ICG Magazine - June/July 2019 - The Interview Issue

ICG MAGAZINE

THE INTERVIEW ISSUE FEATURING

BIG LITTLE LIES SHAFT + FOSSE/VERDON

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CONTENTS

THE INTERVIEW ISSUE June/July 2019 / Vol. 90 No. 5

DEPARTMENTS gear guide ................ 16 first look ................ 24 book review ................ 28 exposure ................ 30 production credits ................ 118 stop motion ................ 130

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BIG LITTLE LIES

Guild DP Jim Frohna and director Andrea Arnold dig deep under the surface for Season 2 of HBO’s runaway hit.

FOSSE/VERDON 5…6…7…8…the lives of Broadway legends Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon lift the small screen to new heights in this FX series.

SHAFT Who’s the baddest crime-fighter since John Shaft II ruled the streets of Harlem twenty years ago? His nerdy, high-tech son, John Jr.? Shut your mouth…

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48 56

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THE IN TERVIEW I S S UE

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Photo by Scott Alan Humbert

PRESIDENT'S LETTER //

Leading With Heart Last month we talked about new technology in a way that reminded us of the exponential change that’s occurring and the impact it’s having in our workplace. In fact, when I first heard about two recent developments going on outside our industry, it just confirmed for me this all-pervasive age of new technology that is upon us. The first was a 3D printing of a heart with real human tissues and vessels that was developed in Israel. It’s not ready for primetime – yet. But it will almost certainly lead to the future creation of reliable and effective synthetic major organs that can be implanted in human beings. The concept alone is amazing and reminds me of that old TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. It featured an astronaut, who, after his spaceship crashes and he is seriously injured, is rebuilt by scientists with machine parts to emerge, cyborg-like, with superhuman strength and speed. It’s easy for many of us to conceive of a prosthetic hip, knee, or even shoulder, of course; but a dynamic major organ like a heart that’s built via technology, to me, says we are now living out what was once called “science fiction.”

The next thing I saw actually made me feel a bit queasy about where science and technology are headed. Organic robots are part of a new field called “soft robotics,” in which machine beings are created that possess artificial intelligence and have a life cycle, much like human beings. They live, learn, and play with like-beings, and when they come to the end of their life cycle, they die. The philosophical and ethical questions surrounding organic robots boggle the mind. I’ve been reading about such ideas since I was a teenager, in science-fiction novels. And, as we know, science fiction is often based on some kind of technological possibility.

Over my lifetime, I’ve seen many of those ideas become the cell phone in your hand right now.

Where these advances impact our industry is in the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Did you know that Apple recently bought a Danish computer vision company called Spektral?

The start-up specializes in creating real-time green screen technology via machine learning AI (artificial intelligence). That means, one day very soon, our iPhones will be able to create composite imagery without the green screen technology we’re all so accustomed to. Ditto for a company in Mountain View, CA called Arraiy, whose “DeepStudio” uses machine learning and computer vision to combine the virtual and real worlds. The core attribute of DeepStudio is

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something called “neural networks,” which, when combined with cameras and computer programming, can learn a given scene with 99.999 percent accuracy. With game engine drivers, CGI and physical elements are comped in real time, carrying huge implications for our workplace.

Just a few months ago, I was introduced to another technology that used game engines to generate backgrounds. When integrated with a tracking system on a camera, these backgrounds can be easily composited in real time on set. Imagine another technology that, without any tracking software at all, uses AI to create the composite – in real time – because it already exists.

One of the most important goals I’ve pursued, in 13 years as your president, is to have this Guild remain ahead of the new-technology curve – education, training and implementation, when applicable, to help preserve our jobs. These efforts brought us to the first training in file-based downloading, where there were no protocols or best practices to rely on. In fact, Local 600 had to create those standards, and in the process, train hundreds of its members in a technology that has led us directly (and extremely quickly) into this present age of digital capture for motion picture and television.

During my tenure, we also created a partnership with Sony Pictures Studios to train our members – in all classifications – in 3D image-capture technology. We went on to discover and educate the Guild about the use of new drone (UAV) technology in the entertainment industry, and how this technology needs to be covered under Local 600’s jurisdiction. All of this work is vital to this membership’s staying relevant in the workplace. As these technological developments continue to challenge and push our world forward, it’s imperative that Local 600 members are at the fore of education, development, and standardization of how these changes are implemented on set and beyond. Every tool should be within our sphere of influence, even before it becomes mainstream.

Future threats may not be so much from a non-union (human) workforce as from the technology itself – if we do not become and remain its master.

I’m very proud of the work that we’ve done in these areas (and many others) over the last 13 years, and I will urge your new administration to make it a major focus in the years to come. Our jobs absolutely depend on it.

Thank you so much for everything!

Steven Poster, ASC National President International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600

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June/July 2019 vol. 90 no. 05

Publisher Teresa Muñoz Executive Editor David Geffner Art Director Wes Driver EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Tyler Bourdeau STAFF WRITER Pauline Rogers ACCOUNTING Glenn Berger Dominique Ibarra COPY EDITORS Peter Bonilla Maureen Kingsley CONTRIBUTORS Elisabeth Caren Jennifer Rose Clasen, SMPSP Erika Doss Greg Gayne Nicola Goode, SMPSP Cara Howe Matt Hurwitz Matt Kennedy, SMPSP Kevin Martin Jeff Weddell Tobin Yelland PUBLICATIONS & PUBLICITY COMMITTEE Spooky Stevens, Chair

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INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS GUILD Local 600 IATSE NATIONAL PRESIDENT Steven Poster, ASC NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Heather Norton 1ST NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Paul Varrieur 2ND NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT John Lindley, ASC NATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER Eddie Avila NATIONAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER Douglas C. Hart NATIONAL SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Christy Fiers NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Rebecca Rhine ADVERTISING POLICY: Readers should not assume that any products or services advertised in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine are endorsed by the International Cinematographers Guild. Although the Editorial staff adheres to standard industry practices in requiring advertisers to be “truthful and forthright,” there has been no extensive screening process by either International Cinematographers Guild Magazine or the International Cinematographers Guild.

EDITORIAL POLICY: The International Cinematographers Guild neither implicitly nor explicitly endorses opinions or political statements expressed in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. ICG Magazine considers unsolicited material via email only, provided all submissions are within current Contributor Guideline standards. All published material is subject to editing for length, style and content, with inclusion at the discretion of the Executive Editor and Art Director. Local 600, International Cinematographers Guild, retains all ancillary and expressed rights of content and photos published in ICG Magazine and icgmagazine.com, subject to any negotiated prior arrangement. ICG Magazine regrets that it cannot publish letters to the editor.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ICG 7755 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, California 90046 Copyright 2018, by Local 600, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada. Entered as Periodical matter, September 30, 1930, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscriptions: $88.00 of each International Cinematographers Guild member’s annual dues is allocated for an annual subscription to International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. Nonmembers may purchase an annual subscription for $48.00 (U.S.), $82.00 (Foreign and Canada) surface mail and $117.00 air mail per year. Single Copy: $4.95 The International Cinematographers Guild Magazine has been published monthly since 1929.

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WIDE ANGLE //

O

ur final double book for 2019 – The Interview Issue – is a favorite of our readership, and for obvious reasons. The Interview section (page 66) is not only packed with revelations from this industry’s best behind-the-scenes craftspeople; it’s also a kind of moveable gallery show from Local 600 unit still photographers, stretching their creative muscles into the world of portraiture.

This year we’re excited to showcase Guild members whose work is new to The Interview Issue. Many – Erika Doss, Greg Gayne, Matt Kennedy, SMPSP and Cara Howe – have had unit stills featured, but never one-on-one personal portraiture. Others, like Elisabeth Caren, Jeff Weddell, and Tobin Yelland, are first-time contributors. To get to see their onset skills translated to another visual medium is exciting. [Only longtime ICG portrait photographer Nicola Goode, SMPSP has contributed to The Interview Issue, and after a decade that bar is set to a personal standard only Goode can really match or exceed.]

What I personally love about portraiture is its ability to clarify and also expand the words on the page. That’s more likely to happen when a master like ICG Magazine Art Director Wes Driver, whose layout for this month’s issue is truly breathtaking, has constructed the pages. As for the words, this year’s subjects are (as befitting a changing industry) diverse and entertaining. ICG Magazine Staff Writer Pauline Rogers did her usual heavy lifting, tracking down all 14 interviews with subjects based around the country and the world. Her Q&A’s are intriguing, not the least of which because they’re all with new visitors to ICG’s pages.

The group includes three operators (Born Ready, page 68) whose only shared link is being women in a (still) male-dominated craft.

Mariana Antuñano, SOC (B-Camera episodic), grew up in Mexico City, went to Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica and spent her first hours on set working for (future Oscar winner) Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, ASC, AMC. New York City-based Katerina “Kat” Kallergis is a Steadicam operator in the live event/reality genre, a position so unique she says she still

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encounters people on set who think, “I am the assistant and that my male assistant is really the Steadicam op!” Alexandra “Allie” Menapace may be that rarest of birds, having spent years as a motion-control operator, dating back to when optical-effects jobs would include 10 or more passes on a single piece of negative.

Menapace, who is transitioning to live-action operator (she recently worked for Patrick Cady, ASC, on Bosch), talks about her most challenging motion-control moments, which include the orbit exterior Apollo shots in From the Earth to the Moon, and a continuous camera move for a Samsung short that followed an animated character jumping from the screen of one device to another.

Jumping (and running, leaping, fighting, and flipping around) is key to the job descriptions in Slip & Fall (page 104).

Stunt Coordinators Alex Daniels, Melissa Stubbs, and Stephen A. Pope have all enjoyed frenetically different paths to the top of their crafts, and their stories are not to be missed.

While Stubbs, the only woman in her field to be invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (in 2008), Pope, an AfricanAmerican who calls working on Selma, where his grandmother grew up, “a responsibility,” and Daniels, the current president of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures who, as a boy, would rig “homemade zip lines from the hayloft to try landing on horses,” are wildly divergent, their common thread is a reverence for safety – not just in their own craft but across the set.

Shining Stars (page 94), Riding The Line (page 112) and Pub Land (page 82) round out our Interview section. The first two yield insights from Local 600 lighting directors working in the demanding live event/awards/reality competition arenas, and from UPM’s, who ride that “thin line” between the production crew and those atop the creative and financial pyramid. The last section visits with three Guild publicity members working at major studios.

Vianne Enriquez (International Publicity, Sony - soon moving over to Warner Bros.), Lisa Jarahian (Publicity Writing, Warner Bros.) and Tim Menke (Senior Publicist, Paramount) shed light on a world that’s undergone challenging shifts with the advent of digital technology.

Their words (and the images that describe them) are that perfect marriage of text and vision, much like the craft they so dearly love.

CONTRIBUTORS

Elisabeth Caren

(Born Ready, Pub Land) “One of my favorite things about portrait photography is having the opportunity to meet a variety of people, all with their own passions and paths. I was intrigued by the idea of creating portraits of fellow 600 members, who are all familiar with the photographic process and our industry. They were all fantastic partners in the creation of the images, very open and collaborative. I enjoyed hearing about their experiences and discovering each subject’s unique inner beauty.”

Tobin Yelland

(Pub Land, Shining Stars, Slip & Fall) “For me shooting portraits is an exciting way to meet someone new. While I get to know them, it becomes a collaborative process that helps create the images that tell their story.”

ICG MAGAZINE

THE INTERVIEW ISSUE FEATURING

David Geffner

BIG LITTLE LIES SHAFT + FOSSE/VERDON

Executive Editor

Twitter: @DGeffner Email: david@icgmagazine.com

Cover photo by Jennifer Rose Clasen, SMPSP

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24 FIRST LOOK

06/07.2019

Christina Voros DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO BY ANNA KOORIS

When she’s juggling five cameras and forty people across three departments, Christina Voros, the daughter of Hungarian immigrants, is forever grateful for being raised in a Boston restaurant. “It was an incubator for a great number of skill sets I now find indispensable as a DP,” she explains. “The restaurant business and film industry have a lot in common: punishing hours, eccentric personalities, the cross-section of timing and creativity and audience reception. Both are worlds where people with completely disparate skill sets and backgrounds come together

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to do the same thing over and over again, totally in sync and aspiring to perfection.”

It was a circuitous route to the film industry for Voros. While studying English at Harvard, she spent a lot of time in the theater hoping to be an actor. After college, a friend suggested she apply for an MFA in film – despite the fact that she knew nothing about the industry. Being accepted to NYU in 2004 changed everything.

“I was a total technophobe, so I decided to buy a Canon XL2 mini DV camera, so I could experiment with the very basics of lens lengths and framing,

without making a fool of myself in front of more camera-savvy classmates,” Voros says. Unable to afford her own apartment, she was living on her great aunts’ couch. “The idiosyncrasies that once drove me nuts, their humor and humanity and Eastern European irreverence, slowly unfurled into 20 hours of footage that ultimately became a 13-minute short – one of my favorite pieces in my entire body of work.”

A great deal has happened in the years after film school. Lessons she learned from Carol Dysinger and Sandi Sissel, ASC guided her down the path they helped carve as female filmmakers.

Jay Anania and Spike Lee taught her the moxie of being an auteur. James Franco gave her a first feature DP credit when no one else would. And the list grew – people like Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC, DFF and Danny Boyle, Tim Blake Nelson and Theresa Rebeck, Stephen Goldblatt, ASC and Tate Taylor. It was Taylor Sheridan and Ben Richardson who handed her the reins of Yellowstone, which she shared with Adam Suschitzky. “But, above all, it was Ava DuVernay [the two met on a jury at the Mumbai International Film Festival] who took the biggest chance on me.”

Post-festival, Voros was trying to break into television – but the chicken-and-the-egg phenomenon blocked her. She hit a roadblock: “You can’t shoot television unless you’ve shot television.”

Fortunately, Ava DuVernay texted her with an offer to direct Queen Sugar. “It was a gift beyond all gifts,” Voros says. “She believed in me at a time when I truly needed it. She works to open doors for women, to create opportunities for those who have been denied them.” (cont'd on page 26)

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26 FIRST LOOK

Yellowstone was another landmark move for Voros. “It’s been a dream job,” she says. “Taylor Sheridan is a fearless and loyal leader who has created a tightly knit family amongst the actors and crew alike. I came onboard as an operator on season one under Ben Richardson. We’d known each other for a long time but never worked together.

“I never expected to be DPing on the show a season later,” she adds. “But it’s been the best experience of my career as a cinematographer. The freedom and trust that Taylor gives is remarkable. The guest directors were all giants.

“The vistas are vast. The lenses are long.

The weather is constantly changing. It’s the kind of stuff you don’t get to do every day.

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06/07.2019

My first day in the cinematographer’s chair, Taylor was directing an action sequence in which a 15-man brawl culminates with a 2000-pound bull being set loose in a dive bar.

I love filming in neon honkytonks, and I love filming at rodeos, but giving a bull a neon backlight as it knocks over a pool table in a bar full of cowboys was more fun than I’d had in a very long time.”

Voros says her trajectory has been based on intuition. “I haven’t pounded doors as much as wandered past windows that were slightly ajar with a light on inside, and found my way in,” she says. “For a long time I didn’t think of myself as a ‘female cinematographer,’ I just thought of myself as a director and DP.”

Attending the ASC Awards for the first time this year showed Voros the disparity.

“Yes, there were many women in the room, friends and spouses, colorists, agents, a few more female DPs than before – but only one being nominated. The numbers are grim – grim enough that I have to question whether I, myself, am doing enough.

“How can I, like Ava, find and give opportunities to women who are coming up? I always try to hire women – but I need to actively seek out more of them, because it’s easier for me to find them than the other way around. And, if I’m not making it a priority to seek out and encourage aspiring young women in this field, I am not doing my part to make that shift a reality.”

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28 BOOK REVIEW

This Is No Dream: Making Rosemary’s Baby

BY PAULINE ROGERS PHOTOS BY BOB WILLOUGHBY

legend, a startled Alda managed to eek out a “Thank you, Miss Crawford” and wondered if Crawford had mistaken her for Farrow. By the time Farrow showed up, an offhand insult by Johnson toward Polanski—“Who’s that, Pinocchio?”—infuriated the director, who cleared the set and decided that the scene was not worth shooting. Crawford delivered the exit line to the whole misfire, telling Polanski, “You should learn to have the manners of a William Castle.”

The phone booth scene was remarkable for a couple of reasons. For one, it was a single, four-and-a-half-minute take.

For another, it was a two-character scene shot with three actors.

In the story, Rosemary is waiting to see Dr. Sapirstein when she suddenly realizes that he may be a member of the coven of witches out to somehow harm her baby. She excuses herself and runs to a nearby phone booth to call Dr. Hill and tell him everything she thinks is going on. While she is on the line, a man appears just outside the booth, ostensibly waiting to use the phone. Seen only from the back, the gentleman bears a solid resemblance to Dr. Sapirstein. Rosemary’s moment of fear passes when the man turns around to reveal that he is not actually Sapirstein.

Castle told him, “Roman, trying to shoot on Fifth Avenue during the lunch hour is absolutely crazy.” Polanski told him it could be done, and told Castle to go back to the hotel and put on his brown suit. When Castle returned to the set, he noticed Ralph Bellamy, playing Dr. Sapirstein, wearing a similar brown suit and standing outside the phone booth with his back to Farrow. (Bellamy sported a fake beard that day; he would grow a real one in time for his scenes back in Hollywood.)

Said Castle: “As Bellamy walked the few steps out of camera range, I walked in, timing my movements exactly with his.

Wearing the brown suit, I stood with my back to the phone booth for several seconds. Then I turned and Rosemary, with relief, exited the phone booth. It was only me—nice, gentle, grayhaired, and chomping on my perennial cigar. I said my one line— ‘Excuse me’—and, entering the telephone booth, inserted a dime and began dialing. Polanski had the last word. I played part of

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Alfred Hitchcock turned down the job.

Roman Polanski, at first, thought it was “a kind of ridiculous Doris Day comedy.”

John Cassavetes and Polanski hated each other – Cassavetes liked improv; Polanski walked actors through scenes over and over again. Sinatra served Farrow with divorce papers because she wouldn’t leave the movie to do The Detectives with him.

That’s just a little of the behind-thescenes “dish” that keeps the reader hooked into James Munn’s This Is No Dream: Making Rosemary’s Baby. The Oscar-winning movie, released in 1968 and based on the original novel by Ira Levin, forever changed horror cinema in America. It provided audiences with a visceral (and visual) context for how, as Levin described, “a fetus could be an effective horror if the reader knew it was growing into something malignly different from the baby expected.”

The insider information served up

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in This Is No Dream is the stuff of classic Hollywood gossip – power struggles and business manipulations behind-the-scenes that helped the movie come into being.

Author James Munn is a seasoned freelance writer who tells just enough to keep the reader intrigued – even if that reader had no idea of Rosemary’s Baby and its impact on late 1960’s-era audiences. Munn spins a tale of the risk in choosing Roman Polanski to direct (Paramount’s Robert Evans and William Castle both take the credit), as well as how Polanski transformed a young “soap star” (Farrow was known only for Peyton Place at the time) into a “compelling and sympathetic presence.” Casting on the project was intensely inspired – everyone from Farrow and Cassavetes (Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, James Fox, and Robert Wagner were mentioned; Laurence Harvey tested; Castle and Polanski wanted Robert Redford but Redford was feuding with Paramount) to

comedic and talented relief, like Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer, to familiar veterans like Elisha Cook Jr., Maurice Evans and Patsy Kelly.

As Taylor Hackford, who counts this movie as the inspiration for his horror film The Devil’s Advocate, says in the forward: “What made the film work for me was Roman’s visual restraint: making actions ambiguous, keeping situations real, refusing to reveal the twists and turns until the very end. I was most impressed with Roman’s ability to take mundane everyday situations and skew them ambiguously so that the audience member who hasn’t read the novel didn’t know whether Rosemary’s pre-natal visions were supernatural or imagined… [How] Polanski, ever the provocateur, makes us re-evaluate our Puritan perceptions of morality by having mother love triumph over our Christian obsession with destroying the devil.”

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Readers will also find a superbly laid-out photo book, providing a different kind of behind-the-scenes view. Did set photographer Bob Willoughby (Ocean’s 11, My Fair Lady, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?), who remained invisible (or tried to – considering his bulk, height, and enormous walrus mustache), know that his images would one day help make the film so iconic? Willoughby probably knew he was documenting something special – but his concentration was on telling the story in the way only still images can – frozen moments in time.

Willoughby was sent the script and as Munn writes, “when he finished reading it, he placed it on the floor next to his bed and turned out the light. In short order, the tale’s satanic imagery flooded his brain. Willoughby turned the light back on, picked the script up off the floor, placed it in the hallway – safely away from where he and his wife, pregnant with their fourth child, were sleeping – and closed the bedroom door.”

Despite – or because of – such disturbing reactions, Willoughby prepared by, as he said, “watching rehearsals carefully, saw where I felt the best shot would be and was cautious not to get into the eyeline of anyone who was watching the shot. That meant the director, the choreographer, the script girl, the grip moving the camera, sound, et cetera. I found their rhythm and that was the clue. I moved when they moved, and I became part of the team.”

The images that pepper the first half of the book, and capture the reader’s attention in the second, reveal a passion and talent every unit photographer wants to achieve, but are rarely given the time, access or raw material. Willoughby captures Cassavetes’ obsession with acting, Farrow’s innocent yet off-the-wall persona, and Polanski’s relentless focus to keep the story real and the horror so contained that one is never sure it is even there until the end.

Toward the end of This Is No Dream, Munn draws us back to the insider editorial. He mixes historical data with the push-pull of editing (British censors required that part of the rape scene be removed before it could be shown in England), the music, effective one-sheet and more.

There’s even information about the set photographer’s process and tools. As Munn writes: “Bob Willoughby used infra-red color film and diffraction grating to create a distinct look for the rape sequence stills and sent those images along with a selection of others to Look Magazine. They were all set to run when a change of art directors delayed the piece. William Hopkins, the new graphics guy, ostensibly eager to put his own stamp on the visuals, saw fit to run the images with a solid color overlay, to Willoughby’s great disappointment.”

Such artistic reorganizing will strike a note with many set photographers in this Guild. But Munn does relate – in every element of his book – how sacred it is to adhere to the filmmaker’s vision. He does his best to support that in editorial and his choice of pictures. Not for nothing does Rosemary’s Baby rank #10 on Rotten Tomatoes’ Top 100 Horror Movies, as well as earning a spot on that website’s Top 100 Movies of All Time. The creative passion that fueled this groundbreaking film is well represented in This Is No Dream. It reminds this reader of why we so love this industry, and why the obstacles of any great artistic endeavor just make it all that much more rewarding in the end.

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Sapirstein—a very small part.”

Late in the film, a very pregnant Rosemary walks absentmindedly across a busy Mahattan street and, as she reaches the other side, throws the charm necklace that Minnie gave her down into a sewer grate. The location was Fifth Avenue near 57th Street at peak daytime traffic. Only one thing about it was staged: Farrow would walk across traffic as a cameraman walked alongside her filming the scene. No street closure was involved, no drivers were in the know, and certainly no cameraman wanted to do it. Farrow asked Polanski if he was out of his mind. “I may be,” he replied, “but please do it. Nobody will run down a pregnant woman.” With no cameraman willing to do the scene, the director operated the hand-held camera himself as Farrow stepped into the street. “I took a deep breath—an almost giddy, euphoric feeling came over me,” recounted the actress.

“Together Roman and I marched right in front of the oncoming cars—with Roman on the far side, so I would have been hit first.”

Only one more scene was to be shot in New York, slated for

November 27 and 28, but, due to the delays, actually filmed December 16 and 17. A New York City all gussied up for the holidays served the scene nicely, as did the weight loss Polanski wanted the 98-pound Farrow to undergo towards the end of the shoot for the moments where Rosemary appears sickly.

In the scene, Rosemary agrees to meet Hutch at the Time & Life Building at 50th Street and Sixth Avenue. He doesn’t show up, she calls him and learns that he has slipped into a coma, and, stunned by the news, runs into Minnie, who insists they taxi back to the Bramford. Once again, Rutanya Alda was employed as Farrow’s stand-in, but this time she got to appear on screen: Rosemary believes she sees Hutch waving at her as he approaches, but it is someone else, and the woman he greets is Alda wearing a raccoon fur hat and a brown coat. “I froze that day,” Alda recalled.

