Night sky work at Kielder Observatory in Northumberland shines in 28 Years Later movie

Dan Monk produced a beautiful image for the Danny Boyle film director after Kielder Observatory was approached by the film’s visual effects team.

The team was searching for authentic Northumberland dark sky images for an action sequence which takes place on Holy Island causeway at night.

Dan, the charity’s director of astrophotography, explained: “They initially reached out for advice on night photography.

"They were thinking of sending their team up to Kielder Observatory, but I offered to capture the images myself, and they were happy with that.”

Dan, who is often out under the stars with his camera in the early hours, spent several nights imaging the spectacular dark skies and the Milky Way stretching overhead.

He captured 36 separate images, later stitching them into a high-resolution, 360-degree panoramic view.

“I adjusted the image based on a reference provided by the visual effects team, matching the colour palette and visual tone to reflect the cinematic style of Danny Boyle’s film,” he said.

“It’s really exciting to see it all come together on the big screen, especially with other parts of the North East featured too.”

Later, Dan and his colleague Dan Pye were invited to visit the film set, where they watched the dramatic Holy Island causeway scene being shot, where an ‘infected’ is in pursuit of the main characters. They even had the chance to meet Danny Boyle.

“He was absolutely lovely,” Dan recalled. “Watching him work, making these subtle but impactful changes to scenes, was an incredible experience. It was a real privilege to be there.”

Dan’s image formed the foundation for the film’s night sky sequence, later enhanced by the visual effects team.

Adam Gascoyne, lead visual effects supervisor for Union VFX, later said: “The skies shot formed the base for a magical clear sky during night scenes. We did embellish these beautiful photos, but they were inspiring.

“Kielder offered us a perfect and unique window to the night skies due to the rare absence of light pollution. It’s been a real wonder to behold.”

Leigh Venus, Kielder Observatory CEO, said: “The action sequence Dan’s images were used for was beautiful, and we’re proud to have contributed to this incredible work.”