The Cinematography Podcast

The Cinematography Podcast 2026 Oscar Special Jenelle Riley, three-time Emmy-winning entertainment journalist and host, chats with Ben and Illya for our SEVENTH annual Oscar nominations special. With a focus on cinematography, they discuss what they liked, what will win, what should win, and their favorite movies of the year that may not have been recognized. They discuss this year’s nominations, including the likeliest Best Picture and Best Director contenders, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. F1 is also mentioned as an outlier for the category, although the cinematography by Claudio Miranda is excellent. This year's new category, Achievement in Casting, is celebrated as a much needed addition. The cinematography competition is a heated one, with both Autumn Durald Arkapaw and Michael Bauman as favorites, with Bauman recently winning the ASC Award. Some of the snubs this year include one of Jenelle's favorite movies, Life of Chuck.  Song Sung Blue also didn't receive much awards love. Last year's awards omitted the worthy film, Thelma.  Also discussed: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Find Jenelle Riley on Facebook, Instagram, Blue Sky, X: @jenelleriley and Substack: https://substack.com/@rileywrites74/note/p-183180534 Tune in to the SAG/AFTRA foundation YouTube Channel to see Jenelle's interviews with several of the nominees this year. https://www.youtube.com/@SAGAFTRAFoundation The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 349: James Whitaker, ASC Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die DP James Whitaker, ASC played with different genres, with over 70 setups a day in the Norm's diner set. He used LED walls and projectors to cast real, interactive light on the characters in the film’s climax, and swapped to a different camera system for certain scenes to play up the glow of cell phones. Key Podcast Highlights: -Shooting the opening sequence of the film in a set replica of Norm’s Diner -How director Gore Verbinski’s complex, hand-drawn storyboards allowed the crew to maintain a "ballet-like" precision during Rockwell's complex physical performances. -Using LED walls and projectors to cast real, interactive light on the characters in the film’s climax -Swapping to a Sony Venice 2 when the cell phone light source wasn’t strong enough in some scenes Find James Whitaker: Instagram @jameswhitaker_dop See Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die in theaters See James' most recent series, DTF St. Louis, on HBO Max See Patriot on Amazon Prime Hear our recent interview with Nicole Whitaker: https://www.camnoir.com/ep338/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:05 Close Focus 12:14-01:00:49 James Whitaker Interview 01:01:30 Short ends 01:06:46 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 348: Danny Cohen, BSC DP Danny Cohen, BSC, reveals how he crafted the "dirty London" look of Slow Horses through motivated lighting, high ASA grain, and the grit of Slough House. Key Podcast Highlights: -How Slow Horses ditches the typical block shooting system, with one DP and one director to create the entire season’s visual look. -Using camera settings to bake in noise and deep, inky blacks for that signature London grit. -Shooting with 2–3 cameras, which allows for weird, accidental angles that a single camera would never catch. -Why Danny bans traditional backlighting and soft fill to keep his characters trapped—and embedded—in their murky environments. - A look at the multi-story Slough House sets that let actors and cameras move through floors without ever hitting a fake wall. Find Danny Cohen: http://wwwb.co.uk/ See Slow Horses on Apple TV. SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:23 Close Focus 13:41-51:27 Danny Cohen Interview 51:53 Short ends 01:03:18 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 347: director Natasha Kermani and DP Julia Swain In the medieval horror film The Dreadful, director Natasha Kermani and cinematographer Julia Swain transport audiences to the brutal landscapes of the Dark Ages. The independent film shot in Cornwall, England over 17 winter days. Key Podcast Highlights: -Development: Kermani spent years crafting the folkloric tale, prioritizing a "gothic storybook" aesthetic that blends historical iconography with psychological dread. -The Power of Partnership: Kermani and Swain have collaborated on several projects. Early on, they worked together to map out the film’s framing, lens choices and color story. -Practical Immersion: The crew built a practical cottage set on location, allowing for seamless camera movement between the interior hearth and dark forest. -Embracing the Elements: Filmed in the dead of winter, the production utilized the low December sun and natural ambiance to create an authentic, oppressive atmosphere without the use of hard, artificial lighting. Find Natasha Kermani: Instagram @natakerm Find Julia Swain: Instagram @juliaswain See The Dreadful in theaters and on VOD now. SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:59 Close Focus 14:23-01:03:57 Natasha Kermani and Julia Swain Interview 01:04:43 Short ends 01:09:24 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Special: Frederick Wiseman With the passing of documentarian Frederick Wiseman, here is a re-release of our 2020 interview. He discusses City Hall, Titticut Follies, High School and more. Wiseman was a prolific filmmaker, making 45 films over 50 years.  Wiseman's family and Zipporah Films kindly request that you support your local PBS affiliate or independent bookstore in Frederick Wiseman’s memory. Frederick Wiseman has proven that, in his words, “If you hang around long enough, you can collect enough material and cut a dramatic narrative film out of real life.” A Frederick Wiseman documentary has a very specific style- no narration, no identifying lower-third captions, no interviews and no camera movement. The viewer simply watches the story unfold as a slice of life. The subject is usually a mundane, everyday institution that many might simply overlook. Wiseman feels his films are not merely observational, but that he actively makes decisions on how to sculpt them into a narrative during the editing process. He enjoys making documentary films because he finds comedy and drama exist in ordinary life, just as much as anyone would find in fiction. Wiseman shies away from the terms “documentary” and “cinema verité”- he thinks the term "movie" is good enough because “documentary” is something that sounds like it's supposed to be good for you. For Wiseman's film, City Hall, he had the idea that recording what happens in a city hall would be a good inside look into the machinery of how a city runs. Boston City Hall happened to be the only one that gave him permission. A staffer of the mayor had seen his films and liked the idea. Unlike some of Wiseman's other movies, Boston mayor Marty Walsh was a central character- as the leader of the city, he is very involved in seeing that it runs smoothly. Before he became a director, Wiseman was a lawyer and law school teacher. He always wanted to be a director, but had no experience with movies. He saw an opportunity to become a producer when he optioned a novel called The Cool World and asked director Shirley Clark to helm it, which helped demystify the process for him. Wiseman's first documentary, 1967's Titticut Follies, was about the Bridgewater Prison for the Criminally Insane. He knew the warden from his years as a lawyer and was able to get permission to shoot at the facility and gain access to the inmates. His next film, High School was released in 1968. "After shooting in a prison for the insane, high school seemed to be the next logical progression," he jokes. Part of Wiseman's process is to find the film as he shoots, venturing forth purposefully blind and with little preparation. For him, it all emerges in the editing process. Wiseman always does his own editing and watches each piece of footage-generally about 150 hours of it- to decide how to structure each sequence. Find Frederick Wiseman's documentaries. You can see almost all of Wiseman's documentaries on Kanopy for free with your library card. Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com LIKE AND FOLLOW US, send fan mail or suggestions! Rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCinematographyPodcast Email: editor@camnoir.com Facebook:@cinepod Instagrxam: @thecinepod Threads: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 346: Adolpho Veloso, ABC, AIP The film Train Dreams tells a story that feels less like a narrative and more like a memory. It began as an independent project that premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim before getting acquired by Netflix. Director Clint Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, ABC, AIP, chose to shoot in the rugged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Veloso's radical commitment to naturalism in the film meant relying almost entirely on firelight, candlelight and natural light. The gorgeous result has earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography. After their successful collaboration on the low-budget indie movie Jockey, Veloso and director Clint Bentley knew a tiny crew and small group of actors could lead to good, intimate storytelling. They developed a specific visual shorthand designed to make Train Dreams feel like a discovered artifact. They chose a 3:2 aspect ratio, a deliberate nod to still photography, intended to evoke the sensation of looking through a dusty box of old family photos. “We wanted the movie to feel like memories, like finding a box of pictures,” explains Veloso. “The whole visual motif came from still images and still photography in a way.” Using a single, handheld ARRI ALEXA 35 camera operated by Veloso allowed the actors freedom to improvise and move naturally, often capturing moments that a more rigid, multi-camera setup would have missed. To maintain a clear narrative thread through Robert's (Joel Edgerton) life, Veloso established visual rules using specific lighting shifts to distinguish between the warmth of Robert’s good memories and the starker, haunting quality of his loss. Grounding the film in nature was extremely important. The team scoured Washington state, looking for woods that appeared untouched by time, yet remained accessible enough for a film crew. They shot around the Spokane area, where the drier weather and specific light quality offered the perfect backdrop for the film’s mid-century setting. Working in national forests meant strict regulations with a small footprint, and timber cutting and axe work was carefully planned. Using almost entirely firelight, candlelight and natural light is very nontraditional filmmaking, and required a great deal of planning from all departments. For the two sets, the cabin and fire tower, Veloso spent weeks tracking solar orientation. The crew carefully built the cabin to exact specifications to allow plenty of light into the space. “You have the privilege to build it the way you want,” Veloso explains. “It’s a lot of studies of what the sun is doing from week one to week seven. You have to decide where to place the windows so the light continuity holds as the seasons shift.” The most interesting technical choice was the total ban on LED lighting for period scenes. Veloso wanted the authentic flicker and color temperature of the era, but candles alone often create harsh, distracting shadows. To solve this, the team engineered a “1920s Sky Panel.” This custom rig used large reflective surfaces combined with candles and diffusion to create a soft, glowing light source that felt period-accurate yet flattering on the actors' faces. This required a constant dance between the camera and the art department. Candles, oil lamps, firelight, and campfires had to be good quality light to expose the image properly. For campfire scenes, the gaffer measured light levels in real-time, signaling the fire safety monitor to add wood precisely when the "exposure" needed a boost. A devastating forest fire at the film's climax required a shift from the naturalistic to the surreal. To capture the flames and feeling of a real forest fire, the production moved to an LED volume stage. Robert is dreaming about what happened in the fire, so the fire scene had to be strange and surreal. Veloso shot at a low frame rate with a wide shutter to create a blurred, fever dream aesthetic. The crew also shot in previously burned forests, capturing the aftermath of a real fire. Through Veloso's lens, Train Dreams is a tactile, flickering meditation on time itself. Find Adolpho Veloso: https://www.adolphoveloso.com/ Instagram: @adolphoveloso Watch Train Dreams on Netflix Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 345: Sean Bobbitt In the landscape of post-apocalyptic cinema, few franchises carry as much visual baggage as the 28 Days Later franchise. Known for pioneering the "fast zombie" and the gritty, digital lo-fi aesthetic of the early 2000s, the series has always found a novel visual approach for every entry. For the latest installment, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, BSC, faced a unique challenge: honoring the jagged zombie movement of the franchise while carving out a look that feels entirely new. While 28 Years Later was shot on iPhones and set its own tone, Bobbitt was determined to make The Bone Temple stand apart. The goal was to capture a duality within the setting. Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) has created a special space within The Bone Temple, where the chaos parts around him. Bobbitt explains, “We just wanted to highlight the fact that this was a place of peace and tranquility, and acceptance, but also bonkers madness by using much more traditional cinematic techniques and a much slower camera.” However, the film doesn't sacrifice the kinetic energy the series is known for. To capture the fights between the infected and a group known as the "Jimmies," Bobbitt used the ARRI Trinity camera system. By using a gyro-stabilized remote head mounted on a Steadicam rig, they created a fluid, immersive way for the camera to navigate the chaos with 360-degree movement. The trademark jagged movement and speed of the infected is created by using a narrower shutter angle. A typical shutter angle is 180 degrees for natural motion blur, while the 28 franchise uses a narrower 90-degree, or even 45-degree shutter angle. Bobbitt expanded the signature shutter settings to apply to the Jimmies, a visual way to represent the thin, blurring line between the humans and the zombies. “There are all sorts of statements being made about