Sandwiched between these two stretches of filming in New York was the drama, real and otherwise, that was to unfold on Paramount soundstages.

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From Reel Art Press ISBN: 978-1-909526-58-7 Amazon: $33.52 Barnes and Noble: $49.95

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David E. Kelley

BY MATT HURWITZ COURTESY OF JEFF KRAVITZ/FILM MAGIC

Producer and writer David E. Kelley has been part of our television lives for more than 30 years, ever since he quit his “day job” as a real-estate attorney in Boston and came to Hollywood to write for Steven Bochco on L.A. Law. But then, telling stories was always in Kelley’s veins, famously presenting the Bill of Rights as a theatrical play for his senior thesis at Princeton, and writing for a sketch comedy troupe of law students while at Boston University. In just three years (and following Bochco’s departure), Kelley became an executive producer on L.A. Law. That vaulted him into a writing/producing career that has yielded (so far) 11 Primetime Emmys, and acclaimed episodics like Boston Legal, The Practice, Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope and, now in its second season, Big Little Lies for HBO. (Kelley has also developed a new series for HBO called The Undoing, shot by Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC, DFF.) (cont'd on page 32)

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Over the years, this hockey-loving (his father was a coach) writer/producer has seen TV storytelling change in many ways, particularly since his early days when his mentor, Bochco, first showed him the ropes. With the arrival of streaming and cable television platforms, Kelley has adapted his methodologies, often for the better, as he described in a recent telephone interview with ICG Magazine.

ICG: You were fortunate to get your start working for Steven Bochco.

What was that like, and what kinds of things did you learn from him?

David E. Kelley: That was probably the luckiest bounce I got, that my first boss was Steven. He was a fantastic writer and showrunner, obviously, but also an exemplary human being, and a great mentor. The first thing that still resonates with me today, in terms of writing, is to respect the audience.

Don’t ever try to dumb it down, because you think your audience is not up for it. By and large, most of our viewers are as smart as or smarter than we are. So aim high.

Great advice! What did you take away from Bochco as a producer?

Well, he was very uncompromising in terms of executing his vision.

That was something I got to observe when we were doing L.A. Law – just hearing him stick up for the material. When I took over the reins, I basically followed suit. I would dig my heels in the same footprints that he had left.

But he was the one that blazed the trail.

You’ve been at this long enough to see some substantive changes in episodic television. How do things differ today with a show like Big Little Lies? The biggest change for me is that this feels more like a sprint, whereas when I was working in broadcast television, it was a marathon.

[In broadcast] you had to pace yourself, in terms of burning-out stories, burning-out characters, keeping characters redemptive over a length of 60 or 80 episodes. There are certain places you can’t go. In a limited cable series, you can just balls-out go for it. You can tell shorter stories, in a more ferocious and intense way. And then, of course, there are the pragmatic differences. We don’t have to deal with commercials on cable, so that allows for the slower, emotionally built stories to have currency. That was very difficult on broadcast television, with the Dodge Ram commercial banging in every eight minutes. Here we have a heightened attention span from the audience, and viewers more ready to be immersed. That’s a great luxury for a storyteller.

Any other obvious differences? The other biggest one is the expansion of the talent pool. There are movie star actors who are not going to take time off from their movie careers to do a long-running series. But they’ll make room for that possibility with a limited series, especially for the quality of material of a Big Little Lies. You’re not going to get Reese Witherspoon or Nicole Kidman or Meryl Streep if you’re telling 22 episodes a year over multiple years.

What impact have streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu had on audiences and writers? That’s a good question, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I love the fact that we’re on HBO, and that we’re on once a week, and that each episode has the opportunity to resonate with our viewers. A lot of talk went on between each episode. The experience of viewing them becomes richer and deeper for the conversations that ensue after watching them. When you’re streaming, you’re not taking time out to let a given episode wash over you. You’re just moving on to the next. For a thrilldriven show, like 24, for instance, that was on once a week, that was a perfectly bingeable show. The momentum you get from bingeing can be great currency. When those episodes ended, you had to get to the next one. For relationship pieces, when you’re mining characters, I still prefer once a week.

What’s your process for writing and developing characters? I don’t spend as much time as other writers at the 30,000-foot level, with outlines and macro visions. I do my best work when I tunnel in – when I get inside the characters and stories and I let them fuel and drive me. With Big Little Lies, I took many long walks with all of these people. At the time, when we were hatching Season 1, I lived in Northern California. There was a redwood hiking forest that I’d go into – some days I would walk with Celeste [Kidman’s character], other days I’d go for a long walk with Madeline [Witherspoon’s character]. And sometimes, I’d have them all together. I’m talking to them, and they’re talking to me. It’s an unscientific process, but for me, it’s about getting inside of the heads of the characters and then, exponentially, mining their relational equations.

As noted, Big Little Lies enjoys top-tier movie-star talent.

Do you find yourself writing characters specifically for these actors? Well, that’s certainly the biggest blessing I’ve had – a tremendous stable of actors. I suppose a little of that happens unconsciously. At the very beginning, yes, you do.

When you’re crafting a series and building it – like a sports team, I suppose, you look to the strengths of your athletes, and you play to them. The film informs the characters, and the characters inform the film. It’s a very collaborative process.

But once you’ve set sail, and you’re going into Season 2, it is a given that these actors have multidimensional sets of muscles.

And when I sit down to do what I do, I’m really just focused on the characters and allowing the actors to run with it.

In developing a series, how do you approach the relationship with the cinematographer to create the look for the show? Well, to me, the best and shortest way of conveying anything is the script. We can talk about it all day long, but the preference for me is just to show the DP, the production designer, all the creative heads, the script – “What I’m thinking here is what we’re doing.” And sometimes it’s clear on the page, and sometimes less so. And in the latter, you sit and you talk it out.

You make use of some stunning locations in Big Little Lies.

They almost become characters in the story, yet never seem to overwhelm. That’s something that’s especially true in year two. With Monterey, where we shoot quite a lot (cont'd on page 34)

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of it, the beauty is almost hypnotic. But, as you said, the beauty of the cinematography never distracts from character. You’re not going, “Oh, look at the pretty palette.” The cinematography brought us in and didn’t take us out. I can’t overstate the importance of that contribution to the show.

Another great advantage you have on this series is having a single director for the entire season –­ this year it’s Andrea Arnold.

That’s not typical in any TV platform.

What are the advantages? It’s fantastic for me because I'm communicating with one person and on that same wavelength. You’ve got continuity, and you’ve got two people deep in the trenches. In broadcast television, like the bigger shows I’ve done, I’ve always had a director/executive producer that’s been in charge of hiring the directors, and thereby ensuring continuity from episode to episode.

I think we did that pretty well. We use a small stable of directors so everybody knows the characters and knows the show. But it’s a big difference when it’s one person, deep in that hole, with the actors, doing every episode.

There’s just a level of detail and commitment that’s hard to match. I don’t know how they do it – it feels exhausting. [Laughs.]

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Jean-Marc Vallé directed Season One, with Yves Bélanger shooting. Season 2 was Arnold directing, and Jim Frohna as her DP. Jean-Marc was doing HBO’s Sharp Objects, so he was unavailable for Season 2. When we started the hunt for someone else, we wanted someone who would be commensurate with the emotions and the sensibilities of the show, and we quickly moved to Andrea Arnold, who’s a gifted director of performance and emotional range. She’s a spelunker – she does emotional spelunking with all of these characters, who get to great places.

Jim Frohna and his camera team all said that emotional approach was key to their workflow, capturing as much of it in camera as possible. The mantra, for me, going into year two was, “Go deeper, not broader.” And that’s what we tried to do with these characters. When you can do that filmically, it’s just better. You can write words, but when you put the words in the characters’ mouths, you’ve moved some of that emotion to a cognitive place. Part of my pattern, sometimes, is to overwrite a little bit on the first draft to supply what that emotion is, and then take those words away, and let

the director and the DP go in and find that core, cinematically. If you can say it with a picture, then do it and lose the words.

Andrea and Jim talked about that very thing – particularly with capturing very emotional scenes using a simple, ultrasmall-footprint camera system they put together for this show. How does the technology help tell your stories?

[Laughs.] I don’t get to the set a lot – I’m usually back in the office writing or looking at dailies. So when I do visit, I always feel a little bit like an outsider looking in. I think because of that, I’m often amazed by what I see. They get in so tight with that camera and you have to wonder: “How can this not distract the actors?” It almost feels like you’re invading their space. But, really, that just speaks to the trust the DP and the director share with the actors, and it certainly speaks to the concentration capacity on both sides of that fence. When people see this new season, I think they’ll be amazed by how much storytelling goes on in those moments when the camera is in so deep, without any words being said. I marvel at how they can get there and how they did it.

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BY

M AT T H U RW I T Z

P HOTOS BY

J E N N I F E R ROSE C LASE N , SM P SP

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Jim Frohna and director Andrea Arnold dig deep under the surface for Season 2 of HBO’s runaway hit, Big Little Lies.

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Jim Frohna emerges from the bedroom of Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman), having just captured a gut-wrenching moment between Celeste and her husband, Perry (Alexander Skarsgård), in a flashback scene to Season 1 of HBO’s popular primetime soap, Big Little Lies.

Holding a partial camera rig and backpack, Frohna (All in the Family, ICG Magazine, April 2015) is accompanied by his boom operator, Eddie Casares. Clearly moved by the emotion, he hugs his director, Andrea Arnold, as well as Kidman and Skarsgård. A-Camera 1st AC, Faith Brewer, wipes tears from her eyes and smiles. “How did you know I was going to do that?” Frohna asks of his focus puller, about an unexpected pan move requiring her sharp response. “I just knew,” Brewer grins.

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SEASON 2 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JIM FROHNA

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Of course, this Guild camera team has the technical chops to shoot one of the most popular series on any small-screen platform, now finally debuting its long-awaited Season 2 this summer.

But each member has a unique prerequisite not often asked of union craftspeople. Or as Frohna’s A-camera operator Shelly Gurzi, SOC, explains: “What we looked for when we put this team together was a great group of people that were not only super qualified but also emotionally connected.”

Adapted by 11-time Emmy-winning writer/ producer David E. Kelley (Exposure, page 30) from Liane Moriarty’s best-selling novel about the dark side of Monterey, CA’s wealthy beach community, Big Little Lies’ first season was directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and shot by Yves Bélanger (Carry-On, ICG Magazine, December 2014). For Season 2, Arnold, who had helmed episodes of two Jill Soloway series for Amazon, Transparent and I Love Dick, both shot by the Emmy-nominated Frohna, was brought on.

“This season was more about the fracturing reality of [the women’s] lives,” Arnold describes, “and since Jim and I see the world in many of the same ways, I knew he’d tackle it with compassion and humanity. I felt lucky Jim was able to join me.”

While Season 1 focused on the relationship between this group of well-heeled coastal moms – played by Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Zoë Kravitz – and the hidden abuse suffered by Kidman’s character, which ended in the secretive murder of her husband (Skarsgård), Season 2 deals with the aftermath.

“They are all witness and party to Perry’s death,” Frohna says, “and now they’re living with varying degrees of guilt. We wanted to explore what it’s like to carry that secret.”

“Season 1 did a beautiful job of visually representing these seemingly perfect lives,” Arnold continues. “Immaculate houses, kelp-free beaches, and frames of empty sea. But now their lives have fractured with the weight of the lie they told, and that has consequences. I wanted to convey that visually by putting the camera in their space, so we’re seeing what they see,” which meant always including the characters in the frame, even when shooting reverses of others they encountered.

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“JIM HAS ALWAYS HAD A DIVERSE MIX OF PEOPLE AND GENDER ON HIS TEAM. IT’S HOW THE WORLD SHOULD BE AND JIM THINKS THAT WAY.” Director Andrea Arnold

A-CAMERA OPERATOR SHELLY GURZI, SOC

B-CAMERA OPERATOR D.J. HARDER

A-CAMERA 2ND AC DAISY SMITH / PHOTO BY MERIE WEISMILLER WALLACE, SMPSP

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Frohna, who began his career as a gaffer and shot mostly commercials before gaining indie notoriety with the Jill Solowaydirected Sundance hit Afternoon Delight (2013), has, over the years, created a close-knit camera team, many of whose ascension in the ranks he has helped promote. Gurzi, for example, worked as Frohna’s AC on commercials before he moved her to B-Camera Operator in Season 2 of Transparent.

“Shelly came with me when I did Afternoon Delight,” the DP recounts. “After the first season of Transparent, just knowing her eye and her heart, I sensed the possibility of her as an operator.

She has a strong intuition and sense of framing. She knows when to move and when to be still, and it’s great to see her become so strong at handheld.”

As Brewer notes: “Shelly and I transitioned together to being first ACs, and we would refer work back and forth. When she got the opportunity to become an operator for Jim, I became part of that tribe.” Frohna says Brewer is one of the best ACs he’s ever had. “Faith is an invaluable collaborator,” he shares.

“She’s got exceptional focus pulling skills, but what makes her so special is her connection to the story and deep compassion for the characters. Her insights and input make me a better cinematographer. I don’t ever want to do a project without her.”

As for B-Camera Operator D.J. Harder, they’ve been acquainted since Frohna’s gaffer days – Harder also bumped up to operator on Transparent, and now has Laura Goldberg (“G-berg,” as he calls her) as his 1st AC, and Eric Matos as his 2nd.

While Frohna also operates (see below), he prefers to keep a loose and open structure among the different rigs. “Because Jim is so emotionally motivated,” Brewer adds, “he might suddenly

say, ‘I want B-Camera to set up and do this.’

He’s just responding to something, and it’s what feels right – so that’s what we do.”

“It’s like a tag team,” Harder says. “Jim might do two-thirds of a scene on his own, and then Shelly does a shot, and I just need to be ready to go. Like a bullpen in baseball – you might start the scene, you might be the set-up guy or you might be the closer. That’s how we work.”

Another notable aspect of Frohna’s workflow: he uses a mostly female camera team, and that’s no accident. “There are a good number of female first and second AC’s or in other support positions,” he explains.

“But I make a conscious effort to look for very skilled female operators. I feel it’s important in terms of building up the presence of women in leadership and creative positions on the set.”

“Jim has always had a diverse mix of people and gender on his team,” Arnold says matter-of-factly. “It’s how the world should be, and Jim thinks that way.”

The male members of the department welcome the change. “Having women on the set is more reflective of our real lives beyond these sets,” Harder notes. “And, honestly, who wants to work in a toxic environment? We’re

beyond that. It’s something that Jim and Andrea believe in, and I’m happy to see things changing everywhere.”

As Bélanger did with Season 1, Frohna used ARRI MINIs supplied by Otto Nemenz.

With DIT’s not typically in HBO’s shooting budgets, Dagmara Krecioch served mainly as Data Manager/Loader alongside Digital Utility Amanda Hamaday. Brewer says she and Gaffer Paul Samaniego discussed color temperature and vibe. “When we shot some tests initially,” Brewer shares, “we decided to go with ARRIRAW so that if something changed or there was a shift, the color wasn’t burned in.”

While Bélanger used Zeiss Super Speeds – a favorite of Frohna’s on Transparent –vintage glass was used on Season 2 to better capture the gauzy moisture in the Monterey coastal air. “I call it a ‘marine layer melancholy,” Frohna describes. “There’s a bit of a veil.

And, to me, there’s so much about secrecy in this show, and so much about façades, and what’s behind the façade, that when you’re in Monterey this just confronts you.”

Frohna described this intent to Brewer, who pointed him in the right direction.

“There’re a lot of vintage lenses that have been rehoused and reborn in the last few years,” Frohna continues. “I was lucky enough to learn about this old set of Canon K35s that were not rehoused and were a bit fragile, because of their age. But they just had a softness and lush quality that really helped bring in that overall melancholia.”

There was also a change made to one of the MINI rigs to create the smallest possible footprint around the cast. Dubbed the “Tiny Tot” and put together by Daisy Smith’s husband, the rig separates the camera battery, the Preston focus controller, and other gear into a Swiss Army backpack frame, which the shooter wears out of sight, leaving just the camera body and lens upon the shoulder.

The items are connected via custom cabling held in a loom created by Tibor Szakaly at Otto Nemenz.

“For scenes with a high emotional or unspoken undercurrent,” Frohna recounts, “the 'Tiny Tot' gave us more freedom than regular handheld, where we could really respond to the actors. It’s another way to move gracefully and unobtrusively, and just keep making frames as the characters move through the space.”

In addition to the Monterey locations, the

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show also shoots in Malibu and on stages at The Lot in Hollywood. Arnold says she gets inspired by “how real locations affect the characters in the story.” Her affinity for location shooting follows along with Season 1, where, observes Production Designer John Paino, “we always preferred to shoot on locations. There is something essential about the patina of a real place that invigorates the actors and crew,” he adds. “But many of our location exteriors had corresponding interiors that were built on stage for practical reasons, so making sure the transition from one to another was seamless was key. A big part was working with Jim and his crew to provide them with the right amount and style of practical lighting that matched.”

The setting for each woman’s home is character-specific, ranging from ultraluxurious to modest. Renata (Laura Dern), the richest, lives in a mountain-top mansion (shot in Malibu), which Paino says is “over

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the top and crass,” with glossy, shiny finishes.

“It’s a modern monstrosity,” adds Samaniego, another longtime Frohna associate. “We tried to make it feel modern, almost to the point where you wouldn’t want to sit on the couch because you’re afraid it’ll get dirty.”

Celeste’s home is “cultured and glacial, with colors that reflect that tone,” Paino adds. Samaniego says “there’s this perfection about [Celeste], but she’s hiding something.

So everything outside seems bright, but her world is actually a bit dark.”

The gaffer used sources pushing through windows, “but not making it bright and bubbly – playing it a little on the darker side, underexposing a lot,” he adds, and with fill light used as needed. “We really relied heavily on the ALEXA’S amazing latitude to let it play it dark,” he continues, “and then just extract what we could later.”

The exteriors, lower floors, and balcony of Celeste’s home were filmed in Monterey, while the bedroom and upper floor rooms

were built as a set at The Lot. “There’s a lot of architectural lighting on the exterior,” Paino notes. “We completely rewired the ground floor, and the deck outside, to make sure all of the lighting in it was dimmable. Most of the houses we went into, especially those we used a lot, I would have an electrician put in dimmers, and change out LEDs.” This approach fit Frohna’s taste, which Samaniego knows well. “Jim’s a naturalist,” the gaffer notes. “He likes to keep it as realistic as possible. If it wouldn’t naturally exist in that environment, we try not to head in that direction with the lighting,” he says, referencing Dogme 95, though not quite to that extreme. “It’s like: ‘Let’s walk into a room, see how it is, and then understand the emotional beats and contents of the scene, and try to lend the lighting that supports that.’”

Much of the approach involves natural light and practicals.

“We would ask, ‘How does the light get into this room? And how can we supplement

that?’” Paino shares. Often that means the art department placing lights into the location, or even building out walls to cover cabling.

“It’s a carry over from the first season, in that any way we could incorporate practical lighting and make it seem that it was ‘built-in’ and you wouldn’t give it a second thought when you walked onto set was the goal,” Paino recalls: “On the past few shows it seems our department is actually contributing to lighting the film more than just providing floors lamps as needed.”

Samaniego would supplement practicals with a LiteGear LiteMat in a set with a chandelier, “always to just bolster the motivation the camera normally sees.” The gaffer also created a pair of instruments dubbed “Mema” and “Pepa,” built from JEM ball parts, “which had thicker gauge cable, so I could put a higher wattage globe in it than a household practical, which is limited to about 100 watts,” then covered with big or small lampshades.

“If you had a practical lamp, you could dim it down for proper exposure level, but then, off camera or out of frame, I could put this Mema or Pepa, and if it got caught in a reflection, it would just look like a lamp that was in the room.”

The cast appreciated the emphasis on built-in lighting, as it allowed for great physical freedom in any given scene. “The approach is ‘light spaces, not faces,’” Samaniego adds, “and not have to rely on marks. That way, the actors can develop the scene with the director. If we did sneak [light] in after a take to help out a bit – it would always be motivated from a source.” Adds Frohna: “We always prioritize the actors and give them room to create and bring life to the scene.”

“YOU CAN OBSERVE, OR YOU CAN ABSORB. IF YOU’RE ABSORBING, YOU’RE TAKING WHATEVER ENERGY IS IN THE TAKE AND PULLING IT INTO YOUR CAMERA, AND YOURSELF. IT’S VERY CATHARTIC.” B-Camera Operator D.J. Harder

Serving the cast is what Frohna’s camera team does best, and that’s largely driven by the inspiration provided by their boss. Or as Arnold puts it: “The challenges of a film environment bring out your true nature. And over the time I have worked with Jim, I’ve seen him be a loving, thoughtful, emotional, passionate human being – all of which flows naturally into his work.”

And, “as this is a show about women,” Arnold continues, “I do think it’s important to have women around the camera. And operating. I think it helps to bring a kind of comfortable balance that everyone feels.”

Gurzi agrees, adding that level of comfort extends to the female cast members. “I think it really speaks to the show,” she states, “because the women are behind it, supporting women. In that way, perhaps, it allows [the actors] a little bit more vulnerability in their performance. I’ve had previous actors say, ‘I’m so glad to have a woman on the team, filming me in this nude scene.’ It’s just a different comfort level.”

As befitting what Brewer calls “a super-emotional approach to filmmaking,” Frohna’s directive to his operators is: “Shoot from your heart, not from your head.”

“That’s been a running theme, about us connecting to the scene,” Gurzi says. “So much of [the operating craft] is intuition and feel. It isn’t so much about the technical as always being present in the scene.” Adds Harder: “You can observe, or you can absorb. If you’re absorbing, you’re taking whatever energy is in the take and pulling it into your camera, and yourself. It’s very cathartic.”

Per Arnold’s approach, ninety-nine percent of Season 2 was shot handheld.

“I think actors feel restricted by dollies, track, and even Steadicam,” the director shares. “I find their movement artificial.”

Gurzi says Arnold wanted the operators near the character or following the character, “so that the audience can feel and sense what they’re going through,” she says. “It’s not about being a witness, but more like a character in the story. And I’ve had actors tell me: ‘We feel you, we’re connected.’”

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For those particularly intimate or logistically challenging scenes, like a small bedroom set, Frohna will dive in with the Tiny Tot (and no shoes!) and only the boom operator, leaving Brewer outside to pull focus at a monitor.

“The operators that work with me know that I love to operate,” the DP explains. “And there were certain scenes where Andrea would want me to just feel my way through the scene, as the actors are doing the same. She would turn and say, ‘Jimmy, do this one with the Tiny Tot.’ Or she would just give me the look, and I’d know what she meant.”

What is captured while making that intimate connection between actor and camera is, everyone agrees, remarkable. “Jim is just fantastic at finding moments, and knowing where to put himself in relationship to the characters,” Samaniego concludes. “It’s fascinating to watch because he just lands on these shots that are so powerful, and they’re always at the right time. He’s almost psychic about it.”

Of course, such benefits are not without ripples – like Brewer pulling focus for a handheld camera, with a wideopen iris to limit the depth of field, in a darkened room.

“Jim wouldn’t want us in the room, to not be seen by the actors,” Brewer explains. “But if you put the headphones on, and lock in for the feeling and listen to the dialogue, you get your rhythm with him. He’ll tell me: ‘We’re gonna dance. Just be with me, and be there with your heart.’ And we would do it! We would be there together, just dancing with the actors. I’ve never really seen anything else quite like it before.”

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LOCAL 600 CREW Directors of Photography Jim Frohna

Additional AC Michael Ashe

A-Camera Operator Shelly Gurzi, SOC

Loaders Dagmara Krecioch Johanna Salo

A-Camera 1st AC Faith Brewer

Utilities Amanda Hamaday DJ Williams

A-Camera 2nd AC Daisy Smith B-Camera Operator D.J. Harder

Still Photographers Jennifer Rose Clasen, SMPSP Merie Weismiller Wallace, SMPSP

B-Camera 1st AC Laura Goldberg

Publicist Gabriela Gutentag

B-Camera 2nd AC Eric Matos Underwater Unit Operators Robert Settlemire Sean Gilbert David William McDonald, SOC Techs Drew Dumas Michael Luntzel

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THE IN TERVIEW I S S UE

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ALL THAT

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PARMELEE

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JAZZ BY

KEVI N H . M ARTI N

PH O TO S BY

CRAI G BLAN KEN H O RN

5…6…7…8…the lives of Broadway legends Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon lift the small screen to new heights in this FX series.

