Project Orpheus

THE PROJECT

This television series for dutch broadcaster AVROTROS is basically the 90's film-hit Flatliners turned into a medical-fantasy series. 12 episodes of 45 minutes tell the story of 5 young students working in a private clinic who discover that the people around them are not exactly who they seem to be. They stumble upon a dark world beneath the hospital en get hopelessly involved.

THE IDEA

Directors Dennis Bots, Allard Westenbrink, Aniëlle Webster and Ivan Lopez Nunez turned the script into high speed episodes with lots of suspense, action and of course a snippet of love. Aimed at the younger crowds (16-30) watching channel NPO3 this show is something totally new for the public broadcaster. Creative Director Kaja Wolffers (NL film) wanted a glossy, contrasty look and encouraged the crew to push the visual envelope to the max.

THE SOLUTION

DOP colleague Jacco van Ree created the look inside the private clinic and shot most of the episodes 1-3. I signed up for all of the other locations in the first three episodes and I shot episode 4-12. Working with ARRI (Amira and Alexa Mini) and 3 series of Cooke Lenses (Mini S4, S4 and S5) helped a lot creating the look of the series. Together with gaffer Stijn Jonkhart we developed a specific look for every location.