ICG Magazine - November 2021 - Unscripted Issue

ICG MAGAZINE

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Contents UNSCRIPTED ISSUE November 2021 / Vol. 92 No. 10

DEPARTMENTS gear guide ................ 18 first look ................ 22 masterclass ................ 24 exposure ................ 26 production credits ................ 82 stop motion .............. 92

SPECIAL Home Cooking ...... 70

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FEATURE 01

CLUE ME IN Why is FOX’s The Masked Singer unlike anything else on television? Let’s check in with the Emmy-nominated IATSE production team to take a guess.

FEATURE 02 COURT ROYALTY Robert Elswit, ASC, serves up a loving portrait of America’s first family of tennis in King Richard.

FEATURE 03 LOST AND FOUND Netflix’s reality series Roaring Twenties melds old-school MTV (remember The Real World?) with new-era technology and themes.

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OUTSTANDING OPTICAL PERFORMANCE

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LEITZ PRIME WWW.LEITZ-CINE.COM

president's letter

For Halyna…

Normally, I use this space to introduce the content within each edition of ICG Magazine, but this is not a normal time. I am still reeling from the senseless death of Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins. I know the readers of this publication feel this as deeply as I do – sorrow, anger and helplessness swirl around and within us. Halyna has now joined Camera Assistant Sarah Jones, Camera Assistant Brent Hershman and other film workers killed while making light entertainment.

It’s no wonder we are angry.

As we steady ourselves, we have begun to plot the way forward that will make our work safer with weapons, but there are still many other dangers on sets and locations where we work – aerials, stunts, fatigued driving, excessively long takes, heavy equipment and more.

We need to attack all of these safety threats, and we will. IATSE Local 600 is committed to making sure all union members, on all productions, never come to work concerned for their safety. There is nothing more important than ensuring the employers meet their obligation to provide a safe work environment.

This month’s issue highlights Guild members working in the unscripted format. I have noted many times that unscripted production was the first to start up again after the shutdown. The risks these Guild members took to do their jobs were heroic. I admire their courage and spirit, which remains in play today as they go about their daily work, often in unpredictable circumstances. We celebrate their artistry in the pages that follow, while we continue to mourn the loss of our colleague, Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins – wife, mother, daughter, sister and so much more to so many people.

Let us hope this is the last time we have to temper our celebration of artistry with sorrow.

John Lindley, ASC National President International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600

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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

Aaron Epstein Margot Lester (icgmagazine.com) Tobin Yelland

ACCOUNTING Glenn Berger Dominique Ibarra

November 2021 vol. 92 no. 10

Local

600

International Cinematographers Guild

IATSE Local 600 NATIONAL PRESIDENT John Lindley, ASC VICE PRESIDENT Dejan Georgevich, ASC 1ST NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Christy Fiers 2ND NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Baird Steptoe NATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER Stephen Wong NATIONAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER Jamie Silverstein NATIONAL SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Deborah Lipman NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Rebecca Rhine ASSOCIATE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Chaim Kantor

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

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ADVERTISING POLICY: Readers should not assume that any products or services advertised in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine are endorsed by the International Cinematographers Guild. Although the Editorial staff adheres to standard industry practices in requiring advertisers to be “truthful and forthright,” there has been no extensive screening process by either International Cinematographers Guild Magazine or the International Cinematographers Guild.

EDITORIAL POLICY: The International Cinematographers Guild neither implicitly nor explicitly endorses opinions or political statements expressed in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. ICG Magazine considers unsolicited material via email only, provided all submissions are within current Contributor Guideline standards. All published material is subject to editing for length, style and content, with inclusion at the discretion of the Executive Editor and Art Director.

Local 600, International Cinematographers Guild, retains all ancillary and expressed rights of content and photos published in ICG Magazine and icgmagazine.com, subject to any negotiated prior arrangement. ICG Magazine regrets that it cannot publish letters to the editor.

ICG (ISSN 1527-6007) Ten issues published annually by The International Cinematographers Guild 7755 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA, 90046, U.S.A. Periodical postage paid at Los Angeles, California.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ICG 7755 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, California 90046 Copyright 2021, 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 The International Cinematographers Guild Magazine has been published monthly since 1929.

International Cinematographers Guild Magazine is a registered trademark.

www.icgmagazine.com www.icg600.com

T

alking to Alex Rudzinski (Exposure, page 26), director of FOX’s hit reality competition series The Masked Singer (Clue Me In, page 30), provided a much-needed reminder of the role entertainment has served since the world closed its doors in March 2020. This Emmy-winning Brit, who helped reimagine the U.K. reality hit Strictly Come Dancing in the U.S. as Dancing with the Stars, not only calls IATSE crews “the best in the world,” he also makes a great case for the enduring silliness The Masked Singer presents, in a year gob-smacked with pandemic-induced anxiety. “It’s fun, crazy and a little stupid,” he told me. “And people have found a place for it in their hearts.”

True enough. But all that wacky fun in front of The Masked Singer’s nearly two-dozen cameras doesn’t begin to reveal the challenges to this unique hybrid – part reality competition, part live-to-tape Super Bowl halftime show – that’s considered one of the most technically challenging on broadcast television. Rudzinski says it best in describing the genre we highlight every year in this Unscripted issue: “What we basically do in the multicam world is liveedit, while still preserving the energy of that performance – concert, competition, game show, whatever; the challenges are only tenable with the quality of the crews we employ, and ICG members are all at that very high standard.

I’m truly in awe of the caliber of professionalism in this country, the sheer eagerness to execute very complex work.”

One of these professionals is Lighting Designer Simon Miles, who has won two Emmys for Dancing with the Stars and was Emmy-nominated in 2021 for The Masked Singer. In recent seasons Miles has had to bring in 200 fixtures (to a fixed grid of some 680 lighting elements) for character-specific performances and handle an entire sequence in ultraviolet light. “The first and most important step was to create a close collaboration with the wardrobe and art departments,” Miles remembers, “so they could provide enough UVsensitive surfaces. This applied particularly to Chameleon, whose costume had to be covered

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with enough UV-sensitive paint and materials to make him completely and brightly visible under UV without using any supplemental lighting.”

The value IATSE crews bring to The Masked Singer is plain to see during the performance numbers; but there’s another, less heralded side to unscripted that’s at the heart of the format’s success. This month’s special – Home Cooking (page 70) – checks in with three Local 600 members – Tim Baker, Bill Palmer, and Seth Saint Vincent – who have encountered (nearly) every challenge associated with shooting the “hometown package,” aka a character’s real-life backstory. Baker’s assignments have included tracking a couple who were appearing on Dr. Phil with their weight-loss story across America (think scavenger hunt on Hollywood Blvd. with no budget for crowd control), to fighting back tears on the reveal for Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition.

One of Palmer’s regular gigs has been American Idol’s Homecoming Hero, where the top three contestants are flown back to their hometowns in the middle of finals week. A typical shoot day involves visiting the local news station, the governor’s house, the contestant’s old high school, their workplace, their childhood home, even the music shop where they got guitar lessons. “And we’re liable to throw in an impromptu swamp-boat adventure, ATV ride, and a nonsensical product-placement beat,” Palmer shares. He says the key to this unique type of production is much more than capturing “a drone shot” of a water tower with the town’s name. “It’s the people, the storefronts, all the frayed edges and split seams,” Palmer adds. “If the hometown feels a little sad and somber, avoid that wide-angle lens, and don’t fight off every unflattering shot with [LED’s].”

Saint Vincent, who has shot hometown packages for Undercover Boss, American Ninja Warrior [ICG Magazine May 2018], and Conan Without Borders, remembers an American Idol shoot for which he had to find a completely unobtrusive, secluded corner inside Houston’s Mission Control, as NASA officials conversed with astronauts in space! For Discovery Network’s Hazard Pay, Saint Vincent climbed a 1200foot radio tower to see the curvature of the earth.

He says the home stories have not only helped to hone his craft as a filmmaker, “they’ve allowed me to see life through the camera I never would have otherwise seen.”

Or, as Alex Rudzinski told me in describing the ongoing popularity of unscripted, not just with viewers but with longtime production professionals like himself: “It’s all about seeing individual crew members adding their magic dust to the show. That’s what makes something soar.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Photo courtesy of Charlie Samuels

Photo by Sara Terry

wide angle

Tobin Yelland Home Cooking “One of my favorite ways to photograph is unscripted. It’s kind of like going fishing: you never know what you’re going to catch.

Moments come and go in seconds. I find it both stimulating and challenging, and always full of surprises.”

Michael Becker Clue Me In “I feel extremely fortunate to work as the still photographer on FOX’s The Masked Singer. It’s a wonderfully talented cast, crew and production team, and a particularly fun show to shoot. The elaborate costumes and technical marvel of set design and lighting create a unique challenge and opportunity for stills capture. And as a musician and music lover, it’s a bonus getting to watch a concert on tape days. Hoping for many more seasons to come!”

ICG MAGAZINE

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David Geffner Executive Editor

Email: david@icgmagazine.com

Cover photo by Michael Becker

T W E N T I E S

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GEAR GUIDE

BB&S Compact BiColor Fresnel $595 WWW.BBSLIGHTING.COM

“Setting up a talk-show set, we used the BB&S CFL Compact BiColor Fresnels as backlights,” says Lighting Director/Director of Photography Bill Holshevnikoff.

“The wide-to-tight beam angle was fantastic. That allowed me to cover the area needed without having to move the fixtures. For a compact Fresnel, they have great output and color.” With a 5.5-inch footprint, the new Fresnel BiColor draws 38 watts and outputs more than 2900 lumen at 98 TLCI (tunable from 2800 to 6000 K). The hard-shadow beam fades from 100 percent at center to 60 percent at the edges, great for mixing and overlapping other lights while eliminating blinding glare. In addition, it’s powerful enough to be used as a key, fill, or backlight from 8 to 18 feet. Zooming capability is operated by BB&S’s smart ring-controlled focus system with a range of 15 to 80 degrees. The convection cooling system offers silent operation. The BB&S 4-way controller provides DMX 512/RDM to two fixtures simultaneously. The range of power options includes a 40-watt driver/ dimmer with D-Tap cable, 65-watt PSU (any voltage worldwide 110-270V), and locking AC cable. The CFL comes with an adjustable yoke-mounted TVMP and 2-meter cable mounted with a 4-pin XLR male connector.

Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K PLUS $1,295 / 4K PRO $1,795 WWW.BLACKMAGICDESIGN.COM

“One of the most under-appreciated issues with multicam live production is the magnitude of pieces that comes with it,” says Griffin Davis, producer and technical director at Butcher Bird Studios. “Cages, SDI cables, tally lights, monitors, lens-control remotes, converters, camera control cables… the list goes on and on. The new Blackmagic Studio Cameras answer this problem, as they pack a massive monitor, grip, tally light and more onto a portable, micro four-thirds camera.”

The 4K Plus and 4K Pro are self-contained, and compact studio cameras feature talkback, tally, camera control, built-in color corrector, Blackmagic RAW recording to USB disks, and more. With digital film camera dynamic range and color science, the cameras can handle extremely difficult lighting conditions while producing cinematic-looking images. As the perfect studio camera for ATEM mini switchers, the 4K Plus has a 4K sensor up to 25,6000 ISO, MFT lens mount, DHMI out, and a 7-inch LCD with sunshade. Designed for professional SDI or HDMI switchers, the 4K Pro has all the features of the Plus model, as well as 12G-SDI, professional XLR audio, brighter HDR LCD, 5-pin talkback and 10G Ethernet IP.

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No on-premises services are required to deliver secure encrypted video and audio streams. Each user receives a secure multi-view monitor of the production, and users and talent are linked via cloudbased communication channels. Remote operators and contributors can keep a live production running smoothly from desktop-based software or physical control panels. In addition, VCPR supports contribution sources from different geographic locations, reducing travel costs. VPCR was developed around a multi-vendor environment that connects using a standard, unified NDI signal. It addresses real-world challenges, including redundancy and reliability, while producing multiple shows with ASG clients.

Astera PixelBrick $445 WWW.ASTERA-LED.COM

The recently announced Astera PixelBrick is a flexible luminaire and multi-functional light source coupling the power and finesse of the Titan LED engine with the popular AX3 LightDrop in a new and fully adaptable housing. It is compact, light (1.1 kg) and handy as an up-lighting unit, or it can be hung anywhere and used as a universal source for accenting and texturing sets, buildings or façades. It is IP65 rated for exterior/damp environments and outputs 450 lumens (1200 lux at two meters) at 3200K. It can also be used like a general-purpose PAR-like fixture, complete with a bracket. Units can be joined together and built into an array of geometric shapes and clusters; Diffuser Domes switch the PixelBrick beams to softer eye-and-camera-candy effects and “pixel” looks. They are physically interconnected via a bespoke engineered track system on all four sides for maximum creativity. These tracks can also be used to mount airline track accessories like TrackPin, Hangar, and Handle.

The fixtures have an onboard battery pack offering five hours of fullbrightness operation. Other major features include RGB Mint Amber for producing stunning colors, authentic white tones from 1750-20000K, and CRI/TLCI of 96 or above.

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GEAR GUIDE

Sony Super 35mm 4K CMOS PRICING AVAILABLE DEC 1, 2021 PRO.SONY

Sony’s new HDC-5500 boasts a highly sensitive Super 35mm, 4K CMOS global shutter image sensor that enables multiple color gamut as well as the use of PL-mount 35mm lenses. The global shutter imager prevents rolling shutter distortion and flash band. The HDC-F5500 features a high frame rate of 120 fps, making it ideal for sports and live entertainment production. The camera’s high sensitivity and low noise also enhance wide aperture 35mm lenses for capturing action in any lighting conditions. Sony says the capture system is the answer to integrating the cinematic look into live event production. It combines Sony’s expertise with 35mm cinema and studio cameras, offering a new Super 35mm system camera that works easily alongside additional Sony products and solutions. The system features a motorized 8-step ND filter, which can be controlled locally or remotely. It also allows for precise selection of focus depth as well as controlled capture of fast-moving subjects, even in bright lighting. In addition, it supports BT.2020, S-Gamut3/S-Gamut3.Cine, and HLGenhanced creativity and reality, and seamlessly matches the color science driving Sony’s cameras.

ARRI LightNet PRICING DEPENDENT ON THE PROJECT WWW.ARRI.COM/LIGHTNET

ARRI LightNet is designed for seamless workflow integration with broadcast lighting systems, utilizing the full power of IP connectivity while ensuring ease of use, effectiveness, and efficiency in daily studio lighting operations. ARRI LightNet is a software platform that offers smart, logical, and at-aglance centralized monitoring, fault-finding, and management of broadcast studio lighting networks from any location. This innovative solution enables broadcast facilities to streamline the user-friendly monitoring of their lighting network in one robust platform, as remote, decentralized, and socially distanced work becomes increasingly necessary. LightNet actively monitors in real time and displays all necessary elements across a broadcast studio lighting network, including luminaires, consoles, network switches, splitters, nodes, etc. All relevant data is in an integrated single-user interface. This allows for all key users and technicians to work harmoniously in parallel while accessing and managing different aspects of the network.

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MSE’s The Claw $89 WWW.MSEGRIP.COM

Chief Lighting Technician Walter Bithell, who is currently working with Director of Photography Guillermo Garza on Desert Warrior in Saudi Arabia, describes Matthews Studio Equipment’s The Claw as a “must-have.” He says it “cleverly solves” how to rig/place everything from fluorescent bulbs to the modern LED tubes. “If I need to get an Astera 2-foot Helios rigged above the lens to add light to an actor’s face,” Bithell describes, “it happens with much more speed and precision with The Claw. The curvature of its fingers allows me to quickly hand-tighten, align the pin with the C-stand, and go. I can apply enough pressure to safely hold the tube and rotate it into the exact right spot without fear of the tube becoming dislodged or falling out. And I don’t have to use Duvetyn to protect the tube or come in with a C-stand at an awkward angle.” The Claw brings popular lights into the grip world, offering ease and compatibility with any common rigging that has a baby receiver. For added protection, each Claw finger is padded with textured rubber to avoid surface damage and slippage, and to safeguard against nicks and scrapes on delicate tube housing.

PROLIGHTS EclProfile CT+ $1,695 WWW.ACLIGHTING.COM

Released at the end of summer 2021, the new PROLIGHTS EclProfile CT+ is a high-quality six-color LED ellipsoidal, tunable white, and color-mixing light – perfect for live-event, unscripted and feature work. Designed to reach the finest quality of light for white tones and color spectrum (RGB, Royal Blue, Mint, PC Amber), its custom LED array and powerful onboard color control allow the fixture to reach bright and high-quality whites up to 97 CRI, keeping a consistent output and ensuring total control of the light.

In addition, the wide feature set includes special theatrical functions such as tungsten emulation on dimming, color gels, and virtual CTO, and studio functions such as ± green correction on linear white CCT. A zero-to-100percent linear electronic dimmer is included, with four selectable dimming modes. Strobe/shutter measures 1 to 25 Hz, electronic. The product features flicker-free operation with selectable PWM from 600 to 25,000 Hz.

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FIRST LOOK

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Jay Stamm LEAD ASSISTANT CAMERA

BY PAULINE ROGERS PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY STAMM

Jay Stamm had zero interest in cameras as a kid, instead aiming for a degree in Criminal Justice.

But the reality – versus the concept – of that chosen career wasn’t a fit, so Stamm went back to school, ultimately finding a home in television production. “I started as a PA and then became a grip, until the fall of 2010, when I got a job on Syfy’s game show Face Off,” the AC, who specializes in unscripted reality competition series, recalls. “My post was outside the engineering/AC room. After a few weeks, I became curious about the cameras.”

That led to becoming a camera PA on a few projects, where Travis Prow, lead AC on a pilot, offered Stamm some key advice – “stop taking PA jobs and start taking AC jobs.”

“I listened,” Stamm smiles, “and started texting/ emailing all of the AC’s I’d worked with.”

Stamm joined Local 600 in October 2016, and his first Lead AC was MTV’s Fear Factor [ICG Magazine February/March 2018]. Since then, he’s worked on everything from Bachelor/Bachelorette to Carpool Karaoke, as well as competition shows Wipeout, Fear Factor, and The Floor Is Lava.

Even in his relatively short career in unscripted, Stamm has seen changes.

“It’s the technology,” he muses. “Back in 2010, shows were shot on the Sony EX3, but most were with the F800. Now, cinema cameras have made a big impact: Sony VENICE, F55, FX9, ARRI ALEXA Mini, and AMIRA. Even the MōVI and Ronin gimbal

systems have made their way into our world. Every show has at least one gimbal.”

Stamm has been having a lot of fun working with a variety of cinema-style lenses and cameras.

As B-Camera assistant on TMS he used narrative tools such as the Probe lens to shoot a model of a volcano. Then there was a performer in a large rhinoceros costume “riding a bike” by holding onto bicycle handlebars rigged to an C-stand, sitting on an apple box fastened to a doorway dolly, and being pulled by a grip.

One of his most interesting challenges was for Supermarket Sweep.

“At one point, I was assigned to AC for three Ronin S gimbals, with Sony A7S II cameras,” he remembers. “Our director, Rupert Thompson, wanted to smoothly track the shopping contestants, who were all running around the store at a crazy pace. Steadicam was too clunky. A MōVI Pro or Ronin 2 would also have been too big and heavy. So, each camera operator wore a backpack equipped with the video transmitter and a Decimator MD-HX connected to the transmitter to be sent to the engineering truck. I’d never seen a setup like that before. It’s one camera build I’ll never forget.”

Being an AC in unscripted programming means being comfortable with multi-camera environments and the commitment to being a team player. “And by multi-camera, I don’t mean two cameras,” Stamm laughs. “We’re talking ten or more. Right now, I’m

Lead AC on TBS’ reboot of Wipeout, and we’re using ten Sony F55s with one Ronin S. The budget allowed for eight AC’s. Some are assigned two cameras, some one, but everyone is on the same page about helping each other.”

