CREWSDAY TUESDAY: CAPTURING THE ACTION, JUST OUT OF FRAME

Crewsday Tuesday looks at Waterloo-based Alex Hurst, who works across film and television as a unit stills and art department photographer, a specialist role that helps shape the visual worlds audiences see on screen.

In the Liverpool City Region, her work includes Funny Woman, Sexy Beast, The Responder, A Woman of Substance and the short film Bag For Life, alongside documentary projects and studio‑based shoots. 

Although Alex is increasingly recognised for her unit stills work, her career grew out of the art department, where she creates photographs that exist within the story itself. Often referred to as “prop stills”, these images populate the walls of characters’ homes, or appear as album covers, magazine spreads and promotional material for fictional figures. “People don’t really think about who took those photographs,” Alex says. “But yeah, I do!” 

Her route into the industry began around five years ago with the production of Funny Woman. Asked to photograph an exhibition for a fictional photographer within the show, Alex shot a series of images with Gemma Arterton that featured prominently in the final episode. The opportunity came through a production manager actively pushing for local photographers on the Liverpool‑based production. From there, Alex’s reputation grew largely through recommendation. “It’s just been recommendations really,” she says. “Ninety‑nine per cent that’s how I get my work.” 

It was also on Funny Woman that Alex was first asked about shooting unit stills. “I was like, ‘what’s that?’ I’d never heard of it,” she recalls. After shadowing an experienced stills photographer, she quickly recognised it as something she wanted to pursue. While the role required specialist, silent equipment, Alex committed to building up what she needed. “You need mirrorless cameras, so when you press the shutter release it’s completely silent… it took me a long time to get the money together to buy it all,” she explains. “That’s why you have to be completely dedicated to it and you’ve got to love it, because if you’re half‑hearted about it, you’re not going to make those sacrifices you need to succeed.” 

Since then, Alex has gone on to shoot unit stills on productions including The Responder and the recent, Anglesey-shot Black Church Bay, capturing actors in character during moments when filming briefly pauses. She describes the role as demanding but rewarding, requiring confidence and technical precision. “You’re on your own on set,” she says, “but once you get it right, it’s such a good feeling.” 

By contrast, her art department work often draws on a studio background, with makeshift studios built inside filming locations and actors brought to her between takes. Alex believes the combination of both skillsets has been crucial, noting that while studio work comes naturally to her, stepping onto a live set was initially nerve‑racking, even after years of photographic experience. 

One particularly memorable project was Sexy Beast, another Liverpool‑based production, where Alex shot images intended to decorate a sleezy agent’s office walls. Although the photographs were ultimately destroyed in line with production requirements, the shoot itself stands out. “Sarah (Greene, who played Deedee in the show) looked incredibly glamorous, like an old Hollywood star,” Alex recalls. “I was told to make the images look low‑rent, but because she’s so beautiful and glamorous, it was really hard!” 

With work this year taking her over to Yorkshire taking Unit Stills for the upcoming feature Scorn, Alex is keen to continue building her career closer to home. “I want to work on more productions in the Liverpool City Region,” she says, continuing to contribute to stories told on screen, even if her role often remains just out of frame.