“My model with it was to blend the epic with the intimate, so to always bring you really cool, epic, cinematic shots, but to always remember that the character is the most important thing with this series.”
The first three episodes of Star Trek: Picard are unlike any other introduction in Star Trek history…But it’s not just the story and the terrestrial setting that separates Star Trek: Picard from previous series set in the science-fiction galaxy. Picard is also the first time a Star Trek series premiere has been directed by a woman, with Hanelle Culpepper taking the captain’s seat for the first three episodes.
CBS All Access’s Star Trek: Picard…has been the most-watched original series to date for the streaming service. The first three episodes of the series were helmed by director Hanelle Culpepper.
“We finished shooting day four of Kung Fu in Vancouver when everything shut down. That weekend, we were planning to do a big rehearsal for a cool action sequence that we were set to shoot on Monday. Now, I’m back in L.A. serving as a surrogate teacher to my two children and editing what we shot in those four days. We have some impactful scenes with wonderful performances that truly show the family dynamic of the series.”
Direction from Hanelle Culpepper was also a highlight, with the use of light and colour being especially refreshing.
The first three episodes show Culpepper’s deft camerawork, with sun-drenched, lingering shots of retired Starfleet Adm. Picard’s vineyard and seamless computer-generated imagery.
“We’re in a time when inclusion is very important for the industry, which is a great thing that’s happening, but also it’s just been the tradition of Star Trek,” Culpepper says. “You can’t have a Star Trek series that’s not diverse. It would just feel incorrect.”
Big Beach, the company that brought us Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, has set an adaptation of the memoir Running A Thousand Miles For Freedom by William and Ellen Craft. The feature will be titled 1000 Miles and Hanelle M. Culpepper is set to direct with Selwyn Seyfu Hinds penning the script.
The New CW pilot Kung Fu [is] reimagining with a female lead of the 1970s David Carradine-starring TV series. It hails from Christina M. Kim, Martin Gero, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Warner Bros. TV. Additionally Hanelle Culpepper (Star Trek: Picard) has signed on to direct and co-executive produce the pilot.
They love those Borg Cube entrance and exit shots, don’t they? (But, seriously. Director Hanelle Culpepper is killing it.)