humankind,” in The Bone Temple, says Bobbitt. “There's a lot of humanity and humor in the script which drew me to it.” Director Nia DaCosta and Bobbitt have a history that dates back several years. They first met on a Steve McQueen film set where DaCosta was a production assistant whose job was driving Bobbitt to and from work. Bobbitt enjoyed her first feature, Little Woods, and went on to DP both The Marvels and Hedda with her. “She's a great writer, a great director and the epitome of collaboration,” he says. Their process involves a meticulous long prep, with extensive shot-listing and storyboarding. Bobbitt prefers the intimacy of a single-camera setup, which he usually operates himself, even on large films. On the Yorkshire set, he pre-lit the entire space, enabling the actors to have the freedom to move without being tethered to specific marks. "The lighting informs actors," Bobbitt explains. "I try to light it as it should be, based upon my understanding of the emotion of the scene and discussions with the director." Rehearsals are key for Bobbitt to make lighting adjustments for close-ups, while the actors feel comfortable and immersed in the world of the story. Interestingly, The Bone Temple is Bobbitt’s first foray into the horror genre. As a former documentary and news cameraman, he says, “Horror to me is a real thing. It is actual dead bodies, and the horror of what humanity can do to each other. That is embedded in my soul forever, what I've witnessed.” Bobbitt found a deep connection to the script's humanity and humor. The appeal of the 28 franchise for him is that it isn't just about monsters; it’s a human story about the horrors people inflict on one another. By bringing a documentary-trained eye to a fictional apocalypse, Bobbitt has crafted a film that respects the technical demands of the genre while never losing sight of the human pulse at its center. See 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple streaming on digital soon. Hear our previous interview with Sean Bobbitt: https://www.camnoir.com/ep114/ Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 344: Russell Carpenter When cinematographer Russell Carpenter began working on Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash concurrently, he knew stepping into the world of Pandora would be a much different production environment. Carpenter and director Jim Cameron had previously collaborated on True Lies and Titanic, which won him the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. As the cinematographer, Carpenter’s primary concern was ensuring the lighting on live, motion-captured actors blended seamlessly with a CGI-generated universe. Audiences instinctively understand the physics of sunlight filtering through a forest or the way light refracts underwater. To maintain an emotional connection to the story, Cameron insisted that every frame feel like it was in the real world of Pandora. The Avatar sequels were built in layers, with digital artists building the environment based on the script. Rough versions of the scenes and the blocking for the actors were plotted out, and then they were ready for the motion capture with the actors. Carpenter worked closely with production designers to determine how light should "feel" in these virtual spaces. Because the background was digital, the camera movement and lighting could be tested with instant feedback. If a virtual camera moved through a forest, the real-world lighting on the actor could be tested to react to every digital leaf and shadow in real-time. For over a year, Carpenter lived in two worlds: the virtual and the physical. "I had to keep lighting consistent in the CGI world while translating what Jim was doing on the capture stage," Carpenter says. "In the world of motion capture, things have to match to the half-second. If the camera travels a specific distance at a specific speed, the actor has to be exactly there. It’s painstaking." A major breakthrough for the sequels was the use of programmable LED systems. Working with computer programmers and moving lights, Carpenter’s team devised a way to shift intricate lighting setups instantly. This allowed for more complex visual storytelling, such as backlit sequences and the dappled, moving light of the Pandoran jungles. For Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron pushed for a more "organic" look, requesting the digital world mimic the flaws of physical film cameras. “Certain artifacts were introduced into Fire and Ash that we didn't quite have on Way of Water,” Carpenter explains, “such as lens flares and the appearance of water running off the front plate of a camera lens.” The team tested shooting lens flares, and a Weta programmer built it into the CGI world. To simulate the "Ash People" shooting flaming arrows, Carpenter’s team used a grid of overhead LEDs programmed to "zip" past the actors' heads at arrow-speed, creating a realistic flicker of firelight on their faces Despite the technical hurdles, Carpenter found that the core of his craft—sculpting light—remained the same, even if the toolkit had changed. He admits the transition isn't for everyone. “I would say to any cinematographer who ventures into this territory, there's a learning curve where you definitely feel like a stranger in a strange land,” he says. “You realize that, especially in terms of live action, your percentage of the pie is less—but your impact on the final vision remains vital.” You can see Avatar: Fire and Ash in a variety of formats in theaters everywhere. Hear our previous interviews with Russell Carpenter: https://www.camnoir.com/ep40/ https://www.camnoir.com/ep200/ Find Russell Carpenter: Instagram @russellcarpenterasc Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 342: Michael Bauman Cinematographer Michael Bauman recently earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography for his work on One Battle After Another. Before becoming a cinematographer, Bauman spent years as a gaffer, working under legends like Robert Elswit, Janusz Kaminski, and the late Harris Savides. This mentorship gave him a masterclass in diverse visual languages and on-set problem-solving. After serving as a gaffer for director Paul Thomas Anderson on several projects, Bauman stepped into the DP role for the features Phantom Thread and Licorice Pizza. The decision to shoot One Battle After Another in VistaVision was Anderson's idea. Known for his commitment to celluloid, Anderson prefers old-school techniques: watching dailies on developed negative and editing with physical film. VistaVision offered a larger negative and higher resolution than standard 35mm without the massive footprint of IMAX. The challenge, however, was mobility. Historically used for stationary visual effects shots, the VistaVision camera is notoriously bulky. Anderson wanted the opposite: a dynamic, handheld, and Steadicam-heavy aesthetic. "The language of this entire movie is camera movement," says Bauman. "How do you take this format—with a viewing system that comes off the top at 45 degrees—and turn it into something that can capture the story the way he wants?" Putting an experienced team together was key for the endeavor. They had to be capable of troubleshooting in remote locations far from the safety of LA or New York hubs. Their goal wasn't perfection, but character. "In the