RED and the City: A Perfect Couple

interview and copy written for RED camera

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And Just Like That… Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte return for another season of style, romance, and unbreakable friendships, as the beloved comedy-drama continues to be wedded to RED for a third installment.

The enduring appeal of the Sex and the City lead characters (played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis) and consistent presence of key creatives including Executive Producer John P. Melfi and Showrunner and Executive Producer Michael Patrick King are essential to the success of the Max Original spin-off.

Parker, Melfi and King are intimately involved in the look of the show which has been shot on RED since the first season pilot.

“With a show as successful as Sex and the City, it was very important to get the look right early on,” says cinematographer Tim Norman (Inventing Anna; American Horror Story) who has photographed most of the 31 episodes across three seasons. “I'm really happy with the evolution of the show's look married to the evolution of the RED cameras.”

As the next chapter to the multi-Emmy-Award winning Sex and the City, Norman understood just how important the city itself was to And Just Like That…when establishing the look in 2021.

“Since New York City is very much a character, that immediately had us leaning towards large format. We also had conversations early on about what a close-up for the show would look like and from that came the idea that we would shoot more for portrait photography.”

The six original series were shot 16mm and two follow up feature films on 35mm. With And Just Like That…, set a decade after the events of the 2010 movie, came a modern upgrade to digital.

“With large format you can design a shot that takes in the space and environment in great

detail and then allow the shot to evolve into a close-up of your star,” Norman explains. “Instead of an 18mm lens you're on maybe a 50mm which lends itself to portrait photography.”

For the first season, Norman selected the Panavision DXL2 with the RED MONSTRO 8K VV sensor partnered with Panavision Primos. For the latest season, he revised the package to RED V-RAPTOR XL [X].

“The most important quality of V-RAPTOR XL [X] for our show is the global shutter. If you can picture an iconic Sex and the City shot of glamorous women wearing sparkly dresses crossing a Manhattan street at night, RED just lifts the environment to be a character. I know that RED will render everything that is happening in the background including traffic, lights and reflections which to me is part of the essence of the show. RED just seemed a natural choice.”

Well over half of each season is shot on location in NYC locations including upscale hotels, exclusive restaurants and some of the city’s most desirable apartments. Il Coros, Daniel, Benoit, Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, the Met Opera and Midtown’s The Bar at the

“The color space of RED is fantastic,” Norman says. “We shoot a lot in mixed light on this show and the color space is very forgiving. I find it to be very natural and can handle mix-light situations very well.”

The consummate production design and luxurious fashions worn by the stars are a big part of the show’s appeal too. “Everybody is super detail oriented and I want to be able to capture as much of the hard work that everyone's put into the look of the show. With RED we are able to showcase everything.”

The consistency of look is maintained between seasons with the union of V-RAPTOR and Primo 70 lenses. The Primo 70s were detuned by Panavision New York according to Norman’s specifications.

“The vintage nature of the glass combined with the modern large format sensor gives us the perfect cinematic style. I enjoy a strong relationship with Panavision’s rental house in New York. They've been super helpful throughout my whole career. I like the way the Primo 70s are very consistent and that even when you introduce your own diffusions to them you can rely on the look you're going to get between sets.”

Norman was introduced to the advantages of RED’s large format earlier in his career through fellow New York-based cinematographer William Rexer, ASC. “He and I worked with Fred Elmes, ASC on the Prime Video show Hunters. Fred was doing some front of the lens diffusion using his own nets, an idea that I took into And Just Like That…”

The production shot between May and October 2024 often with two units in tandem and covering some scenes with three cameras. “At that point, V-RAPTOR XL [X] had barely been released. We needed six cameras almost immediately because shooting was scheduled within a few weeks. Panavision and RED came through and delivered us six REDs fresh out of the box. We didn't miss a beat and we didn't have a single problem.”

He explains that multi-cam not only allowed the production to be more efficient but it aided the comedy. “For instance, we have many scenes with characters sitting around conversing at dinner tables and it’s important to try and capture as much of the wit and spontaneity of the performances as we can rather than potentially dissipate the energy doing repeat set- ups.”

Camera movement is also very important to the DP who gently breathes life into the framing and composition without calling attention to camera. “Our job is to make the environments beautiful but not detract from the comedy, to let the characters take the stage.”

He adds, “The trick with this show is to present these beautiful women in the best light so when they are situated in this variety of environments it must feel realistic but not over lit.”

Another plus for Norman is V-RAPTOR’s small form factor. V-RAPTOR XL [X] deploys the

same size sensor but in a body about a third the size of the DXL2. “Around ninety per cent of the show is done on a remote head. It’s the way I've learned to see the world and I like the way that the camera can move. So, we're jumping from studio to jib very quickly and having extra RED camera bodies prepped and ready for anything is a huge help.”

When it came to shooting specific episodes, King shared his creative input about how to approach key scenes. “He's so tuned into the show and to the characters. We'd have these collaborative meetings to talk about the scenes which were important to him and the overall vision. In that process it became very clear how we were going to distil the look.”

Norman also credits his team including gaffer Scott Ramsey, key grip Gary Martone, Digital Imaging Technician Andrew Nelson and Picture Shop colorist Pankaj Bajpai, another veteran of the original series.

“It's incredibly important to me to set up an environment on set where everyone can take ownership. It's a very dense experience working on this show but we have a fantastic team.”