While morning interviews are being lensed for Wipeout, the AC whose cameras are not part of the interviews sets up for the Qualifier course.

“Once the interviews are finished, a couple of AC’s will help the interview AC’s move the camera carts and carry gear to the Qualifier course,” Stamm expands. “After the Qualifier, it’s a company move to the Gauntlet course. Once an AC has his/her camera set up and placed, he/she asks the other AC’s if anyone needs help. The main challenges in our world are often due to budgetary constraints, as there often isn’t an AC for every [camera] operator.

As a result, we have to play zone coverage, rather than man-on-man,” he smiles.

Stamm says he tried working in the narrative (scripted) format, “but it’s just not for me. Once the cameras start rolling, unscripted is a lot like live TV. You only get one take. Many people think unscripted is only dating shows or one that features a family,” he concludes, “but that’s not true. Highconcept game shows draw a huge viewership.

Hidden-camera shows, talent-search shows, homeimprovement shows are all staples of the format that are super-popular, and from which a great career can be achieved.”

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MASTER CLASS

Melissa Holt

BY PAULINE ROGERS PHOTO BY AARON EPSTEIN

Operating handheld, Melissa Holt played a pregnant camera operator trapped in an elevator on What Just Happened? as host Fred Savage “delivered her baby” in front of a live audience. On Jimmy Kimmel, Holt was fitted with fall-protection gear tethered to several anchorage points on the roof of a building. Grips provided counterbalance as they lowered her at a 45-degree angle while she gripped the matte box and pulled focus at the same time.

Both experiences, Holt says, are just a taste of the excitement typical of working in unscripted production. Or as Holt states quite firmly: “You have to be open to anything – and have a sense of adventure. Fast thinking and no fear” – all qualities that fit Holt’s personality. Labeling herself a “goth” in high school, she was headed for a career as an environmental scientist. But a filmmaking class at Drexel University and then earning an MFA in Cinematography from AFI (studying with Bill Dill, ASC, and Stephen Lighthill, ASC) taught her skills she now brings to work every day.

“I always make sure to set the tension, weights and balance on my pedestal camera,” she says of her chosen craft. “It’s extremely important to be comfortable while shooting, especially if it’s going to be a long show. I then adjust my monitor and settings to my liking. Some operators like to use peaking to assist them with focus and frame lines or crosshairs for framing purposes. You have to spend an adequate amount of time setting up your camera before rehearsals.”

Holt says working in unscripted is not just about staying on your toes. “It’s being open to the unpredictable camera movements to compensate for the talent’s actions,” she explains, “all the while keeping them nicely framed, which means proper headroom, smooth and motivated camera movements, and giving air to where they are looking. You have to pay close attention to the show director and know when your shot is ‘hot.’ But you also have to operate like

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you’re always live so that they can feel safe to take your camera at any time. You should shoot as if the weight of the entire show depends on your camera. Before taking high-profile jobs on TV shows or live concerts, I recommend operating for live convention shows to refine your skills.”

One of Holt’s staples is covering the red carpet at awards shows, which she says is no different than any other live event, “except you may never meet your show director or crew,” she laughs. “If you are on a ‘dress camera,’ your sole job is to get tilts and pans of the dresses and the women wearing them. A smile and a wave are a bonus. I always like to bring my Gekko Kisslite to such events, as celebrities like to look beautiful, and my ring light draws them to my camera like a moth to a flame.”

Holt admits to being addicted to shooting music, with a career highlight of shooting Rod Stewart’s reunion with Jeff Beck at the Hollywood Bowl. “I was told that I would be operating from a pedestal camera,” she remembers. “But when I arrived, I was asked to do handheld from the pit.”

And without a cable wrangler, Holt was on her own.

“The stage is pretty high above the pit, so I ended up having to operate with my head tilted at a 45-degree angle for the entire four-hour run of the show,” she adds. “My camera position put me front and center, and I found my angle being used on the Jumbotron 80 percent of the time – to a packed audience filled with celebrities behind me. I managed to shoot the entire concert without so much as a hiccup, and it was a huge success.”

Holt has filled many camera positions over the years, including A-Camera on The History Channel’s Join or Die with Craig Ferguson and shooting “cold opens” on wide-angle lenses. “I’d give Mr. Ferguson guides in relation to the set so that he knew where the edges of my frame were,” she recounts. “This gave him the freedom to move about without my repositioning so that he could safely dance around, quickly coming in close, only to back away again suddenly as he delivered his comedic monologue straight to the camera.”

The veteran operator says it’s important in those situations to be quick in pulling your own focus, another challenge unique to unscripted operators. “You won’t necessarily have focus marks,” she describes. “So, it’s all about your feel with the focus wheel and your eye. It is a good idea to position your hand so that you can pull focus from one end of the lens to the other in one fluid movement. For example, [Ferguson] spontaneously ducked under my camera in one episode, and then ran behind me and into the audience. I quickly swung around to follow, holding him in frame and in focus as he played with me in unscripted moves.”

One of Holt’s favorites was the sketch comedy Chelsea Lately, where she served as DP/Operator for the sketches and some of the “Cold Opens.” “We shot all of our sketches 180 to 270 degrees with multiple

cameras and genlock timecode,” she states. “That way, the editors didn’t have to worry about matching shots from one take to another as the actors improvised.

“But that also complicated lighting,” she continues.

“Lighting from the ground was often not possible as we’d see our stands in the shots. The ceilings were low, and the infrastructure wasn’t always stable enough to bite grip gear to it. So, we’d create our own truss for rigging lights and grip gear. Because wide shots are lit differently than scripted close-ups, this meant additional obstacles when maintaining matching f-stops with all cameras.”

Given all that, Holt says the biggest challenge of Chelsea Lately was shooting “in our green screen room, which was the size of an insert stage,” she smiles. “I lit entire sketches in there while trying to maintain distance between the painted backdrop and the actors and lighting them both separately. Negative fill was used to minimize green spill and reflections. Operating and being responsible for the look of the sketch and other cameras can be complicated, especially when shooting celebrities. So, I’d give myself the wide shot with a separate quad split monitor from video village.

That way, I could operate while watching the lighting, exposure and composition of all the other cameras, and make any necessary adjustments for additional takes.”

Most recently, Holt has been working on what she calls the “purest” form of live, unscripted television. “Big Brother is a competition game show with house reality and is shot with no interaction with the contestants,” she explains. “I liken it to [feature films] The Truman Show or Rear Window, where we, as camera people, are the ultimate voyeurs, framing up our version of reality as we peer through panes of one-way glass.

After four months of being locked up, the house guests slowly disintegrate into caged animals and become something of a sociological experiment. The show airs live to Paramount+ twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

Whatever the unscripted genre – talk show, live event, musical concert, reality competition – Holt’s advice is to always be prepared. “Before shooting any live event or unscripted show, it’s a good rule of thumb to take the time to watch the show and take note of its style,” she concludes. “It’s crucial – on the day – to be amenable to any last-minute changes, to quickly think on your feet, to be confident in your skills, to never let them see you sweat, and to stay relentlessly positive.

It’s important to be passionate about your work and offer suggestions to the show director whenever it’s welcomed. I would also like to note that even though our industry stresses being a master of one trade, I’ve had many experiences in my career where it’s been better not to get pigeon-holed into one specific area of shooting. The opportunities I had on Chelsea Lately would never have happened if I hadn’t had previous experience shooting documentaries, live-event camera operating, and DP skills.”

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Alex Rudzinski DIRECTOR THE MASKED SINGER

BY DAVID GEFFNER PHOTO BY PRASHANT GUPTA

Ask Emmy-winning director Alex Rudzinski to describe the runaway hit that is FOX Television’s The Masked Singer (page 30), and the U.K. transplant (who helped transform the British hit Strictly Come Dancing into the U.S. hit Dancing with the Stars) says it’s “pure unadulterated fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously.” In these traumatic, pandemicfueled times, Rudzinski calls The Masked Singer’s hybrid format – part game show, part reality competition – “totally unique from the past few years of derivative unscripted television. It’s silly, it’s crazy, it’s a little stupid, and it’s fun,” he laughs. “Given the times we’re living in, people of all generations have found a place for it in their hearts.”

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EXPOSURE

All of this may well be spot on. But that doesn’t mean anyone working behind the camera would sell the show short. In fact, given the visual emphasis on each character’s “costume” and the amount of time Rudzinski gets for rehearsals (90 minutes tops) to stage Oscars-level production numbers, The Masked Singer may be the most challenging unscripted hybrid on air. Each singing performance must be as meticulously planned – camera, lighting, staging, etc. – as any Super Bowl half-time show, with the caveat that the masked singers may let the emotion of the song alter what they do on stage. And that means Rudzinski, and his 14-plus camera operators, must be ready for everything and anything.

you have no idea who these celebrities are. And yet this show requires multiple rehearsals for every song. How does that work? [Laughs.] Good question! I get 25 minutes of camera time with each artist. And they have another 30 minutes on stage for vocal rehearsals. I may see another halfhour of performance rehearsals before that. So, the absolute maximum time with each performer before shooting the show would be 90 minutes, at best. That’s different from every other show I do.

Normally I’m on-stage, next to the artist, listening and divining their creative intent to support the show in the best way I can. Of course, working with the artists on Global Citizen is different from working with Rhianna on Amazon’s Savage X Fenty. But I am speaking directly with them! On

Not that working with a net made of “silly string” is new for the director, who has become, in recent years, the king of the live TV musical. Restaging Broadway hits for the small screen is second nature to Rudzinski, who counts Grease Live!, Hairspray Live!, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Rent Live and the upcoming Annie Live! and Young Frankenstein Live! among a diverse résumé. Other credits include Fear Factor, The Titan Games, The Gong Show, Billboard Music Awards, World of Dance and the 2021 Global Citizen Live Festival from Central Park. ICG Executive Editor David Geffner spoke to Rudzinski, who is currently prepping Season 7 of The Masked Singer.