M I CH AEL PARM ELEE

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With the new FX limited series Fosse/Verdon, which examines the lives of choreographer-turned-filmmaker Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) and wife/longtime creative partner, dancer Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams), executive producer Thomas Kail wanted an imaginative visual tone equal to Fosse’s legacy. Kail, who also directed five episodes, brought in Tim Ives, ASC (ICG Magazine, June/July 2018, Stranger Things), who still held fond childhood memories of seeing Chicago on stage. Bearing in mind Fosse’s acclaimed filmography, it was also clear to all concerned that the series needed to set itself apart from its subject’s oeuvre. For this special double issue, Kevin Martin spoke with key members of the production team, including Ives, A-Camera/Steadicam Operator Mark Schmidt [SOC], and Gaffer Eric Boncher.

ICG: Bob Fosse left a sizable stage and film legacy. How could you pay tribute to that yet still create something original?

Tim Ives, ASC (Director of Photography): We didn’t want to just mimic moments that Bob Fosse had already executed in his wonderfully unique way. Part of that was shooting in a way that revealed the camera and the stage around the set, while also lighting to see details that were present but not captured in the original films. An example would be the Cabaret Mein Herr number, where there’s more visible in our version than in the actual film. And when you’re recreating a scene that won Geoffrey Unsworth [BSC] the Oscar for cinematography, it only makes sense to go another route. [Laughs.] Since Fosse often liked to compose shots by shooting through different elements toward the subject, the idea of using “making of ” elements to frame the recreated performance fit with his approach.

We tried to honor that whenever we could.

Any other direct references? Ives: We did

consider shooting black and white for Lenny, and having a sepia look for Bob’s early years. But we had these actors performing in incredible sets and top-notch makeup and wardrobe, and these other aspects conveyed the period so completely that there wasn’t a need to do anything extra with the camera. There were only a couple of shots where we went ahead with black and white and sepia, but even those wound up being done with the regular color palette, which I’d worked out in prep with Production Designer Alex DiGerlando.

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Talk about your choice of camera and lenses. Ives: We tested camera and lens

packages through Panavision New York and went with the Sony Venice. Even though it is a 6K [full-frame] camera, I shot 4K capture.

When you’re telling the story of a great filmmaker, you don’t need the image looking unnaturally sharp, plus this had very little in the way of visual effects, so the needs weren’t the same as those for, say, Stranger Things.

The color separation on the Venice felt very cinematic and rich, with no overall tone or wash to the colors. You can push this camera up to a very high ISO and pull some fairly film-looking grain out. I shot 2500 almost the whole time, only going down to 500 when I was outside and had too much light. I didn’t even have much in the way of concerns on the occasions when I took it up to 4000 and 5000.

Mark Schmidt, SOC (A-Camera/Steadicam Operator): I found the Venice to be a great camera and am glad Sony came out with something along these lines; it is wholly competitive with the other popular systems, and it was enjoyable to use for Steadicam as well as for the other shots. Chris Konash at Panavision New York [along with John Blackwood and Sal Giarratano] provided the new camera and all necessary support.

Ives: Testing led to us choosing spherical Primo 70s, augmented by a 19–90-mm Primo Compact Zoom. The Primo 70s are rehoused Panavision glass and offered a nice flare on the in-frame lights. The flares in daylight went

pink and blue, which I found very nice because those are colors Bob favored in his movies.

Joe Gawler (Supervising Digital Colorist): During HMU tests we began shaping a custom show LUT. Through DaVinci Resolve, playing with stronger film emulations looked great but [had] too strong of an effect on the color of Gwen’s hair and certain costumes. So we built our look from the ground up, creating strong contrast in specific colors without bending the hue. We provided the show LUT to Production for monitoring on set. Tim was very good about passing along notes from that day’s shoot to help inform Harbor Picture Company senior dailies colorist Kevin Krout, who did an excellent job dialing-in Tim’s footage each night. The front-end work really paid dividends with finishing; I was able to keep an eye on dailies and be in communication with production from day one.

Your very first day of shooting was a challenging one. Why? Ives: It was the

Majorca beach scene, and a long Steadicam shot with Sam and Michelle. We gave them the freedom to sort of go their own way with it. When you’ve been doing this job for a while, you feel sure enough of things to allow for this sense of discovery, which worked for [director] Tommy Kail, too. Coming from the theater, he wanted to see what they would do before putting reins on them. I said that this is a kind of dance between the characters, and as with a musical number, we wanted to really see them working together over the course of the

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PARMELEE

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shot. This approach just got these actors so psyched, they asked, “So is this how it is going to be?” And my answer was, “When it can be.” [Laughs.] I was fortunate with the winter light and being able to plan things so the sun would be backlighting us all day.

Adriana Brunetto-Lipman (A-Camera 1st AC): First days are always challenging, and with it being a very cold endof-October beach day, that added to the difficulty. We had a Libra head provided by Monster Remotes and Steadicam out there, yet it all went flawlessly. It was largely an inside show, though we used Libra for dance scenes and also for an episode that takes place entirely within a stage-built beach house, where we placed it on a dolly rather than using it on a crane.

Fosse is perhaps most famous for his stark, one- and two-color lighting schemes during stage numbers.

Did you ever go back to that period lighting? Ives:

Whenever you see an actual light on set, it was an older unit, since a lot of the period theatrical lights were vintage, but re-bulbed. Lighting the Fandango/Big Spender number in Sweet Charity required a large combination of lights from Eric and his team [Mole-Richardson Big Eye Teners, 5K Seniors, Studio 2Ks, Scoop Lights and Altman Cyc Lights, plus MR 4K and 8K Softs].

Eric Boncher (Gaffer): We started looking at reference movie clips from Sweet Charity and discovered this real fun offcamera wall of lights with all these different gel colors on them. Tim asked if we could do something similar, and I was all for it. We asked our rental house, Insight Lighting, but Joker was using all their period lights. I remembered Silvercup Studios, where the series was based, had many vintage Fresnels in their basement, so I dug through all their old lights. I asked the techs there not to dust them off as we like the dirt and vintage look!

Ives: Off-camera illumination came from modern LED units, of course. The technologies we now use for changing light color off-camera have made such a difference. LED technology is remarkable, and this show took full advantage of it, allowing us to pull up any color on the spur of the moment. Even programming a cross-fade was super easy.

If I had to be changing gels as many times as I searched for the right color, we’d still be shooting!

Boncher: SkyPanels – 30s, 60s, 120s – were definitely our greatest ally. All of Episode 105 revolves around the group hunkered down in the house because of a rainstorm. We were lighting with SkyPanel 360s through Magic Cloth diffusion, which gave us a true overcast look. In the Chicago revival number, there was a large neon we had to recreate.

We ended up using a 12-by-12 blue screen, backlit with LED Blanket Lights, and put many Titan Tubes around the outside of the frame that changed color as the blue screen dropped in. We had our programmer right next to us at all times. We went through looks very quickly, seeing on the monitor what worked.

Any other specific examples of lighting to reveal narrative? Boncher: Tim is a great teacher and has a PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PARMELEE

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wonderful sense of how to treat subject matter through lighting. One scene in episode 104 was a real standout. In

his hotel room, Bob hallucinates about all the people in his past. We rigged the room so that a wall would fly away, and a whole dance group approached from the darkness, led by Ben Vereen from Pippin. We took some real chances with light and dark in this scene, with crazy flares and colors. It’s a real joy when you’re around the monitor and people are saying, “This looks so cool!” and the other half have tears in their eyes because they’re so drawn into the moment.

This is, at its heart, a show about dancers. How did the camera movement reflect that? Ives: We only went handheld for

a few of the dramatic arguments. The rest was with dollies, though we augmented with the 30-foot Technocrane to glide past the audience, reaching upward from the orchestra pit to the stage. We used Steadicam for some sustained shots, like when we follow Fosse’s daughter running through a whole dinner party, and for following the dancers, because their making small adjustments wouldn’t throw off what we had to do. Mark [Schmidt] and I had done the Mr. Robot pilot and the last season of Girls together. We both have a high appreciation for cinema, so our excitement level for getting to do a project about people who are such a part of history was a big deal.

Schmidt: Tim is always great to work with, and getting Tommy Kail’s perspective while designing the shots to work with the dance sequences gave me freedom to contribute.

Tommy’s open mind and tremendous energy is infectious. At one point the [choregrapher] Susan Misner asked if I was a dancer [laughs], because I was moving right along with the performers. But that was just my feeding off their energy as they performed. Tommy and Susan had worked together, so settling in with their rhythms was a big part of making it work.

And having it all happening live in front of the camera was so exciting.

wounded in a hospital. Tommy suggested that theatrically based solution. We dimmed things up for the shot, which was lit nice and warm where our principals were in the club. Then I lit for daylight in the flashback area. The camera was set for 4500 Kelvin, which didn’t make the hospital room so cobalt blue. There’s a party scene at home in which Bob is enjoying being master of ceremonies. We push in on him and see a night-to-day transition taking place while we are close on his face. Both visual ideas Tommy wanted us to handle in-camera.

Boncher: For the “Bye Bye Life” All That Jazz number, I called our Local 52 Business Representative Ray Fortune, who was an Electric on the original film. Through Ray, I was able to talk to Gaffer Gene Engels [now DP on Blue Bloods] to confirm the lighting on camera. He told me that before getting on a plane to scout for another part of the movie, Bob Fosse handed him a sketch drawn on a

cocktail napkin of what the action was and said, “Good luck, kid!” Alex DiGerlando, Tim and myself tested backgrounds with Lekos and Chrome Par Can 64s at different angles, rigged to scaffolding. It was like lighting a large piece of tin foil. We used 400 750 Source Four Lekos with different colored gels and LekoLites.

Because they were on camera waving 4K Super Trouper follow spotlights, we dressed the 10 electricians in period clothes!

Alex DiGerlando (Production Designer, as quoted in a vulture.com article): The trickiest thing was that all the photos of sets that you find, for the most part, are black and white. Looking at a blurry freeze-frame from a DVD is very different than what you’re ultimately creating, which is a 3D immersive environment. Even though they were done by master craftsmen, the [set building] techniques were just like fancy versions of what a student production is today. As opposed to Broadway standards now,

“THE COLOR SEPARATION ON THE VENICE FELT VERY CINEMATIC AND RICH, WITH NO OVERALL TONE OR WASH TO THE COLORS. YOU CAN PUSH THIS CAMERA UP TO A VERY HIGH ISO AND PULL SOME FAIRLY FILM-LOOKING GRAIN OUT.” Tim Ives, ASC

Ives: I was at the rehearsals with choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. He showed where everybody would be at exactly what point in time during his episodes, and when he had to move on [to Cats], that same level of precision he brought was carried over [by Dana Moore, Valarie Pettiford and Lloyd Culbreath]. You’d see something and think it was perfect, and then hear, “No, that was only 80 percent perfect.” Being part of that process was really helpful.

Did you do anything interesting incamera, since VFX are not predominant (as on Stranger Things)? Ives: There’s a

scene with Bob and Cy (Paul Reiser) that pans over to a flashback built into the set, with young Bob dancing for army personnel

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY TIM IVES, ASC / PHOTO BY MICHAEL PARMELEE

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where there’re all sorts of new technologies, the original set had rotating staircases and intricate neon, [and] glossy black plastic is actually backlit glowing murals [with] iconic imagery from the ’20s. Fortunately, I had a handful of really top-notch guys on my team who still do this kind of work.

Was it challenging shooting in real theaters and practical rehearsal spaces? Ives: We worked with some great

theatrical lighting directors to use the existing lighting to get the general look.

Then I might shape things a little, perhaps killing some light to make it less “toppy,” then bringing in my own lights to help on close-ups so the faces will look the way we needed. Typically, we draped yards and yards and yards of unbleached muslin to even-out skin tone on the actors, but there were times when we did want to see that they were aging. The aging makeups were so good, we didn’t touch them up in post.

Lipman: Tim’s generous with his stops. With the constant movement of dancers through frame, it is very easy to wind up out of focus much of the time, so the slightly deeper stop of 2.8 or so was really nice, more like what your eyes would see, but you also get to nail it.

Ives: “Mein Herr” was probably the only time I’ve ever shot with three cameras that completely surrounded the set. Usually that would mean at least one camera was compromised for lighting, but in this case, they all looked pretty good because of the theatrical lighting being used and due to none of the views seeming flat or front-lit.

There’s also the obvious benefit of the edited material reflecting the reality that this is a single performance rather than a bunch of different ones being cut together. Most rehearsal scenes could only use two cameras, owing to all the mirrors in the scene.

Lipman: We were always watching to make sure that the mirrors didn’t reflect the camera or crew, which, given the number of 360s, could have been a real problem, even when shooting single-camera. And the other times, when we used more cameras, B-camera operator Wylda Bayron and that team were always collaborating with us to make it all play.

PHOTO BY CRAIG BLANKENHORN

Finishing the first episode took the most time, as I learned their appetite for how bright or dark the show should be. Once we arrived at the “look,” the grade went very quickly. Tim’s lighting and photography were rock-solid throughout; most of the notes were about further shaping of the light with power windows. We are delivering both a Rec. 709 broadcast grade as well as an HDR10 high dynamic range. The overall creative pass was first done monitoring HDR on a Sony BVM-X300. Once Tim and Tommy approved the look and all final VFX shots were in the episode, I would spend a few hours trimming for Rec.709 100 nit.

Ives: Tommy booked Harbor here in New York early. Joe was senior colorist. I’ve been grading with Tommy and Joe for every episode so far, and it’s been quicker than any other show I’ve done – three hours tops! Memories of this Can you talk a little about color series keep staying in my head. I live in the and finishing? Gawler: Having Harbor same neighborhood as Michelle Williams, provide dailies, editorial, much of the VFX, and I told her that after the show ends, when sound, and finishing color was extremely I see her walking around, I’ll be thinking convenient. Dailies provided us with CDLs “Gwen Verdon,” because I called her “Gwen” so that my starting point for finishing every day on set. The amount of hard work matched what they were seeing in Editorial. she and Sam did in the summer before we That starting point was solid, which gave even started shooting was just monumental. us more time for fine details and nuance. It all paid off in a big way.

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LOCAL 600 CREW Director of Photography Tim Ives, ASC A-Camera Operator Mark Schmidt, SOC A-Camera 1st AC Adriana Brunetto-Lipman A-Camera 2nd AC Amber Rosales B-Camera Operator Wylda Bayron B-Camera 1st AC Ro Rizzo B-Camera 2nd AC Mike Swearingen Loaders Willie Ching Julia Leach DIT Eric Camp Still Photographers Craig Blankenhorn Eric Liebowitz Michael Parmelee

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Who’s the baddest crime-fighter since John Shaft II ruled the streets of Harlem twenty years ago? His nerdy, high-tech son, John Jr.? Shut your mouth…

BY

D AV ID G EF F NER

DANGER, PHO T O S BY

KYL E KAP L AN

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MAN THE IN TERVIEW I S S UE

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From the opening moments of Tim Story’s new film, which introduces a new generation to the Shaft lineage, I knew I was in safe cinematic hands. Like the smooth cocktail John Shaft II (Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his role after the Y2K John Singleton version) enjoys in his Harlem office/ man cave, or the leading-edge cyber-security technology his son, John Shaft Jr., aka “JJ” (Jessie T. Usher) can easily draw on, having graduated top-of-his-class from MIT, this latest Shaft, shot by Story’s frequent collaborator, Larry Blanford, is both fresh and nostalgic – and a ton of moviemaking fun.

The pre-title period sequence sets the table. Late 1980’s Harlem, with Shaft (Jackson) and his girlfriend (Regina Hall) parked in his ride at night. She’s coming down hard for always bringing danger around, while Shaft promises things will chill out. Until he spies his nemesis, crime lord Gordito (Isaach De Bankolé), in a nearby vehicle, and the smooth-talking P.I. tries to mask the threat by pleading for an improvised love session –­ even as gunfire starts to blow out the windows around them! The scene ends with Gordito escaping, Shaft and Hall surviving (their relationship does not) and a playful pan to the back seat, where their baby (John Jr.) has been giggling throughout.

This stylish blend of action-comedy appears effortless on screen, and that’s largely due to the visual shorthand (Director) Story, Blanford, A-Camera Operator/2nd Unit DP Christopher Duskin, Gaffer Dan Murphy, and 2nd Unit Director Steve Ritzi all share from having worked together. Blanford, who spent nine years as a combat cameraman in the U.S. Air Force before entering the film industry (when Tony Scott needed F-14-based aerials for Top Gun) shot 2nd unit on Story’s Fantastic Four (2005), and then moved up to main unit for the director’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Hurricane Season (2009), Think Like A Man, and Ride Along (2012).

The pair’s approach on this new Shaft (which bears little resemblance to Singleton’s) was “how would the original look if we were making it today?” Blanford relates. “It has that comedic sense, but we didn’t want to go down an all-out comedy road, meaning the look would not emphasize the comedy ­– that would come from the acting and writing.”

Story says he and Blanford are cinema buffs, who often reference that shared knowledge. “For that opening scene, we drew from 1970’s crime movies like Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon. We discussed the camera angles and the raw violence of that film era and asked ourselves, ‘How can we create it for our movie?’ So, the high angle of the car backing into a parking space is from Hitchcock. Shaft pulling the hit-man out of a window, imitated Popeye Dole from The French Connection – all of this while never forgetting, we’re bringing Shaft to life almost 50 years after the original.”

To establish the period time and feel in Harlem, the scene needed to begin with an elevated train, “which we knew meant some CGI,” Blanford continues. “But we only had the actors for the opening crane shot down from the train – we had to shoot their dialogue in the car later with green screen. It was all carefully storyboarded because we

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knew second unit would need to shoot the green screen plates and half the action outside the car. Having Chris [Duskin] as A-camera operator and 2nd Unit DP made that scene – and so many others – seamless. The matching is perfect.”

Duskin, who has done more than nine films with Blanford, including working as an AC when Blanford was shooting aerials, says the opening was challenging because “all of the second-unit gunfire had to be carefully placed within the frame. It’s a period scene at night, with CGI and green screen, and we had to introduce several main characters,” he notes. “The actor who plays the main villain [Gordito] was not yet available, so we shot that with a double as a silhouette lighting a cigarette on the street, and then when we got the actor, we had to match that lighting to the green screen reveal of his face on stage.”

Shaft’s narrative is revealed when JJ’s best friend (Avan Jogia) dies from a drug overdose – an unlikely event given his pal’s recent sobriety. JJ’s computer skills kick off his own investigation, which lead him to a Harlem drug house, superbly designed by Wynn Thomas (ICG Magazine, January 2017, Exposure). On working with Thomas for the first time, Story notes: “Wynn’s mental encyclopedia can’t be praised enough, and while our budget was modest, compared to what he had to pull off, I just don’t believe he’s capable of disappointing his director. Also, Wynn knows when to build and when to let something live as is. For the drug house, he found an abandoned hotel that was about to be renovated. It had stripped walls and the original floors from the 1930’s. He took me to the space and said, ‘I don’t want to touch it!’ Of course, he sprinkled a little Wynn Thomas magic around, and it turned out perfect.”

Not the same can be said for JJ, who is knocked out by a drug boss (Ian Casselberry), and his goons. JJ’s failure inspires him to reunite with Shaft Sr. for help on the P.I.’s home turf. In short order, the pair embark on a series of car rides – back to the drug house where JJ got clocked; a Latin supermarket/warehouse; and an after-hours

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY LARRY BLANFORD

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Harlem nightclub, where an inebriated JJ ends up in a “dance fight” with some rough trade.

“Eighty percent of the Jessie/Sam cardriving shots were done with the Light Pilot, which uses an LED background that runs plates you can shoot or even buy at – I kid you not – plates dot-com,” Blanford recalls. “I prefer a process trailer and being in the car with the actors. But with this approach, Tim can walk right up to the actors. When the window was closed in the scene, and before the actors were placed, I created interactive light effects. I basically did a mini DI session on the LED screen outside the window.”

“Process shots on stage used to mean surrounding the car with all sorts of poor-man rigs to create a sense of motion,” adds Murphy.

“But with the [Light Pilot] LED panels, you can now use your plates to actually light your shot. Not only are there high-res panels to photograph for the background, there are also smaller, lower resolution panels you can use to light the actors.

“Key Grip Doug Cowden built a great rig,” the gaffer continues, “that allowed us to move the low-res panels above and around the car on stage and use them either as an interactive light source for the actors or to build reflections within the car interior and the windshield. Then we built book bounces for fill as needed.”

Blanford also praises Murphy’s work on the extended “dance fight” scene inside Club Groove, where JJ shows a kick-ass side his father never imagined.

“Dan and his team did a spectacular prerig inside that location,” the DP shares. “They used hundreds of Astera [AX1 pixel] tubes that we could run off the board and change color at the flip of a switch. They’re dimmable and wireless; an electrician can hold them near

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actors as they’re moving in space. Multiply that by two hundred, and you have a set that allowed incredible creativity – on the day.

They’re a game changer.”

Murphy remembers that “Larry wanted to build a lot of color into the practical Club Groove set, but we didn’t have room for an overhead grid. The AX1s were an awesome solution; we rigged them under all the bars, behind sofa seats, and sometimes flat on the floor to build color washes in the background. For Shaft we used AX1 tubes and AX3 ‘puck style’ lights with domed diffusers that share the same color profiles.”

Other built-in practical lighting at Club Groove included paneled soffits in the ceiling, where Rigging Gaffer Jon Hilton was able to squeeze in some seventy tubes, “so we had these great banks of colored top light painting the curtains and cascading down,” Murphy continues. “Jim Dornemann was the console programmer, and he wrote effects for three Viper moving lights for the dance floor. Between Jon and Jim that club really came alive and delivered that special quality Larry was looking for.”

While Club Groove helps make JJ worthier of the Shaft name, two elaborate shoot-outs happening simultaneously in different parts of Manhattan cement the techie’s street cred (and ultimately ready him to wear the famous trench coat – more on that later).

Shaft Sr.’s action takes place at an upscale restaurant and was tightly storyboarded, given the amount of second unit required.

Shaft tracks down Hall’s character while she’s on a date, and ends up protecting her and her stuffy paramour (who gets the famous line “He’s a bad mutha…,” to which Hall snaps,

“Shut your mouth!”) in a wild shoot-out.

Duskin says working 1st and 2nd unit had him on the restaurant set for nearly a week to “clean up a lot of action beats First Unit didn’t have the time to carry out.”

“That scene was another great marriage of the two units,” Blanford reflects, “as main unit had only a few days to get our shots. Steve [Ritzi], Tim Story and I spent a lot of time in pre-production storyboarding that sequence.

It’s a process of going back and forth and finding little additions that weren’t in the script, like the wine bottle getting thrown, to help create fun moments that enhance the action beats.”

Ritzi says being able to collaborate with Story and Blanford in preproduction “was invaluable when it came to shot blending first and second units. Having that creative time is a luxury you don’t always get as a Second Unit Director. From those meetings came very specific storyboards, so we knew we were always on the same page.”

JJ’s shootout occurs while on his first “official” date with his childhood friend Sasha (Alexandra Shipp). The scene makes liberal use of high speed, requiring the team to test squibs at 300, 500 and 1000 frames per second. Blanford says it was always designed for main unit, with his inspiration being the climax of the1990 feature State of Grace, shot

by Jordan Cronenweth, ASC, in which a slowmotion shoot-out ensues inside a bar. “[State of Grace] used these huge squibs,” Blanford recounts. “So we wanted to find the right squib, without CG, that was that perfect cross between Tarantino and Gunsmoke – what’s not enough and what’s too much.”

