The Cinematography Podcast Episode 260: Kyle Roberts Kyle Roberts is a DP working in Birmingham, Alabama. One of the important aspects of working in a smaller market is to be skilled enough to function in multiple roles depending on what each project demands. “I'm a big problem solver,” says Kyle. “I feel like my career has taken off mainly because I'm the guy that can not just do multiple jobs, but it's using my creative mind, doing the problem solving, that's taken me far. That's what still brings me to the job every day.” After working in LA at Radiant Images, Kyle relocated back home to Birmingham to work for a local ad agency. He began shooting corporate video and regional commercials. Though he loves shooting narratives, commercials in this market are what pays the bills. Fortunately, production in the area has grown enough to support more work. Alabama is a pretty good central location for Kyle to work in Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans, so he's able to work as a local in any of those markets. He also finds and trains those who are eager to learn, so there's more experienced crew available and work can be shared. With his partners, Kyle opened Next Level Productions, a rental house, and Moonmen DJS, a production studio with an LED video wall. Find Kyle Roberts: Instagram @nextlevelfilm Close Focus: Some of the cool new products at NAB 2024, including the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K camera (Available for pre-order at Hot Rod Cameras.) Illya also saw new versions of Chinese manufactured lenses, like the DJI Focus Pro LiDAR Combo system. (Available for Pre-Order at Hot Rod Cameras.) He was also impressed by the Core SWX Powerbase Edge Snap 49wh SMART Stacking battery pack (Available for Pre-Order at Hot Rod Cameras.) Ben's short end: The production company Participant Media is shutting down. Illya's short end: The Fallout series on Amazon Prime is a great adaptation of the videogame, full of violence, radioactive mutants, and interesting characters. It's already been greenlit for a second season. Sponsored by Greentree Creative: If you enjoy The Cinematography Podcast and you're interested in growing or starting your own podcast, contact Alana Kode at Greentree Creative. Greentree Creative can help you with social media marketing, strategy and planning, podcast production, and digital content creation. LIKE AND FOLLOW US, send fan mail or suggestions! Rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts! Email: editor@camnoir.com Facebook:@cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Threads: @thecinepod YouTube Podcast Credits: Producer: Alana Kode All web and social media content written by Alana Kode Host and editor in Chief:  Illya Friedman Instagram: @illyafriedman @hotrodcameras

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 259: Amy Vincent Amy Vincent, ASC did not originally set out to become a cinematographer. While studying veterinary medicine at UC Santa Cruz, she got a work study job hanging lights for the theater department. She fell in love with the creative art of lighting, and soon transitioned to the theater arts department. Amy found her natural affinity for math and science matched the skill set needed for technical theater production. She began making short films at UCSC, moving to Los Angeles after college to pursue a career in film. Amy's first job was as an assistant editor, but she really wanted to work in the camera department. So she began working her way up from camera intern to camera assistant, working with notable DPs such as Bill Pope on Clueless and Robert Richardson on Natural Born Killers. A few years into her career as a camera assistant, Amy decided to go to grad school at AFI. She shot many student short films for free before meeting writer and director Kasi Lemmons. Amy could tell from page one that the script for Eve's Bayou was something personal and special. They made the short film together, then over the course of three years, Lemmons raised enough money and interest to turn Eve's Bayou into a feature. It was Amy's first movie as a cinematographer and it became her first big breakout. One of Amy's frequent collaborators was director Craig Brewer. She was given a copy of his first film on VHS, then the two met to discuss making 2005's Hustle &amp; Flow. “I think the beauty of where my collaboration with Craig and the process of making the movie was what the movie was