The Masked Singer, the celebrities can only write me little messages on a whiteboard or talk with a digitally disguised voice. Our goal is to design beats for [the singers] as they interact with other dancers and the audience. But some of these outfits are incredibly heavy, with super-limited movements.

Last season we had giant Russian dolls, and all they could do was slowly rotate on wheels or make the mouth go up and down. So, I tried to create a moment where the Steadicam rotated with them, or I used misdirection, as we had multiple Russian eggs built with giant dolls simultaneously onstage.

That became a visual cacophony that was a little bit insane, but it was still fun to shoot.

ICG: One of the ways the U.S. version of The Masked Singer is different from the South Korean original is the staging of the performances – they are incredibly ambitious. Alex Rudzinski: I’ve lost track of how many countries now air the show, but watching the various versions, you can see how everyone has taken America’s lead in terms of the grandiosity of the staging. And there’s a clear reason for that: these masks, or personas, if you will, are larger than life, and the visual storytelling has to match. It helps embellish the guessinggame aspect as we plant clues within that fantastic staging. But it also helps me as a director get out of a hole – the number-one prerequisite for every singing show ever made is to tell the story with the close-up. You’re living in a tight shot because there is so much emotion coming from that performer’s face. But the close-up on The Masked Singer, while fun, is never changing. It’s a mask, for goodness’ sake! So, I have to lean into other forms of visual storytelling – staging, design, lighting and choreography, for example. The physicality of the costume and how it moves become really important.

And, by the way, I can’t speak to the singers, and they can’t speak to me [during the show].

But necessity, or in this case, limitation, is the mother of invention. Absolutely right. All of those challenges create rewards in different areas, and part of the show’s identity, its visual fabric, is to create these immersive worlds. For example, we’ve used a lot of augmented reality over the last few seasons, especially during the pandemic without a live audience. Those new tools allowed me to build virtual worlds bigger than anything we could create on stage. And with a show that is such a visual flight of fancy, you’re encouraged, as a director, to use new tools. So that aspect is always exciting and rewarding – for me and for our incredible production crew and camera team, which by the way is the best in the world. Period.

I’m glad you mentioned that, as I was stunned to learn that, just like everyone watching at home,

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A few years back I spoke with [American Ninja Warrior] director Patrick McManus, who said he knew every one of his camera operators by name and their strengths. Is that your approach?

Yeah, definitely. It’s almost like a prerequisite trait of every multi-cam director. You have to be in tandem with your crew as they are an extension of your aesthetic skills. If you don’t wisely choose the capture system, whether it’s Steadicam, pedestals, handheld, et cetera, and then carefully pair those systems with those operators who have the most experience in that particular area, and then, most

importantly, brief that team in what you’re trying to achieve – and respect their skills as filmmakers – then you’re going to get a lesser product. No question. In the world of multi-cam directing, the operating team you’ve assembled is your rock to lean on. And whenever someone drops out or is ill, it’s a big deal! This year we brought the Spydercam onto The Masked Singer, and that is a very specialized tool that is challenging to use. There are many obvious rewards, but there are also many pitfalls, and the camera operator is a big key.

I’m envisioning the control room of The Masked Singer as a half-Oscars, half-live football game.

How much do you do on the fly versus what is carefully rehearsed? Each of the unscripted genres I’ve done is different – some performances are broken down musically, with bars and beats, and I pre-decide where every shot will land.

For those, we give storyboard cards to each operator. Others, like Global Citizen, which was a six-and-a-half concert in real-time, I was just winging it with zero rehearsal. Every shot is called live. For Masked Singer I script because it’s so choreography-heavy. My background is obviously deep with dance shows, so I understand how to work with choreographers. And you just can’t wing it when it comes to the choreography, because by the time you’ve called a shot, and the TD has cut to it, you are behind. The only way to accurately cover choreography is to camera-script and create a storyboard that your AD calls back. I am making changes in real time, but it’s mostly nuances. To be calling shots on the fly and missing a quick head-turn or an extension of a leg because you’re a second late looks messy.

Break down the process for us. I watch a performance rehearsal the day before with my AD and from that create a camera script/storyboard and decide musically, with a lyric sheet, what every cut will be, which camera it will fall on, and the camera’s direction. On the day, we rehearse before and tidy it all up, and then during the shoot, it’s like an orchestra playing musical instruments – the camera operators hear shot numbers, bars and beats being called so they know where they are. It looks like a very tightly edited performance.

Talk about how you work with Lighting Designer Simon Miles, who won an Emmy with you on Dancing with the Stars in 2017 and was nominated in 2021 for The Masked Singer. It’s a close relationship with the heads of each department.

I’ll go back to two of my favorite tools this past season – wireless Steadicam and Spydercam. If I don’t have that conversation with Simon as to my intent of how I want to use those two systems, then it’s going to be a car crash on stage with respect

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“In the world of multi-cam directing, the [camera] operating team you’ve assembled is your rock to lean on.”

to the lighting. If I bring a Steadicam close to the performer, that operator will throw a shadow over the performer’s face from two feet away. We have to design which angles Simon’s follow-spots will come in from, whether we have to cross-fade follow-spots in real time on specific beats, and very accurately previsualize what distances we’re shooting from. It’s the same with the Spydercam.

It would be epic if I could just rig it from the back of the studio, rotate around the character and fly it back out. But the reality is that the camera system will fly through six different key- and backlights if I do that, creating shadows all over the studio!

You have to think like an air-traffic controller in three-dimensional space: at this point in the Spydercam’s route, we’ll want to cross-fade from a low-angle light, and then on shot 36 we go back to a rigged key light. Lighting and cinematography have to be joined at the hip for it to all work right.

We covered Hamilton when it aired last summer on Disney+ [ICG Magazine September 2020].

But that’s a different animal from what you’ve done with live musicals for television, correct?

It is. I know [Hamilton director] Tommy Kail very well, and he was filming a pre-staged entity that was playing in a proscenium theater. The film production team were guests in a pre-existing environment, as opposed to these live musicals, which are completely staged from scratch. Some of them have been on multiple sets, some of them are shot outside, some inside, some a mix of both, which is what Annie Live! will be. Superstar was

a rock concert in New York City. In terms of my process, they are tightly scripted, as it would be a disaster to do otherwise. Annie was a month for me on site, with about 2000 shots for a three-hour musical. I decide where each shot will land on each camera, shot duration, and dynamic – static, dolly, high angle, et cetera. I get four days of camera rehearsal and two days to see dress rehearsals, and that’s it. It’s a lot…[beat as he laughs]. They look overwhelming from a distance. So, you have to break it down into vignettes – this scene has eight characters in a house, this scene has three characters, and we’re outside moving. Eventually, you put them all together – 100 scenes and 13 acts – and you have the whole massive thing. [Laughs.]

You don’t reference the original Broadway version? We’ll watch everything. Annie has like four different movie versions. And all of that can inspire. But on every one of these live musical shows, from Grease on through to Annie, we’ve done our own thing. The proscenium format doesn’t lend itself to immersive coverage, which is what you need to make these emotionally compelling for a television audience. Immersive coverage means being able to put a Steadicam right in the heart of a scene and moving that camera to different locations as the scene/ performance evolves. It’s a hybrid that I would compare to doing a live feature film, without, of course, ever making the audience aware of your camerawork! They are amazing, magical and extremely tough to pull off.

With plenty of credit going to your Local 600 camera team. Oh, these beasts would not, could not happen, without the amazingly talented camera operators and camera assistants we have, along with the great TD’s, AD’s, choreographers, stage managers, and all the rest. Generally, these live TV musicals require crews of 300 to 400 people and can take up to a year to plan and prep. And the live-audience aspect is a recent addition, as we were the first – with Grease Live! – to try that.

We want viewers at home to hear and feel that synergy, so we’re always designing everything for the small-screen experience.

You began in live news with the BBC in England and shows like Fear Factor. What’s been the ongoing appeal of multi-camera? What we basically do in the multi-cam world is live edit, while still preserving the energy of that performance – concert, competition, game show, whatever. That is a wonderful challenge, and it’s only tenable with the quality of the crews we employ, and ICG members are all at that very high standard. Listen: no matter the cast, without these incredible technicians and creatives to support them, you have no show. And I’m truly in awe of the caliber of professionalism in this country, the sheer eagerness to execute very complex work. America creates so many winning formats because of the quality of its crews. Yes, it’s true, we directors set the structure, but what’s so rewarding is to see individual crew members add their magic dust to the show. That’s what makes something soar.

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CLUE WHY IS FOX’S THE MASKED SINGER UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE ON TELEVISION? LET’S CHECK IN WITH THE EMMYNOMINATED IATSE PRODUCTION TO TAKE A GUESS. BY PAULINE ROGERS PHOTOS BY MICHAEL BECKER

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ighting Designer Simon Miles, who won an Emmy award in 2014 and 2017 for Dancing with the Stars and was nominated for another Emmy this year for The Masked Singer, describes TV’s most unusual (and popular) reality competition series as a show “filled with wacky energy and designed with the intense use of color. It’s a place where we can be less restrained and build a robust world of hyper-color that complements each masked character and presents an identifiable visual narrative that is The Masked Singer.”

Viewers agree: The Masked Singer (TMS) has received the highest Nielsen ratings for non-sports programming in the key 1849 demographic every season it’s aired. It’s featured a range of celebrities, including Vivica A. Fox, Toni Braxton, Dionne Warwick, Donnie Wahlberg, Bobby Brown, Danny Trejo, Caitlyn Jenner and even Kermit the Frog, who take on such quirky (and often uncomfortable) alteregos as Raccoon, Russian Doll, Mother Nature, Piglet, Giraffe, Gremlin and even Mouse to sing their hearts out and keep the panelists and the audiences guessing.

The show’s camera package is as ambitious as its many production numbers.

