ICG Magazine - May 2024 - Summer Preview

MAY 2024

95 #04

FEATURING FALLOUT

WE GROWN NOW SAFETY ON SET: REVISITED

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURE 01 SAFE SPACE?

Five ICG directors of photography, led by Stuart Dryburgh, ASC, and Teo Maniaci, help transpose one of pop culture’s most enduring video games to the small screen.

Minhal Baig’s indie gem, We Grown Now, shot by Director of Photography Pat Scola with an all-local team, is an ode to boyhood, Chicago-style.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN

I want to call your attention to an articl e in this May issue of ICG Magazine called Safety on Set: Revisited (page 58). Five years ago, the magazine staff rolled out an article that highlighted the many individuals across Local 600 working nonstop toward making our sets safer. This time around, the magazine has zeroed in on the many different programs the Guild has initiated to create a safer industry. That includes information about ICG’s newly updated Safety App, the result of many hours of hard work by the Guild’s Safety Committee and ICG staff members. The updated Safety App has some terrific new features, and I urge this entire membership to download the update (or if you have not yet done so, to download the app) today.

Of course, safety is uppermost in everyone’s minds.

That’s why initiatives such as “Rides and Rooms,” also featured in the article, are so essential for our members to take advantage of. Working unsafe hours has been an ongoing issue in this industry for many years, and Rides and Rooms (mandatory for producers to provide per our contracts) is one important protection we can take to save lives. The article also discusses ways to keep our Guild operators safer, including changing a production culture that allows for “long, successive handheld” takes and the dangers

of operating inside a moving vehicle, including injuries sustained from airbag deployment.

ICG Magazine’s May safety article also has updates on the progress in gun safety on set, as well as background on Local 600’s leadership in helping to get California Senate Bill SB132 passed (in July 2023), which establishes the Safety on Productions Pilot Program. This California-based program takes a large step forward in our ultimate goal of having a dedicated Safety Advisor on every set and location.

Making our sets safer begins with watching out for each other.

That’s why I strongly encourage all Local 600 members – newbies and veterans alike –to take our Member Orientation. This virtual training is a quarterly initiative that started last year (the next Member Orientation will be on May 19, 2024) and is a prerequisite for individuals interested in taking the on-set Shop Steward Training. Both the Member Orientation and the on-set Shop Steward training provide union workers with the tools to understand their obligations to their fellow members, and by doing so, make the workplace as safe as it can be.

Safer sets and locations start with you, me, and every member in this union.

“Taking care of our own” is what a unified labor force is all about.

Baird B Steptoe

Photo by Scott Everett White

National President International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600

Publisher

Teresa Muñoz

Executive Editor

David Geffner

Art Director

Wes Driver

STAFF WRITER

Pauline Rogers

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Tyler Bourdeau

COPY EDITORS

Peter Bonilla

Maureen Kingsley

CONTRIBUTORS

Ted Elrick

Danielle Scruggs

Valentina Valentini

JoJo Whilden, SMPSP

IATSE Local 600

NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Baird B Steptoe

VICE PRESIDENT

Chris Silano

1ST NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

Deborah Lipman

2ND NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

Mark H. Weingartner

NATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER

Stephen Wong

NATIONAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER

Jamie Silverstein

NATIONAL SERGEANT-AT-ARMS

Betsy Peoples

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Alex Tonisson

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

John Lindley, ASC, Co-Chair Chris Silano, Co-Chair

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Copyright 2024, 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. Non-members 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

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WIDE ANGLE

Our May Summer Preview issue is a return to a digital-only format, sliding in between our two hybrid print/digital issues of February/March and the upcoming June/July. While a bit shorter in length than both print issues, the story qualities are no less compelling. That begins with Ted Elrick’s cover piece on Amazon Prime’s new future-forward episodic, Fallout (page 30). Lensed by five different Local 600 Directors of Photography (on two continents), it’s based on the hugely popular computer role-playing games (CRPG) of the same name. Created by a computer programmer (Timothy Cain) and released in 1997, Fallout (the game) has seen many revisions (and spin-offs) in its nearly 30-year evolution. So, it’s no surprise it found its way to the small screen as a limited dramatic series. What is astonishing is the unique production workflow its filmmakers used to portray an Earth set 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse, where survivors all take refuge in fallout bunkers known as “vaults” (built to preserve humanity in the event of nuclear annihilation).

The show was created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan (Jonah) Nolan, the creative team behind HBO’s hit sci-fi series Westworld [ICG Magazine October 2016]. And much like his Oscar-winning brother (Christopher), Jonah Nolan was committed to shooting on film, including big chunks of the show lensed in an LED Volume as well as on three massive sound stages at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios. Oscar nominee Stuart Dryburgh, ASC ( The Painted Veil, The Great Wall, The Piano) shot the first three episodes with Nolan and established the look (Teodoro “Teo” Maniaci lensed Episode 4 with Dryburgh, and Episode 6/7; Alejandro Martinez shot Episode 5 and co-shot 7 with Maniaci; Dan Stoloff shot the final episode.) As Dryburgh recounts in the article: “There was never a dull moment. Jonah’s a terrific, on-theground director and producer, but his intro into this business was writing his brother’s early films. I think his combination of skills was a perfect fit.”

Also a perfect fit was the Chicago-based camera team that shot writer/director Minhal Baig’s indie feature We Grown Now (page 42), which premiered at TIFF 2023 and earned Local 600 Director of Photography Pat Scola a Best

Cinematography nod at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards. In keeping with the localized vibe (the story is told through the eyes of two boys growing up in Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green public housing project in the 1990s), many of the visual references were rooted in street photography, including a photo essay on Chicago high schoolers by Dawoud Bey. In Valentina Valentini’s article, Scola describes the camera as taking on a naivete.

“It sees the world as a child would – big and unjaded,” Scola observes. Then he adds: “We wanted to find something that felt like street photography, which often does feel observed while still having a subjective camera.”

Observations on the current progress in making film and television sets safe for union workers are the subject of this month’s Special (page 58). Five years ago, ICG staff writer Pauline Rogers profiled Local 600’s “safety heroes;” now she’s back with an update on the important work being done to make industry sets injury- and accident-free. That includes the July 2023 passing of California Senate Bill SB132, which established the Safety on Productions Pilot Program and whose advocacy was led by ICG Local 600; details on the “Rides and Rooms” initiative (mandatory for producers to provide when the hours worked are unsafe); updates on progress in gun safety on set; the latest on how long, successive takes by camera operators (particularly in the unscripted genre) are being addressed; and information on ICG’s updated safety app, which re-launched this past April and offers essential new features, like updating safety hazards for accuracy in real-time.

In the article, ICG National Executive Director Alex Tonisson points to Local 600’s “Safety Bill of Rights” as an embodiment of the core principles everyone in this industry should adhere to.

“It’s a must-read for everyone in this union [and every other union],” Tonisson emphasizes in Rogers’ piece. Echoing the long-standing theme conveyed in the article of “we take care of our own,” Tonisson says ICG is laser-focused in providing "ongoing leadership in the area of on-set safety. We've been historically at the forefront of many issues," he adds. "But none so important as where we are now [with safety]."

David Geffner

Executive Editor

Email: david@icgmagazine.com

DANIELLE A. SCRUGGS

Kid Stuff

“I am grateful and honored that [Writer/Director] Minhal Baig asked me to be the unit stills photographer for her indie feature We Grown Now. The opportunity to collaborate with another Chicago native on a Chicago-based story was both a pleasure and a profound learning experience. This was my first foray into unit stills photography, and I’m immensely thankful to have been a small part of the crew, documenting the making of this film. I received invaluable patience and guidance from AC’s, utility techs, gaffers, grips, producers, and Minhal herself. Stepping into something new can be daunting, but it’s also a way to challenge yourself and expand your understanding of your capabilities.”

WHILDEN, SMPSP Safe Space?, Stop Motion

“I have been in the union for just over 20 years, and shooting Fallout was a career highlight. I loved that we shot the series on 35-millimeter film, and everything about the show was as analog as possible in all ways, including Amazon Prime supporting my choice to dust off the Hasselblad 500C/M and shoot 120 film.”

Cover photo by JoJo Whilden, SMPSP

Photo by Sara Terry

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“I have spent the past several weeks shooting with the SIGMA 15-mm F1.4 Diagonal Fisheye DG DN Art Lens in Thailand, the Philippines and Arizona,” describes Local 600 Director of Photography Graham Sheldon. “This is easily the best Fisheye I’ve worked with in terms of edge-to-edge sharpness and all-around performance. The 180-degree field of view required me to retrain my brain a bit because it’s so wide. But that gave my compositions a unique feel from the day-to-day framing I’m used to seeing.” The unit is the world’s first full-frame F1.4 diagonal fisheye lens with a 180-degree angle of view. It was designed to take in dramatic sweeping scenes with the signature fisheye lens effect. Unlike conventional fisheyes, the 15-mm F1.4 is exceptionally sharp across its entire 180 degrees and offers an ultra-fast F1.4 aperture, making it perfect for a wide range of still and video applications including astrophotography, landscapes and architecture, as well as action sports such as skateboarding and BMX.

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“Fujifilm smartly recognized a crucial gap in the market, one which the new Duvo 24-300 fills,” describes Director of Photography Dylan Sanford [ICG Magazine November 2023]. “Having a cine servo lens with that focal length, while also carrying an extender/expander that can cover the full frame with the optical excellence that Fujinon demands, has already made it an invaluable tool for us at the Super Bowl Halftime Show and the 96th Academy Awards.” The first Duvo Series lens, the 24-300 mm, delivers a 12.5 zoom, covering the frequently used 24-300-mm range. The use of a Duvo 24-300-mm built-in expander shifts the focal length by 1.5 times, to 36-450 mm, allowing users to capture far-away subjects in desirable fields of view. Duvo 24-300 mm is just 10.65 inches in length and 6.5 pounds in weight.

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REEL WORKS

PHOTOS BY VANESSA CLIFTON

Since 2001, Reel Works, the Brooklynbased nonprofit dedicated to education and workforce development, has served more than 1,600 youths annually from middle school through high school and beyond. By matching teens one-to-one with professional filmmakermentors, Reel Works provides a way to allow young persons’ voices to be heard, developing them as artists and citizens and helping them graduate, get into college and launch careers in media.

Reel Works upped its dedication this year by partnering with Local 600 for its first Loader Training program. Twelve participants were chosen from 168 applicants and met for four weeks daily to learn in-depth procedures for on-set and media loading; digital, 35-millimeter and 16-millimeter film downloading procedures; and the fundamentals of supporting AC’s, other camera team members and more. They also

got to work with industry-grade equipment provided by partners, including ARRI Rentals, Panavision, Kodak, Insight Equipment, AbleCine and Adorama, and toured Kaufman Astoria Studios, Kodak Film Lab, ARRI Rentals and Panavision.

Reel Works turned to Local 600 members Kyle Gorjanc (2nd AC), A.J. Strauman-Scott (AC), Vanessa Viera (AC), Kristina Allen (loader) and Quenell Jones (operator) to help design the program. Previously a guest instructor in the New York area (working with AC Adriana Brunetto-Lipman and Amber Rosales, before the latter’s tragic passing), Viera was eager to take up the challenge and work with the team to design a current curriculum.

“We began with the resources of the first collaboration and roughed out three to four lesson plans,” Viera explains, “to build the curriculum and ensure the flow of each lesson,

eventually leading up to their ‘final’ exam, which emulates the Eastern Region union test.”

“It was important to all of us to give the participants a foundation and purpose of what it means to be a loader,” Viera continues, “from understanding everyone’s roles within the department and the rest of the crew to troubleshooting wireless video and thinking of alternative ways to help the process move forward. To learn that becoming a loader is not just an entry-level position in our union; they are just as important as the rest of the team. I always quote to those learning under me, ‘Think of it like this: The camera department is the spine. We are the backbone support, and the loader/utility is the foundation holding everyone up.’”