digital world we soak in now, it’s all about a pristine image," Bauman notes. "Blacks are super rich, whites are super crisp. We wanted to take this 'Kobe beef' format and turn it into a McDonald's hamburger—in the best way possible." The visual identity was further refined by referencing 1970s cinema, specifically The French Connection. Bauman studied the texture and color palettes of that era to emulate its "loose and rough" style. True to form, Anderson pushed to avoid modern LED lighting, preferring tungsten sources whenever space allowed. As a former gaffer, Bauman was happy to accommodate. Perhaps the greatest hurdle was the improvisational nature of the production. Anderson enjoys letting the actors improvise or even reshoot later. He doesn't use storyboards or do pre-vis, so even complex scenes had to be worked out in pre-production or on the day. “Every day was just like, you had to get comfortable with the uncomfortable,” comments Bauman. “I knew we were doing stuff in a good spot when I was really questioning all of it. We had to embrace all these happy accidents. It's free jazz all day long. It's exciting now, but at the time I was stressed as hell!” This spontaneity extended to the film’s climax. The spectacular car chase wasn’t fully scripted until the location manager discovered a road with rolling hills on the Arizona border. After a week of testing the VistaVision rigs on pursuit vehicles, the crew spent seven days capturing the sequence. Although it was in the wide-open desert, the characters chased each other over the undulating terrain, which allowed enough suspense to build before the spectacular conclusion. See One Battle After Another in theaters and streaming on HBO Max Find Michael Bauman: Instagram @baumanlights Check out Michael's lighting companies, LiteGear and Lux Lighting. Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 342: Amy Vincent, ASC Cinematographer Amy Vincent, ASC feels like she's reached the place where she wants to be, working on the kinds of films she likes. Vincent and director Craig Brewer have collaborated on several music-forward films, including Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan, and a Footloose remake in 2011. Throughout the years, Vincent and Brewer have created a shared cinematic language built on deep trust. Their latest collaboration, Song Sung Blue, is a biopic about a Neil Diamond tribute band. Craig Brewer had seen the original documentary Song Sung Blue at a film festival, and knew that he wanted to adapt the story of Mike and Claire Sardina, who formed a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning and Thunder. To bring their world to life, Vincent’s primary mission was to protect Brewer’s instinctual, writer-driven process. While many modern productions retreat to the controlled environment of a soundstage, Song Sung Blue leaned into the grit of reality. The film was shot entirely on practical locations in New Jersey, doubling for Milwaukee. Vincent admits she was initially reluctant to embrace the cramped quarters of real homes, but the shot design was quickly informed by the limited space. Pre-production tests on location with period light fixtures and wood paneling on the actors' hair and makeup also gave the entire production team a chance to see the film's vision come to life. For the film’s musical sequences in bars and on stage, Vincent made a deliberate technical choice to embrace the performance lighting. By choosing a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the lighting fixtures themselves could be part of the composition. Rather than hiding the sources, she embraced lens flares and visible fixtures, treating the lighting as a character in the performance spaces. This added an authentic "stage" texture to the Lightning and Thunder shows. The visual language of the film was born long before the first day of principal photography. Vincent was present during the actors' vocal recordings and rehearsals, watching how leads Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson interacted. She points to “Play Me,” a scene where the characters sit back-to-back on a piano bench after they first meet, as a product of this observation. “That all started for me by watching the actors physically moving and singing in those initial rehearsals.” By the time they reached the set, the camera movement was already a natural extension of their physical performances. For Vincent, Song Sung Blue is a project where the technical execution perfectly aligns with a narrative she believes in. “Craig is aligned with the idea of telling stories about people who dream beyond their means,” she says. “I always love that. It’s something I hope I get to continue doing.” See Song Sung Blue in theaters and streaming on VOD. Find Amy Vincent: Instagram @amyvvincent Hear our previous interview with Amy Vincent: https://www.camnoir.com/ep259/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:45 Close Focus 08:30-58:38 Amy Vincent Interview 59:45 Short ends 01:09:15 Wrap up/Credits Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 341: Caleb Heymann Cinematographer Caleb Heymann has been a key architect of the Stranger Things aesthetic since the tail end of Season 3. After starting as a second unit DP, Heymann was promoted to lead cinematographer for the blockbuster Season 4, and now its fifth and final season. The crew dedicated a full year to filming Season 5, spanning from January through December 2024. While the desert dreamscape was captured on location in New Mexico, the bulk of production remained in Atlanta. Seasons 4 and 5 traverse a variety of locations, each requiring vastly different palettes. Heymann views each environment within the Stranger Things universe as a "cinematic playground." To ground the show’s supernatural elements, the production leans heavily on location shooting and in-camera effects. “There are definitely certain anachronistic visual elements that we wanted to pay homage to,” says Heymann. “The lightning can be a little over the top. It intentionally rides that line between expressive and theatrical. But I think we try to not overdo it, because everything in front of the camera is already taking you there.” The production constantly balanced both digital and physical effects. “We always try to push it and see what we can get in camera. The art department does an incredible job and builds us huge sets,” says Heymann. Creating the Upside Down was a monumental task for the art department, who must redress nearly every location for night shoots. The iconic vines, for instance, are physically constructed by "nether technicians." To make the dimension's signature hellish glow, the crew often used practical red lighting on set rather than relying solely on post-production color grading. Heymann and the Duffer brothers selected a different camera system for each season, choosing cameras that best fit the story's needs. For Season 5, Heymann needed a distinct visual motif to represent Will’s "trance state" and the POV of the demogorgons and demo dogs. He stacked two center-spot diopters, which blended the image while losing focus at the edges. To heighten the disorientation, the team shook the camera manually and with a camera shaker on a Technocrane. “It was absolutely a dream experience already being a fan of the show to be able to come in and join