“Larry has done a lot of high speed photography in the past, and I had not,” Story adds about the decision to go slow-mo. “In

“IT HAS THAT COMEDIC SENSE, BUT WE DIDN’T WANT TO GO DOWN AN ALL-OUT COMEDY ROAD, MEANING THE LOOK WOULD NOT EMPHASIZE THE COMEDY ­– THAT WOULD COME FROM THE ACTING AND WRITING.” Director of Photography Larry Blanford

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trying to create an authentic look for the JJ shoot out, he suggested doing super slow motion, something people wouldn’t expect in a Shaft movie, and I said yes before he even finished explaining it. Each scene is like making cinema gumbo for us and we all get to help cook.”

Shooting 500 frames per second at a practical location requires at least four more stops, requiring Murphy and Blanford to brainstorm as to how to get more light onto the set, while not limiting the staging of action that advances the story.

“It became all about the cobalt blue contrasting with the warmer candles and string lights,” Murphy explains. “We used the AX1s in the soffits and on the perimeter to build-in the cobalt. When it came time to ramp to the high-speed segments, we matched the cobalt with ARRI S-60 SkyPanels and used 5K Pars for the warm tones.”

They also used old-school interactive gunfire effects via mercury-style “shaker” switches and nine lights. “The shaker switch works like maracas,” Murphy explains. “The ball bearing in the switch makes contact for a microsecond, and when you use short filament bulbs, like an FCX in a Nine-Light Fay, you get these super-quick bursts of light that simulate a muzzle flash. So if JJ ducks under a table as the bad guy sprays the place with a machine gun, the Fay lights provide muzzle flashes to wash across the set.”

Blanford shot the slow-motion action spherical, and the dialogue anamorphic to pick up a few extra stops, without giving up too much depth of field. Decisions about how the action would be covered began with Story and Blanford walking the location well in advance and throwing out ideas. When Duskin sees the rehearsal on the day, another voice is added to create what Blanford calls a “true collaboration.”

“We knew Jessie’s shoot-out would intercut with Sam’s, so we tried to keep the camerawork similar,” says Duskin. “Jesse transforms in that scene from nerd to badass, so it starts out calm [Steadicam] with the date and then ramps up with handheld once all the shooting starts. Larry and Tim like to do a lot of dueling over the shoulders at the same time. The reason is that when you are shooting comedy, you want to get everything in the moment and not have to recreate it on a separate take; and we did that here.”

Top: Production Designer Wynn Thomas used an abandoned period building, about to be remodeled, for JJ’s visit to a Harlem drug lair.

Bottom: Director Tim Story on the set for the key “Club Groove” bonding scene between JJ and Shaft II

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Given the high action bar Shaft sets from the opening scene, it was clear Story and company would provide a big finish. Sure enough, after we see John Shaft II and JJ reunite with John Shaft I (Richard Roundtree looking fit and “superfly”) in a stylish production-designed lair, the trio go “all ninja

black” to confront Gordito (who has taken Sasha hostage) and his crew in a Manhattan penthouse. The practical set required floorto-ceiling windows and wrap-around views of the New York skyline, at night.

“The penthouse was a warehouse with low ceilings,” Blanford remembers, “so the moment the camera is looking up at an actor, you’re shooting off set. Wynn Thomas did a wonderful job building in powerful lights to help with all of the slow-mo. But the real challenge was minimizing any low angle, as that would require CG of the ceiling.”

Main unit shot all of the dialogue and the action with lead actors. Ritzi’s 2nd Unit came in at night to pick up action pieces with the stunt doubles. Second unit couldn’t shoot concurrent with main unit due to the loudness of the gunfire on the adjacent stage.

Ritzi says that because some action sequences involved complex shootouts (like Gordito’s penthouse) second unit was tasked with some of the larger stunts, special effects charges and squibs, “to allow more quality time for first unit and them not having to wait for big resets,” he shares. “Tim and Larry could concentrate on getting great shots with the actors and the detailed action events directly around them,” Ritzi adds.

“Story says climactic end sequences must continue to tell the story visually. “Before this scene, we’re always going in and out of Shaft or JJ’s world, one is gritty and raw, the other is crisp and modern,” the director describes. “[For the climax] it was important to go somewhere that made both of them feel like fish out of water. Emotionally I wanted ‘high gloss,’ so the stakes were even higher for our heroes.”

That high gloss included those huge panorama windows that make the finale so spectacular – and challenging. When three generations of Shafts come bursting through the glass from hanging ropes outside, real, fake and no glass was used (with CGI putting the glass back in post). One bad guy, who is rocketed out of the penthouse via gunfire, was blown through breakaway glass, with background plates comped in later.

“One end of the set was complete blue screen, and the other end was cyc,” Blanford describes. “I added atmosphere for depth, and to have that New York humidity in the air. [Pilot] Fred North and I shot the window plates in New York City. The advantage of shooting my own aerials is that I’ve spoken with the director and know where the transitions will be. What might take three days for someone else takes me a day because I can be so specific in getting exactly what’s been discussed for the story.”

As for those leather dusters that have helped make John Shaft famous, costume designer Olivia Miles (Kevin Hart: What Now?,

Top & Bottom: The climactic shootout in a penthouse involved green screen, breakaway window glass, and CGI. Blanford’s main unit blended seamlessly with 2nd Unit footage thanks to A-Camera Operator Chris Duskin also serving as DP for 2nd Unit, led by veteran stunt professional Steve Ritzi.

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Ride Along 2) says Story wanted to “pay homage to the character but still make it our own world. We did have lots of leather products,” she laughs.

“With all of the action – stunts, driving doubles, et cetera – we couldn’t use vintage pieces and had to make most of the pieces ourselves.”

Miles prepared four full sets (for each character) for big action moments like the penthouse shootout, and “sometimes six if the scene was really bloody,” she notes. “Fortunately, Sam Jackson and his stunt double, Kiante Elam, have been a team for so long they didn’t trash a lot of the custom pieces. They are such pros!”

So was Blanford – Miles calls him a great collaborator, who is “super friendly” to the costume department. “Larry and I cameratested many of the dusters to determine what colors were right for what environments,” she continues. “Larry and Tim wanted to avoid all black since that would reference Sam’s Marvel roles [S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Nick Fury], until the end, when they meet up with Richard Roundtree, and Jessie becomes a badass.”

What about that iconic “Shaft” look, which makes an emphatic statement by having all three generations of men cloaked in leather on the streets of New York, ready to tackle a new case? “The treasure hunt for vintage pieces is always fun,” Miles concludes. “But I really love working with the actors and building custom pieces that help make the look their own and completes the director’s vision. Whether it was Jessie with his poorly fitting shoes, or Sam showing up in boxers and robe when JJ first comes to his house, Shaft was a total collaboration. It was so much fun!”

LOCAL 600 CREW Director of Photography Larry Blanford A-Camera Operator/2nd Unit DP Chris Duskin A-Camera 1st AC Max Junquera A-Camera 2nd AC Sterling Wiggins B-Camera Operator/Steadicam Chris Campbell, SOC B-Camera 1st AC Ryan Weisen B-Camera 2nd AC Dwight Campbell Loader Marie Morrell Utility Tyler Bastianson Still Photographer Kyle Kaplan Unit Publicist Staci R. Collins Jackson

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INTER MARIANA ANTUÑANO ALLIE MENAPACE KAT KALLERGIS LISA JARAHIAN VIANNE ENRIQUEZ TIM MENKE TRAVIS HAGENBUCH MATT FIRESTONE JOSHUA HUTCHINGS ALEX DANIELS STEPHEN A. POPE MELISSA STUBBS JOAN CUNNINGHAM PAUL GARNES

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Mariana Antuñano, SOC grew up dancing ballet in Mexico City, but it was her father who inspired a curiosity about filmmaking.

Weekends were about seeing movies – or making Super 8-mm stop-motion shorts with Play-Doh at eight years old. Later, while she was in college, a friend asked Antuñano to PA on Banditos, the first film by Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, ASC, AMC. Shooting on location in Mexico was like “joining the circus,” Antuñano remembers, and she loved it. Antuñano spent the next seven years on movie sets, including Like Water for Chocolate, Clear and Present Danger, Mask of Zorro and others. She moved to L.A. in 1997 with a scholarship to the Cinematography Program at the American Film Institute (AFI).

After joining Local 600 in 2002, Antuñano became one of the busiest assistants in town, working on Goosebumps, The Wedding Ringer, Veronica Mars, Identity Thief, Five-Year Engagement, Fright Night, A Better Life, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Skeleton Key, and many others. In 2016, Antuñano moved up to operator, with recent credits that include Station 19, Legion, Westworld, Once Upon a Time in Staten Island, The Female Brain, and With this Ring.

What was the film community like in Mexico? We did films for the love of the art and craft, and that was felt throughout the process. Everyone gives 150 percent, and we are all in it together. Chivo gave me my first camera-assisting job [at a time when very few women were doing camera work] and helped me when I moved to the States to go to AFI. Watching him create these magical images was what inspired me to pursue cinematography. I wanted to be able to create an imaginary world and live in it. Rodrigo Prieto [ASC, AMC], who graduated from the film school I went to [Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica], was also my teacher.

How did film school in Mexico differ from AFI? Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica is a four-year program where you are taught every aspect of filmmaking – history, documentary, fiction, animation, screenwriting, cinematography, acting, sound mixing, producing, directing, and editing. Even if you knew early on which discipline you wanted to focus on, you still had to pass all the other classes, no exceptions. The American Film Institute is a two-year Master’s Degree program, and I spent my time working closely with directors, producers, writers, editors and production designers, finding ways to deliver powerful stories. The focus, for me, having already spent years assisting, was to learn about visual storytelling: the truth of the character, the emotional arc of

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the story, coming to an agreement on what the images were communicating, et cetera. The second most valuable lesson was to learn from such a diverse international student body.

Everyone had a different aesthetic, which helped open our minds to see in ways beyond the bounds of our own cultures.

What was your first operating job like? I started shooting music videos in Mexico City in the 1990s, so I always loved “dancing with the camera at the tone of the music,” mostly dollies, Dutch Heads, zooms – you know, the 90’s. [Laughs.] It was creative and fun.

What is it like operating on a TV series? I’m working as B-Camera on Station 19, and I love it. Here is where my studies at AFI have come to fruition. Stepping into the operator’s shoes felt quite natural, and B-Camera is an interesting position. In this specific series, the physical demands are heavy, but I love it. I’ve been submerged up to four feet in water, handholding the camera for two days. I’ve used a climbing harness and rope to secure myself on hills with inclines greater than 45 degrees, and shot with an Easy Rig on a 45-degree angle. I’ve worn firewoman turnout suits while handholding the camera across burning sets. Keeping nimble, and yoga practice, have helped me accomplish all these challenging tasks.

How do you work with the actors? I have tremendous respect for the actors’ process. Every scene calls for a specific style and presents a unique set of challenges. We choose the visual language and set the tone, movement, and rhythm, and then secure the necessary coverage, giving the director and editor as much freedom as possible. Station 19 is a very fast-moving show and we are constantly making split-second decisions. Understanding the scene is critical, but knowing the larger arc of the entire episode allows the operator to make better choices.

Talk about being a woman on set these days. I owe my current job to [Executive Producer] Shonda Rhimes and [Producer/Director] Paris Barclay [Exposure, ICG Magazine Feb/March 2017] and their long-standing tradition of giving opportunities to minorities in television. I would like to say that it is not as challenging today in the States as it is in Mexico. But it is definitely much better now, as some of the networks have an active policy of awarding minorities with job opportunities, and this is noticeable throughout all departments. But there is still an “unconscious bias” on set, even among Local 600 members. Thanks to people like Anastas Michos, ASC, GSC; Brad Lipson; and Mitch Dubin, SOC; who are champions of supporting women, these opportunities come more easily year after year.

What advice would you give to women who want to become operators or advance their careers as operators? I would say stay true to what drives you, own it and bring it. One spends a lot of time trying to follow other people’s examples and paths, but in our craft what makes us unique is our own history and vision. Connect with people and maintain those relationships.

But most importantly, many women of my generation for whom earning work opportunities was challenging saw years pass and kept accepting jobs coming their way, never turning them down for fear of losing any momentum. I was so caught up in this race that I lost the opportunity to make time to have a child. This might be my greatest regret.

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Alexandra (Allie) Menapace’s love for special effects began as a child via classic Ray Harryhausen films like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. Other influences – The Beatles: Yellow Submarine, Fantasia, and vintage cartoons – eventually morphed into a career path when she transferred from a small community college outside Philadelphia to the animation factory that is California Institute of the Arts, just north of Los Angeles. A job at West Indigo, with her future mentor, David Wilson, introduced Menapace to motion control. She spent 10 years working for smaller production companies that specialized in motion control, followed up by a staff position at Union signatory VIFX. Over the years she’s worked high-profile projects like The Shining and From the Earth to the Moon (both mini-series), Dr. Doolittle 2, War of the Worlds, and The Guardian. Recently, Menapace made some major changes in her life and her career – leaving motion control behind and settling into operating.

using bi-pack mattes on specific passes to hold out areas of negative. I would work a week on film graphics jobs (main titles, flying logos) that were shot on backlight motion-control animation stands – for 10 seconds of footage.

There were definitely some sleepless nights, during which I wondered if I remembered to flip the take-up spring on the Mitchell mag when I was backwinding on that last pass. [Laughs.]

What was motion control like when you started? It was pre-digital when all visual effects were done in camera or by shooting elements to be composited later on an optical printer. Computer graphics had not yet replaced models and miniatures. It was an era when motion control pushed the use of film negative as far as it’s ever gotten in terms of in-camera compositing. I’d often shoot jobs with 10 or more passes on a single piece of negative, sometimes

What motion-control shots have been especially challenging? The orbit exterior Apollo shots in From the Earth to the Moon. I was given a large, three-ring binder with all the motion-control shots and told, “Figure it out!”

For a recent Ford commercial, we did a shot starting on the dashboard and pulling back through three rows of seats and out the back of the van, as the rear door closed and we landed on the logo. It utilized [motion control’s] ability

How did digital scanners change things? I was happy and relieved as we could just shoot the individual elements that would be scanned and composited in post. But I do miss the direct involvement of film. I miss miniature shoots when we would all meet in the morning in the screening room – camera, art department, painters, electricians, grips, model makers, prop people – and see our work from the previous day in dailies. We’d see our mistakes or successes, and decide together if it was good enough to send away for approval.

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“I HAVE ATTENDED THE LOCAL 600 NEW YORK CAMERA OPERATOR TRAINING – AND OTHER CLASSES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE.”

to break up a shot into several different parts, and then edit it together for a seamless move. A three-minute Samsung short had one continuous camera move following an animated character, who jumps from the screen of one device to another.

The camera move had been pre-visualized in Maya, exported for me as a template for timing. The spot not only involved the animated character but over 30 phones and tablets, at least half of them moving in some way during the shot.

Has motion control changed? The basic concept has carried through from the start of motion control to the present. But I’ve seen it evolve from being almost exclusively a studio/ stage-based permanent setup to mainly live action−oriented work, working with the first and second units on specific shots.

The challenges are a bit different in that setting. It’s about being able to easily and transparently work with camera/grip/ lighting departments, with the goal being able to meld in with a minimum amount of disruption to the normal workflow. It’s like doing animation on set with 45 people standing around watching you. It’s a hot seat!

Tell us about your documentaries for The Museum of Jurassic Technology. I worked with my mentor, David Wilson, a former VFX Supervisor and now founder/director of the Museum. He asked if I’d like to shoot with him in Russia.

We watched films like I Am Cuba and those from Wan KarWai and Andrei Tarkovsky. David wanted to show an almost imperceptible camera motion. For one film, we made a lightweight jib and camera head to do slow arm moves with back pans. For another, we made a portable motion-control system for dolly shots and lens control for focus. I wanted to be sensitive to the overall themes as I perceived them – both involving macro/micro story points. I tried to reinforce those with how I shot B-roll footage, shooting grand landscape shots and tight micro-close-ups, moving the camera as slowly as possible while discovering the shots.

What is your next career challenge? Camera operating is my future. DP’s like Patrick Cady, ASC, have given me the opportunity to pursue this area of production. We first met for an ASC Master class, and he gave me a chance to work on Bosch. I have also worked as an operator on a documentary being produced by Laverne Cox. I have attended the Local 600 New York Camera Operator Training – and other classes, all of which have been invaluable. It’s all about visual storytelling and how the camera operator is the person who writes the sentences of the story, the visual grammar. As one camera operator instructor said, we are learning to “whisper a set of meanings.” I love that! I am very excited and look forward to what this new phase will provide.

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KAT KALLERGIS

Katerina “Kat” Kallergis’ family wanted her to go to medical school, thinking the “video thing” she got hooked on growing up in Hicksville, Long Island, was just a hobby. Kallergis hesitated to apply to the film program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts because “the acceptance rate was something like five percent,” she recalls. During year two, she needed a DP to shoot a short, and Aaron Medick, SOC, was willing to do it – if he could use his Steadicam. Medick let her try it – layering her up with sweatshirts to get the vest close

to fitting, and Kallergis was hooked. Since then she’s weaved her Steadicam through concerts, game shows, live comedy and even massive live events like Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She loves every moment – and mentors as many women as time allows.

“The more of us out there, the more ‘normal’ it will become,” Kallergis insists.

What are the challenges for a woman operating Steadicam? Starting out there were some people who doubted my abilities.

One camera operator warned me that I was

going to hurt my back. He meant well but was ignorant. One stagehand was sure that my rig and camera were smaller than those of another Steadicam operator that he knew.

One director asked me, in a snarky tone, if I was tired when I shouldered the rig after having waited for the control room to get organized. They just weren’t used to a woman in the vest. I’ve worn the rig for longer than I should have because I didn’t ever want anyone to think I was tired or weak because “I’m a girl.” Even today, people that I haven’t worked with before think I am the assistant

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and that my male assistant is really the Steadicam op! I love seeing their eyes widen when they find out the truth.

Talk about the art of shooting live music.

There’s not much rehearsing involved, and I suppose that’s what makes it so exciting.

Even when it isn’t a genre I’m fond of, I still find myself tapping to the beat while selling the shots. I’m usually in the pit in front of the stage. I use my trusty 12-inch-long arm post so the yoke handle is held constantly at my forehead, which means the camera is over a foot above my head the whole time.

My “traps” loved me one weekend in 2017, at Meadows Music Festival at Citi Field. It was a fun time since I was able to shoot performances by Weezer and LL Cool J: music I grew up with. The director, Lauren Quinn, had me up on stage for one performance.

There is so much to play with, and she really let me be free. I always make sure to clear the other cameras when my tally is off. Lauren said having me up there was the best thing she did all night.

Have you had to go to great lengths to get what really can be a simple shot? On Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2018, it was negative 10 degrees in New York City. My body and feet were warm with the proper attire. Wearing gloves wasn’t that simple, though. I needed to feel the rig. My left hand was warm with a latex glove with a thicker black glove over it, but my right hand needed to be ungloved to feel the zoom rocker and focus wheel. Another Steadicam op and I brainstormed and came up with a sort of sleeve to go over the naked hand. I grabbed a beanie and cut a hole at the top and fit the tape-wrapped yoke handle through it. I cut some holes in the liner of the beanie and threw in some hand warmers. I used twine through the large opening of the beanie where I would cinch it shut around my hand.

I threw an extra Steadicam arm gator over that to stop the wind chill. That saved my hand from the extreme cold and allowed me to work the shots all night until just after we rang in the New Year.

What’s been your favorite job so far? Lin Manuel Miranda’s monologue on Saturday Night Live from October 2016. He was to jump off the stage and enter the audience, walk through the halls and back up to the stage while performing a rap from Hamilton.

The director had never worked with me before, and I could sense his distrust.

Everything we had rehearsed on Thursday

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changed on Saturday – the route, even the song. One rehearsal and then it was live.

Once my tally went on, I zoned in on Lin. The cue-card man got caught on the wrong side behind me, and he attempted to jump over my tether but tripped, causing a second of a hiccup in the shot. I back-peddled the whole time, and there were key points they wanted in the frame – the can-can girls, Abe Lincoln, and the llama. Then a picture frame of Trump, which had to be timed with the rap. It only lasted a minute and a half, but it was amazing.

Working with other operators is a big part of the job. Which project comes to mind?

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. There are nine cameras where the parade ends in front of the store. There is a big Macy’s star placed on the street, and it is where new Broadway show numbers are performed until the parade makes its way there. I have to cross in front of all eight other cameras to get the shots that I am assigned. Director Ron de Moraes and the AD have the shots worked out, but the camera crew also helps to make sure they make sense depending on our

physical placement and order of shots. We rehearse with the Broadway shows before we go live, working with talent to move their positions further up- or downstage. We learn where to stand when our tallies aren’t on and when to start the move before they cut to us. It’s part of the job to be spatially aware of what is happening in your frame with the music. Meanwhile, you must listen to all the shots being called and, of course, your own shot number and action.

What would you say to women who want to specialize in Steadicam? Absolutely do it. The more women out there running with a Steadicam and doing it well, the better off we all are, and the more normal it will become.

And when I say “do it well,” I really mean it. Because there are so few of us, one bad reputation may reinforce a false stereotype.

When work permits, I teach Steadicam workshops. Early on there were usually one or two women in the class. Last year, six out of 16 students were female. The numbers are climbing and the more we see women doing this, the more it will motivate the next generation to make Steadicam their goal.

“THE MORE WOMEN OUT THERE RUNNING WITH A STEADICAM AND DOING IT WELL, THE BETTER OFF WE ALL ARE, AND THE MORE NORMAL IT WILL BECOME.”

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She couldn’t escape Hollywood history. Growing up in Thousand Oaks, Lisa Jarahian was just a few miles from Lake Sherwood, where the Sherwood Forest scenes were shot for the 1920 version of Robin Hood. Old rental cabins, at which Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert filmed It Happened One Night, still dotted Thousand Oaks Boulevard. TV crews were always around, yet Jarahian never considered working in film as a career. She wanted to be a book editor, have a relationship with writers like the one portrayed in one of her favorite childhood books, Dear Max. But the path to Hollywood – and writing – opened. Today Jarahian is the writer-editorinterviewer, working with a great team at Warner Bros., creating press kits and written material for everything from small artistic films like Cloud Atlas to such major breakouts as Crazy Rich Asians.

When did you realize you had a talent for publicity writing? My first job was for Irv Ivers, one of Warner Bros.’ international publicity VPs. This was before everyone became e-mail proficient. He started to dictate the information – then, when he understood I could put the words together, he’d often give me the gist of what he wanted to say and let me draft it. I didn’t realize how much of a confidence-booster that was for me.

We all know the term “production notes,” but what are they, really? Part magazine article and part term paper. They differ in tone and positioning, of course, and occasionally you can get extra creative with the presentation, but we’re always mindful that it’s a tool for journalists, so you must give them what they need.

Notes set up the film’s premise and touch on themes and highlights, much like the trailer. They offer insights (largely through quotes) into how the principals came together, what the story means to them and why the movie is special. There are also character descriptions and behind-the-scenes details on each department. Did the actor take scuba lessons or learn to ride? Was the fake blood on the white dog made out of something safe for him to lick? This gives journalists a starting point for their own interviews.

How do you build a package? At Warner Bros. we are a team of four led by VP of Communications Sharon Black.

Assignments are made based on the release schedule.

You might be on a horror film or an action epic, but we try to play to our strengths and interests. Karen Chamberlain, who worked at DC, has a genuine affinity for those superhero properties. Lisa Stone, my first mentor, is a Stephen King and genre fan. I have become the LEGO connection. We look at the trailer and art, talk to the project execs, focus on the best way to represent the film that’s consistent with the overall marketing. We read the unit publicist’s material and transcripts of the EPK interviews. Sometimes we do our own interviews.

Ultimately, what we create is translated for the global market.

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can understand these people and their journeys, or about their character in tandem with others, which is another way into the story. If it’s a comedy, I might ask: “Tell me about the scenes that made you laugh out loud.” With cinematographers, I like to ask about a particularly striking visual or one of their favorite moments. Composers are great for helping you reiterate the story’s main themes as reflected in the score. Directors and producers field the big stuff. We’re looking for great quotes.

It’s interesting but never easy. I’ve learned to shut my door and take my shirt off before I make the call. I know I’m going to sweat, so why fight it?

reporters in the middle of it all. If we acquire a project after production has wrapped, like a negative pickup, we take whatever the unit turned in and hope for the best. But if we’re on board as production starts and can connect with the unit, that’s ideal. We can give them a wish list of things to look for and people to talk to; and in turn, if we have a synopsis in the works, we can help them with the first official language on the film: the start-of-production story.