about. The two folded over on each other. I mean, it's the idea of making music or making a movie by whatever means necessary. And there was something that became so apparent in the process. For example, we tried on a whole bunch of different formats, like, what are we going to shoot? At one point we were going to shoot Mini DV, because that's what Craig knew and then we settled into Super 16.” She and Brewer went on to work together on Black Snake Moan and the 2011 Footloose remake. Throughout her career, Amy has enjoyed collaborating with directors on smaller movies. Her most recent project, A Nice Indian Boy, had a very low budget and it had to be shot quickly before the actors strike. “It is so cool to have a really funny rom com that's gay and Indian. It would have been great to have more time and more money to make that movie, but I love all of the things that came together to make this simple little movie. It's really important to me to be able to make a movie that means something to a slightly different community.” Amy recently received the ASC Presidents Award, which recognizes her long career as a cinematographer and a mentor to new cinematographers. She's also an artist in residence at Loyola Marymount University, where she teaches film classes and mentors students making short films. You can see Amy's recent work on the show <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 258: Michael Cioni Michael Cioni is one of the film industry's most influential people in digital cinema and post production technology. He is uniquely gifted at identifying and following fads that turn into trends, and trends that convert into industry standards. Michael was always drawn to the challenge of helping filmmakers figure out their best workflows. “I really wanted to embody knowledge to help workflows, so that I could inform customers, partners and filmmakers. And then together we would figure out what's the best recipe for this particular film.” Michael began his career at post house Plaster City, then co-founded the post house Light Iron, which was acquired by Panavision. He then worked for Frame.io where he found several workflow shortcuts, including Camera to Cloud. Shortly after Adobe acquired Frame.io, Michael started paying closer attention to a new trend: AI. Last year he decided to leave Frame.io and together with his brother Peter, they founded Strada. With Strada, Michael wants to enable creative professionals the freedom to work entirely from the cloud, using helpful AI tools. “The most lucrative, and I think the most useful forms of AI is in utilitarian tasks. The first major part of filmmaking workflow that Strada wants to use AI to eliminate is the mundane aspects of creating a story. If creative people can get rid of the boring, mundane, repeatable, low-skill stuff, then it means we have more time to do the satisfying, creative, fun stuff.” Strada can transfer assets from cloud to cloud without having to download them and then reupload them. Using AI, Strada can provide a transcription and a translation of narrative content early and up front. It can also tag and analyze images so that it's easy to search using just one word for a specific scene, saving hours in the editing process. Plus, all the work can be done remotely, from any location, because everything is stored in the cloud. Strada is currently still in private beta but anyone can apply to try it. If you have a project you're working on, go to Strada's website to contact them about trying out the beta version. The company plans to start rolling out the public beta by fall 2024. The entire Strada team will be at NAB Las Vegas next week April 13-17 at the Atlas Lens Co. booth in Central Hall C5539 to provide live demos of the AI-powered workflow technology platform and allow filmmakers to test out Strada's capabilities firsthand. Find Michael Cioni: Instagram: @michaelcioni Close Focus: The NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) trade show, happening April 13-17 in Las Vegas. If you're going to be at NAB next week, come to the Fireside Lounge for a Hot Rod Cameras/Cinepod Meetup! Sunday, April 14 from 4:30 - 7:30 PM at the Fireside Lounge inside the Peppermill. You must RSVP to get complementary drinks or appetizers provided by our lovely sponsors Revar Cine, Cartoni USA and Module8. Click the link to register and we'll see you this Sunday! Be sure to arrive early before the sponsored bar tab runs out.