this group of awesome people who work on it and to ultimately get to work with the Duffers,” says Heymann. “I learned a lot from them, just in their attention to detail and sensitivity to camera movement. And they're always about pushing everybody to do their best work.” See Stranger Things Season 5 streaming on Netflix. Find Caleb Heymann: https://www.calebheymann.com/ Instagram @calebheymann SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:53 Close Focus 06:45-01:00:06 Caleb Heymann interview 01:01:10 Short ends 01:08:39 Wrap up/Credits Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 340: Steve Yedlin, ASC Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, ASC, and director Rian Johnson have shared a creative shorthand for over thirty years. Their collaboration is so deep that it rarely requires extensive dialogue. “Rian will mention things he wants to do differently or specifically, but a lot of it is already in the script,” says Yedlin. Johnson describes the vision; Yedlin elevates and translates it to the screen. While Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) remains the series' constant touchstone, each Knives Out installment is a visual standalone. “Rian and I are adamant that we don’t want to repeat ourselves—that’s boring,” Yedlin notes. “We want to push the medium forward and tell the story in the most visually arresting way possible.” For Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man, the duo pivoted toward a Gothic aesthetic with horror overtones. Yedlin introduced inky, high-contrast blacks and utilized "creep zooms" to heighten the tension. However, the film's atmosphere is most heavily dictated by the lighting. Within the central church setting, outdoor light shifts were meticulously programmed using Yedlin’s proprietary software, as the external environment mirrors the internal drama of the scene. The most technical challenge of a Knives Out production is managing the sprawling ensemble cast. Filming large groups can risk "breaking the stageline"—violating the 180-degree rule that maintains spatial consistency for the audience. To avoid disorienting cuts, Johnson and Yedlin identify the strongest "stageline" between two key characters and commit to it. Rather than relying on traditional coverage, they use anchored shots that emphasize depth, showing how characters interact across the foreground and background. Reflecting on their lifelong partnership, Yedlin views the work as both professional and personal. “He’s been my best friend,” he says. “Rian is a brilliant filmmaker. Even if I had nothing to do with his movies, they would be my favorites. And then I get to work on them because he keeps bringing me along.” See Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man streaming on Netflix. Find Steve Yedlin: https://www.yedlin.net/ Instagram @steveyedlin SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:27 Close Focus 10:45 Steve Yedlin, ASC interview 58:57 Short ends 01:07:27 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 339: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC was first introduced to director Ryan Coogler through fellow DPs Bradford Young and Rachel Morrison. After their successful collaboration on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Coogler sent her the script for Sinners, a supernatural horror-action film. The film tells the story of twin brothers who return home in the 1930's to open a juke joint, only to encounter the ancient evil of the undead. Autumn's epic cinematic camerawork on Sinners integrates the vampire story with the spiritual power of Black American rhythm and blues music.  Though Coogler initially envisioned shooting in 16mm, the team realized a larger format would better facilitate the complex "twinning" effects required for Michael B. Jordan’s dual roles. After rigorous testing, they landed on a historic combination of 70mm and IMAX. “I think one thing with Ryan, when you're standing next to someone that's a brave filmmaker, you feel like you can do anything.” Autumn says. “He's open to anything. He's excited about doing things for the first time. He creates an environment where people have power and the collaboration is at the highest level.” The production was a logistical marathon. The massive IMAX cameras were frequently rigged to cranes or mounted on Steadicams, all while the crew battled the volatile Mississippi summer. Between the oppressive heat, sudden rain, and thick mud, the physical act of filming became an exercise in endurance. “We've seen those movies like Lawrence of Arabia, and everybody out there with big cameras trying to tell a story with scope,” notes Autumn. “You know, you're in the land. You then become a person that's a part of the structure of the land. And you have to be able to work in it, with the elements to get the most beautiful images. It's not easy.” Perhaps the film’s greatest technical feat is the juke joint sequence set to the song “I Lied To You.” What appears as a seamless “oner” is actually several complex shots threaded together. The sequence required months of storyboarding, pre-visualization and camera rehearsals in the space to execute. By placing the heavy IMAX rig on a Steadicam, the team rehearsed every beat to ensure the emotional momentum remained unbroken as the camera moved from an interior stage setup to an exterior shot of a burning mill. The final roof collapse was a practical plate shot on the final day of principal photography, later enhanced by VFX. Seeing that scene still makes Autumn feel emotional. “I get very teary-eyed when I watch that because I'm proud of everybody, and you can really feel the music in the theater.” See Sinners in select theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Find Autumn Durald Arkapaw: Instagram @addp Hear our previous interview with Autumn Durald Arkapaw. https://www.camnoir.com/ep193/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 Intro 01:38 Autumn Durald Arkapaw interview 52:08 Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 338: Bryan Fuller and Nicole Hirsch Whitaker Bryan Fuller has one of the most recognizable visual signatures in modern television. Whether he’s dealing with a forensic pathologist who bakes pies (Pushing Daisies) or a sophisticated cannibal (Hannibal), his work consistently balances the grotesque with the gorgeous. His style of hyper-stylized morbid surrealism was influenced by French maximalism in the 90's, such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, Amelie). “Between Delicatessen, City of Lost Children, and Amelie, there was this experience I had in the 90's and early aughts watching those films that gave me permission to push harder and go further in aesthetics that were on television,” Bryan explains. With his latest project, Dust Bunny, Bryan makes the leap from showrunning to feature directing, bringing his unique aesthetic to a dark fantasy-thriller. His decades of experience absorbing highly visual cinema have all led to this moment. “When I look at Dust Bunny, I'm like, that's a Barry Sonnenfeld shot. That's a John Carpenter shot. That's a Spielberg, because I've consumed all of these things and digested them and pooped out Dust Bunny.” Despite Bryan's self-deprecating description of the creative process, he was extremely meticulous about the filmmaking