When Viera pulled Neicy McFadden in to guest speak at a class she was teaching, McFadden hesitated. Then, trusting Viera,

L TO R: ICG ASSISTANT EASTERN REGION DIRECTOR ANNA NOWLAN; REEL WORKS COFOUNDER & CEO JOHN WILLIAMS; STUDENT PARTICIPANT LAYLA DOZIER

she became involved – and excited. “Volunteering with a program like this is so important because it opens so many doors for those who have never imagined they had a chance to do what we do,” McFadden says enthusiastically. “I want to be an aid in creating a safe space for others like me to learn the craft and the equipment and get to network without the hassle of fighting to find a way in. Getting into the industry often feels like being thrown into the fire; I’d like to help soften the blow and help people ease their way in safely, armed with the proper knowledge, attitude and etiquette.”

Graduate Paola Muñoz got that and more. “I’ve been on non-union sets, where it felt like the learning was somewhat limited,” Muñoz describes. “I needed the training where someone [could] tell me what I need[ed] to do correctly and efficiently to become a better crew member on set. Being in this program expanded my technical knowledge. On top of learning proper etiquette, I also learned how to be a better crew member. I am now prepared to look out for my safety, as well as the safety of my team. It was a truly exhilarating experience. What used to feel uncertain now feels like a path I know I want to take.”

“This program helped me understand that being a part of the camera department is not an unobtainable goal,” reflects Layla Dozier. “Throughout the program, I was exposed to everything that a loader on a professional film or TV set would need to know, such as cable wrangling, camera truck organization, and weather gear. Previously, on any set, I would have been intimidated by first and second AC’s, but once lessons started, I understood that they rely as much on the loader as they rely on themselves. Having this program under my belt will help me feel prepared to do my job as the loader and step into any role if needed. A big thank you to Local 600 instructors for making that happen!”

The Guild component didn’t end with the training, as Reel Works and industry partners want to help continue each participant’s path forward. They can apply for roles on Netflix productions and have been invited to join Warner Bros. Discovery’s Access to Action program to work in relevant departments on WBD film and TV productions across New York.

“After seeing so much success with our bespoke programs implemented in various IATSE districts across the country, it’s incredible to partner with a national charter for the first time,” shares Reel Works Co-Founder and CEO John Williams. “We are proud to usher in the next generation of Camera Loaders and are grateful to Local 600, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and Empire State Development for making it possible to continue spreading our mission nationwide. Our graduates possess so much potential, and we are thrilled to help them realize their goals.”

And to all those young people interested: [Reel Works] and Local 600 are assessing the event as they begin to build next year’s program (which may expand even further).

Stay tuned!

MASTERS OF MAKE-UP EFFECTS:

A CENTURY OF PRACTICAL MAGIC

BY

BY PAULINE ROGERS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOWARD BERGER

HOWARD BERGER AND MARSHALL JULIUS

Full disclosure. I have not, nor have I ever, been a fan of horror movies.

Maybe it is the memory of the first time I saw Aliens. It is still vivid in my mind. I admit, however, that movie makeup does intrigue me. I’ve always been fascinated by transformations – like the one that happened the day I got a panicked call from my next-door neighbor, who’d left some vital paperwork in the refrigerator. I grabbed it, ran for the set, was directed to Makeup, and got mad because my neighbor wasn’t there. I turned around to leave and heard his distinctive voice call out, “About time!” I pivoted to see him transformed into a middle-aged dowager.

So, when the book Masters of Make-Up Effects: A Century of Practical Magic by Howard Berger and Marshall Julius hit my desk, I was intrigued, and sort of okay with it, maybe?

Everything changed once I started reading. I had expected to see pages explaining how the Hunchback got his hunch and how gore was made…so gory. But that wasn’t this book at all. The introductions by both writers (an award-winning make-up maven and a British journalist/movie fan) detail how they came together over a shared passion (and a way to survive the COVID-19 pandemic).

But something was missing.

So, shy as I am not, I decided to call Howard Berger and ask. He told me: “The book is about community, like-minded people, dreamers who were all the odd ducks out and who found their place in a universal world of nerds and monster kids. That is why I wrote it, to show you can be the strangest kid and there is a place for you in the forest with the Wild Things.”

With that I was sold. I opened my new

favorite toy on the computer – “dictation” in MS Word – and thought: “I have to talk about this.”

The notes became this manuscript in the making.

The authors of Masters of Make-Up Effects have cleverly divided the book into 15 sections, with titles ranging from “The Hall of Fame” to “The Seed of Invention” to “Making Faces.” And I quickly discovered there are three things monster makers love to do: create the unbelievable from a child’s eye, celebrate each other’s work – and, wait for it – dish about their craft!

Mike Marino sets off the adoration when it comes to the legendary Rick Baker. And I couldn’t help but crack-up reading Gino Acevedo’s story of his childhood fantasy with makeup. One Halloween, Acevedo made his

LEFT: CHRISTOPHER TUCKER'S PROSETHETIC MAKE-UP FOR DAVID LYNCH'S THE ELEPHANT MAN

BOTTOM: RICK BAKER (L) AND DIRECTOR JOHN LANDIS (R) ON AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON

ABOVE: MIKE HILL (L) AND SHANE MAHAN (R) WITH DOUG JONES ON THE SHAPE OF WATER

friends up as rock band KISS. A block from the house, their faces started burning, and the pack of 12-year-olds raced back to the bathroom to cleanse. The package read, “non-toxic.” But in the fine print: “Warning: not intended for use on skin.” Needless to say, Acevedo learned his lesson before later becoming the senior prosthetics supervisor and visual creature special-effects art director at Weta Workshop (where he played the dwarf lord Sindri in The Fellowship of the Ring).

I also loved Jamie Kelman’s story, where he admits he was so terrified of monsters that he had to go to a therapist. At 12 years old, Kelman shares that he went to a party (to meet a girl, of course) at which Nightmare on Elm Street was shown. Everyone laughed when the host’s father – dressed like Santa from Silent Night, Deadly Night – entered the room. That was the moment, Kelman says, that he became obsessed with Freddy Krueger.

“My first attempt [at horror makeup] was the eyeball from Evil Dead that flies across the screen,” he writes. “I made it in my bedroom.”

The two-time Emmy-winning makeup artist counts fan favorite The Book of Boba Fett and the original Iron Man among his many coveted projects.

The chapter titled “Breaking In” might be about monster work. But it’s really about kids with talent and ambition and the families and friends who encouraged them. Oscar-nominee Nick Dudman (whose team created the makeup effects and the magical animatronic creatures – and the CG scanning models – in all of the Harry Potter films) had a father who found an article about the cantina sequence in Star Wars

IV – A New Hope that revealed Makeup Artist Stuart Freeborn lived not far away. Dudman’s dad got his address and drove young Nick there, then waited in a pub across from the studio. Freeborn looked at the young Dudman’s work and later offered him a job workting with that little green guy with pointy ears (aka Yoda).

One of my favorite themes that runs through many of the sections is the relationship between the director and the makeup artist. There are tidbits about John Landis and Rick Baker working together on An American Werewolf in London, where Landis didn’t want Lon Chaney Jr. to sit still in a chair. And who knew the hair-growing bit was spur-of-themoment? All Baker did was take a piece of skin and punch hair all the way through on one side, tied to a stick. When they shot the close-up, the stick pulled the hair down.

Another story that resonates – and is funny in the telling – is about the Hippogriff in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). As Dudman recounts: “It didn’t walk, but it moved, and it was beautiful; it was bloody huge. It had just one set of cables coming out of one hoof, and when they were buried in the ground, it looked genuine.”

Dudman goes on to say, “I love mechanical creatures because of the way people reacted to them. We were in the woods, and our Hippogriff would catch the eyes of passers-by, and they’d react. When they would come closer, I’d say, ‘Be careful. I won’t be responsible for what I’ll do to you if you don’t.’ I remember one guy walking, and this ‘thing’ shot towards him. Even I jumped. Then, there was a group of Japanese people who were publicity people. They would bow,

and Hippogriff would bow. If I hadn’t spoken up – it would have gone on forever.”

There’s a great tale about visionary director David Lynch, who was sure he could do the make-up for The Elephant Man. Lynch’s production manager came to Christopher Tucker for recommendations for silicone foam. Tucker (a two-time Emmy nominee) told him silicone foam wouldn’t work. Twice. Finally, Lynch and the troupe descended on Tucker’s studio. They wanted him to take over. But Tucker was booked – and miffed he hadn’t been asked before. How did they ultimately bring Tucker on board? What monster lover wouldn’t give in if offered a private visit to view John Merrick’s remains in The Royal London Hospital Museum?

There’s not enough magazine real estate this month to discuss what drives makeup artists, how they work with actors who play real people, and who prevails when egos get in the way (mostly on the actor side). But let’s say it’s interesting when Bruce Campbell talks about “The Latex Point,” where actors get to the point of wanting to storm off the set and tear the makeup off.

Last but never least is the “dish” section of the book, because this is Hollywood, after all. And if you get tired of flipping through the quotes, skip to the back. “War Stories” and “Lessons Learned” are as much about movie makeup as they are universal challenges anyone can relate to.

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SAFE

SPACE?

SPACE?

Five ICG directors of photography, led by Stuart Dryburgh, ASC, and Teo Maniaci, help transpose one of pop culture's most enduring video games to the small screen.

BY TED ELRICK

PHOTOS BY JOJO WHILDEN, SMPSP / AMAZON STUDIOS

FRAMEGRABS COURTESY OF AMAZON STUDIOS

One of the most popular computer role-playing games (CRPG) is Fallout, created by Producer and Lead Programmer Timothy Cain and released in 1997 by Interplay Entertainment. There have been many revisions as well as spin-offs, so it’s no surprise Fallout would eventually find its way to the small screen, adapted as a dramatic sci-fi episodic. Set on Earth 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse, the drama centers on advances in nuclear technology after WWII led to the emergence of a retro-futuristic society and a subsequent resource war. Survivors took refuge in fallout bunkers known as “vaults,” built to preserve humanity in the event of nuclear annihilation.

Lucy MacLean (Ella Russell) leavers her home in Vault 33, following a brutal attack on her wedding night. She ventures out into a savage and devastated Los Angeles . The series also stars Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, a mutant gunslinger missing his nose; Kyle MacLachlan as Lucy’s father Hank; Aaron Moten as Maximus; Sarita Choudhury as Moldaver and Leslie Uggams as Betty.

The Amazon Prime show was created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan (Jonah) Nolan, the creative team behind HBO’s hit sci-fi series Westworld [ICG Magazine October 2016], and led by showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner. As Nolan describes: “These are modern fables, and, to a certain degree, have eluded adaptation. Adapting something from the video-game space to film and television has been challenging, in part because with most adaptations you’re adding things; but with these adaptations, you’re taking things away. You’re taking away the interactivity. You’re taking away kind of an entire dimension of these games, so you better have something good to replace it with.”

According to Nolan, who also directed three episodes, Robertson-Dworet ( Captain Marvel , Tomb Raider ) and Wagner (Portlandia, Silicon Valley) were a perfect fit for Fallout. “One of the things that drew us to Fallout was the unique tone of the games,” Nolan continues. “They’re dark and violent, but they’re also funny, satirical, political and weird. I’ve wanted to work with Geneva for a long time. And she’s wanted to work with her friend, Graham Wagner, who is a veteran of comedy and a fantastic writer. Like Geneva, I come more from the comic book universe. So to adapt this giant, unruly video-game franchise required a dream team, and we got that.”

One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle was the visual elements. Nolan, like his Oscar-winning brother Chris, is committed to shooting on film. He called on several cinematographers, including Oscarnominee Stuart Dryburgh, ASC ( The Great Wall , Alice Through the Looking Glass), who shot the first three episodes with Nolan and set the tone for the series. As Dryburgh recounts: “There was never a dull moment on this one. Jonah’s a terrific, on-the-ground director and producer, but his intro into this business was writing his brother’s early films. I think his combination of skills for this show was a perfect fit.”

