Simona Susnea, the cinematographer behind four of the eight episodes of The Buccaneers Season 2—including the season premiere—brings a striking visual evolution to the Apple TV+ period drama. As the series airs weekly through August 6, Susnea’s work plays a vital role in deepening the tone of the show, visually reflecting the characters’ growing maturity and the weight of their decisions.
Working closely with the season’s directors, Susnea helped shape a more grounded, cinematic language for the series. In the episode six, this meant capturing the unsettling realism of a period-accurate mental institution and the emotional trauma of a mother separated from her child, using handheld camerawork and cool, subdued lighting. In contrast, quiet dinner scenes between estranged spouses were shot with a restrained, softened palette, reinforcing themes of isolation and disconnection.
Yet, amid the darkness, Susnea still preserved the show’s romantic spirit. Collaborating with intimacy coordinators and choreographing camera movements, she built dreamlike sequences—tracking shots that wrap the characters in their own intimate worlds, and shifts in lighting and color to contrast personal moments with the harshness of reality.
Her cinematography also adapts to individual character arcs. In the first episode, the camera is shaky and unmoored as Nan spirals into panic—but later, a grand crane shot reveals her in an opulent red dress, embracing her newfound power. In Episode 5, the focus turns to Lizzie, with the camera staying close and the palette becoming more muted, foreshadowing her decision to walk away from a life that’s not her own.
In this interview, Susnea talks about her collaborative process, visual storytelling choices, and the emotional precision required to bring The Buccaneers Season 2 to life.
What brought you to The Buccaneers and how did this all kick off?
I was approached. My guess is that our producer, Joe Innes, had seen my previous work on Heartstopper—I worked on that show for two seasons—and he’s a fan. I think that show posed a similar challenge to The Buccaneers, which was making the look bright but also rich in depth.
Joe actually reached out and said, “We love your work on Heartstopper and feel like The Buccaneers needs to be bright, but also cinematic and layered.” So I assume he’d seen my work and put my name forward to William McGregor, who directed episodes one and four. At the same time, I know the production designer, Markéta Korinkova—who has the same agent as me—was interviewing for the show. So it’s very possible my agent pitched me for The Buccaneers at the same time. We were eventually interviewed together, which makes me think that’s how it came together.
I see similarities between Heartstopper and The Buccaneers—they both explore young adult worlds, though The Buccaneers leans slightly older. But I think there was something in the spirit of The Buccaneers that felt familiar, and maybe that’s what made them feel I was the right fit.
And truthfully, I don’t know if this counts as manifesting, but I had been really intrigued by Scotland as a shooting location. I told my agent I was interested in doing a period drama, but it was never something we actively pursued. I think maybe a few things aligned outside of my control and made it happen.
The interview process itself was quite layered—I had three different meetings. And with each one, I didn’t want to repeat myself, so I tried to keep building on the ideas I shared initially with Joe Innes and the director. Then I met with executive producer Beth Willis. She’s very knowledgeable, very creative, and really knows the story inside out. She’s very specific with what she wants. And so is Joe.
I felt like when they hired Will, they wanted to bring a cinematic edge to the show. And when they brought me in, I brought the experience of creating something bright, but still deep. Plus, I come from an indie feature film background, so the communication with Will was really straightforward.
What was funny is that most of our visual references were the same. When I got hired, Joe sent me the show bible, and I saw a lot of my references were already in there—before they even interviewed me.
That’s amazing.
Yeah, it all came together quite naturally. It was a very open, communicative process. I told Will in our first chat that for me, listening is so important—really understanding where people are coming from. Sometimes there’s a gap between what you propose visually and what the showrunner has in mind. It’s all about nuance and detail. That ongoing communication created trust, and that trust gave us the freedom to really shape the look. And that was a lot of fun—it was great.
Let’s talk some of the technical stuff. I’m not sure if this was covered in other stories, but I’m curious about working with the actors—like Kristine Frøseth. She’s amazing. I love how she and the other characters are constantly evolving. You show that so well cinematically. What’s your process in matching visuals to that kind of character development?
It always starts with the script. For me, the characters’ arcs are what drive my choices—how they evolve, what motivates them, and how the story unfolds, especially across a series from episode one to eight.
In longer-form storytelling, you often get tonal shifts midway through. I’m actually working on another first-season period drama now and seeing the same thing—the story evolves quickly. That gives me a lot to work with.