process. Cinematographer Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, ASC presented a comprehensive pitch deck that became the roadmap for the film’s visual identity. “After the meeting, presenting her whole board with all of these images... she wanted the job and did a lot of work to show how she wanted the job,” says Bryan. Nicole, who shares Bryan’s reverence for the same films, dove deep into the script to pull references ranging from The Professional and The Haunting (1963) to the raw, intimate photography of Nan Goldin. “I do think that it's important to make a good impression,” she says. “The deck is an impression of yourself as an artist that you leave behind.” During the interview, Nicole shares the pitch deck she made for Dust Bunny and discusses it in detail. Watch on YouTube or link to it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m0i5QVEarDFL248Vqvm3T-8a0watskba/view?usp=sharing The most radical visual choice in Dust Bunny is its aspect ratio. It's shot in an extreme 3:1 format (three squares wide), which is almost unheard of in modern cinema. This creates a triptych feel, where the frame is so wide it feels like a mural. It forces a sense of vertical claustrophobia, crushing the top and bottom of the frame. The camera emphasizes the floorboards and the space under the bed—precisely where the monster hides. This discovery occurred while Bryan and Nicole were testing lenses. Once the framing matte came off the lens, revealing the open gate width of the sensor, Bryan realized the wider view fundamentally changed the film's psychology. A subject centered in a 3:1 frame felt isolated in a way they hadn't before, sharpening the camera's emotional point of view. To further isolate the characters, Nicole tuned the ARRI Alpha anamorphic lenses to fall off at the edges, ensuring the audience’s focus remains locked on the performance. While Dust Bunny was shot over 44 days in Budapest, the film’s visual language was decades in the making. For Nicole, the challenge was translating a legendary showrunner’s mental gallery into a physical reality. For Bryan, it was a homecoming to the cinematic influences that first gave him permission to be “too much.” See Dust Bunny in theaters. Find Bryan Fuller: Instagram bryanfullergram Find Nicole Hirsch Whitaker: Instagram: @nicolewhitaker.dp SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:23 Close Focus 07:01 Bryan Fuller interview 24:46 Nicole Hirsch Whitaker interview 01:06:23 Short ends 01:13:16 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 337: Eric Lin and Lyle Vincent Rosemead tells the tragic, true story of Irene (Lucy Liu), a terminally ill single mother, and her son, Joe (Lawrence Shou). As Joe battles schizophrenia and urges toward violence, Irene is left isolated from her Chinese American community in Southern California, facing impossible choices without a safety net. After decades behind the camera, director Eric Lin connected deeply with the personal nature of Rosemead. He grew up in Southern California and frequently visited the San Gabriel Valley, where the film takes place. Producer Mynette Louie, who he'd know since NYU Film School, sent him the script, and Eric decided to take it on as his first directorial feature. “I've shot a lot of features and I've been side by side with directors, watching how difficult it is to make a feature,” he says. “The thing that sort of lured me into the director's chair was that it's a story that I felt like I'd never seen before on screen.” Recognizing the film's nuanced demands, Eric knew he didn't want to pull double duty as cinematographer. Instead, he asked Lyle Vincent, another NYU alum with whom he shared a cinematic shorthand. “Knowing what a DP does, especially on a film like this, where I felt like I had to be so present, that would be a fatal mistake,” Eric explains. Lyle appreciated the trust, describing Eric as a director who “is extremely visual and who has amazing visual references and language.” Together the two shotlisted and discussed each scene emotionally and visually. To capture the film's emotional landscape, Lyle chose a subjective camera style. Handheld camerawork and portrait lenses help mirror Joe’s psychological state and the looming sense of danger. Using E-series anamorphic lenses, he created a shallow depth of field that softened the background, forcing the viewer’s focus onto the characters. This gritty reality contrasts sharply with Joe’s memories of the idyllic time he spent with his parents in a hotel. His flashbacks are rendered in warm tones, evoking a surreal, dreamlike nostalgia. See Rosemead in theaters. Find Eric Lin: Instagram @holdtheframe Find Lyle Vincent: Instagram @lylevincent SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:38 Close Focus 13:20-01:03:54 Interview 01:04:13 Short ends 01:13:09 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 336: Alice Brooks, ASC For cinematographer Alice Brooks, ASC, shooting both Wicked and Wicked: For Good concurrently was a huge feat. The giant sets, precise camerawork and complex, live lighting cues for the musical numbers required detailed planning and prep. But first, Alice and her long-time collaborator, director Jon M. Chu, broke down the scripts and discussed the emotional intentions for each scene. “When we first start talking about a movie, we talk about emotion,” says Alice. “I love getting an emotional cue for the camera the same way an actor would. What is the emotional intention in the scene? An actor gets to tell the story through their breath and through their looks and through their being. And I get to tell the story, the emotional story, through camera and lenses and lighting.” Separation, seclusion and surrender were the emotional themes in Wicked: For Good. “It became very clear that the first movie would live in this ever-present daylight,” explains Alice. “And the second movie would have this weight and complexity and maturity and density to it and live in the shadows.” 90% of Wicked takes place in the daytime, with the sun setting as Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) embraces her power, sings “Defying Gravity” and flies away. In contrast, Wicked: For Good takes place mostly at night, in the shadows, forest, and underbelly of Oz while Elphaba is in hiding. Alice chose to frame the characters Glinda and Elphaba in contrasting ways for the story. Now separated from Elphaba, Glinda (Ariana Grande) is central to the world of Oz. Alice kept her center punched, carefully composed and choreographed. Elphaba is framed always to the right or left, with tight close-ups and static hand-held shots, to emphasize her loneliness. When the two are together, Alice repeated the same motifs from the first movie, with Ephaba framed to the right and Glinda to the left, often holding hands. Though Wicked: For Good is a huge fantasy movie, Alice and the production crew tried to do as much practically and in camera as possible. The “Girl in the Bubble” dance sequence was done entirely with carefully choreographed mirrors and flyaway walls that were removed as Glinda dances. Alice planned it out using her daughter's bath toys and her husband's shaving mirror. The art department storyboarded it, then the special effects team was able to figure out all the mirror technology needed to pull it off. The camerawork had to be very precise, with many