Each show is captured from set positions by seven fixed Sony HDC-4300s on pedestals/ heavy sticks, eight UE 150 Robocams, two Blackmagic lock-offs, one Blackmagic slider, two handheld Sony 4300s, a P1 Railcam, one Jitacam on a 40-foot track, and one P1 RF Steadicam. The show’s permanent lighting system comprises about 680 fixtures – roughly 640 various DMX-controlled arc sources or LED moving and fixed heads – ROBE Pointes, Clay Paky Sharpys, GLP X4s, PRG Icon Edges, and Chauvet Accents. Plus, another 40 or so conventional fixtures, mostly ETC Source Four Lekos and PAR 64s on dimmers. The stage is lit almost exclusively with moving lights, except

for host Nick Cannon and the performers, who are keyed and backlit with PRG GroundControl Followspots.

Miles says the lighting design “has equipment in all the right places, plus a dozen or so assignable lights, allowing a show to be recorded from beginning to end, including all performance elements, without the need to add to or reconfigure the basic lighting rig. Which, of course, isn’t what we do,” he chuckles.

A one-hour episode of The Masked Singer can have up to six musical performances.

Each will have a specific creative treatment developed by Creative Director Tiana

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Gandelman. “An individual creative might be heavily reliant on a lighting element that is not part of the permanent setup, which requires bringing in an additional kit,” Miles adds. “There are times when we have added more than 200 fixtures, so our [Chief Lighting Technician] Maurice Dupleasis and the crew are busy.”

Pre-COVID, the panelists were lit by a single key and backlight – in set-and-forget fashion. But now each panelist has his or her own VL2600 Profile key light, refocused to accommodate position changes when there is a guest panelist who also gets their own VL2600 key light. Backlighting is from five ETC Lekos that provide universal coverage.

“An additional nuance is that the panelists often leave their seats to walk around on the deck,” Miles continues. “They’ll move into an area where we have carefully removed any light that contaminates the scenery behind

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them. Consequently, we have to open the top cuts on the key lights to keep our talent lit as they move away from the desk toward the scenery. This is all achieved remotely with focus presets in the lighting console courtesy of our [Lighting Director] Cory Fournier.”

Lighting for host Nick Cannon, and the various guest hosts, follows a defined pattern driven by the show’s narrative.

Most of Cannon’s time is spent center stage, alone or with a masked singer after their performances. The area is key- and backlit with GroundControl Followspots.

Miles says being on the same page with Production Designer James Connelly is key.

“This helps to preserve and, hopefully, amplify the concept of James’ designs,” Miles shares.

“I do not think it is our job to change a design, but it is our responsibility to raise flags if there

are potential issues and discuss solutions. And the good designers are also the ones who are not too proud to ask about whether or not a new or unconventional scene element can be lit and how their design can facilitate or enhance our work.”

Miles recalls how, “in Season 1, it turned out that, unknowingly, James and I had different ideas of how the Sceptron LED bars on the set should look – diffuser on or leave them off.

We had a chat on the phone and stated our cases, which wasn’t anything specific for me.

James, however, wanted to pursue a pixelated look. We came to a mutual agreement, and his concept looked great. Different perspectives, open minds, interesting results.”

What keeps everyone on the IATSE production team on their toes are the awardwinning costumes that are unique to each season. “Marina Toybina and Gabrielle Letamendi, the designers, do an incredible

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job each year with all the new characters.

Perversely, for a lighting guy, one of my favorites was the Black Swan.”

One sequence that checked many boxes was Chameleon’s performance of “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” performed in an ultraviolet (UV) world. Miles, who says he’s had “varied success with UV,” was determined to use everything he learned from prior failures to do better. “The first and most important step was to collaborate with the wardrobe and art departments to make sure they planned to provide enough UVsensitive surfaces that would allow us to see the shapes of performers and scenery under only ultraviolet light,” he recounts. “This applied particularly to Chameleon, whose costume had to be covered with enough UVsensitive paint and materials to make him completely and brightly visible under UV without using any supplemental lighting. The next most important step was to find as much UV lighting equipment as possible. Having got a pretty decent amount of kit, which included about 14 various UV-emitting LED fixtures and 20 fluorescent tubes, we placed the fixtures to maximize coverage of the choreography of

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Chameleon and his dancers.”

Miles says the final key step was having Video Controller Chris Hill develop settings that would exploit the attributes of the many cameras, rendering a scene key-lit with UV light and not a lot else. “We were all happy to say that it turned out all right,” Miles smiles.

The Season 5 finale was a favorite of many TMS crewmembers, particularly the performance of “Faithful” by Piglet. It started with a long Steadicam shot in the backstage space known as The Lair. This area is upstage, right-accessed through the mouth of the big stage-right mask. It’s populated with costumes from prior TMS competitors placed on 3-foot diameter pedestals and is used extensively as an interview space by the show’s field team.

It’s also the place where the audience sees Nick Cannon at the beginning of most shows as he starts his choreographed entrance to the main stage. The usable floor space, under normal circumstances, is about 8 feet wide and 30 feet long. “For Piglet’s performance, however, the room was also occupied by 80 or so gaily colored helium-filled balloons, most

of which were anchored to the floor, leaving a 2.5- to 3-foot-wide pathway, just big enough for Piglet and our intrepid Steadicam crew to negotiate,” Miles recalls.

“The lighting challenge was to allow the Steadicam and Piglet to walk up, down and around Balloon Alley, shooting 360 degrees for 45 seconds, shadow-free, without seeing unattractive hardware or getting in the way,” he continues. “The solution was to place 40 Chauvet EZpar up lights nestled amongst the balloons programmed in a variety of saturated colors, and a little overhead fill light from vertical Elation Octo Strips, also programmed in saturated colors, and a little overhead fill light from a couple of VL2500 spots that normally light the costume pedestals, with yet more saturated color.”

Once on stage, Piglet walked into three follow spots, one in magenta as a cross light from stage right, one in gold as a cross light from stage left, and a backlight in saturated blue. “That sounds like a gross combination,” Miles laughs. “But in the context of this performance, it worked! Piglet was joined on stage by four masked male dancers lit only with floor-mounted cross- and backlights.

OPERATOR RON LEHMAN [ABOVE] DESCRIBES THE EXTENSIVE USE OF STEADICAM ON TMS AS AN ADVENTURE. “I GET TO BE VERY INTERACTIVE WITH EVERYTHING FROM THE CHARACTER TO THE BACK-UP DANCERS TO THE PROPS ON STAGE.”

Because the dancers were in mostly white costumes, they remained completely visible throughout the performance without eclipsing Piglet as the dominant visual center of the scene. The last cue of the song introduced a previously unseen overhead array of 16 Sharpy beams in yellow, flying down to Piglet for the final beat of music. The performance was a perfect blend of the hypercolor approach with a sensitive song, and just enough flashy activity to augment the music and choreography. Piglet won the season.”

How does the Local 600 camera team for The Masked Singer keep up with all that excitement? According to Pedestal Operator Bettina M. Levesque, who has been with the series from the beginning, it’s an unusual show for camera.

“It’s very different shooting people singing with masks,” she reflects. “There’s no emotion on their faces, so we have to create the emotion with intricate camera movements.

Our director, Alex Rudzinski [Exposure, page 26], plans the shots with this in mind. I’m on one of the close-up ped cameras next to the

stage, and it’s fun to try to create the mood and emotion of each song. We use a lot of pans, tilts and focus rolls. We also don’t know who is behind the mask, so the crew winds up playing along.”

Operator Adam Margolis enjoys working the Railcam, a wireless remote-control dolly on a curved track that wraps around the stage.

“I operate it by driving it with foot pedals, and the camera is on a Newton stabilized remote head, which allows me to control the pan, tilt, zoom, and focus,” he explains. “My track is behind a few rows of audience to get heads and clapping hands in the foreground of the shot. I’m able to start on a close-up of the character, dolly, and zoom-out wide to see the entire stage, or visa-versa if needed. It’s a dynamic way to see all the elements of the stage production.”

Margolis says his controls are placed on a raised platform near the back of the stage, giving him line-of-sight to the rail, “which is crucial when the audience is in or set pieces occasionally block the track,” he adds. “My position keeps me separated from most of the other crew and talent, and we’re all on headsets to choreograph moves with Alex.”

Operator Ron Lehman describes the extensive use of Steadicam on TMS as an adventure. “I get to be very interactive with everything from the character to the back-up dancers to the props on stage,” he offers.

“The ability to move through this amazingly designed space that’s been created for each character makes for great shots. On the Season 5 finale, we began the Piglet song with a tracking number through hundreds of balloons. We’re really a part of the studio audience since we have no idea who is behind the mask.”

Operator Nathanial Havholm started on a pedestal in Season 1. “It was a difficult camera with a 98× lens that moved through the audience,” he recalls. “The performances are scripted by the director, so getting to exact positions in tight spaces all over the stage was a challenge. When the show moved to RED Studios, I took over the handheld position. The pandemic brought in AR (augmented reality), which added an attached camera to the top of the 4300.

“AR comes to the viewfinder via the HD prompter feed and sits picture-in-picture in the lower left,” he adds. “The feed is a

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“ IT’S VERY DIFFERENT SHOOTING PEOPLE SINGING WITH MASKS. THERE’S NO EMOTION ON THEIR FACES, SO WE HAVE TO CREATE THE EMOTION WITH INTRICATE CAMERA MOVEMENTS.” PEDESTAL OPERATOR BETTINA M. LEVESQUE

second delayed, so getting the timing right is challenging. We moved away from AR when the audiences returned for Season 6, and the handheld position became all about the performances and the audience reactions afterward.”

Brett Crutcher says that for Season 6, “we switched out the Jitacam for our mini Cablecam called the DynamiCam. It’s a camera that hangs on four wires that flies anywhere in the space instead of using our 27-foot Jitacam from the grid. It requires two camera operators. Mark Koonce operates the camera while I fly it. Mark and I have been on the show since Season 2 with the Jitacam.

