A UK manufacturer whose lenses have been used on some of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history has opened a second site as it builds its share of the global market. Cooke Optics has put £1 million into the new site, close to its existing home in north Leicester, and expanded its team.
The second site was commissioned to help with growing sales of a new specialist lens brought out last year and there are plans for another new which will allow their lenses to be used by an even broader market of film and documentary makers.
Cooke lenses have been highly regarded in the movie business for more than a century thanks to their quality, reputation and the distinctive “Cooke Look” which they create on film – which is said to be more pleasing on the eye.
First made in the 1890s, they were used on Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic exploration and helped document Everest expeditions in the 1920s.
In Hollywood, they were used on the Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Keystone Cops films as well as the Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and in more recent decades Star Wars and Superman.
In the last couple of years they have been used to film the critically acclaimed US zombie series The Last of Us. Cinematographer Ksenia Sereda said she chose Cooke lenses to shoot close-ups of the characters because they could also preserve the depth of the background – as well as The Batman, Matilda and the new Wes Anderson movie Asteroid City.
Because of that pivotal role in creating the look of some of the biggest movies of all time Cooke Optics picked up its own Oscar a decade ago.
Tim Pugh, who took over as chief executive in 2020, said their commitment to craftsmanship and innovation had allowed them to stay ahead of the pack.
He said: “Cooke Optics has grown immensely in the past few years, and the business is in a great position within the lenses industry.
“At Cooke, we have always strongly emphasised delivering superior-quality lenses that exceed the expectations of our creators.
“We have always strongly emphasised delivering lenses that allow filmmakers to meet their highly tailored needs, and our lens being selected for an award-winning series like The Last Of Us is a testament to that.
“For the first time ever, Cooke lenses were used to shoot a sports documentary. The highly awaited FIFA World Cup film, Written in the Stars, exhibits a new trend in cinematography where the Cooke lenses helped dramatise a sporting event and bring a real cinematic feel to the everyday.
“Superhero film The Batman was a film that everyone had been waiting to hit the screens in 2022, and our Cooke lenses successfully captured the dark and atmospheric visuals that define the Gotham City landscape in the film.
“Cooke lenses were also chosen for the shooting of the hit HBO series Euphoria. The show is known for its impactful visuals and compelling storytelling and our lenses were picked to achieve the desired aesthetic and enhance the emotional impact of its striking narrative.”
The business has grown from a workforce of 120 a decade ago to 175 today and has steadily moved away from being an engineering company to a tech business thanks to the lens going from being “the thing that sits on the end of the camera to be the single biggest creative tool”. Despite all that. Its products are still all made by hand.
Cooke’s latest /iTechnology has built on that trend and helps film and digital cameras record key lens data for each frame shot – helping with post-production and saving time and cost, while giving greater creative freedom.
It now has a 15 per cent share of the market and demand is such that there is an 18 month backlog for orders. Around a two-thirds of its business is split between the US and Europe, with 20 per cent of sales going to China, and 20 per cent to the rest of the world.
Tim said: “The company is evolving rapidly, and as technology develops, it creates new opportunities.
“Over the years, the business has stayed true to Cooke’s century-old lens and hardware manufacturing expertise, while staying at the forefront of technological advancements.
“We have recognised that filming isn't about just shooting, it’s about utilising the newest technology to unleash creativity through the lens – a unique blend of both science and art.
“This is why we introduced the technological innovation called /iTechnology, a new standard across all new Cooke lenses. /iTechnology enables film and digital cameras to automatically record key lens and camera data for each frame shot, which can then be provided to post-production teams digitally. Streamlining both production and post, it saves valuable time and cost while eliminating the need for guesswork.
“Combined with partners from across the whole production process, /iTechnology is a crucial element in driving forward virtual production and unleashes so many creative possibilities.”
Prior to joining Cooke, Tim was CEO of automotive and industrial paints, lubricants and technical products manufacturer James Briggs and also spent time at Scania, the RAC and Daihatsu.
He said that in the last three years Cooke’s turnover has grown substantially from £21 million in 2020 to £33 million last year, and is set to grow to between £36 and £37 million this year.
That is down to production volumes almost doubling from 1,400 lenses a year to 2,500.