Shooting on three large sound stages at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn (and often shooting different scenes from different episodes on standing sets) meant the ICG

“ADAPTING SOMETHING FROM THE VIDEO-GAME SPACE TO FILM AND TELEVISION HAS BEEN CHALLENGING...WITH MOST ADAPTATIONS YOU’RE ADDING THINGS; BUT WE WERE TAKING THINGS AWAY.”

DIRECTOR

JONAH NOLAN

camera team utilized two camera packages from TCS. Each package included two ARRI ST’s, four ARRI LT’s, and one 435. The lenses were Hawk anamorphic X and V series. For film stock, Nolan preferred Kodak’s Vision3 50D (5203) Daylight, but toward the end of the day, Kodak Vision3 250D Daylight (5207) and Vision3 500T Tungsten were also used.

“We shot a lot of tests, and ultimately Jonah chose the two-to-one anamorphic because he thought it looked like it had more bite,” Dryburgh explains. “Then we did some tests in the underground vault as soon as enough of that was completed by the art department to get the feeling of the colors and lighting in the vault.” Dryburgh says they wanted to shoot tests on the prosthetics, “so we went to L.A. where they were building the Ghouls,” he adds. “We also shot tests of the stunt guys moving in armor to determine if we wanted to shoot some slow or fast motion. There were a lot of props we had to test and many regular meetings discussing structure, shot listing, and briefing storyboard artists. It was a very full and focused prep period. As I said, there was never a dull moment!”

Joining Dryburgh (as one of five ICG Directors of Photography who worked on the series) was Teodoro “Teo” Maniaci, who says using multiple cameras is part of Nolan’s system in that all the cameras are built out in the same way. “All the assistants have to know the way that they’re built out,”

Maniaci describes. “The reason for that is because there’s all this ‘fractional’ shooting that’s happening. In other words, you guys are going to stay here and shoot off. And then this camera and this team is going to break off and do this shot over there. There’s constant multitasking. So by building all the cameras out identically, any AC can take any body and go off and manage that.”

Maniaci says the system works equally well for Guild operators. “They can break off and take the equipment,” he adds. “So it’s not like one particular operator has to be comfortable with just one rig. Everything was democratized in a way so that whatever unit needs to break off they can all function fully. This approach helps with the redundancies if equipment goes down or we need to swap things out. There’s doubles, and even triples, of everything.”

First AC Toshiro Yamaguchi (John Oliver did the first two episodes as 1st AC, and then left for other commitments) says he loves shooting on film, “as it brings a discipline to the set that’s unusual [these days] when the camera is running. You don’t have the ‘let’s just keep rolling’ world of digital, when [the media] is limited. I also feel there’s a different quality. Even with all the period glass and special LUT’s being used, you can tell the difference between something that was shot on film and digital.”

Yet shooting film can be a challenge for the director to come up with shots that work with much less coverage. “Effective moves of a camera, effective angles and compositions

to tell the story without overlapping many angles and many shots,” Yamaguchi continues. “So we utilized many tools to move the camera from position to position that was always within the dynamics of the narrative. The result was many creative shots that are pleasing to the eye.”

Key Grip Charlie Marroquin says that shooting film gives people time to catch their breath. “Nobody feels like they need to cut the camera or stop rolling with digital. To this new generation, stopping to reset or changing mid-take is strange. But Jonah’s got such an incredible vision. He comes up with shots and basically tells us what to use, and then we can refine that. You might say, ‘I don’t know, maybe not quite that way. Here’s another way we can try it,’ and Jonah would be like, ‘Okay, that’s your job.’ He’s very collaborative.”

Director of Photography Alejandro Martinez says that because Nolan doesn’t allow the use of cell phones on his set, the entire production team is “super focused and very present in the moment. Particularly when shooting film, this is so important because there’s literally money

running every minute on the camera,” he shares. “There are great things to be said about shooting digitally. But it’s just not the same environment as when you’re shooting film. And the approach Jonah takes with his sets, you can really see that. I was happily surprised when I heard they were shooting film.”

While all five DP’s on Fallout began their careers shooting film, there was a learning curve for younger craftspeople on the set. There were also no immediate dailies, as the film negative was FedExed from New York to the labs in California. “We had to think through our choices about lighting and contrast and values as we were shooting some very large sets, with important scenes you’re not gonna see the next morning,” Maniaci recalls. “But it was worth it. There’s a unique texture shooting on film and you can feel it.”

One key location Dryburgh points to was a junkyard in New Jersey. “This eccentric family has been collecting government surplus, and they’ve got an entire F4

Phantom sitting on top of a pile of old school buses,” Dryburgh marvels. “People tell me, ‘Wow, your art department did a great job out there.’ I say, ‘Yeah, they did, they found it. That place exists and it is completely nuts,’” he laughs. “In the Fallout universe, that place is called Filly,” Maniaci adds. “Because it’s built on top of a landfill, and it’s all salvage – reclaimed and recycled junk – with our characters mining the landfill in the postapocalyptic world.”

There’s also a diamond-mining-camp location, shot in Namibia, that Maniaci says was stunning to the eye. “We were shooting in these ruins of this camp where diminishing returns on the diamonds would lead them to shut down the operation. So, they move on and leave the buildings to decay in the harsh desert environment. The windows break up over time and the sand blows in waist-deep. They were incredible apocalyptic spaces that look like we must have created them because where else would something like that exist? That’s great production value.”

Background plates were shot in Utah for work in the Volume. Director of Photography Dan Stoloff describes a scene he shot with

the Griffith Park Planetarium overlooking Los Angeles, post-nuclear disaster. The foreground was constructed by Production Designer Howard Cummings with broken seats, an old burnt projector and caved-in walls. The scene was written to take place at sunset. “In real life, the sunset might last 15 minutes,” Stoloff recalls. “On the Volume, we were able to maintain the sunset for days after days, exactly the way we wanted it. The controllability was incredible. There was one day we were setting the whole thing up and Jonah came in and wanted a little more haze. Just like that, they could add it live. The Volume is also great for the actors because they’re working in an environment that has a mood, a tone and an atmosphere. They’re not reacting to a green wall.”

Director of Photography Bruce McCleery, ASC, came aboard because of the Volume work he’d done for Nolan on Season 3 of Westworld . McCleery says the LED Volume stage, which was built specifically for Fallout, was, in theory, meant to be used for other future projects. But it was still a bit of an experiment, shooting on film.

McCleery calls shooting film on the

Volume “a tenuous pact you make between your experience and your gut, with the help of a variety of tools to ensure you can protect the images. But as you can’t see what you’re doing in real-time [with film], I did a lot of testing on the Sony VENICE 2 [loaded with a custom 5219 film emulation LUT] beforehand. We would shoot tests on digital, and then we would shoot film tests on the Volume to make sure we had all the nuances in line, in terms of refresh rates, color balance and lighting. Ultimately, the results of the film capture in the Volume can be unique and fantastic, but it takes a bit of work to get there.”

Chief Lighting Technician Bill Almeida says the Volume stage for Fallout was the first in the New York area. “It was an entirely new thing we had to figure out,” recalls Almeida, a member of the International Cinema Lighting Society (ICLS), which formed during COVID and began a regular Saturday Zoom meeting with chief lighting technicians and board programmers from around the world to keep current until production resumed. In the group was Chief Lighting Technician Jeff Webster, who did Zoom presentations about

lighting the Volume on The Mandalorian. Because Webster shared his experience, Almeida says he went into Fallout “basically a leg up without ever having worked with this amazing technology and software. We had an entire container outside of our stage that was running pretty much around the clock with just air conditioning units to keep it cool. It felt almost like a NASA crew working the Volume.”

Almeida adds that because film requires more light, the Volume presented some challenges. “A lot of times people shoot in a Volume stage, and they rely on the lighting coming off the LED panels. We did do that, but we also had to enhance things a lot because some of the sets were small and confined.”

With much of the story taking place in underground bunkers, Almeida and his team encountered long tunnels and narrow passageways, with few options to hide lights. “We needed to work closely with the art department,” he continues. “We had custom fixtures made. We would cut holes in the ceiling and put in a glass dome that was a typical-looking lighting fixture, with

STUART DRYBURGH, ASC (R) SAYS “THERE WAS NEVER A DULL MOMENT” WORKING WITH JONAH NOLAN (L). “WE SHOT TESTS FOR THE 2-1 ANAMORPHIC... IN THE UNDERGROUND VAULT...FOR THE STUNT GUYS MOVING IN ARMOR...AND OF THE MANY PROPS. IT WAS A VERY FULL AND FOCUSED PREP PERIOD”

“ULTIMATELY, THE RESULTS OF THE FILM CAPTURE IN THE VOLUME CAN BE UNIQUE AND FANTASTIC, BUT IT TAKES A BIT OF WORK TO GET THERE.”

BRUCE M c CLEERY, ASC

movie lights hidden behind it. Other times we had to fabricate fixtures from scratch with LED ribbons or LED cards. Working with the art department, we had to get very clever to build a lot of lighting into the set. We had a great crew – Rigging Gaffer John Woods, Programmer Jim McNeal, Rigging Programmer Gary Wilkins and Key Rigging Grip Christopher Graneto. Production Designer Howard Cummings was fantastic.”

Cummings is another Westworld veteran, who discovered that video gamers had extended their knowledge of Fallout with fan sites, one of which was Vault-Tec – the company that in the game builds underground shelters for people to purchase before the nuclear annihilation. There is, however, a dark side to Vault-Tec that is revealed in the story.

“We took a close look at all the material online,” Cummings recounts, “and created Vault-Tec, with the middle of our three stages being the factory. We did a lot of CNC, computer-cut material because the tunnels had to look like they’d been manufactured. This had more of that than any other show I’ve done. The only way we could do it was because the technology now exists to repetitively build these things. We also used vacuum forming, which was molded plastic for some of the wainscotting. It was very metal-looking with an insane amount of rivets. At one point one of the production

managers walked through and said, ‘Stop the rivets!’”

Cummings says production ultimately figured out a more economical way. “A lot of the set decorators were gluing these plastic knobs on, and we decided to do them in strips,” he adds. “What was funny is that I had just done a walk-through with Jonah and he was looking up at the ceiling. I said, ‘Not enough going on up there for you?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Does it need more rivets?’ And he laughed and said, ‘Yeah.’ We eventually worked it all out.”

Of working in the Volume, Nolan remarks: “I’ve never liked green screen. It’s an incredible tool and we have a very talented visual effects department, but it pollutes all the light. It restricts what you can do in so many ways, and it’s frustrating for the actors.”

In response, Nolan says he turned to his longtime visual effects supervisor, Jay Worth, sketching out together how to build an extendable, live backing plate. “I wanted to use projection,” Nolan recalls, “and we tested that for the first season of Westworld. We put a tracking beacon on the camera. We used Unreal Engine running on a highend gaming rig and started generating backgrounds that, as you move the camera, it could move parallax and shift.”

Season 1 of Westworld proved challenging for several reasons, “so we kind of hung up our spurs and said, ‘Okay, we’ll come

back to that,’” Nolan continues. “A couple of years later, Lisa and I were having dinner with Jon Favreau and his wife, and Jon was talking about his frustration with blue and green screen. He had already started to work on trying to find a live, extendable visual backing that could maintain parallax. And I said, ‘We did that on Westworld and it worked.’ I had no idea how ambitious Jon was going to get with it. After we had a chance to see the Volume built for season one of The Mandalorian, Jon graciously put us in touch with some members from that team, who came to work with us on season three of Westworld. They then came to New York to build our volume, with our partners at MBS, for Fallout

“We took everything we learned from shooting on early versions of the Volume and built a bespoke space for this series,” Nolan concludes. “I still remember going to visit Jon that first day on The Mandalorian, and thinking: ‘This is a dream tool for filmmakers.’ Which was quickly followed up with: ‘Shit! Once they realize it can all be done on a soundstage in Manhattan Beach or Queens, they’re never gonna let us get on the road again.’ One of the things I was so gratified about with shooting Fallout was Amazon’s support to do it the right way. Which is to say we used the Volume for things that you couldn’t get in the real world, and locations in the real world like Namibia, which were unbelievable.”

