Over the past two decades, Ula Pontikos has worked as Director of Photography across features, television drama and commercials, working on projects like Russian Doll, Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool and the upcoming Blade Runner series. Here, she talks through her process, and how fixtures from Robe have enabled her to shape naturalistic light on a variety of sets, with very different time constraints and budgets.  

To start with, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your career? 

I’ve been working as a Director of Photography for just under 20 years now, but I started my career assisting on films. I worked my way up from trainee to focus puller and clapper loader, then went to the National Film and Television School in 2006 and graduated in 2007. After that, I started shooting my own projects as DoP. 

What are the biggest lighting challenges you have faced on set? 

The main challenge is always balancing what you’d like to achieve with the time you actually have. You can come up with lots of ideas, some ambitious, some simple, but time is the one constant constraint. Most of the time you’re working out how much you can realistically execute within the schedule, and it never feels like quite enough. 

Do you have any go-to techniques or tools when you’re tight for time? 

I tend to work with familiar types of fixtures, but I’m also open to new technology. It’s about knowing what tools can get you to a result quickly. 

My first experience with Robe fixtures was in New York with a gaffer called Ken Shibata. We were working on a project called Three Women, and I saw how effectively they could be used to shape light. That really stuck with me. We used Robe fixtures to create these beautiful patterns, casting shapes on the floor that mimic what natural sunlight would do when it passes through a window. That kind of control is incredibly useful. 

On other shoots, I’ve used Robe fixtures to create multiple window shapes across the floor and walls. For one project, we used smaller fixtures to build up those patterns rather than relying on a single large source. It depends on the space you’re working in and what’s physically possible. 

Natural light is notoriously difficult to recreate. What are your tricks to getting it right? 

It is, especially when you want both realism and control over the outcome. On one project, the director wanted a very specific look, something almost like Spring Awakening, with defined shapes and patterns. 

We didn’t have the distance we needed for a single large source to behave like sunlight, so we built the effect using multiple smaller fixtures. That gave us the control we needed while still feeling natural. Outside of the technical side, are there any projects that stand out? 

I tend to choose projects I’m genuinely interested in, so they all feel special in different ways. Each one presents its own challenges, whether technical or emotional. 

On Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, we created transitions using back projection. We used six Barco projectors stitched together into an 80-foot wall and at the time, people advised against doing it that way, but we wanted to lean into that classic, cinematic feel. It worked beautifully. Sometimes you have to trust your instincts and go with the creative idea, even if people are advising you otherwise. At the time, we were told not to use back projection in that way and to do it on green screen instead. Now it’s much more normal to approach things like that. 

On Russian Doll, as another example, we built a subway set within an LED volume, which involved a lot of collaboration with VFX. It took a lot of testing and iteration to get it right.  

That project felt like one of those moments where everything just aligned. When Natasha Lyonne interviewed me, she described the concept (time, family, etc), and it immediately reminded me of a book I was reading at the time, the Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli. It turned out that the whole season was inspired by that book. A wonderful coincidence!  

Are there any projects that feel particularly close to you? 

Weekend is very special to me. It was my first feature film, and we made it with a very small, close-knit crew. It felt incredibly collaborative and instinctive. There’s something about your first project, especially when it works so beautifully, that stays with you. 

Are there specific lighting tools or products you rely on? 

I test extensively before projects. It’s less about memorising specifications for me and more about understanding what a fixture can actually do, what kind of effect it gives you and how quickly you can get there. 

I’ve used Robe fixtures on a number of projects, particularly when I need that level of control and detail. They’re very effective for shaping light and creating patterns, as I mentioned before, especially when you’re trying to replicate something natural like sunlight in a space where you don’t have the distance or time to do it traditionally. 

As always, it comes down to preparation. You need to know exactly what you’re working with, especially on fast-moving shoots, as different versions of fixtures can behave slightly differently.  

There’s a lot of innovation in the industry, how do you balance chasing innovation with maintaining traditional techniques? 

It’s important to stay open to new technology, but also not forget older methods. For example, LED volumes are widely used now, but back projection can still produce a more convincing image in certain situations. 

When we used that back projection in Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, we created an ocean and a moonscape and the sense of depth was incredible. It’s about choosing the right tool for the job, not just the newest one.