“I must admit, we had a little more fun with the flexibility of the DynamiCam,” Crutcher adds. “I think this is one of the hardest shows to shoot with a system like this because it can go anywhere, so I’m constantly trying to stay out of our camera shots as well as dodge the spotlights and other lighting rigs while getting the shots as Alex scripts them. Simon and Cory Fournier have created an awesome look within the show, and I don’t want to blow a shot by flying through their lights or another camera.”

Crutcher says his favorite move in Season 6 is (as Rudzinski calls it) “‘seven, music, lights.’ That’s Alex’s cue for us [Camera 7] to fly from as far downstage and as high as possible, 25 feet up, down to one foot above the seated audience, and end five feet over the lip of the stage to reveal who gets unmasked. It’s an awesome shot with the CO2 jets and lights.”

Fans of The Masked Singer also love all the backstage content, clue packages, and show opens that drive the gameplay and aid the panel and audience in guessing who’s under the masks. Second Unit Director of Photography Markos Alvarado and his team – Corey Cooper, Jeremiah Thorne, Ricardo Ponce, Matt Isgro, and Richard Smith – work closely

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with Director Tim Murphy and Supervising Producers Zoe Ritchken and Ryan Sommer to create highly creative, hyper-stylized looks for the 30 to 60 packages they shoot each season. These packages have changed over the years. They started on location, then switched to animated packages, and now are shot all at RED Studios’ soundstage in front of a giant L-curved 25-by-55-foot LED wall.

The large steel decking platform is used for a combination of 3D motion graphics and set decoration to make the fantastic worlds come to life.

“Each segment has its own unique lighting setup,” Alvarado reveals. “Every morning, we have roughly an hour to block and light our setups after props and set decoration have worked their magic. Then I work with [Chief Lighting Technician] Derek Wilds and his team on how we are going to set the mood for the scene. Utilizing the LED wall for these clue packages makes for powerful images, and with all the tools we have, it’s a savings of time, cost and energy, compared to all the company moves we had to do in prior seasons. Now, in a few minutes, we can go from an exterior tropical beach location to an interior of a 1940s train car to a blue screen all on the same stage in Hollywood.”

Wilds says that for quickness and versatility, “we light with mostly moving lights – MAC Encores – and LEDs: ARRI S60, Aputure Nova, Vortex8, Astera Titan Tubes. We sometimes bust out some small HMI’s if we need extra punch – M18s, Jo Lekos, and JokerBug 800s. The moving lights, in tandem with our LED’s, are great because we can quickly focus, change colors, create effects, and program lighting and screen cues. None of that is possible without my talented programmer Mark Jacobson and [Assistant Chief Lighting Technician] Nicola Pizzi.”

The green screen packages are also challenging, as Wilds says the green screen isn’t always green due to the costumes’ “being

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LIGHTING DESIGNER SIMON MILES SAYS THERE ARE TIMES “WHEN WE HAVE ADDED MORE THAN 200 FIXTURES,” TO THE 680 FIXED LIGHTING ELEMENTS USED ON EVERY SHOW (LEFT). “AN ADDITIONAL NUANCE IS THAT THE PANELISTS OFTEN LEAVE THEIR SEATS TO WALK AROUND ON THE DECK,” ADDS MILES (ABOVE). “THEY’LL MOVE INTO AN AREA WHERE WE HAVE CAREFULLY REMOVED ANY LIGHT THAT CONTAMINATES THE SCENERY BEHIND THEM.”

every color under the sun. We have to adjust the LEDs to a different color on the flow, so the costume can be easily keyed out in post. It can be tricky to find the perfect offsetting color.”

Camera Operator Corey Cooper has two cameras in his unit. “ALEXA Mini on a MōVI Pro with Markos and an ARRI Amira on a Chapman for me,” he states. “We shoot on a combination of a few lenses: the two Zooms, Fujinon Cabrio 19-90-millimeter t2.9 and 85-300-millimeter t2.9, and the Sigma Zoom 18-35-millimeter t2.0 on the Mōvi Pro.” Alvarado says this second unit has been involved in some very fun sequences.

“One of my favorites was with Skunk, where two Men in Black played spies following her through a 1940s train until the package

culminates with a standoff between the three of them on the roof of a moving train car,” he shares. “It had a James Bond feel, but what I loved most was that our key grip, Chad Pelsang, rigged a PortaJib onto our dolly, so it allowed us to move into the set with the jib arm, which simulated on camera the feeling the train was moving.”

Another standout was the Season 6 premiere open, directed by Jason Edwards.

Alvarado says it included a slight nod to the iconic warehouse scene from the Indiana Jones franchise. “We had a combination of practical giant storage crates and screens,” he remembers. “It was designed to have lots of depth to sell the gag that we were in an enormous, cavernous space versus a

soundstage, but with the added Masked Singer twist of the crates being filled to the brim with colorful props and masks.”

Miles calls The Masked Singer one of his most rewarding projects.

“The level of commitment to maintaining the upward arc of creative development of the show, from all involved, is extraordinary and is sustained at a clip rarely seen in unscripted programming,” he concludes.

“As a lighting designer, it is invigorating to know there is virtually carte blanche for one’s vision of interpretation and realization of the challenges we tackle from show to show. As we move toward another season, it’s exciting to anticipate what we will achieve with our lights, cameras and actions.”

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LOCAL 600 CREW Lighting Designer Simon Miles Ped Operators Bert Atkinson Bettina Levesque Ped Operators (Judge) Cary Symmons Kary D. Daryl Studebaker Jeff Wheat Steve Thiel Robocam Rob Palmer Railcam Adam Margolis Spidercam Operator Mark Koonce Spidercam Arm Operator Brett Crutcher Steadicam Operator Ron Lehman Handheld Operator Nathan Havholm Video Controller Chris Hill Head Utility Jon Zuccaro Utilities Randy Pulley Kit Donovan Mike Bushner Dustin Stephens Steadicam Utility Robert Lorenz Railcam Tech Eric Bergez Still Photographer Michael Becker FIELD TEAM Director of Photography Markos Alvarado Operator Corey Cooper ACs Jeremiah Thorne Ricardo Ponce Matt Isgro

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Cou

urt ROYALTY ROBERT ELSWIT, ASC, SERVES UP A TOUCHING PORTRAIT OF AMERICA’S FIRST FAMILY OF TENNIS IN KING RICHARD.

BY DAVID GEFFNER PHOTOS BY CHIABELLA JAMES FRAMEGRABS COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

KEY GRIP CHRIS CENTRELLA’S PREFERENCE TO USE THE BISCUIT RIG (BELOW L/R) FOR THE MANY DRIVING SCENES IN RICHARD WILLIAMS’ VW BUS, FREED THE ACTORS – AND THE CAMERA TEAM – TO SAFELY CONCENTRATE ON THE NARRATIVE ACTION WITHIN THE SCENE. “THE BISCUIT IS NOT ALWAYS OUR FIRST TOOL,” CENTRELLA DESCRIBES. “BUT, IF YOU WANT THAT INDEPENDENCE, IT’S FANTASTIC.”

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IT

would be easy to watch Venus or Serena Williams standing alone at the baseline of one of their many Grand Slam matches and assume tennis is not a team sport. After all, tennis coaches aren’t even allowed to talk to their players during the game. But as the wonderfully new emotive feature King Richard makes clear: nothing could be further from the truth. This unique biopic, shot with an effortless grace (also far from the truth) by Oscar-winning Director of Photography Robert Elswit, ASC, and a group of long-time union collaborators, including Local 600 1st AC Erik Brown, Local 80 Key Grip Chris Centrella, and Local 728 Chief Lighting Technician Ian Kincaid, tells the story of Richard Williams (a phenomenal Will Smith), whose 78-point plan to mold two (of his five daughters) into tennis superstars was wildly successful, in no small part due to a loving, faith-filled family who all bought into their father’s improbable dream.

When we first meet Richard Williams, he’s traveling from his crime-ridden Compton, CA, neighborhood, circa early 1990s, to various upscale L.A. tennis clubs to find a pro-level coach for Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). The privileged, all-white gatekeepers of the tennis world are mostly amused by Williams, whose beat-up VW van and homemade marketing pamphlets are alien to their own experience. Polite but dismissive, they have zero effect on Williams’ zeal, whose intent to have his daughters not lose sight of their childhoods may feel alien to today’s young athletes. (Williams was criticized for pulling Venus out of all junior competition and decrying neither sister would go pro before reaching 16 ½ years old.)

Elswit, currently ensconced in Italy for a Showtime series, recalls meeting Director Reinaldo Marcus Green years ago when he was a Sundance Institute Directing Fellow. “We clicked on so many levels,” Elswit notes, “so when he approached me [in 2019] to shoot this film, I was pleasantly surprised.

Unfortunately, we did not have the amount of prep time required for a

story that has some complex tennis scenes – it’s a sports movie, sort of.

So, we shot nearly all of the familyoriented material in Compton, before COVID shut us down. COVID was not good for anybody, anywhere, but in this odd example, the forced break gave us six months to figure out how to visualize the tennis, as well as have Rei work on the script to provide more agency to Venus later in the film.”

Green, whose debut feature Monsters and Men ([ICG Magazine January 2018] won the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2018, says the goal was always to put “story first” when it came to how much tennis was needed to be visualized. “How much practice?

How many strokes do we need to show?” he shares. “Not only how the tennis looks but how it’s playing to the drama. This was particularly key to Venus and Serena’s development – their styles and skill levels as they age into these remarkable athletes.”

Those decisions, and subsequent visual choices, were built around a series of junior tournaments in which Venus competes (at the urging of her first coach other than her father, Paul Cohen, played by Tony

Goldwyn), where, after 63 matches, she emerges undefeated.

“Juniors was the chance to make sure Richard’s story didn’t get lost, while also showing the girls’ progression,” Green continues. “And the [COVID] break allowed us to look for more of those opportunities. Obviously, with the early scenes, we had to shoot wider to hide the fact that our actresses were 12 and 13 years old. But when we came back [six months later], both had grown two inches and matured a lot – as had their tennis skills.

