Interview with Heartstopper & Sweet Sue cinematographer Simona Susnea

The path that led Simona Susnea to her career as a cinematographer began with an interest in journalism, which in turn introduced her to still photography. She attended film school in her native Romania before relocating to the U.K., where she earned her master’s in cinematography from the esteemed National Film & Television School. In the years since, her credits have ranged from commercials, shorts, music videos and documentaries to feature films such as the Leo Leigh-directed Sweet Sue and episodic work including Season 2 and 3 of Netflix’s Heartstopper. In this video, she reflects on her career path and lessons learned along the way, shares insights into her lens choices for specific projects, and offers words of encouragement for aspiring filmmakers.

From Stills to Moving Pictures

Before discovering her affinity for cinematography, Susnea first nurtured an interest in taking still photos. "I started when I was 14 with photography," she shares. "I did a stills photography course because I actually wanted to be a journalist, so it was through stills that I got engaged with telling a story and then decided to apply to film school.

"Part of it was just being totally naive about what the industry is, particularly where I'm from, Romania," Susnea adds. "I actually started working in the Romanian industry when I was still in film school back home. And because the industry is so tight and small, people saw my work and I started working in commercials there, and at the same time, I was also doing short films. So that was my 'in' in the industry there, and then I moved to the U.K. to do a master's."

Early Lessons

As Susnea moved from short-form projects into features and series, she understood that landing the next job would take more than just an impressive reel. "Especially with television," she says, "they're taking a risk on you if you're an up-and-coming DP or director. It's all about reassuring your production team that you'll achieve the day. Apart from your creative input, it's like, 'How do you actually lead your team?'

"It's also important that you meet the right director and the right producer that really believes in you creatively," she continues. "So I think it's just about patience and working at it all the time, and doing work that you fully believe in and represents you, because that's what people respond to."

Learning on the Job

Her experience in film school provided a strong foundation in the craft of cinematography, but it didn't provide the opportunities to see how other directors of photography planned their projects and ran their own crews. "Because I went to film school, I was never really on set with other DPs in a camera-assisting role where I could observe how those big sets are working," Susnea reflects. "I had to really teach myself everything and develop my own way of learning. I started with doing film school projects, short films where it really all starts with a script, talking with the director, but then how do you develop that language from a visual point of view?

"For instance, I love doing a mood board, and I do a lot of research when I'm preparing for a project," she explains. "And if I get the job, it's great because it gives me a great starting point during prep. If I don't get the job, it's an investment in my own creativity, researching stuff that I didn't do before. So it's a learning process by doing a mood board like that."

Heartstopper and Sweet Sue

Susnea joined the hit Netflix series Heartstopper, based on Alice Oseman’s beloved graphic novels, as the show was ramping up for its second season, and she remained with the production through Season 3. “With Heartstopper, I interviewed for Season 2," the cinematographer says. "The graphic novel was a huge inspiration because Alice Oseman has a very particular way of drawing, very interesting angles, and that made me think this is very subjective, very personal, and I need to be close to the actors because that's what the graphic novel inspires."

Working with Panavision London, Susnea selected a lens package that included H Series spherical primes, which she paired with a Panavised Arri Alexa Mini LF camera. "With the H Series, I really connected with the softness, how they fall apart but they don't," she notes. "There was color in the flares, and I really loved that. They kind of became my favorite lenses. I used them again on Season 3, and I would use them again on other projects."

Susnea again teamed with Panavision London for the feature film Sweet Sue, written and directed by Leo Leigh and shot on 16mm film. "On Sweet Sue I used the Primos," the cinematographer says. "Primos just have a beautiful balance of being soft but not very soft. The flares are incredible, and again, I love the color in the flares for the Primos.”

Collaborer avec Panavision

Susnea's long-running collaboration with Panavision began when she met Lee Mackey, who at the time was based out of Panavision London and is now a member of the Technical Marketing team at Panavision's Woodland Hills headquarters. "I met Lee Mackey in 2011," the cinematographer remembers. "I went to a masterclass in Budapest. We were each doing our exercises, and Lee came over from London with a set of cameras and Panavision lenses, and that's how I got to use Panavision for the first time."

Since then, Susnea has turned to Panavision for productions of all types and scales. She says, "They supported me when I was doing low-budget short films, when we didn't really have any money and they were still interested in the creative part. I did a lot of shorts on 16mm, I went to Panavision. I did shorts on digital, I went to Panavision. It was just the buildup of the relationship. It's also the glass, right? It's what appeals to you and what speaks to you and what's available from Panavision that I match with in terms of my taste."

Believe in Yourself

Throughout her career, Susnea has been clear-eyed about the challenges facing women and other aspiring filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities. "There's a lot of imbalance when it comes to what kind of privileges certain people have over others, social class, gender, race," she acknowledges. "That has a huge impact over how you work, how you get hired."

Nevertheless, she remains steadfast in her commitment to the craft and encourages others to do the same. She offers, "Believe in yourself, go for it and try to experiment. Work with different people to really explore what's there for you and what you like."