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 257: Greig Fraser Cinematographer Greig Fraser, ACS, ASC doesn't see Dune: Part Two as a sequel, but as simply the second half of the Dune story. Shooting the second movie made Greig feel “emboldened, to make decisions that we may not have made in the first instance. We weren't necessarily considering how to outdo ourselves. I think the fact that we were kind of riding a wave- no pun intended- but a wave of success for that last movie.” Dune: Part Two was shot digitally on the ARRI ALEXA 35, the ALEXA 65, and the ALEXA Mini LF then printed to 70 mm film in post production for the final print. Greig prefers the look of film to that of raw digital, but he doesn't feel like he has to shoot on film. He used a small set of spherical lenses that were easily transportable. Lighting for the movie included plenty of hard light and open shade, since most of Dune: Part Two takes place in the harsh desert sands of Arrakis. Greig chose to uplight in order to illuminate faces, because harsh sunlight would naturally bounce off the ground and reflect upwards onto the characters. “I think that the most important thing in this movie is that everything feels honest. When you're going to extremes in a story, if you're running a thousand foot long sandworm in the middle of the movie, which is obviously fantasy, then you've got to also fill it with reality and honesty. You can tell Denis' direction with the actors was absolutely honest. I needed to make sure that I had the same kind of approach for the lighting.” The production featured a massive crew, shooting in four countries: Budapest, Italy, Jordan and Abu Dhabi. The second unit was essential for staying on schedule. Greig also relied on his DIT to help him match shots across different locations, sometimes months apart. He often had to choose whether to shoot on the sound stage or outside on location for the desert sequences. Though filming outside was best for daylight, the reality is that real sand is messy, uncontrolled, and harsh on equipment. The huge sandstorm sequence was shot on the soundstage, which was pumped full of atmospheric haze and color graded in post to be sand colored. Greig enjoyed testing and using infrared black and white film for the gladiator-style fight scenes on Giedi Prime. He used a modified ARRI ALEXA 65 to shoot infrared. Since the people there have very pale white skin, he imagined that Giedi Prime has only infrared light from the sun, and no visible sunlight. Greig partnered with actor Josh Brolin to create a beautiful art book of photography called Dune: Exposures. It features photos he took on the set of Dune and Dune: Part Two, with prose written by Josh Brolin. You can find it at Insight Editions or on Amazon. Find Greig Fraser: Instagram: @greigfraser_dp Close Focus: The Popcorn List is a brand-new survey of independently produced films, recommended by film festival programmers, that don't have theatrical or digital distributors. Ben's short end: Late Night with the Devil is a horror movie set in the 1970's that blends documentary style and “found footage.” Illya's short end: The Treatment with Elvis Mi...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 256: Greg Irwin Gregory Irwin is an extremely experienced A Camera First AC who first got into the business 44 years ago. He received a 2016 Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions as Camera Technician. His most recent project is the Joker sequel Joker: Folie à Deux coming soon. Greg frequently gives talks on the importance of character and credibility in the camera department. The camera department is in a leadership role on any production. There's always going to be challenges on set, but it's important to remember that if the camera department seems like they're panicking, it affects the rest of the production. A good camera department is always helpful, no matter what department needs it. Never be rude or show panic, even when things aren't going to plan. Greg says, “I want my team to know everything at all times, and I want them to be better than me. If I can develop a young camera person into a rock solid, good human being as well as a good camera technician then I've done my job.” Greg discusses: * Character and credibility in the camera department- remembering you are in a leadership role * Taking a business approach to the camera department * Interacting with the director, cinematographer, producers and showrunners * How to hire others in the camera department- be sure to vet your camera crew before hiring them * Be a “one minute manager”- choose people you don't have to micromanage * Handling the first phone calls with the filmmakers and producers: save talk about rates, money, deals until about the 4th phone call so you can get to know the person who you're negotiating with * Generally talk rates/business aspects for your camera team as well * Prep for the camera prep day: prep should already be done ahead, including what you need for your camera package * Prep and budget: build everything you need for prep based on meetings with the filmmakers &amp; DP, timestamp prep lists to keep track of everything. By draft 10, you should be clear on what's needed and camera budget should be very clear at that point * Look the part- better to dress like a professional * Be organized and don't have a sense of entitlement * How to get noticed and move up in the camera department Find Greg Irwin Close Focus: An article in Variety takes a close look at how streaming services overspent on content. Meanwhile, YouTube has grown to be the most watched entertainment provider online. Ben's short end: Jodorowsky's Dune, a documentary that came out in 2014, is available on Max. Director Alejandro Jodorowsky tried to adapt Dune in 1974, 10 years before David Lynch's Dune. It was never made, but his creative and casting choices set the stage for a ripple effect into other movies. Visual effects artists Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger were introduced by him, and later made Alien together.

