In just two seasons, The Pitt has already entrenched itself as something of a cultural institution. Despite airing on the HBO Max streaming service, the series is structured more like an updated take on network medical dramas, with longer seasons, a weekly release schedule, and—at least so far—regular intervals between seasons. The characters of Dr. Robbie, Dr. Langdon, Nurse Dana, and the hospital’s rotating roster of resident and student doctors have captured the zeitgeist in a way that is increasingly uncommon in today’s fractured media environment.
Following their SOC Camera Operator of the Year nominations for their work on season one, Camera Operator had a chance to sit down with A camera and Steadicam operator Erdem Ertal, SOC and B camera operator Aymae Sulick, SOC to talk about their work on the series; how the style of the show evolved between seasons, working around both intimate performances and elaborate special effects, and adapting to the series’ specific visual language that immerses the viewer in the world of “the Pitt”.
Ten months has passed since the Pitt Fest shooting and the ensuing nightmare in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical emergency department, and the staff of the ED is still struggling to deal with the aftermath in their own ways. Dr. Robbie is about to leave on a motorcycle sabbatical that he’s cagey about whether he intends to return from, Dr. Langdon is back after his stint in addiction recovery, and Nurse Dana has developed something of a hair trigger in the wake of her attack by a patient. On top of all of that, it is the fourth of July—a notoriously busy day for emergency rooms—and as a wave of cyberattacks cripples other hospitals in the area, the Pitt is forced to take their computer systems offline and go fully analog. The Pitt is created by R. Scott Gemmill and stars Noah Wyle, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez, and Sepideh Moafi.
David Daut 