Inside Art

Project: Factual entertainment series
Role: Lighting/Cameraman
Producer: Richard Shaw
Commissioned by: Sky Arts
Format: Broadcast
Camera: Sony FX 6
Lighting: Aputure COB Fixtures plus LCDs

Inside Art is a documentary series produced by Unity House and commissioned by Sky Arts, celebrating the richness and diversity of the UK’s visual arts landscape. Presented by art expert Kate Bryan, the series profiles exhibitions in galleries and museums across the country, offering behind-the-scenes insights through interviews with curators, artists, and cultural commentators.

Each episode combines interviews, pieces to camera, and dynamic gallery footage to create a layered portrait of the featured exhibition, its context, and the artists involved.

Behind the Scenes

I was invited to shoot three episodes of Inside Art alongside director Richard Shaw. The first was filmed at The Hepworth Wakefield, a contemporary art gallery in West Yorkshire known for its striking architecture and bold curatorial approach.

The show’s visual format involved a mix of structured interviews, presenter-led pieces to camera with Kate Bryan, and general views of the gallery spaces and artworks—captured using a combination of slider and gimbal to create smooth, elegant movement within the gallery environments. This approach helped reinforce the series’ polished, broadcast-ready aesthetic while remaining sensitive to the artworks and the surrounding space.

The same visual structure was applied to two additional episodes I worked on: one at Manchester Art Gallery, focusing on the Derek Jarman: Protest! exhibition, and another at The Whitechapel Gallery in East London. Each location presented its own challenges in terms of access, lighting restrictions, and working around public visitors and installation teams.

To maintain the series’ consistent look while adapting to the unique characteristics of each space, I employed portable, colour-tunable LED fixtures with built-in grids, allowing for precise light control in sensitive gallery environments. These units offered fast setup times and could be quickly adjusted to emulate and complement existing architectural lighting—achieving a natural, cohesive look that integrated seamlessly with each venue’s design.

Across all three episodes, I worked closely with the director and presenter to frame, light, and execute technically smooth, visually engaging sequences that served both the artworks and the storytelling.