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 255: Richard Rutkowski Masters of the Air on AppleTV+ is about the pilots who served in the 100th Bomb Group in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Cinematographer Richard Rutkowski shot episodes 107 and 108, which included both aerial flying, bombing and imprisoned airmen at a German POW camp. From the beginning, Richard was impressed with how everything was organized on such a massive scale. The props, set design and costumes were extremely exact to the time period. “I really am attracted to stories that have authenticity in them,” says Richard. “And they put the authentic on camera. It is all exactly what it's meant to be, what it was at the time, as close as they can get.” Richard worked with director Dee Rees on their block of Masters of the Air. The prison camp scenes involved working with searchlights, mud and absolute darkness at night, with up to 250 people in a scene. He chose to light in a way that would emphasize the dim lighting, gray atmosphere and unhealthy look for the POWs. Some of the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary African-American fighter pilots, are also brought to the POW camp and the prisoners are integrated into the previously racially-segregated fighting force. Shooting the action inside the planes involved large-scale LED volume screens surrounding the aircraft sections, with an LED roof overhead, which created most of the lighting for the scene. The actors were placed on a gimbal controlled articulated steel deck so they could react to the motion. The cameras tracked with the video system, and had GPS locators that allowed the background to respond to where the camera was so that it knew how much background to put in. Richard was the sole cinematographer on the FX series The Americans for several seasons. The Americans was about a Russian spy couple posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. during the Cold War in the 1980's. Richard established the look of the show, with the couple's “normal” DC life leaning into bolder primary colors, in a kind of red, white, and blue cleanliness. By contrast, in their double life as spies, Richard chose a grittier, darker and grainy look. On The Americans, Richard says he learned the value of letting the actors do their work. “(There is) an unspoken connection being made about whether a scene is moving well, whether a take is truly finished. I would learn to stop reaching for that cut button. No matter who said what, if the actor was in it, we don't cut. You leave the boom up, keep out of the frame. If the actor's in it, we're not cutting. We'll go till they're ready.” As a kid, Richard's father was a fine art painter and he grew up all over the country. He began making 16mm films in college and working with theatrical director Robert Wilson. After college, Richard started working on small budget films, working his way up through the camera department, including being a second assistant camera on School Ties with cinematographer Freddie Francis, a two time Oscar winner. After School Ties, Richard wrote Ed Lachman asking to work with him, and he went on to work with Ed on several movies. He feels that working your way up and learning all the different crafts in the camera department is a great education for a DP. <a href="https://tv.apple.com/us/show/masters-of-the-air/umc.cmc.

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 254: Dave Boyle The Netflix series House of Ninjas has become a hit show, rising to #1 in the streaming service's top 10 list. The story follows the Tawara family, who have been ninjas, or shinobi, for generations. Tragically, the oldest son and brother was seemingly killed six years before in a battle with their rivals, leading the Tawaras to stop being ninjas. But the family must fight together again as the rival clan gets more powerful and threatens the entire country. Dave Boyle was first brought on as showrunner for House of Ninjas by an executive at Netflix Japan, who knew he was familiar with the culture. Dave's second language is Japanese, which he studied as a Mormon missionary in Australia. He had written and directed a few independent Japanese American and Japanese language films, such as Man from Reno, Daylight Savings and Surrogate Valentine, which all took place in the U.S. This was his first experience with shooting anything in Japan. He was drawn to the tone of House of Ninjas, which combines both drama, action and violence with comedy and warmhearted playfulness. “Tone was the reason why we all wanted to make this project. It's more than the plot mechanics and the story. It was all about creating this atmosphere, this tone that an audience could sink into and enjoy for many, many episodes. And so I think that tone was something that we were talking about from the very, very get-go and something that we really wanted to nail and get right.” Once he was on board, Dave began working on the preproduction and show bible for House of Ninjas. The show bible had to be written in three weeks, which is a very fast process, especially since Dave knew the show's foundation required a deep understanding of shinobi culture and history. He found the preproduction process in Japan to be much different from the U.S., with casting happening even before the show's scripts were written. The script format in Japan read from right to left, and the top half of the page is left blank for the director to draw storyboards and a shotlist, as a clear way for the director to show what they're planning to do. House of Ninjas is available on Netflix. Find Dave Boyle Close Focus: A discussion of the Academy Awards wins for Hoyte van Hoytema, Godzilla Minus One, Ryan Gosling's performance of "I'm Just Ken." The big industry news is that Japanese camera and lens manufacturer Nikon has just purchased RED, which has been quietly for sale for years. Nikon has been trying to break into motion picture for awhile, and it now seems likely with the purchase of RED that they'll grow by acquisition. Nikon is currently more known for its lenses, and their glass will likely be present on more sets with Red cameras. Ben's short end: The channel Slice of Life on YouTube. The filmmakers have made several films, and include lots of tutorials showing their process such as with miniatures and compositing. Illya's short end: The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced the “<a href="https://stefanik.house.gov/_cache/files/0/9/09fc74f8-29fa-4bc4-af4a-e5d33999b5c1/62E206F72E...