LOCAL 600 CREW

Directors of Photography

Stuart Dryburgh, ASC

Alejandro Martinez

Teodoro Maniaci

Bruce McCleery, ASC

Daniel Stoloff

A-Camera Operators/Steadicam

Chris Haarhoff, SOC

Robert “Soup” Campbell

A-Camera 1st ACs

Joe Martinez

Toshiro Yamaguchi

A-Camera 2nd ACs

Cornelia Klapper

Adam Russell

B-Camera Operators

Robert “Soup” Campbell

Pyare Fortunato

B-Camera 1st ACs

John Oliveri

Brendan Russell

B-Camera 2nd ACs

Andy Hensler

Alec Nickel

Loaders

Truman Hanks

William Hecht

Brett Norman Dan Rodriguez

Lorenzo Zanini

Additional Loaders

Jeanna Canatsey

Alec Freund

Still Photographer

JoJo Whilden, SMPSP

FIRST AC TOSHIRO YAMAGUCHI SAYS SHOOTING ON FILM BRINGS A DISCIPLINE TO THE SET THAT’S UNUSUAL COMPARED TO THE “LET IT ROLL” APPROACH OF DIGITAL. “THERE’S ALSO A DIFFERENT QUALITY,” YAMAGUHI STATES. “EVEN WITH ALL THE PERIOD GLASS AND SPECIAL LUT’S, YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMETHING THAT WAS SHOT ON FILM AND DIGITAL.”

KID

Minhal Baig’s indie gem, We Grown

Now, shot by Director of Photography

Pat Scola with an all-local team, is an ode to boyhood, Chicago-style.

BY VALENTINA VALENTINI

DANIELLE SCRUGGS / SONY CLASSICS FRAMEGRABS COURTESY OF SONY CLASSICS

STUFF

PHOTOS BY

So often, stories of impoverished lives are depicted as dark, depressing, and dirty. They typically will evoke fear or desperation, as the viewer sees tattered clothes and messy homes. We Grown Now turns all those stereotypes upside down, as the characters who populate Writer/Director Minhal Baig’s indie feature have lives that are rich and warm, lively and cozy, despite being surrounded by one of the nation’s most infamous public housing projects, Chicago’s Cabrini-Green, circa early 1990s. This is partly because the story is seen through the eyes of two boys. Best friends Malik and Eric (Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez) are the quick-beating heart of Baig’s film about growing up in the sometimes dangerous hallways of Cabrini-Green (which was torn down in 2011).

“I was interested in the relationship that a community has to a place that no longer exists,” describes Baig, whose last feature, Hala , premiered at Sundance in 2019. We Grown Now premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Fall of 2023 and took home the TIFF Changemaker Award, which is given to a film that focuses on themes of social change and youth empowerment. Inspiration for the story came after the passing of Baig’s father in 2018, and the filmmaker’s return to decide the disposition of her childhood home in north Chicago. Around the same time, Baig came across a photograph by Patricia Evans of a young girl on a playground in CabriniGreen.

“I was very aware that these were places to be avoided,” Baig says of growing up around the time Cabrini-Green and other housing projects were being emptied and demolished. “I think that fed into making this film. I wanted to craft a narrative counter to the dominant cultural one, which was that these high rises were unfit

places to live and that they were only filled with drugs and violence. I wanted to focus on exploring the buildings from the perspective of children because that was something I hadn’t seen before, and it offered a way to understand and appreciate this world. For these boys, it’s the only place they’d ever called home.”

As Baig debated over who to help bring the script to life, she turned to Pat Scola, a New York native who received ASC’s Spotlight Award for Outstanding Cinematography on Michael Sarnoski’s Pig and was named one of Variety’s “10 Cinematographers to Watch” in 2021. Other credits include Sing Sing and the upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One . Of Scola (who ended up earning a Best Cinematography nomination at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards for his work on We Grown Now), Baig says it was the ICG member’s honest and personal reaction to her writing that won her over. She says Scola understood that even though this was an independent film on an independent budget, the scope and

scale would be ambitious.

“From the beginning, Minhal was clear that this wouldn’t be a film that we’ve seen before,” Scola recounts. “She didn’t want something observed and natural; she wanted the world to be special. The script is beautifully written with a magical quality that jumps off the page, and I think the visual language that we developed was a product of that magic.”

Many of the visual references are rooted in street photography – artists like Gordon Parks, John H. White, Carrie Mae Weems, Patricia Evans and Tyler Mitchell, whose influence was integral, especially for the playground sequences. Chicago-based photographer Dawoud Bey did a series of portraits of high schoolers, and in one scene, there’s a close-up of Malik in the classroom that was directly inspired by Bey’s work.

Another influence was Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino ( The Hand of God , The Great Beauty ). “I appreciate how ambitious [Sorrentino] is with the camera,” Baig observes. “He just goes for it, and that

lends this sense of grandeur; things are bigger and more exciting even if they’re mundane. And we needed that for when the kids escape from school or when they’re on the playground. The way that the camera moves and follows them, we drew from these sources that in subject matter are not anywhere near our film, but in terms of ambition and scope were important to the process. I never wanted this story to feel small.”

Adds Scola: “The camera takes on a naivete; it sees the world as a child would – big and unjaded. We wanted to find something that felt like street photography, which often does feel observed while still having a subjective camera. There was always a lot of care when debating any camera placement for a scene, and what felt appropriate with that dogma in mind.”

Initially, Baig and Scola wanted to shoot on film for its rich color rendition and to better emulate the time, 1992. When that

wasn’t an option, Scola opted for the ALEXA Mini LF shooting at full gate with a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. He had Blacksmith colorist Mikey Pehanich build a LUT that came out of Scola’s test footage of the Mini LF side-byside with Kodak 5207. They then graded that footage to emulate 35 mm, which became the LUT for the film. Scola used Canon Rangefinders lenses (converted for cinema), made by Lensworks and called “Type SK.”

As Chicago-based 1st AC Alan Dembek recalls: “Honestly, I had never heard of the lenses. I even looked through the index of Jay Holben’s The Cine Lens Manual and didn’t find anything. But apparently, the Type SK are very unique. On the Lensworks website, it says they’re ‘based on vintage 1960s Canon Rangefinders with three additional wide angles built with custom additional optics via a hybrid design in-house.’ The character of the lens comes through in the way that the edges of the frame are rendered. That was particularly apparent with the full-gate large format. It had a very specific out-offocus rendering that was kind of swirly and

interesting but not super in-your-face.”

One of the biggest asks for Dembek was putting together the gear in a way that was going to optimize Scola’s ability to tell the story from the kids’ perspective, specifically at their physical height. In many scenes, the camera is looking up at the adults. This required a functional conversation between Scola and Dembek about how to get the camera to that height while maintaining freedom and ease of moveability while keeping Scola (who operated all the handheld shots) and Camera Operator Jordan Marable (who handled all Steadicam, crane, dolly, Ronin, and non-handheld work) off their knees.

The solution was a backpack rig Scola created some seven years ago (dating back to the introduction of the ALEXA Mini) that the We Grown Now camera crew dubbed “the Pat-Pack.” The rig reduces camera functionality to the bare essentials, with any ancillary devices riding on Scola’s back. But because the production could only afford one camera, the need to

WRITER/DIRECTOR

MINHAL BAIG (L) SAYS ONE OF THE REASONS SHE HIRED ICG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY PAT SCOLA WAS FOR HIS HONEST AND PERSONAL REACTION TO HER SCRIPT. “PAT UNDERSTOOD THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS AN INDEPENDENT FILM ON AN INDEPENDENT BUDGET, THE SCOPE AND SCALE WOULD BE AMBITIOUS.”

switch quickly between handheld, on-theshoulder, dolly work, crane, Steadicam and Ronin at a moment’s notice, was key to the shoot, as Scola never wanted to be restricted to a single mode while working with two kids. The DP had experience with children as leads for And Then I Go and knew that flexibility was key in getting their day and getting the performances.

“The two main actors are about 10 years old,” Dembek shares. “When we began shooting, they were still in school, so we only had them for five hours a day. The concept of ‘seconds matter’ was very real. We needed to maximize the amount of time with the kids, and minimize the amount of time between camera configurations. Also, just for my sensibilities, I always want to create an environment for the DP, the director, and the camera operators where they can myopically choose a tool because it’s right for the story. I never want to contribute this seed of doubt where they’re halfway through a scene and decide that maybe we need to be on a crane for this shot, but can’t because it will take too much time. That drives me crazy! So, as much as possible, I put a big emphasis on how we organize the gear, how

the gear gets put together, and how quickly it takes to get between configurations, so it frees up the creatives from having that logistical burden.”

To build the camera for maximum flexibility, Dembek set himself up at Keslow Camera Chicago. He asked the prep techs to bring him every mechanical accessory they had for the Mini LF and sat in the corner of the service bay for about a month disassembling the camera down to just the brain. He then went through every accessory, weighing each piece, attaching, and reattaching bits to the camera, and reverse engineering it all to create the best (and lightest) version of the Pat-Pack he could, while not sacrificing the camera’s flexibility.

“There’s ‘the best’ version of the PatPack, which is akin to a Sony VENICE Rialto where you have none of the guts on the camera and everything on the backpack,” Dembek continues. “But that was not practical for what we were going to be doing with one camera body. Every other camera configuration – studio, Steadicam, Ronin, et cetera – ends up suffering because you’re having to physically move accessories on

and off the camera, and it’s way too slow. You also end up with this loom of cables that feeds the backpack, which can be unruly. If one of the cables breaks, you have to take the whole loom apart. If you’re a big studio job, you ask the rental house to make multiple looms for you, but we had to work within the resources we had.”

Ultimately, through his month of preproduction tinkering, Dembek found the perfect combination that minimized the weight for the Pat-Pack and reduced the changeover time to about thirty seconds, yet was still a fully equipped “A-Camera” that could do everything else. Scola, who brought his own backpack rig and cable loom to the show, says “refinements” Dembek made, along with Marable’s operating skills for the vast majority of the project (including a key oner at the end of the film) were both “instrumental” to the visual language of We Grown Now

When Production Designer Merje Veski moved to Chicago over two decades ago, Cabrini-Green was still standing. She remembers it as a fenced-off area,

“CABRINI-GREEN WAS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS IN THE COUNTRY AT THAT TIME, BUT I KEPT THINKING ABOUT HOW A CHILD SEES THE WORLD. THE MAGIC AND WONDER OF YOUTH, AND ALSO HOW THEY EXPERIENCE TRAGEDY IN THEIR WORLD.”

somewhere you didn’t want to get close to. Getting to recreate the location for We Grown Now , which they did in a Chicago warehouse, was a welcome process, one that reimagined Cabrini in a different light.

“These were people’s homes where they had their families and everyday ins and outs,” describes Veski, who’s recently been lauded for her work on The Bear [ICG Magazine September 2023] and has over 20 years of film and TV work behind her. Since she had no existing references to the inside of Cabrini-Green apartments, other than the interviews Baig conducted with dozens of former residents, Veski turned to the archives at The Art Institute of Chicago, The Chicago History Museum and the National Public Housing Museum. She even tried to find the architects who built the housing projects, but came up short. One plus was landing on some of the original blueprints, which helped to build the two boys’ apartments, the breezeway outside their front doors, and even the playground.

“Malik lived with his sister, mother and grandmother,” Veski explains. “So, I wanted to create a really lovely, warm, welcoming home where his friend can come over for dinner. His friend, Eric, lives only with a sister and father. And while they still had a loving home, their father worked a lot and wasn’t around much.”

Veski says she and Scola worked closely to create the look and feel of Chicago in the 1990s. “We used color to create the warmth inside the apartment because there wasn’t

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY PAT SCOLA

a lot of natural light in these cinder block buildings,” Veski adds. “We gave Pat lots of floor lamps, TV lights, and ceiling lamps for practicals. Then, outside in the breezeway or the stairwells, there’s a little bit of danger and scariness. When you’re a kid, your world always looks different. You don’t see the big worries, where the rent money comes from, where are the jobs. You have your breakfast and you go out and play or hang with your friends, and then you come home and you have dinner, but you don’t know where the food comes from. We wanted to create that more naïve and innocent kids’ point of view.”

