The Cinematography Podcast

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 307: Johanna Coelho As the cinematographer of all 15 episodes of The Pitt, Johanna Coelho helped create a fresh take on the medical genre's visual style. Executive producer John Wells wanted a feeling of constant urgency and realism to the hospital drama. They chose to treat The Pitt as if it were live theater, meticulously choreographing and blocking every actio...

Daredevil: Born Again cinematographers Hillary Fyfe Spera and Pedro Gómez Millán were both admirers of the original Daredevil on Netflix. As the lead cinematographer on the new series, Hillary wanted to bring something new to the look of the story. “The goal was to evolve it, to bring it to a more cinematic realm,” she says. This vision was achieved through the use of anamorphic lenses, lending a...

Rachel Mason's documentary, Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna, is not a sensationalist recounting of tragedy. It's a deeply personal exploration of the life and untimely death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, whose life was tragically cut short on the set of Rust. Rachel, a friend and fellow filmmaker, centers the narrative on Halyna herself, weaving together interviews with her friends a...

For director Rory Karpf, a core philosophy is that things are going to change- a lesson learned from years of documentary filmmaking. This flexibility proved invaluable when crafting his indie feature, Grace Point. Adapted from a larger, more ambitious script, Grace Point tells the story of a young man on his way to a remote drug rehab. His journey takes a dark and unexpected turn when he finds hi...

Heart Eyes isn't your typical horror film or romantic comedy. It's a genre-bending fusion of sweet romance and chilling slasher horror. Cinematographer Stephen Murphy, BSC, ISC has crafted a film that authentically captures the tone of both genres. This ambitious goal required a nuanced approach to lighting and color, a visual language that could seamlessly transition between heartwarming romance...

Mohammad Rasoulof, the Iranian director whose films have consistently challenged the authority of the Islamic Republic, has faced imprisonment and persecution for his artistic vision. While serving time in Iranian prison for his films A Man of Integrity and 2020’s There Is No Evil, Rasoulof began to think about his next film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig. He was released from prison and began filmin...

Long-time friend and colleague Jenelle Riley of Variety magazine chats with Ben and Illya for our SIXTH 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, the BAFTAs as a predictor for this year's Oscars, the ASC...

Emilia Pérez is about a Mexican cartel leader, Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) who hires a lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) to help him disappear, undergo gender affirming surgery, and transition into a woman. But even as Emilia Pérez, she is unable to fully leave her dark criminal past behind. Director Jacques Audiard saw the film as a unique blend of gritty drama like Amores Perros and an opera. He a...

Sugarcane is a powerful documentary film that delves into the dark history of abuse and murder at a Canadian residential school. These Catholic boarding schools in North America and Canada have caused lasting trauma across Indigenous communities. The film centers around the Williams Lake First Nation in British Columbia, where a ground-breaking investigation into the St. Joseph's Mission residenti...

Dune: Prophecy, the six-episode prequel series to the Dune films, now streaming on Max, delves into the origins of the Bene Gesserit. The series is set 10,000 years before the events of the movies. Bringing this ancient future to life was just one of the challenges faced by cinematographer Pierre Gill, CSC, a veteran of science fiction and period pieces alike. Pierre, who has a deep affinity for t...

The Brutalist tells the story of László Tóth (Adrian Brody) a Hungarian-Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and emigrates to the United States. He meets a wealthy industrialist, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pierce), who recognizes his talent, and commissions him to design a grand community center. The opportunity presents both a chance for redemption and a descent into a dangerous power dyn...

The Fire Inside is the true story of Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan and her trainer, Jason Crutchfield. She became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in boxing. The Fire Inside is the feature directorial debut for Rachel Morrison, the first woman cinematographer nominated for an Academy Award. Cinematographer Rina Yang, BSC enjoyed the ability to speak with direct...

Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession, about a young woman, Ellen, who faces a terrifying supernatural entity after her husband travels to Transylvania to conduct business with the enigmatic Count Orlok. As Orlok arrives in her town, he brings a plague of death and terror, forcing Ellen to confront the monstrous vampire and the darkness within herself. Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke wanted to cr...