The Cinematography Podcast 2024 Academy Awards Nomination Special Long-time friend and colleague Jenelle Riley of Variety magazine chats with Ben and Illya for our fifth 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 have been overlooked. They also talk about the past year in movies, Oscar campaigning and the accusations of film “snubs.” Here’s a rundown of some of the films and topics discussed in this episode. Click on the links to listen to our interviews with the nominated DPs as well as other films of note! Spike Lee, who won an ASC Board of Governors award Hoyte Van Hoytema, Oppenheimer, who also won an ASC award for theatrical feature film Ed Lachman, El Conde Matty Libatique, Maestro Robbie Ryan, Poor Things Rodrigo Prieto, Martin Scorsese Killers of the Flower Moon Barbie, Ryan Gosling Nyad, Anette Bening The Holdovers (DP Eigil Bryld) , Alexander Payne, Da'Vine Joy Randolph Past Lives (DP Shabier Kirchner), Greta Lee American Fiction (DP Cristina Dunlap) Wonka Saltburn (DP Linus Sandgren) The Killer (DP Eric Messerschmidt) May/December Find Jenelle Riley on Instagram and X: @jenelleriley and Variety Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras Sponsored by Greentree Creative: If you enjoy The Cinematography Podcast and you're interested in growing or starting your own podcast, contact Alana Kode at Greentree Creative. Greentree Creative can help you with social media marketing, strategy and planning, podcast production, and digital content creation. LIKE AND FOLLOW US, send fan mail or suggestions! Rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts! Email: editor@camnoir.com Facebook:@cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Twitter: @ShortEndz YouTube Podcast Credits: Producer: Alana Kode All web and social media content written by Alana Kode Host and editor in Chief:  Illya Friedman Instagram: @illyafriedman @hotrodcameras

The Cinematography Podcast Bonus Episode: Nisha Pahuja and Mike Munn In this bonus episode of The Cinematography Podcast, we interview director Nisha Pahuja and editor Mike Munn about the documentary To Kill a Tiger. The film is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. **A warning that this episode discusses sexual assault and violence, so please take care.** To Kill a Tiger is the story of Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India whose 13 year old daughter is raped by three men from her village. Ranjit is determined to get justice for his daughter through the legal system. In India, men rarely stand up for their daughters and conviction rates for rape are less than 30 percent. It’s common practice in the village for a girl to be married off to her abuser instead. Rangit and his family faced down threats of violence and ostracism by the townspeople. Director Nisha Pahuja was originally making a documentary studying Indian masculinity when she met Ranjit and his daughter. She followed their story for about 18 months, thinking they would only be one part of the story. Only in the editing process did the story start to take shape. It became clear that Ranjit and his daughter Kiran were the strongest characters. Nisha admired Ranjit's courage and love for his daughter. “I just think Ranjit is the kind of person who has this idea of doing the right thing inside of him. He's just a very ethical, thoughtful person.” Because Kiran was only 13 at the time, Nisha had to be careful about revealing her identity. By the time the film was finished, Kiran was 18, and gave permission to show her face. Nisha says, “She said it was because she couldn't believe how courageous she was when she was watching herself, she couldn't believe her own courage and her own bravery. And she wanted to celebrate that.” Nisha's husband Mrinal Desai was the primary cinematographer on To Kill a Tiger, and they lived together in India while making the documentary. Nisha finds that he has a very quiet and gentle way with the people they film. She, Mrinal and their sound recordist Anita Kushwaha have worked together for a long time and are able to create an atmosphere of intimacy and trust. Editor Mike Munn spent about 8 months working on the film before he decided that they had to distill it down to the best story. “We were wrestling a lot because we had, in fact, two different films. So Ranjit's story was so specific and so well drawn out that it needed its own place. So, we jettisoned all of that work that