Working on (and building) stages wasn’t something Baig had done, since her previous films were all shot on location. One of the biggest challenges was to recreate the breezeway, which is an exterior hallway that’s open to the elements with a fence on the open-air portion. When the kids look outside the fence, which they do in a few scenes, they can see Chicago spreading out before them. Baig, Scola, and Veski worked together to create a large backdrop – the best option to using green screen, which would add VFX costs in postproduction, as well as, according to Baig, be a challenge to get genuine performances from the boys.

“I’m proud of the lighting of our backdrop,” beams Scola. “Seeing out into Chicago was such a big part of the film and I knew we’d want to be staring directly into it often and without much obstruction. [Academy Award-winning backdrop technician] Phil Greenstreet at Rosco did

an incredible job on the soft drop for us. And it was lit perfectly by [Chief Lighting Technician] Brandon Hoeg.”

Years ago, when Scola was in Chicago on a different film researching a public housing community on the South Side of Chicago called Altgeld Gardens, he met with a 40-something woman who’d lived there her whole life. She talked about growing up in public housing, and how when she was young, it wasn’t called “public housing,” it was just “home.”

“That became a sort of North Star for me on We Grown Now ,” Scola shares. “CabriniGreen was one of the most notoriously dangerous public housing projects in the country at that time, but I kept thinking about how a child sees the world. The magic and wonder of youth, and also how they experience tragedy in their world.

“One of the major themes of the film is ‘a place is just a place, but it’s the people in it that make it matter,’” he adds. “Towards the end of the film, there is a scene where Malik relives the generations of family in his apartment. We wanted to do this in a more impressionistic way and decided to do it in a complex single shot, with simple, but beautiful lighting changes that illustrate different moments in time that are talked about throughout the film. It required the focus and attention of all our departments to make it possible and it was wonderful to see everyone come together for such a key moment in the story, and this character’s life.”

CHICAGO-BASED 1ST AC ALAN DEMBECK SAYS THE CHARACTER OF THE TYPE SK GLASS LENSWORKS PROVIDED (BASED ON VINTAGE CANON RANGEFINDERS) CAME THROUGH IN THE WAY FRAME EDGES WERE RENDERED. “THAT WAS PARTICULARLY APPARENT WITH THE FULL-GATE LARGE FORMAT,” DEMBECK DESCRIBES. “IT HAD A VERY SPECIFIC OUT-OF-FOCUS RENDERING THAT WAS KIND OF SWIRLY AND INTERESTING BUT NOT SUPER IN-YOUR-FACE.”

“WE’VE BEEN HISTORICALLY AT THE FOREFRONT OF MANY ISSUES. BUT NONE SO IMPORTANT AS WHERE WE ARE NOW WITH SAFETY.”

In 2019, ICG Magazine opened the door to one of the most important issues ICG members face daily – safety on set. We came at it from the individual’s point of view, highlighting some of the many “safety heroes” committed to protecting their fellow union members. Tragically, as five years passed, the industry suffered through some unforgettable (and egregious) incidents, leading to a more comprehensive and groundbreaking approach to the IATSE’s long-standing sentiment of “We take care of our own.” ICG National Executive Director Alex Tonisson says ICG is laser-focused in providing “ongoing leadership in the area of on-set safety. We’ve been historically at the forefront of many issues,” he adds. “But none so important as where we are now [with safety].”

Given the urgency around safety issues, we thought it time to provide an update to that 2019 article [ICG Magazine May 2019], with the focus now on key gains made by Local 600 in the ensuing years, along with existing initiatives that have gotten a key refresh. Topping that list is how, in June 2025, the face of production in California will change forever thanks to the recently passed California Senate Bill SB132, which establishes the Safety on Productions Pilot Program. This California-based program (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030, unless extended by the Legislature) requires an employer for a

motion picture production – who receives a motion picture tax credit for that motion picture production – to hire or assign a qualified safety advisor.

The bill requires a dedicated safety advisor on every production in the pilot program who is assigned exclusively to that project, starting in preproduction. That person will be responsible for developing both general and specific script-based risk assessments for various activities contained within the bill. Safety advisors will have access to updated scripts, locations, and relevant facilities; oversee daily safety meetings; and work collaboratively with department heads and others to mitigate expected and unexpected risks on production. The bill includes more than ten pages of microtype that, if you have the patience to read it, is logical, smart and well thought out.

“Why didn’t anybody think of this before?” one might ask.

They have. But, when you work in a bubble like the U.S. movie industry, it takes a broad vision to see beyond our shores for examples. That vision came in 2021 when former Local 600 National President John Lindley, ASC, shot a pilot with former DGA President Tommy Schlamme in Australia. “They had a safety advisor,” Lindley recalls, still slightly amazed. “Sure, there were many days when we were in a cow pasture. But also a few when a

wagon went over into a river, and there was a rescue, which all made sense. We had a safety advisor on set daily and in meetings before the shooting began.” Lindley realized the approach was different – not just because it was in another country – but because Production was proactive in taking care of their people.

Back in L.A., he and Schlamme started having conversations with other guilds about trying to replicate the model in Australia, where a safety advisor is required. With the 2014 passing of Production Assistant Sarah Jones still etched in recent memory, railroad safety was also a big concern. And after the death of Local 600 Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins on a New Mexico film set in October 2021, the push for improved gun safety came to the forefront.

“We began to bang the drum with a larger view,” Lindley recalls. Once former ICG National Executive Director Rebecca Rhine (now at the DGA) and Political Advisor Kathy Garmezy were pulled into the mix, the focus shifted. The idea was to combine all the safety concerns and, instead of writing them into a stand-alone bill, attach them to a January 2023 California Film Incentives bill, which the employers were committed to passing.

“After Rust ,” Rhine explains, “Senator Dave Cortese stepped in with a gun safety bill. And he was also open to looking at safety

Local 600 National Executive Director Alex Tonisson

WITH THE 2014 PASSING OF PRODUCTION ASSISTANT SARAH JONES STILL ETCHED IN RECENT MEMORY, RAILROAD SAFETY WAS ALSO A BIG CONCERN. AND AFTER THE DEATH OF LOCAL 600 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY HALYNA HUTCHINS ON A NEW MEXICO FILM SET IN OCTOBER 2021,

THE PUSH FOR IMPROVED GUN SAFETY CAME TO THE FOREFRONT.

on productions as a much broader challenge than just dealing with guns. “It took hundreds of hours of discussion and careful building of a labor coalition, including support from unions outside our industry who understood that elevating safety for workers served our collective interest, and that employers receiving funding from the state should be held to the highest standard of worker safety.”

In a slam-dunk victory for California labor, SB132 passed in July 2023, with the DGA later negotiating the bill’s application to a limited number of projects in New York and Georgia.

“The bill does require more work on our end,” Rhine adds. “We have to hammer out the elements of safety advisor training through the joint Labor/Management Safety Committee. If we are looking for a culture change that will last, this has to be implemented successfully.”

Of course, as Local 600 President Baird Steptoe describes, “Safety is not just on a set with stunts and the dangerous things we do. Individuals have to take personal responsibility for working long, unsafe hours. Take the ride [and hotel room] our contracts provide.”

Under the Basic, Low Budget, AICP, Videotape, Pay TV, and Area Standards agreements, rooms or rides are mandatory if the hours worked are unsafe. Productions must provide a room or a ride (round-trip if

necessary). Steptoe points out that when Production refuses to provide support for excessive hours on the set, shorter turnarounds, and way too many miles to get home to sleep and regenerate before another long day, the Rides and Rooms Initiative kicks in. “Report it to the local. See if someone is tired – suggest it to them,” the career camera technician adds. “We know that we often don’t want to be the only person. But it starts with one person. We have to look out for each other – side by side. It’s a film. It’s a movie. It’s our lives.”

Members need to be aware that this program exists for their benefit. That’s why the Guild has become more proactive: Local 600 will reimburse members who pay for a ride (round trip if necessary) or a room when they are too tired to drive home safely. For rides, UBER, Lyft, a taxi or car service, or a designated driver service that will drive your car to your home are acceptable, and two-way transportation is eligible. If a hotel is required, the costs should not exceed $200 (per night) with proper documentation. The program has a fund to reimburse a qualified member for the money laid out – and Local 600 will pursue the Production for reimbursement.

Although implementation has been slower than hoped, Rides and Rooms is making a difference. Second AC Nicola Caruso was working on the final few days of an HBO project, recalling how “we were shooting at a

recording studio in Hollywood, with a morning call time. It was a 14.3-hour workday involving over a hundred camera setups, which was mentally exhausting,” he recounts. “The next two days were scheduled to be night shoots at a remote mansion in Simi Valley, with no cell reception. This was a large shift change.”

Caruso knew his body...and he felt himself drifting off. “I was mad at myself for thinking I could drive home,” he admits.

The next day, Caruso approached his 1st AC about the drive. “We both agreed that it wouldn’t be wise to make the same drive at the end of another similar workday, so we informed Production that we requested a nearby hotel room after wrapping for safety reasons. The production team refused to book a room by saying that no hotels nearby could accommodate all 150 cast and crew members, even though we were only requesting one room.”

After another long workday, Caruso drove straight to the nearest hotel and paid for a room out of pocket. He sent the receipt to Production, but they refused to reimburse the expense, citing that the workday had only been 13.7 hours, less than the 14 hours under which they are contractually required to provide a ride or room. Frustrating? To say the least.

“WE HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER – SIDE BY SIDE. IT’S A FILM. IT’S A MOVIE. IT’S OUR LIVES.”

But Caruso didn’t just let it go. “I reported the issue to Local 600 and filled out a short online form to get reimbursed from our union Local 600 National President Baird Steptoe

LOCAL 600 WILL REIMBURSE MEMBERS WHO PAY FOR A RIDE ( ROUND TRIP IF NECESSARY ) OR A ROOM WHEN THEY ARE TOO TIRED TO DRIVE HOME SAFELY.

BY

for the room,” he explains. “I sent them the hotel receipt, and they quickly mailed me a check for the full amount. Alex Tonisson reached out personally for details on the incident and gave me regular updates on the case status with Production. Clearly, Local 600 cared more about my safety than the studio.”

Months later, HBO reimbursed the hotel expense. “There are strategies you can use,” describes Western Region Business Representative Kali Harrison to members reluctant to use the program. “Talk to your business rep. Talk to the AD right after lunch. He/she should know what the rest of the day will be like. Start having the conversation earlier. If you think something is up, you can bet others feel the same, so talk to your brothers and sisters, and take action.”

Harrison adds, “If you’re refused, don’t let it go. It only takes a few minutes to make arrangements for the end of the day when you are reasonably fresh. Find a hotel. Book a ride

to pick you up. You’ll feel a lot better during that long day if you know you’re taken care of when you get to the point where everything hurts from exhaustion.”

“If you see something, say something” cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to safety on set. However, as Tonisson notes, “Of course, there are potential and multiple dangers on every set. But due to the recent tragedy on Rust , guns are at the top of everyone’s mind. I’m encouraged to say we are taking major steps to make sure the right procedures are followed.”

“Hands off, that’s not your department!” is what NEB Safety Committee Member and 1st AC Tony Rivetti Sr. often shouts when he sees someone go near a gun on set. “I’ve worked a lot of years on a lot of films with armory,” Rivetti shares. “It’s always been the prop master/ armorer who runs the show and the first AD

who controls the set. Many of those projects have been done by one of the most dynamic teams in the business: Clint Eastwood and Director of Photography Jack Green, ASC. There is a reason Clint brings his own team with him – trust.”

Rivetti says the first time he understood not every set was safe was while shooting White Hunter, Black Heart . “We didn’t have our own prop master,” he recounts. “Early into the project, Jack immediately picked up on something – things were different. I felt it, too. So Jack went to Clint as he’d seen this other prop master at work. ‘He’s going to use a full load,’ he told Clint. That ended up not being safe. Clint went to the prop master and made him show everyone every cartridge that went with every gun.”