Neither had played tennis before, and Saniyya was left-handed.

[Their maturation] allowed us to get in closer with the camera, particularly with the Palos Verdes tournament and the [Bank of the West] tournament at the end.”

While 1st AC Erik Brown, who has worked with Elswit for more than a decade, says that up to four cameras were employed – ALEXA XT Plus and ALEXA Mini, shot in ARRI RAW with the 4:3 sensor in Open Gate mode – for the Bank of the West tournament, the workflow was always narrative-driven. “Robert has tremendous photo discipline and carries prime lenses on all his shows,” Brown shares. “He’s not the guy who tells you to slap on a zoom and use it as a variable prime; he designs the shot and then tailors the lens to what’s needed.

“But with this film,” Brown continues, “Robert realized early on that the flexibility of using zoom lenses was key. We shot spherical in 2:39; the Panavision [Primo] zooms are readily available, match perfectly, and, with the 11:1 we used so much – a 24- to 275-millimeter zoom that goes down to a 2.8 – they provided tremendous flexibility for the tennis scenes.”

Elswit’s lens package did include a set of Panavision PVintage Super Speed primes, 14 to 100 mm, “with focal lengths duplicated for the few times we needed the same focal length on both A and B cameras,” Brown continues. “Robert’s a complete filmmaker, which means he won’t put [his focus puller] in a situation where you have to cover the action on a 200mm at

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ELSWIT SAYS THEY ORGANIZED THE TENNIS/ STORY BEATS AROUND CLOSE-UPS OF THE ACTORS, USING LONG LENSES “SO WE FEEL LIKE WE’RE OFF THE COURT AND SEEING WHAT SHE’S SEEING IN HER FACE AND EYES. OFTENTIMES SANIYYA ISN’T EVEN HITTING THE BALL – SHE’S JUST SWINGING THROUGH THE MOTION.”

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2.8. Like a director, he loves giving actors the flexibility to practice their craft, often telling us: ‘Please, don’t give them marks. I don’t want to box them in.’ That same approach was used for the tennis scenes, where, with Robert operating A-camera, and being on an 11:1, we could catch on the fly those magical frames that define a scene.”

Shooting under COVID safety protocols also dictated a more close-in approach to the tennis as extras in the stands were severely curtailed (and extensive VFX add-ons were not in the budget). “The tournaments became all about specific narrative beats,” Elswit explains. “How Venus is losing to Stafford at the beginning, and that moment when she and Richard exchange looks, and she digs deep to turn it all around. Or when Venus, who’s only 14, is just destroying the best player in the world at that time – Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. When Vicario takes the maximum amount of time allotted for a bathroom break and finally returns to the court, we see Venus come unglued, losing 11 straight games and the match. We don’t need to see the points being won or lost on a scoreboard to know what’s going on.”

Nor did Elswit and Green want to show announcers in a booth giving play-byplay, which the film’s producers, who were professional tennis players, thought was essential to keeping the audience up to speed.

“We organized the tennis/story beats around close-ups of the actors, using long lenses so we feel like we’re off the court and seeing what she’s seeing in her face and eyes,” Elswit continues. “Oftentimes Saniyya isn’t even hitting the ball – she’s just swinging through the motion. For the reverse-POV wide shots of Stafford or Sánchez Vicario, who are both played by real tennis players, we used young photo doubles, for we knew exactly what the action would be.”

As for holding focus for the tennis scenes, Brown, whose three-decade career began exclusively on film, says switching over to remote monitoring has been mainly a matter of adapting to survive. “Of course, I miss the days of pulling a knob at the camera and having such a close rapport with the operator, and the actors,” he reflects. “But having a tool like the Preston Light Ranger is a life-saver.

You can make adjustments so quickly, and that’s key when shooting a tennis match in real time.”

Much like a Venus or Serena Williams adjusting mid-match, the filmmakers on King Richard had to be light on their feet. Like “driving all over Los Angeles,” Elswit laughs, to find a suitable double for the Compton court where Williams brought his daughters.

“All of the courts have been converted to basketball and are a far cry from the kind of disaster where Venus and Serena played,”

Elswit notes. “We did find a court that was ‘Compton-adjacent’ that had a place where the local gangsters in the story could hang out and we could do night work. But even that needed to be ‘wrecked’ a little, as it was much nicer than the real thing.”

Elswit praises the decision of Production Designer Wynn Thomas [ICG Magazine January 2017] not to duplicate the real house in Compton, “which was a tiny box with two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom,” he continues. “Wynn, wisely, opted to find a slightly larger house nearby, which had some interior architectural features. It would have been middle class when it was built in the 1930s or 1940s and become run down over the years along with the neighborhood.

Wynn’s choice allowed for more flexibility with lighting and camera, which was helpful with the many interiors shot with Richard, Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis) and the girls.”

Speaking of that neighborhood, Green says he was startled to hear stories from the real Williams sisters about dropping to the ground during practice after gunshots sounded from a nearby drive-by shooting.

“And then, they’d get right back up after the gunfire stopped and return to practice,” he marvels. “That’s the reality these girls were dealing with, and, while we wanted to be true to that in the film, we also were cognizant of how much Venus and Serena are still attached to Compton: how much they’ve done for their city and how much Compton has always loved and supported their hometown superstars.”

Those 90s-era “Compton moments” occur when Williams, who owned a private security company, endures continual harassment of his oldest daughter, Tunde (Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew), by a local gangster. When he confronts the thug, first being taunted and spat on, and then later, punched and kicked to the ground, he sets off to end the threat to his family.

Key Grip Chris Centrella, who first worked with Elswit on the Martin Scorsese documentary Shine a Light (2008), says a lot of the challenges on King Richard were in the logistics. “You have night scenes, and a limited number of hours with the actors due to their age, along with a lot of practical locations, and a modest budget for a movie of this size,” he shares. “What held it all together was the partnership between Robert and Rei – Robert’s a narratively-driven cinematographer who, literally, has never said the words to me: ‘Oh, wow, what a great shot!’”

Centrella laughs. “And Rei is a guy who’s much the same way. He’s open to ideas from all comers, as long as they serve the story.”

The moment Williams strikes back at the gangster and is beaten to the ground as his daughters watch is one of Elswit’s favorites.

“The reverse of the girls inside the van was shot late afternoon, with the sun coming in, and we had just filled them with enough

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light,” he recalls. “Will was amazing. I think he threw himself down to get that reaction.

And that little beat, which we did very early in the schedule, right after preproduction, said so much about that entire family and what they overcame in their lives.”

As for lighting a range of skin tones, Elswit notes that “modern digital sensors and film stocks make worrying about lighting dark flesh tones a thing of the past. What’s wonderful about lighting black faces is the beautiful way that dark skin reflects light.

Rather than presenting a problem, it presents an opportunity, especially in night work or in any low-light situation, to bounce light into reflective surfaces like beadboard and muslin to illuminate and shape dark faces in interesting and expressive ways.”

Ultimately, Williams tracks the thug to a convenience store to gain retaliation. But an astonishing twist of fate suddenly alters his plans. “We were told Richard had to deal with this kind of violence on a daily basis,” Green explains. “And while we took some liberties in the film as to how that real event happened, the point was made – graphically, but still tastefully, I feel – about what these people had to deal with. We didn’t want to alienate a community where there’s still a

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lasting connection.”

Centrella recounts the scene as being shot night-for-night “and having a very 1970s/1980s gritty photography, with Ian just using some large lightboxes for an oldschool feel. As Will is cruising around, we had Robert shooting handheld on the Biscuit, a tool we used a lot for its smaller footprint and versatility.” Centrella, who introduced Kincaid to Elswit on Suburbicon (2017), praises the pair’s ability to make things “not look lit.”

“Ian works so much on the edge of the story,” he continues, “without having to worry what’s six blocks deep. We talked a lot about what’s the minimum [amount of light rigging needed] to make the van scenes feel real. We used ND around the back of the bus for the day driving and let the natural spill come in to light the girls. The great thing about shooting ALEXA, especially with the night work, is you get all those free backgrounds. Robert and Ian are so in tune with exactly how much lighting is needed to tell the story.”

Elswit says that while he wants a night scene to feel unlit, “there’s always a dramatic aspect to shooting at night. Driving with Will as he’s searching for the gangsters, you want it to feel like it’s all sodium vapor from the streetlights and the cheap fluorescents inside the convenience stores. I like to have a base exposure on the actor as they are driving, that

feels like the ambient night light. Then, when they go under a streetlight, it will get brighter on their face and hands. That feels real to me.”

What also feels real was Centrella’s preference to use the Biscuit Rig, essentially a car mounted on another driving platform that frees the actors (and the camera team) to safely concentrate on the narrative action within the scene. “The Biscuit is not always our first tool,” Centrella describes. “But, if you want that independence, it’s fantastic.

Will is often looking over his shoulder in the van, interacting with the girls in the back seat, and that would be more problematic if he were free driving. The Biscuit also allows vehicles to be inches apart, unlike a process trailer that won’t provide that intimacy. We put Al Pacino’s Rolls Royce on the Biscuit for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood [shot by Robert Richardson, ASC], and it was much easier to maneuver through those city streets.”

Maneuvering the perils of raising not one but two budding superstars occupies the final third of King Richard. Williams moves his family to Florida, where Venus and Serena are coached by Rick Macci (a terrific Jon Bernthal), who groomed the teen phenom (and then later teen burnout) Jennifer Capriati (Jessica Wacnik). Macci clashes with Williams over

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“ HAVING MET THE WILLIAMS FAMILY, I THINK I KNOW HOW RICHARD AND HIS WIFE, ORACENE, CREATED A WORLD WHERE ALL FIVE OF THEIR GIRLS LEARNED TO BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES...

THEY DID IT WITH HARD WORK AND LOVE. A LOT OF LOVE.” ROBERT ELSWIT, ASC

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his desires to hold Venus and Serena back from turning pro, as well as decline a massive endorsement deal from Nike. The story builds to several key narrative highlights, including a frustrated Venus firing groundstrokes at her dad on the tennis court one night.