What was your most exciting project? I know I should crow about the big ones, like Crazy Rich Asians, but honestly, some of the most Are phone interviews a lot of pressure? People are exciting have been smaller, artistically busy, and if they grant us a phoner, we won’t waste time asking the costume designer about the themes How do you work with unit ambitious films that find their niche of the film or the composer about CG. For actors, publicists? I have tremendous respect but don’t make as much noise in the questions are primarily about their characters, so we for units because they’re the field marketplace: Midnight Special, Cloud

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Atlas, The Assassination of Jesse James. It’s more of a challenge to get the tone and nuance right on those projects and, consequently, it often ends up being your best work.

Are doing notes for a heavy VFX project different? Prep and technique are similar on everything. You set up the story, weave in quotes, plot points, etc. With VFX, it gets technical and there’s a higher risk for error. And VFX supervisors are often so passionate about their craft and the innovations they’ve developed for, say, light reflecting off individual snowflakes or the movement of fur underwater, that I might get 12 pages of process description and references to things I’ve never heard of. I need to (A) understand it, and (B) distill it down to a few paragraphs in such a way that other people can understand. I’ve had to do follow-ups on some of them and I’ll always give them the final draft to check for accuracy.

I’m sure it breaks their hearts to see how I’ve dumbed it down, but they never complain.

Has the writing changed with social media? Somewhat, in that Digital will often ask for more bite-sized versions

of lengthier material. But regardless of the means of distribution, it’s still about content. I recently found an archive here from the 1980s, and there were documents clearly written on a typewriter, in Courier font. You want to laugh. But the material wasn’t much different from what we do now: press releases, bios, speeches, synopses and notes.

Only the font changes, and the platform. And maybe the cultural touchstones.

You said there is an unexpected benefit of the job. I think my colleagues will agree, here and at other studios – it’s the education on subjects we might not otherwise get. Steven Soderbergh’s The Good German touched on how the U.S. and Russia were soliciting former Nazi physicists in post-war Germany to head up their space programs. I never learned that in school! The press notes weren’t about that, per se, but I had to research it to understand the background for the story. Then there was Hubble. Did you know the Hubble only captures one wavelength at a time, and then those multiple exposures are combined to form the final color images? And, don’t get me started on Magic Mike!

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One of the tools Vianne Enriquez used to perfect her English (she emigrated from the Philippines when she was six years old) was VH1’s Pop-Up Video and the infamous MTV TRL show. She wanted to produce the show, guide Carson Daly, and pick the musical guests and any show gimmicks.

Entertainment interested her in high school but she pursued law instead. Then, fresh out of college, she found herself in the International Publicity department.

Her first awards-season assignment was at the HFPA press conference with Cher

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for Burlesque. “It was an eye-opener, and to this day I’m still pinching myself,” Enriquez recalls. Today she’s one of the publicists in International Publicity for Sony, having worked on campaigns for The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Skyfall, Spectre, and Bladerunner 2049.

How has publicity changed since you started? It’s changed a lot in the short time that I’ve been in the industry. We often get questions like, Who still reads newspapers?

Does anyone actually watch interviews that

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air on TV? Especially in the international scope. We have to cover so many countries and that means hours of talent interviews to ensure our markets get what they need.

Recently, in the past year or so, talent and their reps have been becoming more interested in how we can incorporate socialmedia influences in our campaigns. Social media is important right now, especially with new young talent who want to gain a broader audience.

How is international publicity different from the domestic market? Our department covers all territories except for the United States and Canada, and it’s different in many ways. As a part of the “home office” team based in Los Angeles, we oversee all the publicity requests/needs from around the world. We coordinate the international publicity talent tours and facilitate photo needs, talent interview requests, clip requests, et cetera – basically anything that our territories need. One of the unique things about working in international publicity is that generally, we aren’t able to just use existing materials that are meant for the USA. Materials such as one-sheets, trailers, vignettes and clips vary from country to country – since the way a movie is marketed and publicized varies from country to country. We are guided by the research that is given to us to determine what works best for the market. For example, a movie in the USA can be marketed as a romantic comedy, but in certain parts of Latin America, where family is a big priority, the materials we provide may focus more on the comedy than the romance.

What are some of the fun publicity events you’ve organized? I’ve always admired our team and the innovative things that we’ve been able to produce, one of them being our own miniature film festival called Summer of Sony. It’s a one-week event where we showcase our own Sony films for the upcoming year and invite journalists from around the world to partake in exclusive junkets, press conferences, and photo calls. For The Amazing Spider-Man 2, we partnered up with Earth Hour, and Spider-Man became the first superhero ambassador for the organization. For Angry Birds, we partnered up with the United Nations, where Secretary-General Ban Kimoon appointed [the character] Red the Honorary Ambassador for International Day of Happiness. We’ve also broken multiple Guinness World Records as a part of the publicity campaign with Smurfs, Ghostbusters, and The Emoji Movie – among others.

How do you work with unit publicists?

They are essential during production because they are your main liaison between filmmakers and talent. To me, a good unit publicist is someone who already has anticipated all the questions you will ask.

For example, will filmmakers allow setvisit access? What and where are the dates of production? Which talent have agreed to press on set? Is there someone who gives weekly reports about what’s happened on set, scenes that were shot, et cetera?

Unfortunately, I’ve had a bad experience or two, like recently with a unit publicist who was helping us coordinate a set visit with international influencers. Important

logistical things that the unit publicist advised Production would take care of fell through, and I had influencers stuck at the airport in a foreign country calling me at 1 a.m. asking me about vehicles. Or, when we received the final budget at the end of the event, items that should have been covered

by Production ended up on our budget simply because the unit publicist never double-checked with Production whether they would cover it. They just assumed Production would.

What are things that people don’t expect to be part of PR but are? Publicity is a 24-hour job! Especially when you work internationally. You come into the office early to speak to Europe and you stay late to connect with Asia/Australia. Every day is different, so it’s not your typical office job. A few years ago, on Mother’s Day, I got a phone call around 5:30 a.m. from my colleague in Europe who was prepping for a publicity stunt. He asked if I could go to New York that morning to deliver our talent’s passport because his assistant had it here in Los Angeles. By 6:15 a.m. I was on my way to LAX to meet the talent’s assistant to grab the passport and then run to my terminal to catch my 7 a.m. flight. I arrived in New York, ran to the International terminal to meet the actor, hand off his passport and ensure that his check-in process went smoothly.

Then I immediately ran back to my original terminal to catch a flight back to Los Angeles.

I got back home around 10 p.m. My poor dog never even knew I left the state!

Editor’s Note: Ms. Enriquez recently became a Senior Publicist, Warner Bros. International Publicity.

“PUBLICITY IS A 24-HOUR JOB! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WORK INTERNATIONALLY. YOU COME INTO THE OFFICE EARLY TO SPEAK TO EUROPE AND YOU STAY LATE TO CONNECT WITH ASIA/AUSTRALIA.”

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After a few years working in Iowa politics, Tim Menke was disillusioned. He packed his bags and moved to L.A. without a job – but with an interest in publicity, because, as he laughs, “I loved movies and consumed magazines.” Answering phones eventually led to an offer to be a junior publicist. Today, Menke’s a senior publicist for Paramount, and a Golden Globe Awards specialist who has worked on films of all genres – from Avatar to Zoolander and the upcoming Elton John biopic, Rocketman. A passionate supporter of the art of publicity, in 2006, Menke became an honoree of the Publicists Guild’s prestigious Les Mason Award. Menke, who is also a four-time recipient of the Maxwell Weinberg Award for outstanding publicity campaigns (Braveheart, Titanic, Borat, and Deadpool), works tirelessly behind the scenes to produce the Publicists Guild Awards, “channeling,” as he says, [former Publicists Guild Award Chair] “Henri Bollinger’s philosophy at every turn.”

Has publicity changed since you started? The basic mission hasn’t changed – getting your film in front of your target audience. What has changed is where and

how potential audiences are getting their information about films. The basic rule is to always remember that you have what the press wants (the film), and the press has what you want (an audience).

What is the biggest change? Digital. If your target audience is, say, male, 25 and under, they live in a digital world, and you have to figure out how to get your message in front of them. However, to varying degrees, everyone is still under the influence of traditional publicity in that they see your film’s star on a magazine cover at the grocery store checkout or making guest appearances as they channel-surf on TV.

popular internationally. That means the campaign would have an emphasis on building international awareness, including holding the film’s world premiere of Bohemian Rhapsody in London’s Wembley Arena. Fallout was sucessful because of Tom Cruise’s enormous international appeal. He is truly beloved worldwide. Building on the plot point of the action occurring in Paris, the film’s premiere was held in front of the Eiffel Tower.

How is streaming content changing the market? We are at the dawn of a new era of how audiences see movies. There is nothing like sharing the experience of seeing a movie as part of an audience. A Quiet Place is a beautiful example of an audience in complete silence, to the point of not even eating popcorn out of fear of making noise, a fun communal happening. Of course, there is nothing like being able to enjoy a movie in the comfort of your own home. Either experience requires the audience to learn about films through publicity.

How can international influence sometimes drive movies? Bohemian Rhapsody and Mission Impossible: Fallout are examples of the international influence, as that box office is each more than 75 percent of total revenue. Talent’s time and your resources are limited, but allocating them to focus on international effects means getting the most bang. The rock band Queen still enjoys tremendous international We’re on the cusp of some major changes admiration, so it’s reasonable to believe in delivery. What’s coming? With the a biopic on Freddie Mercury would be arrival of new streaming options from Apple,

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Awards? We will continue to take a pause from our daily busy-ness and take a couple of hours to celebrate what we do as publicists. As behind-the-scenes influencers, it’s important that we annually take the time to stand up and be recognized for our contribution to finding audiences for entertainment products. Henri Bollinger set the bar for You mentioned digital has been the What’s different about an awards professionalism, creativity, and integrity, biggest change. How does social media, campaign? It’s my primary work now. It and made service to the larger community a particularly when it’s done on-set during can’t be done without having a good product, part of his second nature. His dedication and a project by actors or crew, impact your but the best product does not always win the leadership were remarkable. I am blessed efforts and the unit publicist’s efforts prize − which is where campaigning comes to have crossed paths with Henri, as he was to fulfill the studio’s marketing vision? in. It is not science; there is no formula. both mentor and friend. I am humbled to try [Social Media] is a superb means of reaching Rather, it is an art to crafting a plan that to carry on this legacy. I am proud that this your potential audience. Obviously, it has constantly reminds voters what it was they year we posthumously created an award in to be strategically managed, but involving loved most about your movie. Mine is not Henri’s honor. It is fitting that he joins such viewers on social media with enticing news/ to trash-talk the competition, but rather previous outstanding publicists as Maxwell images from the set creates an atmosphere highlight the brilliance of what you’ve Weinberg, Bob Yeager, and Les Mason to have that gets them involved and vested in your had the joy and pleasure to be a part of. In an award named in his memory. the pursuit of Golden Globe recognition, film early on in the campaign.

I have facilitated securing more than 65 What was it about Henri that garnered so Why did Private Parts surprise you? I nominations over more than 25 films with 15 much respect from publicity members was not a fan of Howard Stern, but as a wins, including four Best Film recognitions and/or enabled him to keep making the studio publicist, I didn’t have the luxury of (Avatar, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Publicists Guild Awards such a relevant and fun event? Henri commanded choosing what movies I worked on. Yet it Martian and The Revenant). respect from those of us in the publicity turned out to be one of the most satisfying experiences of my career because Howard Have streaming platforms changed community as an effective and creative didn’t know the meaning of “no.” What a the approach to awards marketing professional to reach the masses, and yet pleasure to work with someone who knew campaigns? With streamers, the awards he was a gentleman for whom you could the power of publicity, including a genius voting audience have virtually unlimited always have a one-on-one conversation. He stunt at Cannes. He appeared at the festival access to content. As much as we love to have genuinely was interested in what you might with two topless women and a 40-foot these same voters experience content on be thinking and always took the time to be inflatable picture of himself placed on the the big screen, it is essential that theatrical sincerely involved in any discussion. The shore. And he was full-force showmanship, releases are also made available via links luncheon has remained relevant and fun with a who’s who of New York all attending or screener disk for the convenience of the because, throughout his nearly 40 years of voter to experience. chairmanship, Henri embraced tweaking the Madison Square Garden premiere. the program to be current and thus Why was Titanic a big challenge? Over What can we expect with you now significant in the celebration of who we are budget and a delayed release date. To the producing the ICG Publicists Guild and what we do as publicists.

Disney, WarnerMedia, and NBCUniversal (next year), the entertainment consumer will be showered with a plethora of options.

The challenge for publicists will be to stand out from the even more abundant marketplace with more creative and out-ofthe-box campaigns.

press, that all smelled like a disaster (no pun intended) that would sink the studio, not the love story for the ages it turned out to be.

Typically, I spend most of my time pitching journalists to cover a film, but with Titanic, I had more incoming calls than outgoing just trying to field all the requests.

“THE BASIC RULE IS TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE WHAT THE PRESS WANTS (THE FILM), AND THE PRESS HAS WHAT YOU WANT (AN AUDIENCE).”

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Growing up on a farm outside of Chicago, Travis Hagenbuch loved to tinker with electronics and lighting.

He would create practical work lights for his father, and a totally impractical security alarm for his bedroom that the cat set off at odd hours. While at The University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music, Hagenbuch developed his own lighting style for the different theaters. He hoped his senior portfolio he mailed to L.A. companies would open doors, but not much happened until he met Matt Firestone, who invited Hagenbuch to shadow him around Paramount. Today he works with Firestone and other major lighting designers for both Full Flood and 22 Degrees. Hagenbuch has shared in major awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Grease Live! and several Grammy Awards broadcasts. With his work on Game of Games and Mental Samurai, Hagenbuch has moved into the fast-moving world of reality competition/game shows.

You’ve been called a Lighting Designer and Lighting Director. What’s the distinction? It’s a fine one that not everyone fully understands. The lighting designer books the show, chooses fixtures, manages the department’s budget, liaises with other production heads, and guides the overall aesthetic. The lighting director helps turn those ideas into a physical reality by creating design drawings and interfacing with designer, crew and vendors – focusing lights and facilitating the white balance. At times, the lighting director is a body double of sorts for the designer by having opinions on the aesthetic.

Tell us about an interesting glitch on Peter Pan. That show was presented as a multi-camera TV movie that we had to light 360 degrees in the round without showing any equipment. During dress rehearsal (recorded for backup),

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we lost power to most of the Jolly Roger set. Since we were treating the dress like a performance, we didn’t want to bring things to a halt. We figured out how many minutes we had until the show’s action returned to the ship, then I grabbed my meters and got to work rebalancing the remaining ship scenes with whatever lights we still had working. I walked off set just as the cast started to run back in, and luckily a lot of people never knew the difference.

Why do you say Superstar was a highlight of your career? It was presented more along the lines of a staged concert than a live, multi-set movie, so we found ourselves with much more depth and flexibility. Our team could light in a more selective manner, using followspots on key players rather than a wash across the entire scene. I jumped for joy on the control platform when the mechanical shutters on the big 18K backlight snapped open right on cue as John Legend was flown up the cross. Conceptually, the ending of the show depended on that one light, and it isn’t the norm to have a potentially catastrophic point of failure like that. Often we joke about one light being “the most important light in the show.” But this time it was true.

“THE INTRODUCTION OF HDR AND S-LOG3 INTO MULTICAMERA ENTERTAINMENT BROADCASTS IS BEGINNING TO CHANGE THE WAY WE PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL, ESPECIALLY IN SHADOWS.”

Why was Vancouver 2010: XXI Olympic Winter Games so exciting? I was young and was thrown straight into the fire. Much of the creative concept relied on large-scale projection, the size of which I don’t think had been attempted on such a high-profile televised event at the time. In order for the projection to read well on camera, the VCs had to expose differently for the Creative and Protocol elements. OBS (Olympic Broadcast Service) insisted that Protocol elements (speeches, national anthems) were lit at a minimum of 60 foot-candles to guarantee that the various media outlets could make the exposure. But if we had lit the entire event at that level, the projections used during the creative segments would have been underexposed. OBS agreed to allow the VCs to open up the irises whenever projection was used, and we raised the key level of the entire stadium for Protocol. It took a lot of coordination to do seamlessly live on the air ten times. An unplanned side effect appeared during rehearsals: The once white projection surface on the Field of Play was getting dirty, so it reflected less light, making the projections appear darker. I’ll never forget being live on the air with KD Lang singing “Hallelujah,” Ted Wells calling followspots and Bob Dickinson screaming at him to “light her!” It turns out she was lit, but we had crept down to 15 foot-candles

to help projection, and she looked unlit to the eye.

What’s it like working on Game of Games? Exciting! Three main playing spaces: a proscenium stage located stageright, another one stage-left, and a large open playing space at center. Each area has its own respective lighting rig to service the mechanics of the games and to help react to the goings-on in gameplay. We have the same tools available in all the locations so we can apply a related approach and aesthetic to each as well as reposition a game if need be. The lights have one of two primary purposes: they either functionally light the show in terms of making exposure – that is, lighting Ellen, the contestants, the audience or scenery. Or they help further the game environment by filling negative space in backgrounds and providing real-time visual feedback during the gameplay.

How do you handle the games? “Oh Ship!” is played at center-stage due to its size.

It’s a challenge in separation. While the contestants’ playing area is a general stage wash-lit from many angles, Ellen stands only a foot away from where they may run past.

Because I want to keep her lit independently of any other stage action, this game is a dance between not over-lighting the contestants in their bright white sailor suits, keeping Ellen discreet and separate, and reacting to live camera turns. “See Ya Later Alligator” is a challenge because the losing contestants are hanging from wires up near the perms.

When shot from below, those perms and lighting rig become their background, which is definitely not as sexy as being against tailored scenery. We decided to embrace the problem and light the perms and rigging in a saturated color to force some depth where there wasn’t much available.

Where do you think the industry is going? The introduction of HDR and S-Log3 into multicamera entertainment broadcasts is beginning to change the way we pay attention to detail, especially in shadows. So much more information is recorded and available to output after grading that we are seeing the “dirty laundry” of those shows (backstage areas, cables, people standing in the wings) that used to disappear into the blacks. We’re also seeing tiny variations in color between fixtures of the same type that used to blend together into a common denominator. We will, I predict, also begin to see variation in LED products as their chips begin to age at different rates, and a shift in color.

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When he was still a teenager, Matt Firestone saw the spectacular use of moving lights (Vari-Lite series 200 Luminaires) at the Genesis Invisible Touch World Tour, and he decided to pursue a career in live-event work.

Later, when Vari-Lite Inc. opened an office in Firestone’s native Los Angeles, he says he got into the industry at the perfect time, “as it was really the beginning of the moving lights becoming a mainstay on TV variety, series and specials,” he recounts. As the moving light fixtures became more common, Firestone grew with them – eventually co-winning Primetime Emmys for So You Think You Can Dance, Great Performances, and multiple Grammy Awards shows.

Today he splits his time between special events, corporate, televised reality and game shows, like The World’s Best and The Grammy Foundation MusiCares.

What was lighting like when you started?

As an LD/programmer, it was really trial and error finding the right aesthetic for each job. I was able to work in different genres, but every job had a set of challenges. As our lighting systems grew larger, our time on-site became gradually reduced. Console feedback was very poor at that time as everything was very basic. We had to find ways to unconventionally manage data – like using paper binders that held a lot of our tracking information. Previsualization was pretty much non-existent.

How has programming changed? Now that proper feedback exists to the end user, and consoles offer offline processing, programming has become much more streamlined. There are firms created that do just that. They handle all the designer’s programming needs including previsualization, renderings, and building out the show far in advance. Which is definitely something that was only a dream years ago.

You’ve done a lot of televised adaptations of live music. Why? Though the approach

is sometimes similar in TV and film, in live, you can get away from camera exposure levels and just trust your eye. Sometimes it’s all in the moment, as things change in each performance and usually differ from night to night. I was able to focus on additional needs of the production, rather than just the main stage and set, as the audience and locations want to be seen.

What’s a really memorable live TV project? Discovery Network’s Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda’s untethered tightrope crossing between two buildings in downtown Chicago, 600 feet above the ground. The winds were not in his favor.

He never rehearsed before the event, and it was all captured live in the moment. We installed banks of HMI fixtures on several perimeter buildings topping 96 floors.

Camera was exposed for the city lights, and we worked around that. The final product was pretty spectacular.

How did moving from lighting director to lighting designer evolve on So You Think You Can Dance? In 2004, I programmed a pilot for Bob Barnhart. The shoot eventually turned into a 14-year relationship with the show. Bob was unable to take on some of the audition shoots, which took place in various cities. I was able to slip out of the console programmer position and into more of a design role. It was fun to try and get the most out of each venue. We used inventory that the theaters generally had in the house to make the look work, what with every venue so different. Eventually we hit the studio, and Bob suggested that we should have someone else come in to program, so I was able to assist Bob with design. Two sets of eyes can really elevate an aesthetic, as someone can be working on the nuts and bolts all the time.

Why was the Superbowl XLI Halftime Show with Prince your favorite?

Considering the weather conditions at this live event, the artist’s true professionalism, his performance, and the amazing crew all rallying together to make this show happen, left a lasting impression. What probably should have turned into an absolute disaster turned into one of the best performances in Superbowl halftime history.

You’ve won multiple awards – with shared credit. How do you handle the duties? It’s all about true collaboration. Every idea is a monument, especially when a collaboration of effort and trust exists within the team with the same goal. Some of the best products we have brought forth are when we are able to go beyond our own discipline and try to enhance a show in a collaborative way. We try to do that with lighting programmers splitting a lighting design into parts and parsing out the programming jobs; therefore, more input passageways create a better manipulation and a better creative result.

You’re talking about the “purple rain” effect during his performance? It had poured all game day, and things were beyond wet, misfiring, sort of doing their own show. We had to figure out how best to re-route data just minutes prior to Prince’s historical halftime performance to get data flowing again. These perimeter lights were handling the majority of the field wash and edging. Without them, it would have never been the same. It was these very fixtures that made the rain feel magically purple.

It was one of those moments, “and it was exactly what it’s supposed to be.” [Laughs.]

You are known for mentoring new designers. Why? I was very lucky to have grown up in this industry working for some incredible lighting designers, and I took the best from them. By moving into a designer role, I feel that I have left a small gap in the industry. Any knowledge I may have learned should be shared. It is important to me that the enthusiasm I have continue in others’ eyes. You can always teach the practical, but a true eye is hard to find, and it’s even harder to foster. I’ve opened doors for some incredibly talented people, of which I’m so proud.

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When he was 12 years old, Joshua Hutchings followed a girl he had a crush on into a California strip-mall theater. Acting didn’t interest him, but “it looked like the people hanging lights were having a great time,” he recalls. He asked if he could help – and he’s been a lighting guy ever since. Working at Disney afforded Hutchings a variety of different entertainment genres – from weddings at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle to concerts, television specials, Grad Nites, stage shows, corporate events and more.

With the help of mentors like David Masterson, Bill Avzaradel and Kieran Healy, Hutchings perfected his skills – sharing a Primetime Emmy for American Idol: The Search for a Superstar (2002) with Healy and George Harvey. Today, he moves back and forth between game shows like $100,000 Pyramid, talk shows like The Alec Baldwin Show and a variety of reality competition series.

What is the challenge of programming? An interesting thing happens when beginning a new show. You start down paths and begin to make choices. You’ve been down these paths before, so they’re educated guesses as to which is best. But then the variables come in – the set, schedules and budgets all change, and you have gone too far down the path to keep pace. It’s always interesting to try and watch from a higher altitude, with hindsight, to see where we should have shifted those paths. I guess that’s just a fancy way of saying that as we get more experience in life and design, the correct paths are easier to see.

How do you handle reboot game shows – balancing the past and the present? They often want to have the same feel of the original version, so working with the production designer, we try to be true to the original design while still making it feel current. One example is $100,000 Pyramid: the option to automate the spinning of game boards in the pyramid was available, but the decision was made to keep them manual to recall the feel of older versions of the show. Working out the cueing system to trigger the stagehand to spin the monitors, a question came up about how it was done in the past, and the stagehand asked if we wanted him to call his father, who had worked on the original production. It was exciting to see not only a design connection to the previous versions of the show, but real familial connections as well.

