Into the Dark Ages: the gothic vision of The Dreadful

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 347: director Natasha Kermani and DP Julia Swain

The Dreadful is a Dark Ages horror tale starring former Game of Thrones actors Sophie Turner and Kit Harington. Anne (Turner) and her controlling mother-in-law Morwen (Marcia Gay Harden) struggle to survive, isolated from society. But when a man from Anne’s past returns from war, he appears to bring a curse involving a mysterious knight.

Writer-director Natasha Kermani spent years developing the story. Drawn to the brutality and simplicity of medieval times, Kermani wanted to craft a film with a distinctly folkloric feel. Cinematographer Julia Swain has worked with Kermani on several projects, including Kermani’s 2025 horror film Abraham’s Boys and the 2020 horror film Lucky.

As tight collaborators for over a decade, Kermani and Swain discussed and shotlisted The Dreadful together. “I’ll usually do a draft of the script, and Julia will take a look at pretty early drafts,” says Kermani. This deep-rooted partnership allows them to discuss the color story, lenses and aspect ratio right from the beginning.

Independent filmmaking on a tight budget requires organization. Swain established a set of visual rules to maintain consistency, while allowing for spontaneity on set. “On Dreadful, we started asking ourselves really critical questions,” says Swain. “Are we being bold enough? Don’t cut too fast. Just reminders to go for it on the day.”

The two came up with a “gothic storybook” aesthetic for The Dreadful. Kermani and Swain chose anamorphic lenses to frame characters within their environment, and wider lenses to capture the beauty of their physical location. For intimate moments, Panavision Portrait lenses centered the characters, stripping away the environment to reveal their internal turmoil. Swain created a complex color spreadsheet where each character’s arc was assigned a specific LUT. A greener look was used for moonlight, especially in the forest.

The production braved the remote wilds of Cornwall, England to shoot the film during the dead of winter. The short December days and low-hanging sun were integral to the film’s atmosphere. “It really became about embracing the darkness,” Kermani says. “It’s in the DNA of the film that we were there in December.”

In a medieval setting, Swain chose no hard light and no direct lighting sources. The cottage where the women live was built directly on the location due to limited resources and only a 17 day shoot. The camera could follow characters seamlessly from the interior out into the world. Kermani laughs, “I think it helps sell the fairy tale aspect of it. You’re in this Babayaga-esque hut on the edge of a dark forest. Because we really were in a Babayaga hut on the edge of a dark forest!”

The hut was a feat of functional design, built to Swain’s specifications. She needed enough windows and light sources to generate an image, with a higher ceiling to place unobtrusive light sources. The crew figured out the best placement for the indoor firepit, and windows were built wide enough for natural light to illuminate the cottage. A removable wall allowed the crew to reset quickly.

The location provided an atmosphere and authenticity to The Dreadful that also added to the actor’s performances. “There’s a feeling of ancientness in certain parts of the world that we don’t really have here in the States,” Kermani says. “To be able to connect with that, and feel the mist and the mushrooms growing and to feel all of those little details, gives us a production value that on this budget, we would never get if we were on a set.”

Find Natasha Kermani: Instagram @natakerm

Find Julia Swain: Instagram @juliaswain

See The Dreadful in theaters and on VOD now.

CAMERAS: ARRI Alexa 35

LENSES: Panavision T series anamorphic lenses, Panavision Portrait lens

Close focus: A roundup of a few stories-

Frederick Wiseman died at the age of 96. The acclaimed documentarian made 45 films over 50 years. Here is a re-release of our 2020 interview. He discusses City Hall, Titticut Follies, High School and more.

A 15 second AI ByteDance/Seedance clip of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fighting has angered SAG and freaked out Hollywood over IP theft.

Kristen Stewart is reviving the Highland Theater in Highland Park.

The movie Train Dreams has a pop-up gallery opening on Feb. 26, curated by director Clint Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso in Los Angeles. (No, sorry, it’s not at Travel Town, a missed opportunity!)

Ben’s short end: Sergio Cilli’s Instagram, where he posts videos of himself directing AI actors as a director would, with hilarious results.

Illya’s short end: Illya recently went to the BSC Expo in London.