of the frames exactly matching the last, combining both a Technocrane and a Steadicam. Unreal Engine was an indispensable tool for Alice to aid the film's sophisticated lighting and shot design. She used the software to pre-visualize outdoor sets, making sure the sun was at the right angle for perfectly backlighting Glinda in her bubble over Munchkin Land. It also helped her discover where the sun would hit tall buildings and spires of the Emerald City. Unreal assisted with pre-lighting, finding where practical light sources could be integrated and built into interior sets. She even tested different camera lenses to see how they would look in the space under certain lighting conditions and at various angles and heights. Alice is the cinematographer for the upcoming animated Spiderman: Beyond The Spider-verse as well as an animated version of the Dr. Seuss book, Oh The Places You'll Go with director Jon M. Chu. See Wicked: For Good in theaters. Find Alice Brooks: Instagram @_alicebrooks_ SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:22 Close Focus 08:41-51:09 Interview 51:36 Short ends 01:01:40 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 335: Jess Hall Cinematographer Jess Hall, ASC, BSC reunited with director Matt Shakman to bring the retro-future world of The Fantastic Four: First Steps to life. The two had collaborated on several projects together, such as Marvel's Wandavision. “I have a lot of faith in Matt Shakman,” says Jess. “I went into it with a lot of goodwill behind me. I was very aware that this was one of the original Marvel, it is the first family of Marvel, so I took that responsibility very seriously. I got very well prepared and I made sure that I was making choices that I thought would bring success to the project as well as tell the story that Matt wanted to tell.” Fantastic Four: First Steps required a higher level of pre-production planning than most, involving intense collaboration with the special effects team and production design. Many complicated sequences were prevised to meticulously establish the intended 1960s aesthetic. Jess achieved this period look through his lighting, camerawork, and lens choices. For the majority of the cinematography, he chose the relatively new Panavision Ultra Panatar II lenses, which coved the IMAX camera and were customized to his specifications. He also used a 16mm camera and Hasselblad lenses for some of the newsreel sequences. Color was crucial for establishing the 1960s aesthetic, and Jess infused it with a comic book vibrancy. He was inspired by a 1968 Fantastic Four comic book, creating a unified color palette for the LUT that featured blue, green, orange, and pale blue. Complex lighting setups were essential, incorporating miniatures, bluescreens, blackscreens, and motion capture performances. Jess opted for tungsten lights on Mr. Fantastic's (Pedro Pascal) lab set—a deliberate, retro choice that grounds the technology in the past. He found controlling the light challenging on bluescreen and blackscreen stages, as the lack of background required him to carefully conceive and control the light sources to maintain a sense of photorealistic depth. The production team prioritized creating as much of the film practically as possible to achieve the photoreal look director Matt Shakman wanted, with characters and scenes enhanced with VFX in post. Both Ben Grimm “The Thing” (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) performed in motion capture suits. Rather than working on a volume stage, blue screens and black screens were used for the space sequences. A miniature scale model of the Fantastic Four's ship helped bring it to life, while a realistic 1960's Times Square set was built for the New York action sequences. For the planet-eater Galactus, Jess had a unique practical concept: treating him like a miniature. An extremely detailed costume was constructed, and Galactus moved through a small-scale set. Jess used specialized lighting and camerawork on his suit to create the illusion of the villain's immense, terrifying size. Find Jess Hall: Instagram: @metrorat See The Fantastic Four: First Steps streaming on Disney+ SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:56 Close Focus 13:10-59:54 Interview 01:00:08 Short Ends 01:10:09 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 334: Jeff Cutter Cinematographer Jeff Cutter first collaborated with director Dan Trachtenberg on 10 Cloverfield Lane. Their successful partnership continued on the Predator prequel, Prey, which became Hulu's most-watched streaming premiere. Jeff and Trachtenberg found they had a strong bond over their mutual interests, such as films like Die Hard with “muscular” camerawork. As gamers, the two often use cinematic moments and cutscenes from both videogames and movies as visual references during pre-production meetings. For Predator: Badlands, Tractenberg created a previsualization (previs) of the major sequences. He and Jeff then discussed the overall visual tone and the right approach for the camerawork. A key thought exercise they use is determining how each scene could be shot as a oner, even if the final plan doesn't involve a single-take sequence. Jeff explains, “The exercise just lets us, it really lets you figure out who is the scene about? What is the context and what is the subtext?” He finds that it's a creative way to focus and narrow down the visual choices to make each scene distinct. Jeff built upon the visual foundation he established for Prey. For that film, he and Trachtenberg wanted to subvert audience expectations of a Predator movie, focusing on a naturalistic approach that relied as much as possible on natural daylight, firelight, and moonlight as the primary sources. Defining the Predator: Badlands look by color palette: -The Yautja Planet (Predator Home World): Jeff chose a distinct brown and blue palette accented with warm tones. The look is designed to evoke a sense of harsh but beautiful reality, defined by sandy deserts and stark rock formations. -The Planet Gena: Shot partly on location in New Zealand, this environment called for a greener, more naturalistic look, with a bluer color for nighttime scenes. -The Weyland-Yutani Base: This section connects Predator: Badlands to the larger Alien universe, notably through the Weyland-Yutani corporation and its synthetic main character, Thia (played by Elle Fanning). Inspired by the industrial, ominous atmosphere and moody lighting of films like Aliens and Prometheus, Cutter aimed for an industrial look dominated by cyan, blue, and green tones. See Predator: Badlands in theaters Find Jeff Cutter: Instagram @jeff_cutter SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:53 Close Focus 12:01-1:04:42 Interview 01:05:03 Short Ends 01:13:10 Wrap up/Credits (with a little blooper at the end) The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 333: Jeff Cronenweth Two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC is known for visually defining modern classics like Fight Club and The Social Network. With TRON: ARES, he melded three distinct realities: the digital Grid, the gritty real world, and the retro feel of the grid in the original TRON. Jeff’s involvement with TRON: ARES began through his long-standing relationship with Jared Leto. After working together on Fight Club, Leto, who stars as Ares and is