Did Match Game take the same path? In talking up the concept, the executive producers clearly wanted the look and feel of the original 1970’s game show. My stepfather actually won $20,000 on Match Game in 1979, so it’s a very beloved show.

From a technical and visual standpoint, it started with Production Designer Anton Goss, right down to the carpet. I don’t know where, but Dylan

Jones, the art director, managed to find original-to-the-period, orange threeinch shag carpeting! That said, it’s now on at 10 p.m., so we consciously wanted it to have a late-night feel. They didn’t necessarily want the old-style gameshow light levels of 300 foot-candles. I’ve tried to find a balance of a little shadowy, a little darker, without getting into a ton of beams. We used the newest tools and toys, like the Clay Paky Mythos, PRG Mbox media servers, and quite a bit of LED tape built into the sets.

Talk about developing new looks for Card Sharks and Press Your Luck. They’re both iconic with unique challenges. For Card Sharks, we’re in a very classy and elegant room. Dave Edwards has done an amazing job with the set, so it’s going to be a lot of fun to light the environment. It will be a primetime game show with virtually no video elements. The set will be loaded with crystal chandeliers and large custom playing cards. The biggest lighting challenge is to avoid all the shadows, with so many chandeliers and other hanging practical set pieces. Because of all the obstructions, we are planning on making heavy use of the PRG Ground Control Followspot fixtures to be able to hang them in locations where conventional spots would never fit. Press Your Luck will be different from Card Sharks in that it will be much more flashy with a tech feel, lots of lighting beams in a 360-degree stadium environment.

What’s it like lighting a talk show like The Alec Baldwin Show? A warm jacket is a must! The studio is kept very cold.

We decided early on that we wanted to have a very simple set and lighting look because we didn’t want there to be any distraction from the conversation.

I really wanted the participants to feel comfortable in the room and to forget that there was a full production crew.

So we shot the show dark and focused down on them in seats. I wanted a modeled, late-night look to the key lighting, but also needed to be very conscious of beauty lighting for our celebrity guests. The added benefit of shooting with a very low light level, besides the vibe in the room, was that the depth of focus was tight, so all the backgrounds went perfectly out of focus,

which I think made the custom backlit drop look fantastic.

Live competitions can be challenging.

What happened on American Idol?

I was programming for Kieran Healy years ago, and approximately 10 minutes before we went live for a season finale, both my primary and back-up consoles crashed. I immediately started to reboot the console, and it began to load an empty show file. Before I could stop the download, the whole venue went to black. Back then, the average time it took to reboot the show file into the system was about eight minutes. Thankfully, that is not the case anymore. But then we had approximately six minutes until going live to millions of viewers.

The fun of live TV! How did Kieran handle it? He was calmly planning a way of starting the show with only followspots, as the rest of the team were running their butts off across catwalks and hallways to get to all the distribution locations spread all over the theater.

I was staring at a progress task bar, trying to will it to go faster. When the AD announced we were 60 seconds to live, I finally got control back to the lighting system, lighting up the whole theater just in time to go to an intentional blackout for the cold opening before Ryan Seacrest spoke his famous line, “This is American Idol!” We were about three acts into the show when Matt McAdam, our Media Server programmer, said it was finally time to start breathing again. [Note: Hutchings co-won a Primetime Emmy for that episode.]

What’s the future of live-event programming? I’m excited about where our technology is going. With things like AR and video-media-driven lighting effects, we’ll have a much bigger toolbox. For instance, what the teams from the Solo: A Star Wars Story did using projection and video screens to actively light the performers is a great example of new ways to tell the story. And I know that there are new systems being developed to integrate video screens, AR, camera tracking and digital lighting to help create some fantastic visuals.

How these systems and tools will slowly integrate into the television and live genres will be exciting to see.

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4 Alex Daniels Stephen A. Pope Melissa Stubbs

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Growing up in Blythewood, SC, Alex Daniels tried things like rigging homemade zip lines from the hayloft to attempt landing on horses. “The horses didn’t like it. But I did,” he laughs. Performing in Summer Stock Theater allowed for hand-to-hand combat and other stunts, beginning what Daniels calls, “a glorious life of falling down.” For years, Daniels stunt doubled for David Hasselhoff, was one of the principal stunt performers at the Live Batman Stunt Show at Six Flags, and eventually stunt-performed and -coordinated on a series of Batman movies.

He choreographed the famous “naked fight sequence” in Borat. His all-time favorite remains stunt-coordinating The Guardian.

Today, between gigs, Daniels serves as president of the Stuntmen’s Association, and is a key mover in making the industry safe.

Who helped you transition into stunt coordinating? Conrad Palmisano and Ronnie Rondell. Conrad opened up the door and my mind to coordinating after hiring me as a stunt double for Batman Forever.

Then, Ronnie Rondell, another awesome inspiration, was brought in to be the supervising stunt coordinator for Batman and Robin. Just when you think you’ve thought of everything to prepare for a shot or everything that could go wrong with a stunt, Big R would rattle off half a dozen details or possibilities that you never thought of. He said I was coordinating the stunts and I should be under contract. The jobs on Batman were great and I built a relationship – a good thing since I have the dubious distinction of being the knucklehead who crashed the $750,000 custom-built Batmobile before it was ever photographed. Executive producer Peter MacGregor-Scott said it was a good thing I had a lot of “attaboys” stored because this was one big “dumbshit” I had performed the previous day.

The Guardian was your favorite, but it often came down to what was best and safe? One day we had planned to film using a Technocrane secured to the deck of a large fishing boat that had been hired as a camera boat. But the wind and swells had increased, and there was no way that a fishing boat with a single prop would hold position for filming the planned action. We called together my safety crew, the Coast Guard reps, camera and grip, and other production personnel. Our camera helicopter pilot, Kevin LaRosa, said the winds were too great to safely operate the helicopter with the Wescam. One of the Coast Guard reps asked if we could attach a camera platform to the gun mount on the bow of their 25-foot orange motor lifeboat.

“Yes,” the grips said. But the swells had risen

to 35-plus feet – too much for a boat of that size. Next suggestion was to use a 47-foot motor lifeboat that could capsize and reright itself. We suited up in mustang survival suits and two-point harnesses and headed in. We crossed the Columbia River Bar, got in position on the swell, lined up with the Seahawk chopper overhead – got the shots of Mike jumping toward the camera. The camaraderie was incredible on that show.

Was the massacre sequence in Piranha 3D equally challenging? We were on Lake Havasu, shooting six days a week on the water. It was a huge massacre sequence of spring breakers being devoured by hungry prehistoric piranha, with only three weeks to prep stunts, which included rigging boats, cranes, underwater devices, testing equipment, and underwater performers.

In my opinion, preparation, planning, rehearsing, and testing are most important to safety and creativity. I never want to rely on getting lucky. I asked for three days of rehearsal with the floating stage that was built on a gimbal in the lake, designed to tilt and come apart. I started the first day with only some of the young stunt performers chosen to play spring breakers. We had to put together a puzzle of stunt performers designated to hang, slide, fall, splash, and bob as the gimbal stage progressed in its deterioration. Once we squeezed those bodies safely into the limited spots of stage and water below, we then added the rest of the 38 stunt people. On the final day of rehearsal, after safely repeating the full action multiple times with all the stunt people and with no one getting bruised, we added 200 extras and floating debris. It was so important that all the performers, including the background players, were well rehearsed and aware of the action of their fellow performers, not just their own.

You never think of needing a stunt coordinator on a talk show, but Jimmy Kimmel is fraught with action. I’ve been with the show since its inception – 16 years, and we’ve done a variety of gags over that time. One that really stands out was a viral video we shot that duped millions. We spent time casting the perfect stunt girl, rehearsing and shooting a “selfie” video of the girl twerking for a supposed boyfriend, and then catching on fire. The JKL team built a fake background for the girl and then posted the fake video months later. News broadcasts talked about it worldwide. One of the show’s ongoing bits involves the constant ruse that time always runs out to have actor Matt Damon appear. Finally, on February 28, 2016, it was time to sneak Matt into the show

right after the Oscars. I had to find a way to get Matt into the stage on Ben Affleck’s body!

I played around with some harnesses on some stunt guys in my backyard and then built a custom harness that allowed Ben to walk onto the stage with Matt strapped to his torso under a trench coat, sit down in the interview chair, and then quick release Matt on cue. This had to be set up safely for two megastars to perform without rehearsal. It worked great.

As president of the Stuntmen’s Association of Motion Pictures, what is your mandate? There is a dire need to establish or re-establish an ethical code of professionalism in the stunt business. Due to runaway production and the massive influx of media production, there is a multitude of new “stunt performers” working in our country, many of them lacking experience and skill. Unlike the stunt hopefuls of 25 years ago, this new crop has little or no desire to actually learn how to perform real stunts. They are content with doing nondescript parts where they simply get out of the way of the real action or ride passenger in a car driven by a more talented performer.

I believe this mentality leads to a potential safety issue for our industry.

What’s the remedy? Stunt performers should always be honing their skills, developing new abilities, and be preparing themselves for the moment that they are placed in the position to perform at a more advanced level. Sadly, unlike in the U.K. and other countries, the entertainment industry in the United States has never had a required credentialing program for stunt performers or stunt coordinators.

Technically, anybody working on camera in the U.S. can put themselves in harm’s way performing a stunt without any structured oversight or any required proof that they are actually qualified. In 2018, documented evidence surfaced that showed multiple occasions of the Taft-Hartley Act being used to allow persons to join the SAG-AFTRA Guild on a stunt-coordinator contract.

That means persons with absolutely zero professional stunt experience were hired on stunt-coordinator contracts. Recently SAGAFTRA has approved the formation of Stunt Coordinator Minimum General Standards Eligibility Process Guidelines. These go into effect in 2020. Still, there are no guidelines or requirements for some who calls themself a “stunt performer.” Many out there now with “stunt” credits do not have bona fide skills or the desire to develop skills. They don’t have the true heart of a stunt performer, and that’s a big problem.

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A. POPE

Stephen A. Pope grew up in a small Northwestern logging town – Chehalis, WA ­– and might well have studied engineering in college at Notre Dame if not for the theater classes stealing his attention. A chance encounter with AD Annie Tan in L.A. led to a move to the West Coast and to the movie industry. One day Pope was talking sports with stunt coordinator George Aguilar, who explained there wasn’t much diversity in the stunt world and that Pope should give it a try. On his first show, Oz, in New York City, Pope joined 30 other stunt performers for a big brawl. “It was incredible that you could do something so physical, get paid for it, and then do it again the next day,” he says. Pope has been co-nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of stunt ensembles on Avengers: Infinity War, Daredevil, Boardwalk Empire, The Adjustment Bureau and I Am Legend. He’s served as stunt coordinator for episodic series like Blindspot and Maniac, as well as for such features as If Beale Street Could Talk, Avengers: Infinity War (NY unit), Bad Education and The Wrong Mans.

How do you develop the skills to be a stunt coordinator? As a performer, your job is to train in as many disciplines as you can.

Once you reach a certain level of experience, coordinators start to look to you on set. Once a coordinator shows that faith, they will often let you cover set if there are multiple units or if that coordinator is managing multiple shows. This is how you gain experience and confidence. Unfortunately, a lot of people think this makes them a coordinator. What it doesn’t teach you is how to navigate the office politics, and the days or weeks of planning that go into setting up different stunt sequences. There are stunt-friendly wardrobe choices, specific props to use or not use, construction builds, or my favorite – “Hey, we need you to cut 15 percent out of your budget.”

Why was Selma so important? My grandmother grew up in Selma. Being a black stunt coordinator on a historically black story is a major opportunity...and responsibility. I was on Goosebumps when

Mark Friedberg called to tell me I should interview for the job. Ava DuVernay had a thorough vision for what she wanted, despite the modest budget and it being a period piece. There were beatings, riots, and the “Bloody Sunday” moment on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. On smaller jobs, stunts get expensive fast, so there was a lot of discussion between Ava, DP Bradford Young, Producer Paul Garnes, the AD and myself about how to create the senseless violence we needed without breaking the bank. Some of the work – like recreating specific stunt moments to highlight the tension between the protestors and police – was at night, which helped. The bridge was a different story because it was daylight with hundreds of background actors. We only had two days to shoot both marches over the bridge, one ending in a standoff and the other ending in violence.

Boardwalk Empire was an iconic series.

What was that like for you? The four seasons made me a better filmmaker. I say that because a lot of stunt coordinators are all about the stunts – everything should be bigger, faster, higher. Boardwalk was about subtler, implied violence, so when someone did get killed, it was jarring. And [Producer/Director] Tim Van Patten taught me the importance of research. I would get emails like, “Hey, I was thinking of killing someone with [insert object here].

What do you think?” And there would be an attached file with pictures of gnarly wounds and the weapon that created them.

Boardwalk gave me the sensitivity as a stunt coordinator to do movies like Selma and Detroit. We had intimate killings, rape scenes, domestic violence. I had to approach things analytically to design the violence before someone could come back and put the emotion on top. Dealing with sensitive material, the actors are already going to be worked up in order to perform, so you want to be able to give them instructions so they don’t hurt themselves – and you don’t push the mood one way or another.

Stunts and visual effects are an interesting combination. How did these

come together for A Wrinkle in Time? Lots of stunts, but more safety oriented. A lot of design meetings to figure out how to create our grand sets, that essentially became giant obstacle courses for our three kid actors.

Outside of the big meetings with with DP Tobias Schliesser and VFX Supervisor Rich McBride, we had constant contact to make sure there weren’t any changes in set design or that we didn’t hinder other departments.

The biggest challenge was the Median Cave, which had large, lighted rock pieces. There were pedestals 10 feet off the ground for the actors to stand on, and other pieces that went 20 feet up that two of the actors had to slide down. And this was enclosed to look like a giant cave. Special effects controlled the pedestals to shake the earthquake. Tobias needed certain sections of the cave wall to be wild so he would have different positions for the camera crane, and I needed line-of-sight access for my safety riggers to see the seven actors.

What other stunt coordinator jobs stand out? 22 Jump Street. I had worked on comedies before that had some action, but this was a full-blown action comedy. The directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and the writer, Rodney Rothman, would just come up with outlandish scenarios, and it was my job to make them look awesome but still funny. In Puerto Rico, Channing Tatum chases the bad guys on the beach through a spring-break party, and right when he catches up, there is a fight. At the end of prep in Puerto Rico, the team decided it should be twins fighting Channing – specifically, my twin brother, David, who is also a stuntman, and me. I found out about it the next day on set and immediately said no because I hadn’t done a fight in about eight years. Also, my brother was back in L.A. So, I did my best to try and find another set of twins. A couple of days later I get a call from the UPM asking why he had to buy my brother a last-minute ticket from L.A. to Puerto Rico. The first day of rehearsal I got suplexed [aka like in wrestling, lifted and slammed to the ground] and quickly decided I needed to get knocked out with a punch and let my brother do all the fighting. [Laughs.]

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Melissa Stubbs knew she wanted to be a stuntwoman by the age of eight – she fell in love with the action when her father took her to a live stunt show in Vancouver. At 17, she began showing up wherever there was a TV show or film being shot. It paid off: in 1987 she did her first stunt job doubling Kelly Hu in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Over the years she’s doubled A-list actresses from Ashley Judd and Angelina Jolie to Sharon Stone, Claire Danes, Cate Blanchett and more. A winner of a SAG award for best stunt ensemble (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), she’s been nominated three times for the Taurus World Stunt Awards and won once, in the category of Best Stunt for a Woman. In 2008 she was invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – the only woman in her field. She’s also a member of one of the most powerful stunt associations – Stunts Unlimited. At the moment, she’s coordinating Altered Carbon. Her next project will take her to Prague, Rome, Croatia, and Turkey, where she will choreograph and design the action for the Ashley Judd pilot, Missing.

What was it like being a woman in the stunt field when you started?

Challenging. You are not respected and only thought of as a stunt double.

There were no female stunt coordinators and certainly no second unit directors who were women. The men controlled the stunt world – 100 percent.

I was only a guest and had to earn their respect and my spot on the team.

Men actually doubled women. So that drove me to be better and never have to have a guy be my stunt double. I threw myself in 150 percent and learned every aspect of stunts.

What’s it like today? It’s different. Women are more accepted. But some days I feel more like a therapist. Particularly as a woman I am questioned or looked at sideways and challenged several times a day if this is the best way to do or approach or shoot something. You must have the experience and confidence in yourself to stand up and say, “Yes, this is how we are going to do this particular scene or shot.” I don’t make decisions based on ego. I use my gut instincts, and that is something you just inherently have. It comes in handy when you are dealing with 500 men and 300 horses on the battlefield. Fights, explosions, and, oh yeah, none of the extras speak English – or understand direction, much less delivered from a woman. That was just a little bit of The Last Samurai.

What’s a day like for a stunt coordinator on a movie set? The circus meets the military. You have to be fast, efficient and amazing, all while creating a scene or shot that no one has ever seen before. And shit happens – cars crash, horses fall, things blow up. There is a great amount of planning and preparation.

Months sometimes. You have to iron-out every detail and create a stunt or action that is repeatable and safe, so everyone goes home to their families. I won’t ask anyone to do a stunt that I have not done myself. I always have five different ways to go to the same place. I am a filmmaker, athlete, editor, director, fight choreographer and expert on exciting and dynamic action.

What makes a good stunt? Not too long ago I did an interview and they asked

me a similar question. My answer went something like this: Great action and big stunts don’t make a good film. A good story and characters you care about make a great film. The action should not upstage the script or its characters. It should be seamless and flow with the story. Every piece of action should have a purpose and help drive the story. Or be a vehicle for a character. Action for action’s sake often is covering up a hole in the story. At times simplicity is the path that should be taken – but only after all avenues have been explored.

What’s the wildest stunt you’ve done? One that sticks out was doubling Margot Robbie on Suicide Squad. In the story, Harley Quinn is in love with The Joker. She is trying to get his attention. He is a typical boy, ignoring her. She was supposed to crash or lay her motorcycle down and get him to stop his Lamborghini. I said there is nothing graceful or sexy about laying a bike down. What if she lays the bike down right in front of the car?

This forces him to stop hard, almost hitting her.

As soon as the bike is skidding on its side, I get on top of it and surf the bike until it runs out of momentum and she steps off gracefully. We had a guy rehearse it a couple of times. One out of 10 tries he was able to do it. But when I showed up at night, I had to do the stunt. Now, I’m three inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter. It was minus-five degrees on the waterfront. I could not feel my fingers or hands. No helmet and short-sleeve silk blouse and jeans. I had to keep pace with the camera car, so I could not go too fast, or too slow. I did 13 takes, we finally got it, and the damn stunt never made it into the movie!

Tell us a fun stunt story. Cats and Dogs for Warner Bros. The producer called asking about a car jump with a refurbished 1968 Challenger. I said it depended on how big a jump and how fast and steep. I had to look at it, suspecting that the suspension would blow apart on landing. It wasn’t about one car doing a jump down the streets of San Francisco. It was eight blocks on a very busy city street. We had 50 location PA’s, 12 police, and 12 stunt drivers in cross-traffic, with near-misses, all while keeping the public a safe distance away should the Challenger crash. Six cameras and operators. A giant Technocrane. We locked up the street. I have a radio turned up loud inside the car with the driver, in case we need to call out and abort. The first AD calls roll. I say action. The car takes off and heads for the ramp, picking up speed.

I hear a staticky faint transmission over the radio but don’t know if it is the cut or if a person ran out into the street. I call cut but the driver is too committed. Two of our cameras don’t roll and have issues. The car launches through the air perfectly.

He lands. Bam. Suspension blows and parts fly.

The driver lands. We don’t get the shot. The car is done. Two weeks later we all have to come back and shoot again. With the same old car rebuilt – to the tune of $400,000. And, you guessed it, that shot never made it into the film either.

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While Joan Cunningham says working on commercials in Philadelphia was not her “thing,” they proved to be a great training ground – painting sets, loading mags, scouting locations, and managing props. “I hated props,” she laughs. “But I loved to figure out the puzzle of production.” So when the movie Mannequin came to town, Cunningham talked her way into the costume department. Her career took an unexpected turn when she fell into (no pun intended) stunts. Eventually, her trajectory found a direct line, and she began to really “put the pieces together” as a key 2nd AD on Double Jeopardy, TNT’s long-running hit The Closer, and then later as a UPM on CBS’ reboot of Magnum P.I. [ICG Magazine, April 2019].

How did stunts come about? During the production of Mannequin, I went off to dress a mannequin that was going to be used for a motorcycle chase – a mannequin designed to fit on a bicycle, not a motorcycle. The prop person said, “You could double [the actress], and we could do this without the mannequin.” The second ADs were determined to use the mannequin, but stunt rider Steve Robinson pushed back. There was no safe way to get Steve and the mannequin safely on the bike. Next thing I know I’m asked how long it would take me to change into wardrobe! I said five minutes.

They said 30 seconds. It was 3 a.m., 42 degrees, drizzling, and I was in a silk dress, but I couldn’t be happier. I doubled the mannequin for the rest of the night. Stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker found me later and gave me $100. “If you do anything else, I’ll get you your card,” he said. And I had no idea what he meant. Doing the stunts over many years has served me well as an AD and still does as UPM/producer. I understand from the inside what goes on in preparing stunts, and I know that stunts should never be rushed.

It’s essential to know the experience and personality of any stunt coordinator you hire.

What is the role of the second AD? The key second has, perhaps, the most difficult job on the set. They have the most responsibility with the least amount of authority. A good key second is involved in every department. They prepare the call sheet. They are the right and left hands of the first AD. On Double Jeopardy, I was the key second for the New Orleans portion. The first AD wanted to pay attention to the extras at a fancy party scene. So I got a lot of pictures from extras casting and mounted them on large cardboard sheets to be viewed and “picture picked.”

As I was doing it, I started to arrange them as couples and even gave the proposed couple’s names – like “the blondes” or “the grandparents.” The first loved it and easily picked the folks.

Tell us about being a first AD. The first does everything. Breaks down the script and schedule, scouts with the director, arranges meetings with all departments. The first is a psychologist/friend/parent and leader of the pack. He or she has to predict the future, and be responsible for just about everything.

First ADs need to read every set to figure out what the “space” needs to be. On The Closer, the lead actress needed that “space” to be quiet and efficient. Things

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had to be ready to go when she was called for and arrived. Now there were 10 principal actors and often there were scenes with most of them together. In many cases, the rest of the cast had very few lines, so they were often jovial and talkative, which made for a lot of noise. Juggling that “space” to rein-in the noise, without making it somber and not conducive for good performances, was tough.

How does the UPM factor into this team? You work with the producer to hire the crew and set up the show, which includes finding offices and stage space and working on the given budget to best accommodate the project. Being a UPM for me is one part first AD, one part second AD, with budgeting thrown in. As a first running the set, I always had safety as a priority, but you’re often tied to the camera and trying to move the day forward. As a UPM, it’s easier to walk about the set or location and make sure things are safe. My biggest issue with safety on sets is that the crew often loses sight of egress. So many times, I walk onto a stage or a location and find that the equipment carts and gear have been piled up with no through path. It’s a simple thing but treacherous if there’s a need for quick evacuation. Fires can start. Earthquakes are real. The other big safety issue that happens every day is extreme fatigue. I always make a point to check on the crew and be vocal about them not driving if they are too tired.

Tell us what’s unique about Magnum P.I. There is so much ohana in Hawaii with the crew, and it makes things feel a bit different – going back to simpler times. But it’s a busy show, with a lot of action, and scenes like having the cast hike on a mountain trail. Seems simple enough until the trail chosen is a single track (very narrow, like a cow path), very steep with a sizable drop-off. Add in two camera operators, safety grips and grips with diffusion, and it becomes an unsafe location. My safety concerns were not well received for that example, but, fortunately, the location became unavailable, and the issue went away. But just because it’s hard to find a location or you’re shooting somewhere where there may be less on-site regulation, common sense and good judgment about where it is safe to put cameras and crew should not change.

