Thomas Duke
Thomas Duke | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Education | Brunel University |
| Occupations | Influencer, photographer, interviewer |
Thomas Duke is a British photographer, influencer, and interviewer best known for his social media channel Stepping Through Film, in which he photographs locations of films. He is also known for his interviews of actors and filmmakers.
Biography
[edit]Duke hails from Newport, Essex.[1] From a young age, he was a cinephile, and he attended Brunel University studying film. During college, he began traveling to find interesting places. During this time, he began taking photos of the locations his favorite films were filmed at, starting at a waterfall which part of Into the Woods was filmed at. In 2017, he began creating social media content featuring these photos under Stepping Through Film.[2][3] Much of this content includes him printing out stills from films and holding it up in front of the actual location to form a complete picture.[1][4]
He soon began making that his full-time career, traveling the world to find filming locations ranging from The Devil Wears Prada in New York City to The Twilight Saga: New Moon in Montepulciano[2], Spider-Man: Brand New Day in Glasgow,[5] and Forrest Gump in South Carolina, which he was hired to do by the South Carolina Tourism Board.[1] He also began tracking down locations of animated films, including The Little Mermaid,[6] Ratatouille, and Luca, the latter of which required "walking around finding similar aspects" until he found the spot. Some of his posts have been confirmed to be the location by the animators involved.[2] He continued creating this content during COVID, although he had to get "more creative". In 2020, he had more than 100,000 combined followers.[7] In 2023, he had more than 400,000 combined followers.[1]
He is also known for his interviews of directors and actors,[8] with Variety describing him as "the darling of the U.K.'s junket circuit" and his questions as "thoughtful and insightful". He always brings his photos to these interviews, as well as his film journal. He has stated due to his independence from publications and news, he's "been able to bring a bit of myself in there".[9]
He has been hired to promote for companies including Sony, ITV, Prime Video, Apple TV, Redbreast Whiskey,[9] and Netflix.[10]
He has stated that he believes his most influential posts have to do with his own connection with his favorite films, such as how Love, Simon helped him come out as gay.[2]
He was named to the 2026 TikTok Discover List.[9]
His first book, A Film Lover's Guide to London, a photographic map to where shows and films were made, will be published by Sphere Books.[11] It is set to release in 2026 with a forward written by Alice Oseman.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Lewis, Katy (2023-06-12). "Stepping Through Film: Man trots globe blending scenes into film locations". BBC. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- 1 2 3 4 Lyttle, Zoey. "Photographer Perfectly Matches Movie Scenes With Their Real-Life Locations — See the Pictures! (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "'Why I recreate famous movie scenes online'". BBC. March 1, 2019. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "From Avengers to The Favourite: how a film student is recreating famous movie scenes". The Independent. 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ Murphy, Sean. "Exact Glasgow spots from Spider-Man trailer showcased in photos by epic Instagram page". www.glasgowlive.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ Lakritz, Talia. "A photographer recreates iconic movie scenes with perfectly placed pictures". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ Marshall, Candice (February 17, 2020). "Bizarre story behind this travel photo". Escape Australia. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ Lewis, Katy (2023-07-10). "Mission: Impossible star Simon Pegg praises photographer's film shots". Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- 1 2 3 4 Ritman, Alex (2026-04-15). "How Stepping Through Film's Thomas Duke Became the Darling of the U.K. Film Junket Circuit". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ Lakritz, Talia. "Take a look inside the abandoned school where Netflix films 'Sex Education'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "Sphere snaps up The Film Lover's Guide to London by Thomas Duke". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2026-08-10.