Richard Halliwell de NENT Studios UK
Richard Halliwell, CEO of Nent Studios UK, said that the partnership with Dopamine making Close To was amazing, as they connected wholeheartedly from the beginning. They quickly saw the creative and commercial value of the Project. Both from a practical and cultural perspective, Dopamine has been perfect partners – responsive, engaged, fast, and friendly.
Halliwell commented that Alongside our producers at The Development Partnership and commissioners at Viaplay and Channel 4, they have tried to create a product that will work for the international market, but that feels deeply rooted in the UK. “Dopamine has been supportive of this concept all along, and has fed into the creative process at all the key moments to help ensure we were all on the right track,” he said.
He explained that the main challenge of this production was the pandemic. “Co-productions are hard enough to navigate at the best of times, its testament to the diligence, professionalism, commitment, and energy of the producers and our ever-flexible partners that we were able to shoot a gripping, beautiful, must-see thriller in the middle of an unprecedented global health crisis.”
“The original book on which this series was based was on the South Coast of England – a specific location that has not been used much in UK TV before, so it was important to Angela Pell our writer – who also lives in that region – to give the series a sense of place. Our director Michael Samuels and his talented director of Photography Sergio Delgado have done a wonderful job of using the rich, varied and striking scenery on offer to create a beautiful-looking series. Alongside the South Coast, Jo Harding’s beautiful modernist house is also a character in itself,” he said regarding the importance of shooting at the right location.
He said they were very optimistic about how the series will be received, and noted that they are still in the midst of the post-production, “but it’s looking amazing.”
