Edward Goldner ACS is an award-winning cinematographer working across television drama, films, commercials, and music videos. Edward has been busy working on the ‘Love me’ series, season 2, an Australian drama, set in Melbourne, Victoria. Edward talks about his experience with using a set of TLS rehoused Canon FDs, which were rented from The Vision House https://www.thevisionhouse.com.au/ , whilst filming the production. 

In Edward’s own words…

“Love Me” Series 2 follows three generations of a family and their respective relationships. The series very much leans into imperfection and vulnerability. In pre-production, I spent a great deal of time testing different glass at The Vision House with the intention of finding a set that would give our imagery a very human, organic quality.

I’d used TLS rehoused Canon FDs a great deal on commercial work and after initial tests, felt that they provided the perfect amount of character without creating too much distraction to the show’s narrative. In addition to this, building a camera package that would allow my camera team to work efficiently and make our days was of great importance. Things like high build quality, a well colour-matched lens set and an extensive range of focal lengths were all key criteria when I was considering options.

I found myself generally sitting around 35mm-50mm on wides and mids then 50mm-85mm on our tighter coverage for most of the shoot. One lens set was split across two Alexa Mini LF kits so having a lot of focal lengths at my disposal was hugely helpful. In addition to the FDs, I also used 58mm and 85mm TLS Petzvals for some key sequences which called for more heightened imagery.

We asked Edward why the Canon FD lenses?

I find myself usually gravitating towards lenses that provide clarity without feeling too clinical. For me, the FDs sit in a really great place on this front. In a way, I feel that they almost give me two unique lens sets, where I’m able to shoot fairly conventional, clean material from around T2.8/4 then incrementally bring in more character with beautiful imperfection and softness by pushing them towards their maximum apertures. 

And what did you enjoy most about this production?

Shooting “Love Me” Series 2 was a great experience. I had the pleasure of working with Bonnie Moir (director) across all six episodes, who really championed the show’s imagery over our ten-week shoot. 

In additional to this, having the opportunity to work with some of Australia’s most talented actors like Hugo Weaving and Heather Mitchell was unbelievable. I was extremely fortunate to have an extremely talented team in camera, lighting and gripping along with a huge amount of trust and support from producers and network to help create what I feel is a really special series.

Love Me - Season Two

Stills from the series.

Thank you, Edward, for sharing your experience with us. Season 1 was released June 2022 and Season 2 has just been released on April 7th 2023. ‘Love Me’ can be streamed on Binge, Amazon, Hulu and a number of other streaming channels.

You can see more of Edwards work on his website http://www.edwardgoldner.com/ and also watch the trailer for Love Me - Season Two http://www.edwardgoldner.com/#/love-me-s2/ 

Products relating to this Case Study

35mm Canon FD SSC/NFD T2.1

50mm Canon FD T1.3

85mm Canon FD SSC Aspherical/FD L T1.3

58mm Petzval

85mm Petzval