a producer on the film, personally asked Jeff to meet with director Joachim Rønning. Jeff found that Rønning had established a remarkably clear vision for TRON: ARES from the start by storyboarding every scene. Having a clear plan was crucial, given the complexity of the environments and the technical demands of the shoot, which included a challenging seven weeks of night shooting in downtown Vancouver. Jeff chose ARRI DNA LF lenses for their character, flare, and artifacting, even for the digital setting, and the film was framed for IMAX. The core challenge for Jeff was using visual language to differentiate the film’s three central environments, drawing inspiration from the franchise's past while exploring something new. 1. The Main Grid: Predictable Perfection Referencing the "pristine" aesthetic of TRON: Legacy, the new film's main Grid environment is defined by machine code—a world that is predictable and perfect. Look: Sharp, clean lines, saturated colors, and a highly geometric, mechanical feel. Color Coding: The classic blue/gray/white color palette is reserved for the good guys, while the presence of the bad guys is immediately signaled by the use of red. 2. The Real World: Embracing the Grit In TRON: ARES, for the first time, the computer programs emerge into the real world. Reality required a darker, grittier visual separation from the digital realm. Look: Shooting in Vancouver's downtown allowed reflections in large glass buildings to enhance the environment's texture. Practical locations, like a chase that concluded with lightcycles crashing into bales of recycled paper on a pier, further grounded the action. 3. ENCOM/Mainframe Grid: A Nod to the Original To connect back to the franchise's roots, the scenes where the character Ares ventures into the original ENCOM grid to find Flynn needed to match the look of the 1982 film. Reference: The 1982 TRON's grid scenes were shot in black and white and then hand-painted to achieve the glowing effect. To mimic this analog feel, Jeff intentionally doubled the amount of grain and desaturated the color, creating a look that closely matches the original.  Light is both a symbol and a weapon in Tron: Ares. To get the look, visual effects, costumes, props and cinematography had to work closely together. LED lights were installed in costumes, props and sets, and practically controlled through a dimmer board. This gave the VFX team a base to build upon. The lightcycles, some of which were built as practical, towable props, had LEDs built in and connected to dimmer boards as well. The lights provided real, interactive reflections on the actors and surrounding environment. Jeff also used light beams on set to simulate a recognizer scanning a high-rise office. The VFX crew could then track and enhance these practical effects in post-production. Jeff's choices were crucial for the post-production team. “We all knew what the goals were and what the scenes were going to be about,” he says. “It was a wonderful experience because it took all of us to be in harmony all the time.” See TRON: ARES in theaters Jeff is currently shooting The Social Reckoning, with director Aaron Sorkin. Hear our previous interviews with Jeff Cronenweth: https://www.camnoir.com/ep150/ https://www.camnoir.com/ep72/ The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 332: Dan Laustsen For nearly 30 years, cinematographer Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF and director Guillermo del Toro have produced one of cinema's most visually distinctive collaborations. Sharing a deep affinity for rich colors and dark themes, their partnership has yielded five films characterized by an unmistakable aesthetic. Del Toro's idea for Frankenstein had been discussed since their work on Crimson Peak in 2015. Finally, del Toro let Dan know he was ready to get to work on Frankenstein. Dan re-read Mary Shelley's original work before reading the screenplay. While the script proved a very faithful adaptation, certain scenes were adjusted to better serve the cinematic format. “Because I think Guillermo is a genius director, when he asked me to do Frankenstein, of course I wanted to do that,” says Dan. “His approach to everything is so fantastic. And to me it's a story of love and forgiveness, it's father and son, it's not a horror at all. For me it's much more beautiful, for me it's really about father-son relationships and forgiveness.” As with every Guillermo del Toro movie, the color palette for Frankenstein was extremely important. Red, steel blue, cyan and amber dominate the film, but the beginning features creamy white and warm, romantic colors to represent the creature's innocence and the initial bond between Frankenstein and his creation. Crucially, these colors were not altered in post-production. Dan explains, “When we are coming into the D.I. (digital intermediate) of course, we are cleaning it up, but the color palette is exactly the same.” Changing the colors post-shoot would ruin the integrity of the design. “The whole color palette of the movie, the lights, the costumes, the hair and makeup, and the set design is so specific, that if we change anything in post, in the D.I., the whole color palette will change. So we never do that.” Del Toro also enjoys using timeless filmmaking techniques, preferring to use practical effects and capture as much as possible in-camera. Nearly all the sets were meticulously built in Toronto, minimizing the need for bluescreen. Exterior scenes were shot on location in Scotland, and the iced-in ship in the Arctic was a massive set mounted on a gimbal to allow for authentic motion. Dan and a specialized crew even shot all the castle exteriors in miniature, featuring practical explosions done on the small set. The Frankenstein sets were designed so that all lighting could be built in, either with practical fixtures or with external lights placed specifically through set windows. For the castle dungeon, Dan and his gaffer had to design a special rig to effectively simulate skylights shining from above. Dan kept the camera movement fluid and floating, shooting the entire film on very wide-angle lenses. “Our idea was to shoot a period movie, but shoot it very modern. The camera is a part of the storytelling,” he notes. The camera becomes the third dimension to the storytelling, lending it the ability to be part of the action rather than a stationary, distant observer. Every shot was specifically designed and executed with a crane, a hothead, or a Steadicam, using just one camera. The wide lenses captured the entire set, which was critical to Dan. “Because the set is so beautiful, and the costumes are amazing. Everything is very organic, and we really like to see that as much as we could. And to move the camera again is storytelling in a dramatic way.” Through his enduring partnership with del Toro, Dan has framed Frankenstein and his Creature's story not in shadow, but in the unforgettable light of forgiveness. “Love and forgiveness are very strong things in the movie and the world,” he says. “For me, it's not a horror movie at all, it's a love story.” See Frankenstein now streaming on Netflix. Find Dan Laustsen: Instagram @dan.laustsen Hear our previous interviews with Dan Laustsen: https://www.camnoir.com/ep152/ https://www.camnoir.com/ep36/ The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social