we'd done.” Mike started expanding Ranjit's story and discovered that this version of the film has a clear narrative arc with interesting characters. Fortunately, the raw footage came back from India with a basic transcription and subtitles that could be polished during the edit with the help of a translator. Mike says, “My favorite part overall was working with the observational and verite nature of the film. It was so intimate and real and we're all creating scenes out of real emotion. This was a film where the narrative was all happening within real scenes with the family. That was challenging, but rewarding in just the truthfulness of it.” To Kill a Tiger is in select theaters. Find Nisha Pahuja: Instagram @nishappics Find Mike Munn Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras Sponsored by Greentree Creative: If you enjoy The Cinematography Podcast and you're interested in growing or starting your own podcast, contact Alana Kode at <a href="https://www.growwithgreentree.

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 253: Matty Libatique We have the multi-talented Kays Al-Atrakchi as our special guest host this week! Shortly after working together on A Star Is Born, director and actor Bradley Cooper told cinematographer Matty Libatique that he'd like their next project to be about conductor Leonard Bernstein. Cooper hadn't even begun writing the screenplay for Maestro yet, but over the next six years, he and Matty discussed how to evolve the story and shoot the biopic. They spent a lot of time shooting tests in multiple formats. Matty and Cooper decided to shoot on Kodak film, using both black and white and color, and two different aspect ratios (1.33:1 and 1.85:1) for the story. The film takes place over 50 years, and it was important to test the aging makeup and prosthetics Cooper would wear as Bernstein. Maestro was a complex story to tell, and Cooper wanted to explore Bernstein's life in as many visually creative ways as possible. Every shot was thought out, including all the montages that deal with the passage of time. For several scenes, much of what Cooper had described on the page was what ended up on screen. “It's one of those rare cases where the the writing really matched up with what we ended up doing, very early on. There were subsequent drafts, but those moments that he had crafted ahead of time never went away,” says Matty. In order to keep himself organized, Matty created a spreadsheet that mapped out all the shots and equipment for every beat and scene in the script, which could also be altered if Cooper made changes. At the heart of Maestro is the complicated relationship between Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. Cooper frequently used the motif of Montealegre waiting in the wings for Bernstein, as she put everything in her life on hold to be with him. Their love grounds the story, and Matty wanted it to look as naturalistic as possible. “Instead of going for the glam, even though it might feel like an old movie at the beginning of the film, I was trying to keep it more candid... I think Bradley and I gravitate towards naturalism because we don't want anything that smells false or pretentious. It's just something to stay away from. Bradley has a real sensitivity to it.” Cooper's approach as a director is extremely artistic and sensitive to the emotions in the scene, and he doesn't use a conventional shot list or get traditional coverage. If the scene feels wrong after they've shot it, he and Matty will mull it over and then come up with a better way to shoot it. “Bradley is so editorially minded, he keeps in mind whether or not we're going to end a scene in a wide or start in a wide or ended in tight or start in a tight. So those are conscious decisions, but they aren't necessarily made ahead of time. We respond to the space and we respond to the light. And then we just react and it's organic, it's his process.” Maestro is available on Netflix. Matty Libatique is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Find Matty Libatique: Instagram @libatique Close Focus: It's now possible to make AI videos from text, thanks to Sora. Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT just released some very realistic stock footage samples. Sora is currently in a closed Beta version. Marques Brownlee has a tech review YouTube channel that discusses it and shows some examples. Kays' short end: <a href="https://www.