Gun safety may well be the most critical issue young filmmakers building their careers (and those who have been around for a while) should embrace. For Local 600, that means

PHOTO

SCOTT EVERETT WHITE

“ I’VE WORKED A LOT OF YEARS ON A LOT OF FILMS WITH ARMORY. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN THE PROP MASTER/ARMORER WHO RUNS THE

SHOW AND

THE FIRST AD WHO CONTROLS THE

SET. ”

continuing to do everything within the union’s power to help create an industry standard for which there is a safety coordinator and a trained licensed armorer on every set. A short and to-the-point video the Guild produced clearly lays out what’s at stake. In the video, licensed armorer Larry Zanoff (and his trusty mini flashlight, meant to check clear passages in every type of firearm), walks everyone through the proper lock box, the chain of custody, one that is open, the multitude of checkpoints, and the apparent differences between dummy bullets and a fully loaded weapon.

“Everything has to be in state-approved lock boxes,” Zanoff explains. “You need to begin with a dry run to show the first AD the gun is in a cold condition and dummy rounds can’t go bang.” Zanoff says every cast and crew member should know the difference between a blank, with pellets inside and the case crimped down, to a bullet with powder and a projectile.

“When we’re ready to bring a loaded gun onto the set,” he continues, “we repeat over the radio, even to crew on distant locations, ‘hot gun on set.’ I’ll often rattle the cartridge in my ear to ensure it is a dummy. We’ll also work with the actor and first AC to point the gun in the direction needed for the shot and decide if extra protection, like plexiglass, is needed. After ‘cut’ is called, the armorer – and the bigger the production, the more armorers are needed – must take the gun immediately from the actor, cleared and announced over the radio. It then goes back into the box – out of reach of anyone ready to work or just curious, until the next time the extensive checklist is followed again.”

For Zanoff, more eyes means a better

chance that all safety protocols will be adhered to. He puts his own spin on the safety catchphrase: “If you don’t see this – you should ask a question.”

Another issue that continues to threaten Guild members, specifically camera operators, is long, successive takes, which are notoriously used to excess in the unscripted genre.

“They are becoming an even larger issue as technology changes,” reveals NEB Safety Committee Member and longtime unscripted Operator Mande Whitaker, SOC [ICG Magazine November 2023]. “Historically,” she adds, “handheld doc shows have used ergonomically built balanced cameras. But now they’ve moved to more cinematic modular builds, which are more physically stressful for the operator, even under the best circumstances. Many things must be improved to make handheld operating safer. First, we must change the culture on set. The macho ‘fight through the pain’ of handheld has to stop if we want to prevent injuries, some of which are career-ending. We need protection, which we gained under [Safety Bulletin number 45].”

The road to changing the culture around long takes began in 2018 with an injury survey conducted by Local 600. The results were so alarming that in 2019, the Guild, in conjunction with the Contract Services Administration Trust Fund (CSATF), conducted an ergonomics study. The ergonomics expert visited various sets in varying genres to observe the crew during long and successive takes. Based on this expert’s findings, along with the survey data, it was clear that there was a dire need to improve safety for these crews. For many, primarily those whose careers are in unscripted, it was a cause to advocate.

Hours of handheld operating and abuse in the reality world were causing preventable injuries. The first line of defense is the proper support gear, i.e., tools such as the Ergo Rig and Easyrig, which must now be provided if requested. Also, the DP and director must consider whether the shot needs to be handheld to begin with, or whether it can be achieved with sticks, sliders, PED’s, etc. Next is proper staffing to allow for breaks and rotations. The greatest ally in this push for safer sets, aside from guild directors of photography, are our DGA colleagues. They are the ones who can implement best practices, such as breaks/rotations in unscripted, and can help to bring safety into the preproduction process.

ICG’s Safety Committee has also been working non-stop to give members an immediate, real-time connection to the potential hazards on every set. “The thought in the first iteration of ICG’s Safety App (created right after the death of Sarah Jones on the indie feature Midnight Rider) was “a need for our members to reach out and report hazards and to get help dealing with unsafe situations without the production knowing which crew member reported it,” explains NEB Safety Committee Co-chair Larry Nielsen. “The report would go to an ICG business rep, and they would either call the production or the studio to inform them of an unsafe environment on set.” Nielsen says that early iteration served its purpose, introducing an all-important way for crews to report issues anonymously and learn about a minimal amount of hazards everyone should be aware of. “But,” he continues, “it’s become outdated and is not user-friendly.” It

NEB Safety Committee Member and longtime 1st AC Tony Rivetti Sr.

was also difficult to navigate, and if you were in a remote area offline and filed a report, your report may not have been sent at all until the member could receive cell reception.

“The Safety Committee has been involved from day one of building out a new version of this app with the developer, Goji-Labs,” Nielsen describes. “We would meet with Goji on Mondays and Fridays, and recap and add what we felt was needed to the app, allowing our IT department to control the whole Goji relationship. We then considered the back end of the app and how the ICG business reps would use it. We brought in a rep from each region to get their input and learn what their needs would be from the app. CSATF then invited us to review the new online Firearms Safety Course, which our members will be required to take. We added our input on specific areas, including a more focused definition of what a blank would look like compared to a dummy and what a dummy round must contain and look like.”

And that’s only scratching the surface of

ICG’s updated Safety App, which launched on April 8, 2024. “We’re extremely proud of where we’ve come with this,” Tonisson shares. “There are a couple of essential new elements. We now can list safety hazards and keep them updated and accurate [in real time]. A page exists listing contact information that staff can now update themselves – for example, if there is a staff change. Before, the information would take something like six months to get posted.”

Local 600’s IT department updates inhouse for a faster, more accessible app to navigate – one that’s more robust and userfriendly. Nielsen says, “It will tell you if you’re offline and will send your hazard report the minute you get back to cell service, and it will inform you that it has sent your report. It also keeps track of the hazards you’ve filed and provides status updates. It has a backend interface that allows the business reps to update the hazard, edit the hazard, and track all reported hazards. Each hazard is searchable and stored within the app.”

NEB Safety Committee Co-chair Alfeo

Dixon, who was deeply involved in the app’s development, says that previously he would “address safety concerns head-on with an AD, key grip, or producer, and rarely open the ICG Safety App unless I needed to look-up something. And even then, I would take the privilege of calling our CR director directly. But now that I’ve become more familiar with its workability, and having a part in its rebuild and re-design, I feel the ICG Safety App is far more advanced. What I am most excited about is that one now has direct feedback on the status of their report and holds far more accountability on the staff side for addressing safety in a timely manner.”

Sadly, safety on set can never reach its full potential if union members are fearful of reprisals from those who hire them, or of not having the support of their department. But if we flip this idea of fear around to register something more like concern, safety gains on set are more likely to happen. It’s important in

this union of brothers and sisters, for whom the watchwords are “We take care of our own,” to know they never have to go it alone. Often one turns into five, and five into ten – there is power and safety in numbers.

Tonisson says Local 600’s Safety Bill of Rights embodies those principles.

“It’s a must-read for everyone in this union [and every other union],” he emphasizes. “We worked hard on this step-by-step guide to educate each of our members on handling safety on the set.” The Bill of Rights covers everything from “Can I stop working if asked to do something unsafe?” The short answer is yes if all of the conditions are met, you genuinely believe there is an imminent danger, and a reasonable person would agree there is a real danger of death or severe injury. Clearly state your concerns with a production representative. Assure Production you are ready, willing and able to resume work once the safety concerns are addressed. And make sure to submit a report via the Safety App and contact an ICG business rep.

State and Federal laws give workers the right to raise health and safety issues, the right to refuse to work, and the right to be protected from retaliation. Being fired for refusing to work in an unsafe environment is a violation of the law (and the contract under which members work).

Still, many members may wonder: “What if I am retaliated against for raising safety issues?” The answer is simple: weigh the risk or perceived retaliation against the very real possibility of you or another crew member being injured or killed. It’s important to document everything and call for a safety meeting if you see something of concern on the call sheet. The earlier a potential “glitch” is addressed, the safer a shoot will be.

As Steptoe adds about the Guild’s upcoming safety efforts, “We have an orientation and shop steward training in the process. The goal is to have one on every production, from television to features to reality.” Harrison, who is involved with everything from the updated Safety App to Rides and Rooms, says there

is another safety issue that’s key to worker safety: CPR classes for union members.

“We’re currently reaching out to the IA training trust fund to provide this class to our members no matter their region or where they live,” Harrison explains. “Our union has lost several members in the past due to cardiac arrest, and not just on a film set. Some members off-site, while prepping, have been having issues. So, we feel very strongly that this is a class our membership should have.”

As Tonisson concludes: “I’m extremely proud of the progress we’ve made and the safety milestones we’ve hit in my first year as ICG’s national executive director. I’m pleased with the cooperation between members and staff and their dedication to keeping everyone safe on set. Rides and Rooms. Gun Safety. Long Takes. The new user-friendly app. These are there for everyone. But the clock is ticking. [The safety advisor pilot program in] SB132 and implementing everything it embodies is just over a year away – launching in June 2025 – and we all need to be ready.”

PRODUCTION CREDITS

COMPILED

BY

TERESA MUÑOZ

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 compiling this section. 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 (including Still Photographers, Publicists, Additional Units, 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

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

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OPERATORS: GERARD CANCEL, ROBERT DEL RUSSO, CHRISTOPHER PIAZZA, DANIEL RIPP

STEADICAM OPERATOR: NICHOLAS FAYO

JIB ARM OPERATOR: MATTHEW MURO

CAMERA UTILITIES: MAURICE WILLIAMS, CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON

“MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN” SEASON 3

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRAD SMITH, MICHAEL MCDONOUGH

OPERATORS: ALAN PIERCE, MATT VALENTINE

ASSISTANTS: GRAHAM BURT, CORY STAMBLER, BENEDICT BALDAUFF, BRIAN BRESNEHAN

TECHNOCRANE TECH: BRAD WESTON

CAMERA UTILITIES: D'AURA DENISE PONTON, GABRIEL MARCHETTI, MATTHEW BERAN

LOADER: THOMAS HENRY HOLMES

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DENNIS PAUL MONG

EYE PRODUCTIONS

“BLUE BLOODS” SEASON 14

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DONALD THORIN

OPERATORS: STEVE CONSENTINO, GEOFFREY FROST

ASSISTANTS: NICHOLAS DEEG, KENNETH MARTELL, MATEO GONZALEZ, JOANTHAN SCHAEFER

LOADERS: MICHAEL PARRY, EMILY O'LEARY, NANDIYA ATTIYA, MARTIN PETERSON

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: EMILY ARAGONES, MATTHEW INFANTE, PETER KRAMER

GENUS AE, LLC

“KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOBIAS SCHLIESSLER

OPERATORS: JOHN MOYER, AYANA NEFERTARI BARAKA

ASSISTANTS: BASIL MIRREN, MARVIN LEE, KARRON MCKENZIE, JOSEPH ROBINSON, GIANNI CARSON

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ZACHARY SAINZ

LOADER: ADAM DO YOON KIM

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ANA GLORIA CARBALLOSA

HORIZON SCRIPTED TELEVISION, INC.

“YOU” SEASON 5

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MOTT HUPFEL

The Ultimate Static Profile!

The All-In-One KL PROFILE FC performs with ease on any set and sound stage.

Contact us for your demo today and see how well these fixtures perform.

The Ultimate Versatile Profile Fixture

Ideal for indoor key lighting or performance applications.

305w Full Spectrum RGBMA LED Array Precise CCT Control with CRI 93+

Manual Zoom Range of 6°- 50°

Over 10,000 Lumens of Output

Integrated Manual Iris

Motorized Rotating/Indexing Gobo Holder, Optional Fresnel Lens 10 Glass Gobos Included

OPERATORS: THOMAS SCHNAIDT, DANIEL HERSEY

ASSISTANTS: MARCOS RODRIGUEZ-QUIJANO, BEHNOON DADFAR, TONI SHEPPARD, KYRA KILFEATHER

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GUILLERMO TUNON

LOADER: ANGEL VASQUEZ

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: PHIL CARUSO, CLIFTON PRESCOD

INPUT OUTPUT FILMS, INC.