The film September 5 is the story of the ABC Sports broadcasting team covering the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It was the first Olympics to be broadcast live, when Israeli Olympians were taken hostage at the Olympic Village by Palestinian terrorists. The sports reporting team, initially focused on covering the games, finds themselves suddenly thrust into the role of live news rep...

We welcome back Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC for the fourth time on The Cinematography Podcast. Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael started preproduction on A Complete Unknown with frequent collaborator, director James Mangold in 2019, before being postponed by the pandemic. They began prepping in summer 2023 and shooting in earnest by the early spring of 2024, which worked well for capturing the c...

Cinematographer Lawrence Sher, ASC has a career that spans indie favorites like Garden State to blockbuster hits like the Hangover movies and Joker. But it was the arduous process of creating lookbooks for Garden State that sparked an idea: a comprehensive, searchable database of cinematic images. This idea evolved into ShotDeck, a powerful tool for filmmakers and creatives alike. Larry's initial...

Anora is the story of Brooklyn, New York exotic dancer, Anora, who meets Ivan, the son of a Russian oligarch at the strip club. They impulsively marry, and once the news reaches Ivan's parents, their henchmen kidnap Ani in order to force her and Ivan to get the marriage annulled. Anora won the 2024 Palme d'Or at Cannes, and is a potential 2025 Oscar nominee. Cinematographer Drew Daniels first star...

Cinematographer Alice Brooks, ASC was in post on In The Heights four years ago when director Jon M. Chu let her know their next project together was adapting the world-famous Broadway musical, Wicked. With such a huge fan base, Alice and Chu wanted to make sure they respected the musical, but they both wanted to find a dynamic, filmic way to approach the material. “John kept instilling in us, don'...

We were incredibly saddened by the loss of 1st Assistant Director and producer, Adam Somner. You can hear his fantastic energy, enthusiasm and entertaining storytelling as a guest on The Cinematography Podcast. Here we have re-posted his 2021 episode in memorial and tribute to his blockbuster career. He will be greatly missed. The job of the assistant director is to work in concert with the direct...

Cinematographer John Mathieson, BSC began his career shooting music videos for bands like Nirvana and Hole, moving into documentaries and commercials before working in feature films. Rather than going to film school, he joined friends who formed a film collective and everyone learned from each other. Director Ridley Scott saw his work on the movie, Plunkett & Macleane, and approached him to shoot...

The movie Saturday Night is based on the true story of the 90 minutes leading up to the 1975 premiere of NBC's Saturday Night Live. The comedy-drama isn’t just a film about the iconic show; it’s an immersive experience that captures the frenetic energy and chaos from the point of view of the show's creator, Lorne Michaels. To bring this chaotic night to life, cinematographer Eric Steelberg and dir...

Thelma is a heartwarming and inspiring action comedy about Thelma Post, a 93-year-old woman who falls victim to a phone scam and loses $10,000. Determined to reclaim her money, Thelma embarks on a thrilling adventure with her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) on his borrowed mobility scooter across Los Angeles. As Thelma, June Squibb captivates with her portrayal of a feisty and independent senior ci...

In The Old Man Season 2, former CIA operative Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) is forced to confront his past when his nemesis, Afghan warlord Faraz Hamzad kidnaps his daughter, Emily (Alia Shawkat). Chase and his former FBI handler, Harold Harper (John Lithgow), must navigate a dangerous world of international espionage and deadly consequences to rescue Emily. The season explores themes of identity, loya...

In the horror film Smile 2, pop star Skye Riley, preparing for a world tour, encounters a troubled friend who passes on the sinister "Smile" curse. As Skye's life spirals into chaos and her sanity deteriorates, she must confront the terrifying entity and its deadly grip before it consumes her and everyone around her. Cinematographer Charlie Sarroff and director Parker Finn wanted to be sure that t...

In The Substance, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is an aging celebrity fitness instructor who's fired once she turns 50. She injects herself with a black market drug that creates Sue (Margaret Qualley), a younger, more perfect version of herself. While initially tempted by the promise of renewed youth and fame, she soon realizes that the drug comes with a set of unexpected and dangerous side effec...