Lights, camera, spectacles!

Alisdair Buchanan (right) with film director, Wes Anderson

Kent-based Buchanan Optometrists enjoyed a taste of Hollywood recently when it lent its professional expertise to director Wes Anderson’s latest short film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.

Shot primarily at Maidstone Studios and the Maidstone Business Hub on the River Medway, the 39-minute film adaptation is based on Roald Dahl’s 1977 anthology of the same name.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Henry Sugar alongside Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade, the film follows Dahl’s story about a rich man who sets out to master an extraordinary skill – seeing without using your eyes – in order to cheat at gambling.

Award-winning Buchanan Optometrists was brought on board for its expertise in restoring and adapting vintage eyewear. Working with original, fragile and sometimes inflammable frames, the team employed highly specialised techniques, such as hand polishing and acetone polishing, to restore each piece to its original glory. The practice also supplied virtually reflection-free lenses – a crucial component for the film’s cinematography.

“Seamlessly marrying comfort and style, our team ensured that even the most elaborate looks were perfectly wearable,” said Alisdair Buchanan, who runs Buchanan Optometrists with his wife Kathryn.

One of the unique challenges on set involved a consultation for contact lenses for an actor who had to wear thick lenses for their character.

ABDO member Alisdair, who qualified as a dispensing optician before becoming an optometrist, added: “Sometimes, we had only a few hours to make the impossible possible, but we did it. It was an absolute pleasure to work in sync with the dedicated crew and to contribute to this cinematic masterpiece.”

This was not the first time the practice has made behind-the-scenes contributions to both classic and modern-day cinema, to ensure the eyewear featured is “nothing short of extraordinary”.

Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is now available to watch on Netflix.