Bayley Broome-Peake, cinematographer of Mum I'm Alien Pregnant at Sundance 2026, described her approach to lens selection to IndieWire in terms that reframe how cinematographers typically think about equipment choices: "My work as a cinematographer is about developing a visual language that grows out of deep collaboration with the directors and a close intimacy with the story and characters. In that sense, the film ultimately chose its own lenses."
This statement—"the film ultimately chose its own lenses"—is remarkable because it inverts the conventional relationship between cinematographer and equipment. Usually, cinematographers select lenses based on prior experience, aesthetic preference, or rental availability. The lenses are chosen before the cinematography is made. Broome-Peake's approach is that the visual language of the film should determine the lenses, not the other way around.
The practical execution of this approach is systematic testing. Broome-Peake told IndieWire she "tested extensively at Imagezone NZ, exploring a wide range of options before sitting with the directors and interrogating how each choice connected to Mary's emotional experience." This testing was not technical evaluation in the conventional sense. It was not about determining which lenses were optically superior or most versatile. It was about discovering which lenses made the characters, particularly the protagonist Mary, feel emotionally authentic when photographed through them.
The language of "interrogating how each choice connected to Mary's emotional experience" is significant. The cinematographer is not asking: which lenses are best? She is asking: which lenses make Mary feel true? This is a fundamentally different question. It requires that the testing process involve the directors, that the cinematographer and directors watch rushes from different lens packages and discuss what each package is communicating about the character.
The lenses ultimately chosen—ARRI Master Primes, Cooke 1.8x SF anamorphics, Atlas Orion 2x Silver Series anamorphics, and ARRI Alura zooms—represent a heterogeneous package. These are not lenses chosen because they are cohesive or create a unified look. They are chosen because different lenses are needed for different emotional registers. Broome-Peake described the film as having "distinct narrative shifts that needed to be felt subtly, almost subconsciously, by the audience."
This suggests that at certain moments in the film, the visual language shifts in ways that the audience does not consciously register as shifts in cinematography, but that support the emotional movement of the story. The ARRI Master Primes might be used for intimate scenes where precision and clarity serve character moments. The anamorphics might be used for moments where the character's emotional state is more expansive, where the anamorphic rendering supports a different visual grammar. The zooms might be used for moments of movement or instability where fixed focal lengths are insufficient.
For cinematographers working with collaborative directors or with complex narrative structures, Broome-Peake's testing approach offers a model. Rather than selecting lenses before you understand the visual language the story requires, test extensively with the director and evolve the lens package as your understanding of the story deepens. The testing becomes part of the creative process, not a logistical prerequisite to shooting.
The testing at Imagezone NZ—a professional testing facility—suggests that this kind of systematic lens evaluation is increasingly available to independent productions. Rental houses understand that cinematographers need to test before committing. The testing is an investment that saves time and uncertainty on set. A cinematographer who has tested extensively knows exactly what the lenses will do and why they made the choice. The director who participated in testing understands the visual language and can discuss it on set with confidence.
Broome-Peake's phrase—"the film ultimately chose its own lenses"—is a powerful articulation of the philosophy that cinematography is not about imposing a predetermined visual language on a story. It is about discovering the visual language that the story requires through careful collaboration and rigorous testing. The lenses are not imposed. They emerge from the process of understanding the story deeply.
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- Atlas Lens Co. Orion Anamorphics | Adorama – B&H Photo
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