DNA, we had to give the tone an undercurrent of the two Sherlock movies directed by Mr. Ritchie, and, obviously, those were lit by Philippe Rousselot. That was a pretty big shoe to step into, but it gave me a strong framework to emulate while also bringing something a little more unique and fun to Young Sherlock’s episodic format. Having the Sherlock DNA really helped promote the ideas and shape the scope of a young protagonist starting out in his adventures, and what brings Sherlock into Moriarty’s sphere before anything goes wrong.”
In terms of his collaboration with Ritchie himself, a filmmaker who has always pushed the visual envelope, Patten explains that “there’s a whole team behind Mr. Ritchie. Obviously, he is the orchestrator of that world, and the players put the visuals together. They’re presented as a big mood board, and if something isn’t liked, then we can react.
However, the team that presented that initial tone mined a scene that not only impressed Mr. Ritchie but also gave the world a new, unique look. Once Jany Temime added her extra cherry on top, which is her unique vision in costume design, you start to get that magic happen visually. Mr. Ritchie ties it all together with the rhythmic way he uses the script, giving it a cadence, almost a poetry, to everything. Obviously, he will build the world, because episodes one and two will set the foundation for the rest of the show.”
Of course, there was so much more to unpack, including how the visual look of Sherlock’s flashbacks and mind palace scenes had to be distinguished, reinterpreting Sherlock and Moriarty’s rivalry, how the visual language of the show adapts itself to the emotional journey of the characters, and a few tidbits on the upcoming second season.
Listen to the full conversation below:
[Some of the quotes in this article were edited for length and clarity]
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