Award winning Cinematographer Stephen Murphy, known for numerous features films as a cameraman and steadicam operator, is presenting here his last creation as Director of Photography: “Mrs. Peppercorn’s Magical Reading Room”. This magical short film directed by Mike le Han set in a remote cornish fishing village. The Reading Room book shop has stood empty and untouched for 9 years until Eloise an adopted little girl moves to the village. She doesn’t expect what she discovers.
Cameraman: Who are you and what do you do?
Stephen: My name is Stephen Murphy and I am an Irish Cinematographer based in London. I came to the camera department with a background in Sculpture and Design having originally trained as a Prosthetic Make Up Artist. I worked my way through the ranks of the camera department in the traditional way moving from Assistant to Steadicam/Camera Op and finally Cinematographer.
Cameraman: Tell me about your work as cinematographer in “Mrs. Peppercorn’s Magical Reading Room”
Stephen: Mrs. Peppercorn is a short film that Black Lake Films wanted to produce as a proof of concept for a larger feature version set in the same world using the same characters. The Director, Mike Le Han, had wanted to produce something that felt like a cross between Harry Potter and Sleepy Hollow, something with a magical atmosphere full of visual character, with it’s own unique visual style.
We shot on the RED camera (with the original M sensor on build 21) and used older Zeiss Super speed lenses combined with Tiffen Smoque, Black Frost and Whiskey filters. Lighting was usually kept very simple, using soft sources overhead to give a very soft toplight, usually Chinaballs, Kinoflos and Tungsten balloons for night exteriors. I’d then augment that further in close ups with additional china balls, double diffused, above the lens. Most of my lighting package was tungsten which, combined with the RED sensors 5000K sensor and the Whiskey Filter in front of the lens, gave me the warm colour you see in the final image.
Cameraman: Thank you Stephen!
More about Stephen Murphy on his website: Stephen-Murphy.com
And on his blog: Stephenmurphydop.blogspot.com
You can also follow him on Twitter: Twitter.com/Stephen_Murphy
Stephen Murphy on IMDB: Imdb.com/name/nm1094426
More about the film: Mrspeppercornthemovie.co.uk
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