The characters inspire everything—camera work, lighting, mood. And as a DP, it’s so important to have a relationship with the actors. Coming from indie dramas, shorts, and commercials—where I was always operating—I built confidence speaking with actors. I’d help guide them with camera positioning, while still respecting their process.
Of course, it depends on the project. You let the rehearsal play out first, see where the actors naturally go, and then offer small tweaks if needed—if the director allows that. On The Buccaneers, I wasn’t always operating, but for the handheld work I did. I still felt comfortable going up to the actors—we just got along naturally. Some of us became close friends and still keep in touch.
They were all ambitious and really dedicated, and that matched what Will and I wanted to do. Working on Rachel Leiterman’s block—episodes five and six—felt like being part of a family. Rachel had this nurturing presence with the cast, like a mentor. We became close very quickly because we had similar tastes. It just felt easy. All the energy was in the right place.
You filmed in Scotland and Croatia. The weather in Scotland can be wild—how did that affect continuity and flow?
Absolutely. Shooting in the UK means you learn to be adaptable—always. You can go from sunshine to clouds to rain or even snow in a single day. You just have to be prepared.
It’s really all about prep—how much control you can bring to something that’s inherently uncontrollable. That means working closely with your director, involving the first AD, and making sure everyone understands your lighting needs. But of course, the AD also has to manage costume changes, actors, the bigger picture. So it’s mindful collaboration across departments.
Sometimes the director might say, “It has to be at this time of day, in this exact location.” That’s where trust and communication come in. Will really allowed me to make the necessary tweaks so he could focus on the scene, not the technical hurdles.
Because I anticipated those challenges, we could just shoot the scene instead of fiddling with sun control or lighting setups. In Croatia, we had a beautiful schedule—but two or three days before the shoot, the weather changed completely. So we had to readjust and find weather cover. Same idea: clear communication, a supportive team.
Croatia stood in for Italy, so we wanted the look to feel bright and summery. I didn’t want to rely on grading to transform the image. I wanted to do it in-camera—with lighting, costume, production design, and the right palette. The Mediterranean light is high and intense, and we embraced that. That alone was a creative challenge.
That’s so great. I’m not super technical myself—I notice colors and characters more. Something my husband pointed out: Kristine always has her shoulders showing, and it felt symbolic. Was that intentional?
That’s such a great observation! The costume design was incredible. You really see Nan’s transition—from girlhood to womanhood—especially when she starts to understand the power and responsibility that come with her role. Toward the end of episode one, that becomes really clear.
In my pitch for the show, I talked a lot about “status”—how Nan changes when she realizes it’s not just about her heart anymore, but about responsibility. And I think she becomes a role model for the other women. The story does a great job of weaving in issues of women’s rights, especially for that era.
That theme carries over visually—in costume, color palette, lighting. Nan’s colors were often cooler, more royal blue. And during scenes about her responsibility, I softened the lighting to feel more grounded and mature.
We also played with visual variety across locations in Scotland. Framing was a big part of how we portrayed power—especially with Nan. I love symmetrical framing, and I’m very deliberate with camera height and placement. With Jinny, for example, who moves from being a secondary character to a lead, we had to rethink how to frame her.
When the director changed for episodes five and six, we got specific. There’s a scene where Jinny speaks about her child being taken away—very emotional. We deliberately didn’t empower her visually. We framed her smaller, off-center, slightly above eye-line—subtle things that contrast with how others are framed. It’s fun to work with those layers of meaning.
Are there cinematographers who’ve inspired your work?
That’s always evolving. Early on, I admired Gordon Willis—he embraced shadow and had a very specific way of lighting. I love darkness too. Today’s TV has different demands, but I still try to bring that sensibility.
Robby Müller was incredible with color and with using available or practical light, which gives freedom to the actors and directors. I try to do the same—keep the set free of stands, light through windows when I can, shoot handheld, and stay flexible.
Lately, I’ve really admired Eduard “Edu” Grau, Chase Irvin, and Reed Morano—even though she’s not shooting now. There are so many great DPs—it’s hard to keep up!
What do you hope people take away from your work on the show?
That’s a tough one, because as a cinematographer, you’re meant to almost disappear. It’s not about you—it’s about the story.
What I hope is that people feel the emotion, that they’re immersed in the story. That they go on the journey with the characters, through all the ups and downs. If the audience feels connected, then I feel like I’ve succeeded as a storyteller. That’s the best outcome—and that people watch it and enjoy it.