“APPLE MUSIC LIVE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHASE SMITH

OPERATORS: JAY KULICK, JIMMY O'DONNELL, OLIVER LANZENBERG, QUINTON HALE BROGAN, JUSTIN HENNING, KYLE DEITZ, SHAUN HARKINS, RICK COMPEAU, ANDREW JOSEPH MOORE

ASSISTANTS: CHEVY ANDERSON, KYLE REPKA, JEFFREY TAYLOR, EVAN WALSH, ELIZABETH CAVANAGH, WYATT MAKER, JORDAN LEVIE, DANIEL WORLOCK, KELLON INNOCENT, GREGORY HOWARD

STEADICAM OPERATOR: RYAN TOUSSIENG

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL MAIATICO

AGITO TECHS: BRIAN SHEID, CHRISTOPHER FERGUSON

DRONE OPERATOR: JONATHAN GRAHAM, DEXTER KENNEDY

DRONE VISUAL TECHNICIAN: GRGO SEVO

LIONSGATE

“POWER BOOK IV: FORCE” SEASON 4

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MAURICIO RUBINSTEIN, ASC

OPERATORS: SETH THOMAS, JOSHUA RAMOS

ASSISTANTS: CORY SOLON, RON RUANPHAE, MELISSA PRATT

STEADICAM OPERATOR: JOSHUA RAMOS

STEADICAM ASSISTANT: RON RUANPHAE

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RYAN SHUCK

LOADER: CHRIS HAYDEN

DIGITAL UTILITY: DAVID EDMONDS

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ELIZABETH SISSON

LDM WORLDWIDE PRODUCTIONS

“BAD BUNNY - BARCLAY CENTER”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SANTIAGO BENET MARI OPERATORS: MATT KLAMMER, CHRIS WAIREGI, TOSHIRO YAMAGUCHI, MICHAEL DRUCKER, RAPHY MOLINARY-MACHADO, EDGAR COLON, JILLIAN DE DOMENICO, CHRIS LANGAN, CARLOS RIVERA, ERIC ROBINSON, JORGE DEL TORO, DAVID CASTELLANO, MARC BLOOMGARDEN

JIM BOB LAY (JIB OPERATOR)

ASSISTANTS: MICHELLE Q SUN, EDWIN SHIMKO, STACY MIZE, ELIZABETH CASINELLI, CHRIS SEEHASE, MARCOS HERRERA, MITCH MALPICA, MICHAEL CSATLOS, TYLER SCHEFFLER, NATHANIEL PINHEIRO, WYATT MAKER

CAMERA UTILITIES: JOHN ESCUDERO,

JUAN GONZALEZ SALAS

TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: RICHARD YORK

TECHNOCRANE TECHS: NIKOLAS GANKOSKY, ARI DAVID MOORE, JIM BOB LAY, DANIEL FIORITO

MAIN GATE PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS”

SEASON 3

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JP WAKAYAMA

OPERATORS: TOBY TUCKER, BEN SPEK

ASSISTANTS: MATT BREWER, CAMERON CAREY, DARIN KRASK, DAISY SMITH

STEADICAM OPERATOR: BEN SPEK

STEADICAM ASSISTANT: CAMERON CAREY

LOADER: SONIA BARRIENTOS

DIGITAL UTILITY: JUNIOR PEREIRA

MERVINATOR PRODUCTIONS, INC.

“MERV”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JULIO MACAT, ASC

OPERATOR: JOSEPH DWYER

ASSISTANTS: DEB PETERSON, ELI MCMEEN WALLACE-JOHANSSON, PALMER ANDERSON, ALEXANDER MACAT

STEADICAM OPERATOR: GRANT LINDSAY ADAMS

CAMERA UTILITIES: CHRISTOPHER MARLOW, IAN CASSIDY, ANTHONY RICHARD SCOPINO

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ANDY BADER

LOADER: TIMOTHY DWYER

DRONE OPERATOR: DEXTER KENNEDY

DRONE PILOT: GRGO SEVO

DRONE TECH: ANDREW PEISTER

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: DANA HAWLEY, WILSON WEBB

MESQUITE PRODUCTIONS

“THE NIGHT AGENT” SEASON 2 NY UNIT

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID TUTTMAN, LULA CARVALHO

OPERATORS: OLIVER CARY, CONNIE HUANG

ASSISTANTS: JOHN OLIVERI, ADRIANA BRUNETTO-LIPMAN, ELIZABETH SINGER, BRIAN LYNCH, DONALD GAMBLE, HILARY BENAS

LOADERS: HAROLD ERKINS, CHRIS CHARMEL, JEANNA CANATSEY

DRONE CAMERA OPERATOR: BRENDAN POUTIER

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: STEPHANIE MEI-LING, CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS

MILLERBY MARRIAGE, LLC

“MILLER BY MARRIAGE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: WILLIAM REXER

OPERATOR: SPENCER MUHLSTOCK

ASSISTANTS: JOHN LARSON, JAMISON HENSON, BABETTE SIOBHAN GIBSON, MARTIN LUCERO, RICHARD JOSEPH PALLERO, ANDREA ANGELL, MANDY ROSE FORMAN, NYLE HIGGS

STEADICAM OPERATOR: JEFF MUHLSTOCK

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JAKOB FRIEDMAN

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MYLES ARONOWITZ

MONTEREY PICTURES, INC.

“UNTITLED MLB PROJECT”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TERRY ZUMALT

OPERATORS: DEVON HOFF-WEEKES, DAVID NEWTON

ASSISTANTS: DEVIN KEEBLER, ETHAN SERLING, CASSIE COKER

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOSHUA GREYTAK

NARROW ISLE PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“OUTER BANKS” SEASON 4

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BO WEBB, DARREN GENET, ITAI NEEMAN

OPERATORS: MATTHEW LYONS, STEPHEN ANDRICH, DEREK TINDALL

ASSISTANTS: LAWRENCE GIANNESCHI, PATRICK BOROWIAK, DOMINIC ATTANASIO, ROY KNAUF

CAMERA UTILITIES: PAIGE MARSICANO, DOUGLAS TORTORICI, HAILEY NELMS

LOADERS: JAMES LATHAM, JOSEPH THOMAS

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JACKSON LEE DAVIS

NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, LLC

“CHICAGO P.D.” SEASON 11

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES ZUCAL

OPERATORS: VICTOR MACIAS, JAMISON ACKER, CHRIS HOOD

ASSISTANTS: KYLE BELOUSEK, DON CARLSON, NICK WILSON, MARION TUCKER, CHRIS POLMANSKI, MAX MOORE

STEADICAM OPERATOR: VICTOR MACIAS

STEADICAM ASSISTANT: KYLE BELOUSEK

LOADER: STEVEN CLAY

DIGITAL UTILITIES: REBECCA JOHNSON, JACOB OCKER

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: LORI ALLEN

EPK: MADELYN MOMANO

“FBI INTERNATIONAL” SEASON 3

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ATTILA SZALAY, ASC

OPERATOR: BUD KREMP,SOC

STEADICAM/REMOTE HEAD TECH OPERATOR: BUD KREMP, SOC

“LAW & ORDER” SEASON 23

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JON DELGADO

OPERATOR: MICHAEL GRANTLAND

ASSISTANTS: JASON RIHALY, JACOB STAHLMAN, EMILY DUMBRILL, KELSEY MIDDLETON

STEADICAM OPERATOR: RICHARD KEENER

LOADERS: LUKE HEALY, AMANDA LETTIERI, MICHAEL CRESTA, ANDREA ANGELL

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: VIRGINIA SHERWOOD, IAN BRACONE, MICHAEL PARMELEE

“LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS

UNIT” SEASON 25

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FELIKS PARNELL

OPERATOR: CHRISTOPHER DEL SORDO

ASSISTANTS: JOSEPH METZGER, CHRISTIAN CARMODY, RYAN HADDON, LIAM GANNON, MARY NEARY

STEADICAM OPERATOR: JONATHAN HERRON

LOADER: JAMES WILLIAMS

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: PETER KRAMER, VIRGINIA SHERWOOD, EMILY ARAGONES

NETFLIX PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“ARTICLE TWO AKA ZERO DAY”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN CONROY, ASC, ISC OPERATORS: GREGOR TAVENNER, WYLDA BAYRON,

JON BECK, CHRIS REYNOLDS

ASSISTANTS: COURTNEY BRIDGERS, AMBER MATHES, MARC LOFORTE, COREY LICAMELI, CHRIS ENG, PATRICK BRACEY

STEADICAM OPERATOR: GREGOR TAVENNER

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TA

LOADERS: CLAIRE SNODE, NATE CARR

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JOJO WHILDEN

UNIT PUBLICIST: JULIE KUEHNDORF

“BLACK RABBIT” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: IGOR MARTINOVIC

OPERATOR: ARI ISSLER

ASSISTANTS: ALEXANDER WORSTER, STEPHEN MCBRIDE, ANJELA COVIAUX, YALE GROPMAN

STEADICAM OPERATOR: MATTHEW PEBLER

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LUKE GARAI TAYLOR

LOADERS: MCKENZIE JAMES RAYCROFT, DAVID STOREY

“COBRA KAI” SEASON 6

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ABRAHAM MARTINEZ, DAVID SAMMONS

OPERATORS: BRIAN NORDHEIM, TODD BARRON

ASSISTANTS: WARREN BRACE, GRACE PRELLER CHAMBERS, KANE PEARSON, OREN MALIK

LOADER: MIKE WILLIAMS

DIGITAL UTILITY: MARIELA PINA-NAVA

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CURTIS BAKER

“THAT '90S SHOW” SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GARY BAUM, ASC

OPERATORS: DAVID DECHANT, LANCE BILLITZER, JON PURDY, BRIAN GUNTER

ASSISTANTS: JEFF ROTH, YUKA KADONO

UTILITIES: DAN LORENZE, RICHIE FINE

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DEREK LANTZ

VIDEO CONTROLLER: JOHN O'BRIEN

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: PATRICK WYMORE

“THE LIFE LIST”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FLORIAN BALLHAUS, ASC

OPERATORS: DAVID THOMPSON, ROBERT MANCUSO

ASSISTANTS: TONY COAN, JUSTIN MANCUSO, DAVID ROSS, TYLER MANCUSO

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BJORN JACKSON

LOADERS: MARGARET HUGHES, LUISA ORTIZ

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: NICOLE RIVELLI, EMILY ARAGONES

ON TAP FILM, LLC

“LOVE IS BREWING”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AMANDA JOY MCGRADY

OPERATOR: DANIEL MASON

ASSISTANTS: FELIX GIUFFRIDA, CHRIS MALENFANT, RICHELLE TOPPING, EMILY KHAN

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT CLARK

OPTIMIZED PRODUCTIONS, LLC/WARNER BROS

PICTURES

“THE BRIDE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LAWRENCE SHER, ASC

OPERATOR: GEOFFREY KENNETH HALEY

ASSISTANTS: TIMOTHY METIVIER, GLENN KAPLAN, ANTHONY DEFRANCESCO, CORNELIA KLAPPER

HOLLY MCCARTHY

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TED VIOLA

LOADERS: JIMMY CHRISTOPHER MENDEZ, BRETT NORMAN

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: NIKO TAVERNISE

UNIT PUBLICIST: RACHAEL ROTH

PINK TOES, LLC

“TOW”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: VANJA CERNJUL, ASC

OPERATORS: MARK MOORE, SEBASTIAN SLAYTER

ASSISTANTS: EVAN WALSH, KEVIN WALTER, SHAUN MALKOVICH, AMANDA URIBE, JOSHUA REYES, ANDREA ANGELL

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: WILL FORTUNE

LOADER: RAUL MARTINEZ

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: ANTONY PLATT, EMILY ARAGONES, MATTHEW INFANTE

QUEENS OF CHRISTMAS MOVIE, LLC

“QUEENS OF CHRISTMAS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RODNEY CHARTERS, ASC OPERATORS: ANDREW PRIESTLEY, SAWYER OUBRE

ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL BELARDI, MATTHEW LYNCH, ANDREW BOYD, KATHERYN IUELE

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: DAVID SCOTT HOLLOWAY, MICHAEL SOFOKLES

RANDOM PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“TASK FORCE”

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LOWELL MEYER, ALEXANDER DISENHOF

OPERATOR: SHAWN SUNDBY

ASSISTANTS: TROY DOBBERTIN, KIMBERLY HERMAN, ALEC FREUND, JAMES MCCANN

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MATTHEW SELKIRK

STEADICAM OPERATOR: STEWART CANTRELL

LOADER: CORRINE MCANDREWS

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: PETER KRAMER

SCLERA PICTURES, LLC

“JOSEPHINE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GRETA ZOZULA

OPERATOR: CAITLIN MACHAK

ASSISTANTS: WILL DAUEL, SYDNEY COX, DENNIS ROGERS, ANNE LEE

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JORDAN LIVINGSTON LOADER: BRANDON SMITH

SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

“JEOPARDY!” SEASON 39

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: JEFF MESSENGER

VIDEO UTILITIES: MICHAEL CORWIN, JEFF KLIMUCK

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: TYLER GOLDEN

“GOOSEBUMPS”

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: THOMAS YATSKO, ERIC MOYNIER

OPERATORS: GREGORY PRINCIPATO, BEKA VENEZIA

ASSISTANTS: BRADEN BELMONTE, GAVIN FERNANDEZ, CAROLYN WILLS, AUSTIN RESTREPO

STEADICAM OPERATOR: GERARD SAVA

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: THOMAS YATSKO

LOADERS: OFELIA CHAVEZ, VINCENT FERRARI

DIGITAL UTILITY: LAWRENCE ODUSANYA

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: FRANCISCO ROMAN SANCHEZ, ZACH DILGARD

“WHEEL OF FORTUNE” SEASON 40

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF ENGEL

OPERATORS: DIANE L. FARRELL, SOC,

L.DAVID IRETE, RAY GONZALES, MIKE TRIBBLE

HEAD UTILITY: TINO MARQUEZ

CAMERA UTILITY: RAY THOMPSON

VIDEO CONTROLLER: JEFF MESSENGER

VIDEO UTILITIES: MICHAEL CORWIN, JEFF KLIMUCK

JIB ARM OPERATOR: STEVE SIMMONS

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROL KAELSON

SQUARE PEG PRODUCTIONS

“EDDINGTON”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DARIUS KHONDJI, ASC

OPERATORS: BRIAN OSMOND, TWOJAY DHILLON

ASSISTANTS: ALEX SCOTT, JONATHAN CLARK, LANE LUPER, ALLEN HRYNICK

STEADICAM OPERATOR: TWOJAY DHILLON

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GABRIEL KOLODNY

LOADER: OSCAR MONTEZ

DIGITAL UTILITY: JORDAN RAE HERRON

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RICHARD FOREMAN, JR.

UNIT PUBLICIST: DIANE SLATTERY

STALWART PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY”

SEASON 2

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM SUSCHITZKY, CORRIN HODGSON

OPERATORS: DEVIN LADD, PATRICK RUTH

ASSISTANTS: GREGORY WIMER, ZACK SHULTZ, TALIA KROHMAL, THOMAS BELLOTTI

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JASON BAUER

LOADER: ANNE ABBRUZZESE

DIGITAL UTILITY: EMILY KHAN

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT CLARK

STAMFORD MEDIA CENTER AND PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“STAMFORD MEDIA CENTER-WILKOS”

SEASON 17

OPERATORS: RON THOMPSON, VICTOR MATHEWS, ANTHONY LENZO, MARC NATHAN, DOMINICK

CIARDIELLO, JON ROSE, CHARLES BEDI

ASSISTANT: ROBERT BENEDETTI

CAMERA UTILITIES: JOE MANCUSI, ANTHONY DEFONZO, ROBERT FRITCHE, FRANK CAIOLA

CHYRON OPERATOR: DAVID KATZ

SUMMER 1, LLC

“THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY”

SEASON 3

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SANDRA VALDE-HANSEN

OPERATORS: MATTHEW DOLL, MICHAEL REPETA

ASSISTANTS: ALAN ALDRIDGE, SEAN YAPLE, SETH LEWIS, NICK COCUZZA

CAMERA UTILITY: HAILEY NELMS

LOADER: BRANDON ROBEY

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ERIKA DOSS

UNIVERSAL TELEVISION

“A CLASSIC SPY”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID MILLER

OPERATORS: ERIC DYSON, JOSH WILLIAMSON, JOHNNY MARTIN

ASSISTANTS: MARK FIGUEROA, AARON BOWEN, TONY MARTIN, CHRIS GARLAND, WILLIAM EVANS, RACHEL MANGUM

STEADICAM OPERATOR: JODY MILLER

LOADER: EMILY TAPANES

DIGITAL UTILITY: CHRIS MCGOVERN

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: COLLEEN HAYES

“BEL-AIR”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW STRAHORN

OPERATORS: GRANT CULWELL, DEAN MORIN

ASSISTANTS: JAMES RYDINGS, KAORU "Q" ISHIZUKA, CHRIS BURKET, BASSEM BALAA

STEADICAM OPERATOR: GRANT CULWELL

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TIM NAGASAWA

LOADER: BEAU MORAN

CAMERA UTILITY: JOE PACELLA

DIGITAL UTILITY: ALEKSEY SOLODOV

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: GREG GAYNE

WALKTHROUGH PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“THE MADNESS”

OPERATORS: LUCAS OWEN, WILLIAM GREEN

ASSISTANTS: MARC CHARBONNEAU, KEN THOMPSON, ALAN WOLFE, ANNE STRAUMAN-SCOTT, JOSHUA WATERMAN, MIGUEL GONZALEZ

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: IMANUEL ROBERT SMITH

LOADER: JAMAR OLIVE

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CLIFTON PRESCOD

WARNER BROS

“BOOKIE” SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TIM SUHRSTEDT, ASC OPERATORS: COLIN HUDSON, APRIL RUANE CROWLEY, LAWRENCE "DOC" KARMAN

ASSISTANTS: DAVID WHITE, JERRY PATTON, TRACY DAVEY, CHRIS GRIGGS, KEN BENDER, ROBYN BUCHANAN

LOADER: LIAM POWERS WHITE

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JOHN JOHNSON

“THE CLEANING LADY” SEASON 3

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAN CAUDILLO, VANESSA JOY SMITH

OPERATORS: MATTHEW PEARCE, DEMIAN SCOTT VAUGHS

ASSISTANTS: SEBASTIAN VEGA, RYAN BUSHMAN, TAYLOR HILBURN, RYAN EUSTIS

STEADICAM OPERATOR: MATTHEW PEARCE

STEADICAM ASSISTANT: SEBASTIAN VEGA

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAFEL MONTOYA

LOADER: JONAS HUERTA

DIGITAL UTILITY: ELLEOTT HERRERA

STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JEFF NEUMANN

COMMERCIALS

ANONYMOUS CONTENT

“JORDAN”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW BALLARD

OPERATOR: NATHAN SWINGLE

ASSISTANTS: PATRICK KELLY, DANIEL MASON, CHRISTOPHER HEBERT, MARY ANNE JANKE, MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ TORRENT

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ALEXANDRIA JONES

LOADER: MATTIE HAMER

BEHIND-THE SCENES: PETER FACKLER

“WALMART”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KELLY JEFFREY

OPERATOR: JUN LI

ASSISTANTS: PAYAM YAZDANDOOST, JOSEPH SORIA, STEVE DOYLE, CHRIS MARIUS JONES, TAMARA ARROBA

STEADICAM OPERATOR: JUN LI

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NINA CHADHA

TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: COREY KIEFER

TECHNOCRANE TECH: DERRICK ROSE

REMOTE HEAD TECH: CHRISTIAN HURLEY

BISCUIT

“LIFELOCK”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT

ASSISTANTS: LILA BYALL, KIRA HERNANDEZ

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

“SPECTRUM”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT

OPERATOR: JOHN PINGRY

ASSISTANTS: LILA BYALL, DANIEL HANYCH, GAVIN GROSSI, CARRIE LAZAR

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

CMS PRODUCTIONS

“HONEY NUT CHEERIOS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREAS LASKARIS

OPERATORS: JULIUS DAMENZ, BRANT HADFIELD

ASSISTANTS: ANNE FREIVOGEL, JOE TELLO, JORDANN SALVADOR, KC CAPEK, PRESTON BEENE

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: HENRIKAS GENUTIS

“MARYLAND LOTTERY”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KYLE DEITZ

“RATIO”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB HAUER

OPERATOR: JUN LI

ASSISTANTS: ERICK AGUILAR, LIAM MILLER, DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAFFI VESCO

“US FOODS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TREVOR FORREST

ASSISTANTS: ALEX GARCIA, MATT ARREDONDO

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JASON HELGREN

EPOCH MEDIA

“CA LOTTERY”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXIS ZABE

OPERATOR: CHRIS MOSELEY

COMPANY PAGE URL

ASSISTANTS: WAYNE GORING, BAS TIELE,

PATRICK ROMERO, KEITH BRONSDON

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NINA CHADHA

FURLINED

“POP-TARTS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIPPE LE SOURD

OPERATORS: KYLE REPKA, PETER AGLIATA

ASSISTANTS: RICHARD GIOIA, PETER MORELLO, NATHAN MCGARIGAL

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LUKAS METLICKA

HUNGRY MAN

“CHICK-FIL-A”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT

ASSISTANTS: LILA BYALL, GAVIN GROSSI

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

MJZ “SNAPCHAT”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BEN FORDESMAN

ASSISTANTS: KARLA MARIE CHRISTENSEN, SASHA WRIGHT

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NINA CHADHA

OLD HARBOR PRODUCTIONS “DISNEY: ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ZEUS MORAND

OPERATOR: LUCAS OWEN

ASSISTANTS: WALTER RODRIGUEZ, MATT DEGREFF, LEXA KREBS

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MATTHEW RICHARDS

PARK PICTURES

“SAM'S CLUB”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFFREY KIM

OPERATOR: VINCENT FOEILLET

ASSISTANTS: ERRIN ZINGALE, BRAD ROCHLITZER,

CHAPMAN LEONARD 9 HUBS.LA/Q02VRG2T0

CINE GEAR LA 21 WWW.CINEGEAREXPO.COM

ECA AWARDS 78 WWW.ECAWARDS.NET

ELATION 70 WWW.ELATIONLIGHTING.COM/KL-PROFILE-FC

FILMSCAPE CHICAGO 15 WWW.FILMSCAPECHICAGO.COM

THE STUDIO B&H 69 WWW.THESTUDIOBH.COM

TIFFEN 13 WWW.TIFFEN.COM/STEADICAM

JASON ADLER

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NINA CHADHA

RADICAL MEDIA

“T-MOBILE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT

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FALLOUT

This image is of the gulper/spewing Squire Thaddeus, with Guild Camera Operator Gerard Sava on Steadicam getting soaked. It was shot on the last day of principal photography on the backlot at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios in February, so it was very cold. We had multiple camera units shooting all over the lot, so I was running back and forth to capture behind-the-scenes images of the final inserts and special effects. Everything about Fallout was a return to analog filmmaking, including shooting on 35mm and getting to use my Hasselblad. I tried to shoot one roll a day, which is 10 frames, so I really had to slow down to measure the light and think about my images.

Another benefit was the “no cell phone” rule, which meant I didn’t have to contend with colleagues taking photos on their cell phones (which is my job)! The other unintended benefit of no cell phones is that our cast and crew tightly bonded, as, like in the old days, we went back to talking to each other. This shot was taken with a Nikon Z6 II, and Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 lens at F5.6 and 1/250th of a second – to freeze the vomit action!