How does being a woman factor into the UPM’s job? I’m not one to view my life or career from the female versus male point-of-view. I didn’t feel much resistance as I was moving along through various positions. Oddly enough, it wasn’t until I became a UPM that I felt any sense of a “boy’s club.” Maybe that’s because I’m closer to the power center. On the other hand, I may be considered for a job that previously would have gone to a man, so I can’t complain. I’m really glad that women have come out and stood up to the abuse that has been so prevalent in the past. I worked with someone who was fired from his position, and I was so glad that the toxicity was realized, and something was done about it. Having said that, I think there are definitely situations where some women use their sexuality to get what they want, and that’s real too.

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PAULGARNES In high school, Paul Garnes accidentally registered for too few classes. His counselor said there were two options: Home Economics or Stagecraft, the latter ultimately leading to a love for the theater. At Columbia College Chicago, Garnes was “totally that guy that knew where to find the cheap camera or the best deal on short ends,” he laughs.

In fact, he was setting the groundwork for a career in production. When he moved to L.A., Reuben Cannon brought Garnes in as an intern on Dancing in September.

That relationship led to a move to Atlanta and Tyler Perry Productions. Today, Garnes moves between producing and UPM – with projects like Selma, Queen Sugar, Miracle Workers, and Cloak & Dagger.

were re-inventing the wheel because either the resources we needed weren’t local yet or because of the pace at which content was being created. Those early years contributed so much positive buzz about the resurgence of Atlanta as a viable production center, and I believe it directly caused the city to become one of the country’s biggest hubs.

What is the difference between UPM and line producer? The difference is the unit production manager is a union-recognized position that oversees the “operations” of the filming process. Add the idea that the “below the line” line items can be “produced” by empowering one to shape the creative to fit or stay within the desired budget. Start a little sooner in the process Why was Tyler Perry’s company such a and stay a little longer when it ends, add in a valuable lesson? When I moved to Atlanta, little extra money, and voîla! Line producer. the tax credit programs were just beginning.

What Tyler was doing was groundbreaking; How important is the relationship he was organically creating, developing, between UPM and DP? Next to the AD, I filming and posting hundreds of hours of think that the UPM-DP relationship is vital television and film outside of Los Angeles or to a successful production. When I start a New York. There were so many things that show, I feel that I can tell how well it’s going

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to go based on how quickly the DP and I sync up. I did a project a few years ago, and the production executive was pushing really hard for a DP I had never worked with. His name was Ken Zunder, ASC, and as soon as he joined the show we quickly found a winning combination of cinematic needs and production resources filtered through a great DP-UPM understanding.

Any projects that stick in your mind?

I find that many of the shows that I remember as challenging are the ones I like to pull up in conversations. In college, one of my professors, Dan DiNello, asked me to line-produce his short, Shock Asylum, starring his brother, Paul DiNello, and Stephen Colbert. We shot it for very little money with a very small crew, but it was a rewarding start to what’s been a great ride. I’d also rank Middle of Nowhere, Ava DuVernay’s second narrative project shot by Bradford Young, ASC, as a true adventure that falls into the “favorite” category. We had such meager resources and depended purely on the art of the

process as our greatest asset. Being a bit to what we hoped was a sleeping actor. Just naïve also didn’t hurt. as we were about to check for a pulse, this person popped straight up in the bed, and, Has the job of UPM/line producer to our shock, apologized, as he’d taken some changed over the years? With all the medicine and overslept. technological advances that have affected the film industry, the core elements of Has the Sarah Jones tragedy changed line producing have not changed: manage the industry? Her legacy is a safer set the resources, manage the time, manage environment for all cast and crew, but over expectations. The margins in the budget the years, since that needless tragedy, we still seem like they’re ever shrinking, and we have on-set accidents. Safety requires us to rely more on how to identify efficiencies in continue to find the humanity in how we the process, like block shooting and cross- do what we do. The burden is to continually boarding. expand our expectations for safety standards and push industry culture away from the What’s the strangest thing you’ve had “we can get away with it” sensibility. to tackle as a UPM? The wide range of responsibilities can be challenging, How would you describe the role of sometimes just plain absurd. There really African-Americans in the production is no way to explain how wide this reaches, crafts today? I think one of the biggest but I was on location on a show in Baltimore challenges is the perception that minority when the second AD came to me and below-the-line talent only work on minorityexplained we had a van waiting for an actor themed projects. The current push for who was not responding to calls or knocks on inclusion in the crew is a welcome addition the door. Cut to the production coordinator, to the conversation. I, like many who have hotel security and me slowly creeping over been here long enough, remember the days

when you could walk around a studio lot and see the occasional person of color. We have come a long way, but the community is still too small.

Where do you see production going in the next few years? The industry, in general, is in the midst of significant changes. From an outward appearance, we’re going into a renaissance of content creation. But look a little deeper, and you can see we are at a precipice of an all-new area. How content is created, distributed, and monetized are all up for discussion – something our industry hasn’t experienced in decades. The scale at which production slates are developed, produced and then instantly consumed by an ever-growing world market should not be viewed by those of us in the industry as proof of its strength, but as a sign of how monumental – and possibly divisive – the next few years of change will be. The decadesold pillars of distribution that we’ve depended on, love it or hate it, may find their nostalgic place on the timeline next to manufacturing and brick-and-mortar retail.

THE IN TERVIEW I S S UE

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PRODUCTION CREDITS COMPILED BY TERESA MUÑOZ – AS OF MAY 1, 2019 The input of Local 600 members is of the utmost importance, and we rely on our membership as the prime (and often the only) source of information. In order for us to continue to provide this service, we ask that Guild members submitting information take note of the following requests: Please provide up-to-date and complete crew information etc.). Please note that the deadline for the Production Credits is on the first of the preceding cover month (excluding weekends & holidays).

Submit your jobs online by visiting: www.icg600.com/MY600/Report-Your-Job

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Any questions regarding the Production Credits should be addressed to Teresa Muñoz at teresa@icgmagazine.com

First Man / Photo by Daniel McFadden

(including Still Photographers, Publicists, Additional Units,

20th CENTURY FOX

ABOVE AVERAGE

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON OLDAK OPERATORS: GARY CAMP, BRIAN OUTLAND ASSISTANTS: JOHN RUIZ, JENNA HOFFMAN, KYLE PETITJEAN, HEATHER BALLISH STEADICAM OPERATOR: GARY CAMP STEADICAM ASSISTANT: JOHN RUIZ LOADER: JORDAN CANTU

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RICH PAISLEY OPERATORS: LEE JORDAN, DAVID BALDWIN ASSISTANTS: ROB MONROY, DARIN KRASK, SARAH GALLEY, JEREMY HILL LOADER: RAUL PEREZ

“BLESS THIS MESS” SEASON 1

A24 FILMS/CMS PRODUCTIONS “FALSE POSITIVE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PAWEL POGORZELSKI OPERATORS: PETE KEELING, TOMASZ GRYZ ASSISTANTS: JUSTIN E. WHITACRE, BRIAN GRANT, RENE CROUT, PETER STAUBS STEADICAM OPERATOR: TOMASZ GRYZ DIGITAL LOADER: MARY NEARY STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: EMILY ARAGONES, ANNA KOORIS

ABC STUDIOS

“AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” SEASON 7 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ALLAN WESTBROOK, KYLE JEWELL OPERATORS: BILL BRUMMOND, JOSH LARSEN ASSISTANTS: COBY GARFIELD, TIM COBB, DEREK HACKETT, JOSH NOVAK STEADICAM OPERATOR: BILL BRUMMOND STEADICAM ASSISTANT: TIM COBB DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RYAN DEGRAZZIO DIGITAL UTILITY: MIKE RUSH

“AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE” SEASON 3 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW RAWSON OPERATORS: RICH DAVIS, TIM WALKER, LISA STACILAUSKAS ASSISTANTS: MAX NEAL, ROBERT GILPIN, JOE TORRES, ELIZABETH ALGIERI, KARL OWENS, JASWINDER BEDI DIGITAL LOADER: LESLIE PUCKETT DIGITAL UTILITY: STEVE ROMMEVAUX

“GREY’S ANATOMY” SEASON 15 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: HERB DAVIS OPERATORS: FRED IANNONE, STEVE ULLMAN ASSISTANTS: NICK MCLEAN, FORREST THURMAN, CHRIS JOHNSON, LISA BONACCORSO STEADICAM OPERATOR: STEVE ULLMAN STEADICAM ASSISTANT: FORREST THURMAN

“JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!” SEASON 17 LIGHTING DIRECTOR: CHRISTIAN HIBBARD OPERATORS: GREG GROUWINKEL, PARKER BARTLETT, GARRETT HURT, MARK GONZALES STEADICAM OPERATOR: KRIS WILSON JIB OPERATORS: MARC HUNTER, RANDY GOMEZ, JR., NICK GOMEZ CAMERA UTILITIES: CHARLES FERNANDEZ, SCOTT SPIEGEL, TRAVIS WILSON, DAVID FERNANDEZ, ADAM BARKER VIDEO CONTROLLER: GUY JONES STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: KAREN NEAL, MICHAEL DESMOND 2ND UNIT DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BERND REINBARDT, STEVE GARRETT

“LIZA ON DEMAND” SEASON 2

AFN PRODUCTIONS-TELEPICTURES “THE REAL” SEASON 5

LIGHTING DIRECTOR: EARL WOODY, LD OPERATORS: KEVIN MICHEL, NATE PAYTON, STEVE RUSSELL, CHRIS WILLIAMS STEADICAM OPERATOR: WILL DEMERITT CAMERA UTILITIES: HENRY VEREEN, SALVATORE BELLISSIMO, ANDRES VELASQUEZ, JR. JIB ARM OPERATOR: JIM CIRRITO VIDEO CONTROLLER: JEFF MESSENGER

ALIVE AND KICKING

“DREAM CORP LLC” SEASON 3 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARTEN TEDIN OPERATORS: ROMAN JAKOBI, LIAM CLARK ASSISTANTS: WILL EMERY, ALBERT FRIGONE, EVAN METCALFE-CHURCH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BENJAMIN LONGSWORTH TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: BRIAN LOVE REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: JAY SHEVECK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: TYLER GOLDEN

ALOHA FILMS, LLC

“LOVE IN THE SUN” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BART TAU OPERATORS: CHRISTIAN SATRAZEMIS, APRIL CROWLEY ASSISTANTS: PETER FARBER, JENNIFER RANKINE, JAKE SCHNEIDERMAN STEADICAM OPERATOR: CHRISTIAN SATRAZEMIS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KEVIN COLBER STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ROD MILLINGTON

ALWAYS SMILING PRODUCTIONS “THE MORNING SHOW” SEASON 1

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL GRADY, DAVID LANZENBERG OPERATORS: WILL ARNOT, BRIAN MORENA, CHRIS TAYLOR ASSISTANTS: E. GUNNAR MORTENSEN, JESSYCA CARACCI, ALFREDO ROSADO, BETTY CHOW, ANNE CARSON, DAVE BERRYMAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SHANNON COOK LOADER: JORGE CORTEZ

A VERY GOOD PRODUCTION, INC. & WAD PRODUCTIONS

“THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW” SEASON 16 LIGHTING DIRECTOR: TOM BECK PED OPERATORS: DAVID WEEKS, PAUL WILEMAN, TIM O’NEILL HAND HELD OPERATOR: CHIP FRASER JIB OPERATOR: DAVID RHEA STEADICAM OPERATOR: DONOVAN GILBUENA VIDEO CONTROLLER: JAMES MORAN

HEAD UTILITY: CRAIG “ZZO” MARAZZO UTILITIES: ARLO GILBUENA, WALLY LANCASTER, DIEGO AVALOS

BEACHWOOD SERVICES

“DAYS OF OUR LIVES” SEASON 54 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK LEVIN, TED POLMANSKI OPERATORS: JOHN SIZEMORE, MARK WARSHAW, VICKIE WALKER, MICHAEL J. DENTON, STEVE CLARK UTILITIES: STEVE BAGDADI, GARY CYPHER VIDEO CONTROLLER: ALEXIS DELLAR HANSON

BIG INDIE THE HUNT, INC. “THE HUNT” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FREDERICK ELMES, ASC OPERATORS: ALAN MEHLBRECH, MATTHEW PEBLER ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL BURKE, MICHAEL GUTHRIE, BENEDICT BALDAUFF, VINCENT TUTHS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LUKE TAYLOR LOADERS: JAKOB FRIEDMAN, CORY MAFFUCCI STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS

CALLING GRACE PROUCTIONS, LLC “I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JODY LIPES OPERATOR: SAM ELLISON ASSISTANTS: AURELIA WINBORN, ELIZABETH HEDGES LOADER: TONI SHEPPARD STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA

“THE UNDOING” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANTHONY DOD MANTLE, ASC, BSC, DFF OPERATOR: PAUL DALEY ASSISTANTS: NINO NEUBOECK, GLENN KAPLAN, COURTNEY BRIDGERS, ANTHONY DEFRANCESCO STEADICAM OPERATOR: ROBERTO DE ANGELIS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ABBY LEVINE LOADER: HOLLY MCCARTHY

CBS

“ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT” SEASON 38 LIGHTING DESIGNER: DARREN LANGER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KURT BRAUN OPERATORS: JAIMIE CANTRELL, JAMES B. PATRICK, ALLEN VOSS, ED SARTORI, HENRY ZINMAN, BOB CAMPI, RODNEY MCMAHON, ANTHONY SALERNO CAMERA UTILITY: TERRY AHERN VIDEO CONTROLLERS: MIKE DOYLE, PETER STENDAL

“NCIS: LOS ANGELES” SEASON 11 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTOR HAMMER OPERATORS: TERENCE NIGHTINGALL, TIM BEAVERS ASSISTANTS: KEITH BANKS, RICHIE HUGHES, PETER CARONIA, JACQUELINE NIVENS STEADICAM OPERATORS: TERENCE NIGHTINGALL, TIM BEAVERS STEADICAM ASSISTANTS: KEITH BANKS, RICHIE HUGHES DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN MILLS DIGITAL UTILITY: TREVOR BEELER STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE PUBLICIST: KATHLEEN TANJI

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OPERATORS: HOLLIS MEMINGER, SCOTT SANS ASSISTANTS: ELIZABETH SINGER, JAMES DALY, VANESSA MORRISON, EMILY DEBLASI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JAMES STROSAHL LOADER: JESSICA CELE-NAZARIO STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: KAROLINA WOJTASIK, CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS

“WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GAVIN KELLY OPERATORS: JON BEATTIE, KATE LAROSE ASSISTANTS: ANDREW JUHL, CHRISTOPHER WIEZOREK, YALE GROPMAN, DANIEL PFEIFER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: J. ERIC CAMP LOADERS: SEAN MCNAMARA, ADAM DEREZENDES

DARK ROOM PICTURES, LLC “THE PHOTOGRAPH”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARK SCHWARTZBARD OPERATORS: ROD CALARCO, ROBERT PAGLIARO ASSISTANTS: ZACH RUBIN, PAUL COLANGELO, CHRISTOPHER CAFARO, DERRICK DAWKINS LOADERS: MIGUEL GONZALEZ, CHRISTINA CARMODY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SABRINA LANTOS

DC COMICS

“STARGIRL” SEASON 1

SET LIGHTING

“STRANGE ANGEL” SEASON 2

“WHY WOMEN KILL” SEASON 1

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CYNTHIA PUSHECK, ARMANDO SALAS OPERATORS: JOSHUA HARRISON, DEAN MORIN, YVONNE CHU ASSISTANTS: NEIL CHARTIER, KIRA MURDOCK, DEREK PLOUGH, TRACI CHARTIER, PRESTON PHILLIPS, LOREN AZLEIN STEADICAM OPERATOR: JOSHUA HARRISON STEADICAM ASSISTANT: NEIL CHARTIER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: AARON PICOT LOADER: CARMAN SPOTO CAMERA UTILITY: ANDY MACAT TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: NAZARIY HATAK TECHNOCRANE TECH: BRIAN LOVE REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: JAY SHEVECK

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL PRICE OPERATORS: SCOTT BOETTLE, JOHN HANKAMMER ASSISTANTS: HEATHER LEA-LEROY, VANESSA MOREHOUSE, DARRELL HERRINGTON, DREW HAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ANDREW OSBORNE DIGITAL UTILITY: RICH CONTI

“THE TALK” SEASON 9 LIGHTING DIRECTOR: MARISA DAVIS PED OPERATORS: ART TAYLOR, MARK GONZALES, ED STAEBLER HAND HELD OPERATORS: RON BARNES, KEVIN MICHEL, JEFF JOHNSON JIB OPERATOR: RANDY GOMEZ HEAD UTILITY: CHARLIE FERNANDEZ UTILITIES: MIKE BUSHNER, DOUG BAIN, DEAN FRIZZEL, BILL GREINER, JON ZUCCARO VIDEO CONTROLLER: RICHARD STROCK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE

CONACO

“CONAN” SEASON 9 OPERATORS: TED ASHTON, NICK KOBER, KOSTA KRSTIC, JAMES PALCZEWSKI, BART PING, SETH SAINT VINCENT HEAD UTILITY: CHRIS SAVAGE UTILITIES: BARON JOHNSON, JOSH GWILT

CRANETOWN MEDIA, LLC “THE BIRCH” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRIDGER NIELSON OPERATOR: SAM NAIMAN ASSISTANTS: NICO WACHTER, ERIC MACEY, HOLLIE METRICK, MICHAEL DEVIN GREENMAN STEADICAM OPERATOR: SAM NAIMAN LOADER: LAURA ROE

“YOUNGER” SEASON 6 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN THOMAS

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DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOTT PECK, MIKE KARASICK OPERATORS: DEKE KEENER, FERNANDO REYES, JOSH STERN ASSISTANTS: ADAM CASTRO, GERAN DANIELS, BILLY MCCONNELL, CAITLIN TROST STEADICAM OPERATOR: DEKE KEENER STEADICAM ASSISTANT: ADAM CASTRO DIGITAL UTILITIES: BECCA BENNETT, NASTASIA HUMPHRIES

DELTA BLUES PRODUCTIONS “QUEEN SUGAR” SEASON 4

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANTONIO CALVACHE, KIRA KELLY OPERATORS: GRAYSON AUSTIN, ROB STENGER ASSISTANTS: TROY WAGNER, RY KAWANAKA, JONATHAN ROBINSON STEADICAM OPERATOR: GRAYSON AUSTIN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRIAN STEGEMAN STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SKIP BOLEN

EYE PRODUCTIONS, INC.

“INSATIABLE” SEASON 2 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: WALT FRASER OPERATORS: IAN TAKAHASHI, DALE VANCE, JULES LABARTHE ASSISTANTS: GARY USHINO, DON BURGHARDT, LAURA OSTAPIEJ, KELLY POOR STEADICAM OPERATOR: DALE VANCE LOADER: PETER JOHNSTON DIGITAL UTILITY: IVAN GATTI STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: TINA ROWDEN

FALLING FILMS, INC.

“FALLING” PICK-UPS OPERATORS: DAMIAN CHURCH, MICHAEL NIE ASSISTANTS: JAVIER SANTOS AUDERA,

WILLIAM HAYES, TANIA ESPINOSA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DANE BREHM

DIGITAL LOADER: ADAM LIPSCOMB RONIN/URSA TECH: WILLIAM DICENSO

FINNMAX, LLC

2ND UNIT/DOUBLE UPS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATT VALENTINE

LIGHTING DESIGNER: OSCAR DOMINGUEZ LIGHTING DIRECTOR: SAM BARKER OPERATORS: DAVE CARLINE, BRUCE GREEN, ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ, RICHARD PITPIT, STEVE RUSSELL, SCOTT KAYE, ROB BURNETTE, BRIAN WADDELL STEADICAM OPERATOR: BRYAN TRIEB JIB OPERATOR: JAIMIE CANTRELL LEAD UTILITY: DAVE FELICIANO UTILITIES: BERNIE MENDIBLES, PETE QUIJANO, MANNY BONILLA, ADAM FELICIANO, DEREK DRAIMIN JIB TECH: TIM HILL STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: LISA ROSE

GOLDEN DRAGONS, LLC

FOX 21

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ITAI NE’EMAN OPERATORS: RICK DAVIDSON, BO WEBB ASSISTANTS: ALAN ALDRIDGE, LOUIS SMITH, JR., JUSTIN URBAN, ERIKA HAGGERTY LOADER: SETH LEWIS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: KENT SMITH

“ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER” SEASON 3

“QUEEN OF THE SOUTH” SEASON 4 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ABE MARTINEZ OPERATORS: MATTHEW HARSHBARGER, MATT VALENTINE, ZAC SIEFFERT ASSISTANTS: JASON GARCIA, RIGNEY SACKLEY, STEFAN TARZAN, TAYLOR PERRY, DAN MCKEE, ZANDER WHITE STEADICAM OPERATOR: MATTHEWINDE HARSHBARGER DRONE OPERATOR: CHAD CHAMBERLAIN

“THE OUTSIDER” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: IGOR MARTINOVIC OPERATORS: BEN SEMANOFF, ARI ISSLER ASSISTANTS: LIAM SINNOTT, KATE ROBERSON, STEPHEN EARLY, MICHAEL FISHER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL KIM LOADER: KAT SOULAGNET STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BOB MAHONEY

HODGE PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“MR. MERCEDES” SEASON 3

HOP, SKIP AND JUMP PRODUCTIONS “GOOD TROUBLE” SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARCO FARGNOLI OPERATORS: NICK FRANCO, PATRICK ROUSSEAU, HEATHER BROWN, DOUG OH ASSISTANTS: SETH KOTOK, DANNY GARDNER, BRYAN HAIGH, JEFF SALDIN, ANDREEA CORNEL BAHARA STEADICAM OPERATOR: NICK FRANCO STEADICAM ASSISTANT: SETH KOTOK LOADER: RYAN POLACK DIGITAL UTILITY: DYLAN NEAL

HORIZON SCRIPTED TELEVISION, INC. “YOU” SEASON 2

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SEAMUS TIERNEY, CORT FEY OPERATORS: BUD KREMP, NICOLE LOBELL ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL ALVAREZ, STEVE PAZANTI, SUMMER MARSH, RICHARD KENT DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PAUL MALETICH DIGITAL UTILITY: HUNTER JENSEN TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: NAZARIY HATAK TECHNOCRANE TECH: BRIAN LOVE REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: JAY SHEVECK

JOLLY FARMER, LLC

“BEASTIE BOYS STORY” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AUTUMN DURALD OPERATORS: ANDREW FLETCHER, MICHAEL FUCHS, GERARD SAVA, CHRIS REYNOLDS, ARTHUR AFRICANO,

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MEG KETTELL, RON TRAVISANO ASSISTANTS: BRADEN BELMONTE, BRADLEY GRANT, RORY HANRAHAN, GAVIN FERNANDEZ, WALTER RODRIGUEZ, BEKA VENEZIA, BRENDAN RUSSELL, PATRICK BRACEY, ANDY HENSLER, AUSTIN RESTREPO, MATT DEGREFF, SAM ELLIOT DIGITAL IMAGING TECHS: BJORN JACKSON, THOMAS WONG

ASSISTANTS: JOHN YOUNG, DON CARLSON, DAVID “YT” WIGHTMAN, JAMISON ACKER, PHILLIP WALTER, KYLE BELOUSEK STEADICAM OPERATOR: SCOTT DROPKIN, SOC LOADER: NICK WILSON UTILITIES: MARION TUCKER, ALAN DEMBEK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SANDY MORRIS

MINIM PRODUCTIONS, INC.

