![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_28yl.jpg\")
Dan Monk’s shot of the Northumberland night sky which was used in a scene in 28 Years Later(Image: Dan Monk, Kielder Observatory)<\/p>\nDan Monk worked with 28 Years Later’s creators for one of the film’s most thrilling scenes on the Holy Island Causeway<\/p>\n
18:24, 21 Jun 2025Updated 21:26, 21 Jun 2025<\/p>\n
Dan Monk’s shot of the Northumberland night sky which was used in a scene in 28 Years Later(Image: Dan Monk, Kielder Observatory)<\/p>\n
A Northumberland night sky photographer has spoken of his excitement after a shot of the night sky he spent several nights creating appeared in Danny Boyle’s blockbuster 28 Years Later. Dan Monk, the director of astrophotography at Kielder Observatory<\/a>, produced an image for the film, which was released on Friday and had its gala premiere at the Tyneside Cinema<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n Filmed at locations across the region, North Easterners can pick out familiar filming spots<\/a> such as Holy Island<\/a>, Rothbury <\/a>and even the Angel of the North<\/a>. For an action scene on the Holy Island Causeway at night, the team searched for authentic Northumberland<\/a> dark sky images.<\/p>\n The scene has been described by Variety magazine as “positively hallucinatory, illuminated by night stars and aurora borealis streaks in the sky above.” And Dan Monk’s astrophotography expertise was just what the film’s creators needed.<\/p>\n Dan said: “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.”<\/p>\n Dan spent several nights imaging the county’s spectacular dark skies and the Milky Way stretching overhead. He captured 36 separate images, stitching them into a high-resolution, 360-degree panoramic view.<\/p>\n Our Northumberland Live newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here<\/strong><\/a>. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from in and around Northumberland.<\/strong><\/p>\n He said: “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. It’s really exciting to see it all come together on the big screen, especially with other parts of the North East featured too.”<\/p>\n 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 “alpha infected” is in pursuit of the main characters. The pair also met Danny Boyle, with Dan Monk saying: “He was absolutely lovely.<\/p>\n “Watching him work, making these subtle but impactful changes to scenes, was an incredible experience. It was a real privilege to be there.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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\u2019s been a real wonder to behold.”<\/p>\n Leigh Venus, CEO of Kielder Observatory, said: “I was lucky enough to see a preview of this thrilling film at Jam Jar Cinema in Whitley Bay<\/a>. The action sequence Dan\u2019s images were used for was beautiful, and we\u2019re proud to have contributed to this incredible work which showcases so many stunning North East locations.”<\/p>\n Join our Northumberland WhatsApp community<\/p>\n Join our Northumberland WhatsApp community<\/a> for all the latest news Northumberland news direct to your phone.<\/p>\n To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press ‘join community’.<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.<\/p>\n We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.<\/p>\n If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our privacy notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_BHR_200625Years_22.jpg\")
Alfie Williams as Spike and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Jamie in 28 Years Later. Credit: Sony Pictures<\/p>\n