“LITTLE AMERICA” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSEPH MEADE OPERATORS: TYSON WISBROCK, NOAH DILLE ASSISTANTS: CAMERON CAREY, JERRY TURNER, DANIELLE CARROLL, PATRICK LAVALLEY LOADER: CARL HELDER STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ERICA PARISE

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID FRANCO OPERATORS: JEFFREY DUTEMPLE, JOHN R. MACDONALD ASSISTANTS: GREGORY FINKEL, BRADLEY GRANT, EMMA REES-SCANLON, SUREN KARAPETYAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MALIKA FRANKLIN LOADER: DONALD GAMBLE, DEREK DIBONA STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SEACIA PAVAO

MIXED BAG PRODUCTIONS, LLC

NICKELODEON

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL SIMMONDS OPERATORS: PAUL DALEY, SIMON JAYES ASSISTANTS: JUSTIN SIMPSON, MATTHEW MEBANE LOADER: NICHOLAS BROWN

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL FRANKS OPERATORS: BOB MCCALL, JOHN DECHENE, JACK CHISHOLM TECHNO-JIB OPERATOR: DEVIN ATWOOD ASSISTANTS: MEGGINS MOORE, DEREK LANTZ, JOSE GOMEZ DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GARY TAILLON VIDEO CONTROLLER: BARRY LONG, KEITH ANDERSON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BONNIE OSBORNE

“BASKETS” SEASON 4

“THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES” SEASON 1

NBC

“CHICAGO FIRE” SEASON 7 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LISA WIEGAND, ASC OPERATORS: WILL EICHLER, VANESSA JOY SMITH ASSISTANTS: LUIS FOWLER, ZACH GANNAWAY, BRIAN ROMANO, GARY MALOUF STEADICAM OPERATOR: WILL EICHLER DIGITAL LOADER: DEREK ASHBAUGH DIGITAL UTILITY: AMY TOMLINSON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ELIZABETH MORRIS

“CHICAGO PD” SEASON 6 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES ZUCAL OPERATORS: RICHARD CROW, DARRYL MILLER, SETH THOMAS

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2ND UNIT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DARRYL MILLER

JUNE/JULY 2019 PRODUCTION CREDITS

“ALL THAT” SEASON 11

“HENRY DANGER” SEASON 5 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE SPODNIK OPERATORS: TIM HEINZEL, CORY GUNTER, SCOTT OSTERMANN, DANA ROBERT ROSS CAMERA UTILITIES: BILL SEDGWICK, JIM ELLIOTT, DOUG MINGES JIB UTILITY: RYAN ELLIOTT STEADICAM OPERATOR: DANA ROBERT ROSS VIDEO CONTROLLER: JIM AGNOR

NZK PRODUCTIONS

“THE BACHELORETTE” SEASON 15 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DENNIS WEILER, CHAD GRIEPENTROG, ANDRE MARTINEZ LIGHTING DESIGNER: OSCAR DOMINGUEZ OPERATORS: DOUG HENNING, MARK JUNGJOHANN, IVAN DURAN, ANDREW RAKOW JIB OPERATOR: RANDY GOMEZ ASSISTANTS: BRANDON NEELY, TYLER DETARSIO, JERRY HUDGENS, DAVE OSTERBERG, CHRISTOPHER LEE, ERIC SCHEINER, GUDMUNDUR FRIDLEIFSSON, APPLE SCHLOSSER JIB ARM TECH: JORGE VALENZUELA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MARC SURETTE CAMERA UTILITY: RUBEN SANDOVAL VIDEO CONTROLLER: RICHARD STROCK

OLIVE AVENUE PRODUCTIONS, LLC “CASTLE ROCK” SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD RUTKOWSKI OPERATORS: DENNY KORTZE, HENRY CLINE ASSISTANTS: TIMOTHY METIVIER, ROBERT BULLARD, JASON BRIGNOLA, TIMOTHY SWEENEY LOADER: JOSHUA WEILBRENNER STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DANA STARBARD

PACIFIC 2.1 ENTERTAINMENT “POSE” SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMON DENNIS, BSC OPERATORS: PETER VIETRO-HANNUM, WYLDA BAYRON ASSISTANTS: DAMON LEMAY, ROSSANA RIZZO, AMANDA ROTZLER, MIKE SWEARINGEN LOADERS: ALYSSA LONGCHAMP, KRISTINA LALLY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL PARMELEE

“RATCHED” SEASON 1 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: NELSON CRAGG, III, ASC, SIMON DENNIS, BSC OPERATORS: ADREW MITCHELL, SOC, ROB GIVENS, MARK LASKOWSKI ASSISTANTS: PENNY SPRAGUE, BEN PERRY, MATT BREWER, JARED WILSON, DAVID LEB,

NATE LEWIS, SPENCER SHWETZ, SHANNON VAN METRE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SAEED ADYANI

PALLADIN PRODUCTIONS

OPERATORS: PHILIP MARTINEZ, LUCAS OWEN ASSISTANTS: WARIS SUPANPONG, BECKI HELLER, RANDY SCHWARTZ, NATHALIE RODRIGUEZ LOADER: BRIAN LYNCH STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: PAUL SHIRALDI

“SWAMP THING” SEASON 1 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FERNANDO ARGUELLES, ASC, AEC, NATHAN GOODMAN, ASC OPERATORS: MATTHEW DOLL, MICHAEL REPETA ASSISTANTS: PATRICK BOROWIAK, SEAN YAPLE, ROY KNAUF, DARWIN BRANDIS STEADICAM OPERATOR: MATTHEW DOLL DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ANDY BADER

PARAMOUNT

“DEFENDING JACOB” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JONATHAN FREEMAN OPERATORS: JASON ELLSON, JODY MILLER, JOHN GARRETT ASSISTANTS: M. DEAN EGAN, CHAD RIVETTI, ZACK SHULTZ,TALIA KROHMAL DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NICK PASQUARIELLO LOADER: THOMAS BELLOTTI STEADICAM OPERATORS: JASON ELLSON, JODY MILLER DIGITAL UTILITY: AUDREY STEVENS STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: SEACIA PAVAO, CLAIRE FOLGER PUBLICIST: DIANE SLATTERY

PENNY LANE PRODUCTIONS, LLC “THE DEUCE” SEASON 3

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: YARON ORBACH

PICROW STREAMING, INC.

“THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL” SEASON 3 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: M. DAVID MULLEN, ASC OPERATORS: JIM MCCONKEY, SOC, GREG PRICIPATO ASSISTANTS: ANTHONY CAPPELLO, NIKNAZ TAVAKOLIAN, KELLON INNOCENT, JIEUN SHIM DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CHARLES ANDERSON LOADER: KATHERINE RIVERA STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: NICOLE RIVELLI, LESLEY ROBSON-FOSTER, DOUGLAS PURVER

POPCORN PRODUCTIONS, LLC “BIOS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JO WILLEMS, ASC OPERATORS: DAVE THOMPSON, IAN SEABROOK ASSISTANTS: STEPHEN MACDOUGALL, KINGSLEA BUELTEL, RYAN BUSHMAN, DAN BAAS STEADICAM OPERATOR: DAVE THOMPSON DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ADRIAN JEBEF 2ND UNIT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: IAN SEABROOK

POSSIBLE PRODUCTIONS

“THE AFFAIR” SEASON 5 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVEN FIERBERG, ASC, JIM DENAULT, ASC OPERATORS: ERIC SCHILLING, NICOLE LOBELL ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL ENDLER, DON BURGHARDT, RUDY PAHOYO, ROBYN BUCHANAN STEADICAM OPERATOR: ERIC SCHILLING STEADICAM ASSISTANT: MICHAEL ENDLER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KEVIN CELI LOADER: EMILY GOODWIN DIGITAL UTILITY: GLEN LANDRY TECHNOCRANE OPERATORS: CHAD ESHBAUGH, NAZARIY HATAK TECHNOCRANE TECH: BRIAN LOVE REMOTE HEAD TECH: JAY SHEVECK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: PAUL SARKIS

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, LLC “PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN”

OPERATOR: DANA MORRIS ASSISTANTS: SARAH BRANDES, ROCHELLE BROWN, LA TERRIAN OFFICER-MCINTOSH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CHASE ABRAMS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MERIE WALLACE PUBLICIST: JAMES FERRERA

PS FILM PRODUCTIONS, LLC “PALM SPRINGS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: QUYEN TRAN OPERATOR: CHAD PERSONS

JUNE/JULY 2019 PRODUCTION CREDITS

123

“WHEEL OF FORTUNE” SEASON 36 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF ENGEL OPERATORS: DIANE L. FARRELL, SOC, JEFF SCHUSTER, RAY GONZALES, STEVE SIMMONS, L. DAVID IRETE, MIKE CORWIN CAMERA UTILITY: RAY THOMPSON HEAD UTILITY: TINO MARQUEZ VIDEO CONTROLLER: GARY TAILLON JIB ARM OPERATOR: RANDY GOMEZ, SR. STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROL KAELSON

STALWART FILMS

“LODGE 49” SEASON 2 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GLENN BROWN OPERATORS: MICHAEL GFELNER, JAN RUONA ASSISTANTS: JUSTIN DEGUIRE, JOSH GILBERT, TAYLOR CASE, CAMERON SCHWARTZ STEADICAM OPERATOR: GLENN BROWN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NICK HILTGEN LOADER: DUMAINE BABCOCK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JACKSON LEE DAVIS

STARS POWER, LLC

“POWER” SEASON 6 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MAURICIO RUBINSTEIN OPERATORS: SCOTT MAGUIRE, ALAN MEHLBRECH ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL GAROFALO, HAMILTON LONGYEAR, RODRIGO MILLAN GARCE, ALIVIA BORAB DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DOUGLAS HORTON LOADER: ANJELA COVIAUX STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MYLES ARONOWITZ

“P-VALLEY” SEASON 1 ASSISTANTS: ALEX CASON, MEGAN DRAYTON, SHANE CARLSON, CHRIS DE LA RIVA UTILITY: PAULINA BRYANT DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL ROMANO STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CHRIS WILLARD

RANDOM PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARTIN AHLGREN OPERATORS: MARK SCHMIDT, GARRETT DAVIS ASSISTANTS: ADRIANA BRUNETTO-LIPMAN, KEVIN WALTER, AMBER ROSALES, SCOTT MILLER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PAUL SCHILENS LOADERS: MATT ALBANO, BABETTE JOHNSON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHELE K. SHORT

ROSE CITY PICTURES, INC.

“THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KRAMER MORGENTHAU, ASC OPERATORS: MIKE HEATHCOTE, JULIAN DELACRUZ ASSISTANTS: CRAIG PRESSGROVE, PEDRO CORCEGA, MARC LOFORTE, MATTHEW MONTALTO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MATTHEW SELKIRK LOADER: AMBER MATHES STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BARRY WETCHER PUBLICIST: JULIE KUEHNDORF

124

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SHOWTIME PICTURES

“CITY ON A HILL” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSEPH COLLINS OPERATORS: EDGAR COLON, LAURA HUDOCK ASSISTANTS: ERIC ROBINSON, JOHN REEVES, SARAH SCRIVENER, QUINN MURPHY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFFREY HAGERMAN LOADER: MAX COLLINS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: FRANCISCO ROMAN SANCHEZ

SONY

“JEOPARDY!” SEASON 35 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF ENGEL OPERATORS: DIANE L. FARRELL, SOC, MIKE TRIBBLE, JEFF SCHUSTER, L. DAVID IRETE JIB ARM OPERATOR: MARC HUNTER HEAD UTILITY: TINO MARQUEZ CAMERA UTILITY: RAY THOMPSON VIDEO CONTROLLER: GARY TAILLON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROL KAELSON

“OUR HOUSE” PILOT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GARY BAUM, ASC OPERATORS: GLENN SHIMADA, TRAVERS HILL, LANCE BILLITZER, EDDIE FINE ASSISTANTS: ADRIAN LICCIARDI, JEFF GOLDENBERG, ALEC ELIZONDO, CLINT PALMER, JASON HERRING UTILITIES: SEAN ASKINS, DANNY LORENZE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DEREK LANTZ VIDEO CONTROLLER: STUART WESOLIK

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: NANCY SCHREIBER, ASC, RICHARD VIALET OPERATORS: DAVE CHAMEIDES, JANICE MIN ASSISTANTS: ALAN NEWCOMB, CALLIE MOORE, BRIAN DECROCE, NUBIA RAHIM LOADER: ERIN STRICKLAND DIGITAL UTILITY: CHANDRA SUDTELGTE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: TINA ROWDEN

STARZ P-TOWN PRODUCTIONS, LLC “HIGHTOWN” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RADIUM CHEUNG OPERATORS: JUSTIN FOSTER, DAVID KIMELMAN ASSISTANTS: GUS LIMBERIS, GLEN CHIN, JAMES DEMETRIOU, IAN CARMODY LOADERS: CALEN COOPER, CHRISTOPHER CHARMEL STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: WALLY MCGRADY, JOJO WHILDEN, MARK SCHAFER

STX PRODUCTIONS, LLC “HUSTLERS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TODD BANHAZL OPERATORS: STEW CANTRELL, JENNIE JEDDRY ASSISTANTS: REBECCA RAJADNYA, TSYEN SHEN, NICHOLAS HUYNH, JAN BURGESS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LOIC DE LAME LOADER: JEFF MAKARAUKAS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ALISON COHEN ROSA PUBLICIST: AMY JOHNSON

in neutral-density filters for cinematography

“

Precise neutrality, ensuring all colors remain accurate and true

The main advantage of these filters is their neutrality, especially when using 4 stops (1.2ND) or above. When I use other IRND filters I normally have to compensate for a color shift in the grade, but with these I haven’t seen any noticeable color shift. They are by far the best front of camera ND filters I have used.

John Lee – Director of Photography

“

A NEW standard

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DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LOREN YACONELLI OPERATORS: SCOTT DROPKIN, BROOKS ROBINSON ASSISTANTS: RAY MILAZZO, PATRICK BENSIMMON, BLAKE COLLINS, KIRSTEN LAUBE STEADICAM OPERATOR: SCOTT DROPKIN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFFERSON FUGITT DIGITAL UTILITY: GOBE HIRATA STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: EDDY CHEN

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ISAAC BAUMAN OPERATORS: DANNY ECKLER, CHRIS FENNER ASSISTANTS: WARREN BRACE, GRACE PRELLER CHAMBERS, STEPHEN COOK, CHAD BROCK LOADER: TRENT WALKER UTILITY: LAURA KNOX

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDY STRAHORN, WILLIAM WAGES, ASC OPERATORS: VICTOR MACIAS, JOSEPH BRODERICK ASSISTANTS: JAMES RYDINGS, KAORU “Q” ISHIZUKA, TROY BLISCHOK, KELSEY CASTELLITTO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PETER RUSS DIGITAL UTILITY: SPENCER SHWETZ STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: RON JAFFE, JOHN P. FLEENOR

2ND UNIT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PATRICK O’BRIEN OPERATORS: JAMIE STERBA, MIKE VEJAR, RAY MILAZZO ASSISTANTS: BRAD PETERMAN, MARK CONNELLY, MIKE VEJAR, KEVIN MILES, JOE PROVENZANO, MICHAEL YAEGER, TERRY WOLCOTT DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRETT SUDING DIGITAL UTILITY: TYLER DENERING

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOD CAMPBELL OPERATORS: JEFF MUHLSTOCK, BRIAN JACKSON ASSISTANTS: ROBERT MANCUSO, WESLEY HODGES, MICHAEL DERARIO, J.R. LARSON STEADICAM OPERATOR: JEFF MUHLSTOCK STEADICAM ASSISTANT: ROBERT MANCUSO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DOUGLAS HORTON LOADERS: AMANDA URIBE, TYLER MANCUSO REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: LANCE MAYER

“ANIMAL KINGDOM” SEASON 4

“(FUTURE) CULT CLASSIC” PILOT

“MR. ROBOT” SEASON 4

UNCLE FRANK PRODUCTIONS, LLC

UNTITLED PUPPET SHOW, INC.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KHADID MOHTASEB ASSISTANTS: ROBERT LAU, NICK COCUZZA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ILYA AKIYOSHI

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FREDERIC FASANO OPERATORS: MARK SPARROUGH, PATRICK MINIETTA JIB ARM OPERATOR: SHAUN HARKINS ASSISTANTS: ANDREW PECK, CHRISTIAN CARMODY DIGITAL UTILITIES: BARBARA BIANCO, CHARLES KEMPF

“UNCLE FRANK”

“UNTITLED PUPPET SHOW”

“LETHAL WEAPON” SEASON 3

2ND UNIT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRIAN PEARSON, ASC OPERATOR: STEFAN VON BJORN ASSISTANTS: CARLOS DOERR, PHIL SHANAHAN, RON ELLIOT DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SCOTT RESNICK CAMERA UTILITY: NICHOLAS MARTIN UNDERWATER UNIT OPERATOR: DAVID WILLIAM MCDONALD ASSISTANT: COREY BRINGAS

“WHAT IS LIFE WORTH?” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PEPE AVILA DEL PINO ASSISTANTS: GEORGE TUR, SARAH GUENTHER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL KELLOGG LOADER: KEITH ANDERSON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MONICA MARIN CABANES

JUNE/JULY 2019 PRODUCTION CREDITS

125

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DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MONIKA LENCZEWSKA OPERATOR: JAMES WALL RONIN OPERATOR: DAVE ANGLIN ASSISTANTS: LUCAS DEANS, CAMERON KEIDEL, JAKE MAGEE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SEAN GOLLER

BACON & SONS

BULLITT, LLC “AT&T”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID ROBERT JONES ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, ANDREW PAULING DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ELI BERG

“NINTENDO” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JONATHAN SELA OPERATOR: LUKAS BIELAN ASSISTANTS: STEVE CUEVA, JACK ELLINGWOOD, JORDAN CRAMER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: STEVE HARNELL

“DISH”

“STARBUCKS TEAVANA”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT ASSISTANTS: DANIEL HANYCH, NATE CUMMINGS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID ROBERT JONES ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, MARCUS DEL NEGRO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ELI BERG

“PB DISH”

DUMMY.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC HAASE ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, MARCUS DEL NEGRO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHANNES KUZMICH

B NEGATIVE

“I CAN CHANGE” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: STUART DRYBURGH OPERATOR: STANLEY FERNANDEZ ASSISTANTS: JOHNNY SOUSA, JAMES SCHLITTENHART, KYLE PARSONS LOADER: KANSAS BALLESTEROS

BOB INDUSTRIES

126

JUNE/JULY 2019 PRODUCTION CREDITS

HB COLLECTIVE, LLC “WEB TOON”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID WILSON ASSISTANTS: MATTHEW KING, JAMES JERMYN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL BORENSTEIN

HUNGRY MAN “HULU”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT OPERATOR: CHRIS BOTTOMS ASSISTANTS: DANIEL HANYCH, REED KOPPEN, LUCAS DEANS, NATE CUMMINGS, EDGAR GONZALEZ STEADICAM OPERATOR: MARK MEYERS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: LARA SOLANKI

“WENDY’S” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JAY FEATHER ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, KIRA HERNANDEZ DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL BORENSTEIN

ELEMENT

“CHET TV” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSEPH P. LAVALLEE ASSISTANT: PATRICK KELLY

ESKIMO

“DURACELL” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOE MAXWELL ASSISTANTS: GEORGE HESSE, DAN TAYLOR

“JIMMY JOHN’S”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TIM HUDSON ASSISTANTS: ERIK STAPELFELDT, DAISY SMITH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ERIC YU

ASSISTANTS: TODD SCHLOPY, STEPHEN WONG, MATT FORTLAGE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRET SUDING DIGITAL LOADER: LANCE HASHIDA

FRAMESTORE PICTURES “UNIVERSAL STUDIOS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN SCHWARTZMAN, ASC OPERATORS: IAN FOX, ROSS COSCIA

“VERIZON” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM BECKMAN OPERATOR: JOHN CLEMENS ASSISTANTS: RICK GIOIA, BOB RAGOZZINE, DAN KECK DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFF FLOHR

“VERIZON-REALLY GOOD REASON ” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOTT HENRIKSEN OPERATOR: CHRIS MOSELEY ASSISTANTS: DENNIS LYNCH, LUCAS DEANS, JAY HARDIE, CHRIS CARLSON DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ZAK SANDBERG

“YAHOO FINANCE” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM BECKMAN ASSISTANTS: RICK GIOIA, JORDAN LEVIE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFF FLOHR

LONDON ALLEY

PARK PICTURES

RADICAL MEDIA

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB WITT OPERATOR: IAN CLAMPETT ASSISTANTS: LUCAS DEANS, CAMERON KEIDEL, NATE CUMMINGS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: FABRICIO DISANTOS

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DONAVAN SELL OPERATOR: GREG BENITEZ ASSISTANTS: TRAVIS DAKING, JOSEPH PROVENZANO, AJIRI AKPOLO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: STEVE HARNELL

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT ASSISTANTS: DANIEL HANYCH, MATT SUMNEY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

MELLOW MEDIA, LLC

PICROW

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BILL POPE, ASC ASSISTANTS: DANIEL FERRELL, MATT SUMNEY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRET SUDING

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF POWERS ASSISTANTS: MIMI PHAN, TIM GAER

“PRIME VIDEO”

“COMCAST”

MERMAN USA

“PANTENE S.H.E.”

“VISA”

“CHEXMIX”

PRETTYBIRD “ROSALIA”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KAT WESTERGAARD ASSISTANTS: SARAH CHARLEE HARRISON, AMY OBARSKI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KAZIM KARAISMAILOGLU

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PABLO BERRON, LAURA MERIANS (2ND UNIT) ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, CHRIS DANIEL (2ND UNIT), ANDREW PAULING DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOSH QUIROS

PALMER PRODUCTIONS

PULSE FILMS

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES KNIEST OPERATOR: PAUL THERIAULT ASSISTANTS: PAULINA BYRANT, LOIE TEMPLETON, SARAH NEWMAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRET SUDING

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ARNAU VALLS COLOMER ASSISTANTS: NICOLAS MARTIN, ALAN CERTEZA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: IAN SPOHR

“JOSH CELLARS”

“URBAN DECAY”

“LACTAID”

“SOCAL HONDA” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LARRY FONG, ASC OPERATORS: CALUM MCFARLANE, IAN CLAMPETT, ERIC LAUDADIO ASSISTANTS: BILL COE, LUCAS DEANS, STEPHEN WONG, RYAN CREASY, CAMERON KEIDEL, BRENDAN DEVANIE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAFEL MONTOYA UTILITY: DEREK JOHNSON

STATION FILMS

“CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS/SPECTRUM” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KIP BOGDAHN ASSISTANTS: JOHN CLEMENS, THOMAS GRECO, SCOTT MILLER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GEORGE ROBERT MORSE

SUPERPRIME

“BANK OF AMERICA” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GILES DUNNING OPERATOR: WAYNE GORING ASSISTANTS: NITO SERNA, GREG DIEGO WILLIAMS, NOAH GLAZER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SCOTT BECKLEY

JUNE/JULY 2019 PRODUCTION CREDITS

127

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DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD HENKELS ASSISTANT: AARON KIRBY

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DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: COLIN WATKINSON ASSISTANTS: BRAD ROCHLITZER, CLAUDIO BANKS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRET SUDING

128

JUNE/JULY 2019 PRODUCTION CREDITS

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SCH_oostrum_ICG.qxp_Layout 1 4/25/19 2:58 PM Page 1

VAN OOSTRUM, ASC PAIRS DIOPTERS WITH ANAMORPHICS

“

Filters give you the ability to creatively influence the image as cinematographer. They say, ‘Do it in post' and it’s partially true, but I don’t think it’s the same look. When you use a filter in a particular scene, it’s in the spur of the moment—an inspiration for what you are creating.

I was elated when Schneider came out with more diopter strengths that start at an eighth, then a quarter, then go to the half and a three quarter.

Before, it went from half to one—a huge jump. These new diopters have a vital use with anamorphics and zooms too, because they never focus as close as primes. It has liberated me.

”

Kees Van Oostrum ASC lensed the Emmy®-winning documentary The Last Chance, and earned Emmy nominations for Miss Rose White and Return to Lonesome Dove, for which he received the 1994 ASC Outstanding Achievement Award for cinematography.

His work includes feature films Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Dark Hearts and he is Director of Photography for The Fosters.

www.schneideroptics.com • 800-228-1254

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STOP MOTION //

Jennifer Rose Clasen, SMPSP UNIT STILL PHOTOGRAPHER

“For this image from Season 2 of Big Little Lies, we had the opportunity to shoot in a magnificent house in Topanga Canyon, with warm wood tones everywhere. While this could be a challenge for some, DP Jim Frohna embraced the warmth beautifully. I love when a moment presents itself in lighting, location and, of course, a powerful performance, which allows you to tell the complex emotional state of a character in just one frame. It was a very intimate moment between cast and crew that culminated in a quiet and sensitive scene, a dream to shoot.�

130

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