“That moment was originally written inside a bedroom,” Green says. “So, the COVID shutdown allowed us to completely rethink it. It’s a critical juncture, where Venus is taking agency, and I felt she needed to be out on the court.”

Green says that once he and Elswit conceived how to stage and shoot the scene, he was able to convince the writers, producers, and the Williams family that it was essential to the story. “The visual of Venus alone, hitting balls back at her father, as the tears are coming down both their cheeks, is so powerful,” he adds. “Venus has been fairly quiet, and completely respectful of everything Richard wants from her, so it’s that moment when she stands up for herself. It’s also that moment when her father begins to let go. It works because you know how much these two people love and care for each other.”

Brown praises the way the night scene was visualized, noting that “Robert is so good at balancing light. If he’s got a wide shot that may see beyond the court where he doesn’t have control, you know you’ll be shooting at low light levels so everything in the distance will match, and he doesn’t have to spend time fixing it in post.”

Centrella says the scene was shot at a sports complex near Orange County, CA, which had a period tennis facility look. “We used the existing [stadium] lights that we corrected for color temperature, and Robert shot right down the top of the net to give this great spatial equity to the father and daughter,” he recalls. “We wanted to keep it simple to give Rei as much time with Will and Saniyya as possible. The clock is always ticking when working with child actors, so you have to move quickly. That facility went four or five courts deep, so Robert had the other court lights turned off, and used the lights on the court where we shot for about ninety percent of the lighting. It’s a pretty incredible moment.”

Elswit calls the scene a pivotal point in the film. “We see Venus filled with all the power, athleticism, and intensity that both Williams sisters used to change women’s tennis forever.

It’s a visual metaphor for how her place in this close, loving family was about to change.”

Family, and the support that brings, not only drive the film but pervaded the set as well. “As with many projects,” Brown concludes, “the crew and cast become a surrogate family. But this film went to another level. Will created this incredible energy that allowed the girls to become so comfortable with each other – like real sisters. I can’t count the number of times Robert was in my headset whispering quietly to ‘turn on the cameras’ to get unscripted moments of them

before or between takes.”

Green says working with Elswit left an indelible impression on his own craft. “He’s a filmmaker, and everyone he works with – from AC to grip – is a filmmaker as well,” Green concludes. “Robert and I hardly talked about camera – at all. The conversations were always about character and story; and his knowledge of story, which, of course, informs where we put the camera, is second to none.

I grew up on his cinematography, so having that level of talent creates confidence for you as a director. ‘Hey, I’ve always wanted to make a film shot by Robert Elswit, and now I’ve actually got Robert Elswit here to help me do it!’”

Elswit defers such praise, pointing to the true heroes of King Richard.

“Having met the Williams family, I think I know how Richard and his wife, Oracene, were able to create a world where all five of their girls learned to believe in themselves, flourish and go on to become such extraordinary women,” Elswit shares. “It was probably much the same way Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis and Reinaldo Green were able to do the same with the five wonderful young actors who played the Williams sisters in our movie. They did it with hard work and love. A lot of love. Working on King Richard was one of those rare movie experiences where at the end of shooting all of us, cast and crew alike, felt we’d become part of a caring and loving family.”

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LOCAL 600 CREW Director of Photography Robert Elswit, SOC

DIT Erika McKee

A-Camera 1st ACs Josh Friz Erik Brown

Additional DIT Dan Skinner

A-Camera 2nd AC Larissa Supplitt B-Camera/Steadicam Operators Dana Morris Colin Anderson, SOC B-Camera 1st AC Mark Spath B-Camera 2nd AC Ryan Creasy C-Camera Operator Chris Moseley C-Camera 1st AC Joe Segura C-Camera 2nd AC Jordan Cramer D-Camera Operator Andrew Rowlands D-Camera 1st ACs Simon England Jimmy Ward D-Camera 2nd AC Sean Kisch Additional 2nd AC Renee Treyball Loader Kelly Simpson

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DIT Utility Ted Phuthanhdanh Camera Utility Jair Bobbitt Still Photographer Chiabella James Unit Publicist Cid Swank

2ND UNIT Director of Photography Patrick Loungway Operator Andrew Turman 1st AC John Holmes 2nd AC Roxanne Stephens Loader Johanna Salo DIT Dane Brehm

ON ELSWIT’S SKILL WITH THE NIGHT-FOR-NIGHT SCENES, 1ST AC ERIK BROWN NOTES: “ROBERT IS SO GOOD AT BALANCING LIGHT. IF HE’S GOT A WIDE SHOT THAT MAY SEE BEYOND THE COURT WHERE HE DOESN’T HAVE CONTROL, YOU KNOW YOU’LL BE SHOOTING AT LOW LIGHT LEVELS SO EVERYTHING IN THE DISTANCE WILL MATCH, AND HE DOESN’T HAVE TO SPEND TIME FIXING IT IN POST.” U N S CRIP T ED I S S UE 59

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Austin

Without Limits NETFLIX’S REALITY SERIES ROARING TWENTIES MELDS OLD-SCHOOL MTV (REMEMBER THE REAL WORLD?) WITH NEW-ERA TECHNOLOGY AND THEMES.

BY PAULINE ROGERS

//

PHOTOS BY FELICIA GRAHAM

E

ight young adults move to Austin, postpandemic, to start new lives. While that premise sounds like that of a dozen other reality shows, Netflix’s Roaring Twenties is wholly unique. Part O.G. house party, like MTV’s The Real World; part live event; and part The Truman Show; the series is a new hybrid unlike anything else in unscripted programming. Or, as Director Zach Merck says, “It marries the story beats of classic sitcoms with the observational layers of a docuseries,” as four young men and four young women go to job interviews, cafés, night clubs, work – living their lives in their homes and out in the city.

Operator Zachary Sprague coined it “Friends: The Reality TV Show,” albeit in the relatively unmined city of Austin, Texas. “I’ve been coming to Austin to work for a long time,” Merck continues, “and the film community here is rich with talent. There’s also a look and tone that is hard to capture anywhere else. So, when Netflix came to us with Austin at the top of their list of possible locations, the decision to move forward was pretty simple.”

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With “cast” and location locked, Merck turned to long-time collaborator Emmywinning Director of Photography Bill Winters, whose extensive experience shooting documentary television – Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, Being: Mike Tyson, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee – was a perfect fit. The unusual approach included Merck wanting Winters to “attack” Roaring Twenties like a sitcom, “with entrances and exits. Our images would be composed, smooth, and cinematic,” Merck adds, “yet observational, meaning the cameras aren’t in our talent’s faces. The kids are leading our story, and our writing team is doing a fantastic job crafting these real-life elements into both funny and dramatic situations like you would see on Friends or Seinfeld.

The idea was to block where the characters would land within each ‘set’ [two houses adjacent to each other], but for all the dialogue to be real and unscripted.”

“It sounded exciting,” Winters recalls. “When I think of reality shows, I think of long days with a handheld camera following the action, relying primarily on available light, and focusing more on capturing the activities versus putting a r t ist ic t ho ught into the image composition, camera placement, and the lighting. This was completely different.”

Merck told Winters that he wanted to emulate his Real People Not Actors Chevy campaign, which was covered with many hidden cameras (with long lenses) to get authentic reactions from real people, who don’t even realize they are in a commercial.

“The cameras in Roaring Twenties would not be hidden,” Winters explains. “But, like the Chevy spots, the show would be captured with a large number of cameras strategically placed far from the talent to allow them to have the freedom to move around and let life happen in real time, while still having all the necessary coverage to make a TV show. Even though we don’t know exactly how scenes will play out or where the story arc takes us, we decided to shoot it like a multi-camera sitcom.”

Step one was to decide how to shoot within the two houses, where much of the action takes place. “Zach and I walked through each room and blocked out possible scenarios, like cooking at the kitchen stove, sitting at the kitchen island, eating at the dining-room table, or having a conversation on the living room couch or swimming in the pool,” Winters

recalls. And while they would have a general idea of how scenes will play out, “because everything is unfolding in real-time, we had to be prepared if the action didn’t play out as planned.”

Eight Sony FX9’s formed the bulk of the capture system. Two Sony FX6 cameras locked off, and two Sony A7s III’s were added, along with 20 Panasonic AW-UE15O PTZ robo-cams spread through the houses in case the action went somewhere they didn’t expect. “ The Sony FX9’s are dual-base ISO cameras with 800 ISO and 4000 ISO,” Winters shares. “The dual-base ISO is a key feature.

Practical bulbs do the heavy lighting; we were lighting to lower levels than we normally would when using traditional film lighting, so the base 4000 ISO comes into play. I am extremely impressed with how clean an image is produced at 4000 ISO, and this opened up the door for us to be able to use practical lighting as primary lighting. The robo-cams also capture additional angles on the main scene as well as any important moments that might happen when the crew is not physically in the houses.”

Because of the strict camera plotting, the operators knew their positions as Merck and Winters called them out. And that often meant being wherever the talent would wander. “We had camera operators tucked into laundry rooms, closets, bathrooms, outside on porches shooting through windows into the house, keeping them as far away from the action as possible,” Winters recalls. “Usually, we would shoot clean into the set, but there are many moments when we do catch a door frame or something in the foreground to dirty the frame. This gives depth to the image and makes the viewer feel like they are observing from a distance versus being right in the middle of the action.”

To maintain the sitcom look, all cameras were on a tripod or 4-foot slider. There was no handheld camera, even when handheld would normally have been a natural choice.

“Covering reality on a head and sticks is a challenge and a blessing,” says operator Kyle Osburn. “Beyond saving our backs, it forces us to be intentional and selective with our frames. We can’t just sprint across the room to cover something. We have to plan our frames for certain possibilities or trust that another operator will sense the need and pick it up.”

It’s a bit of a mind bend for traditional reality operators, as Jen White, SOC, shares.

“In my experience, the vast majority of reality shooting has been handheld, and we’re used to just sliding over if we end up being blocked and maintaining the shot while adjusting.

With sticks, that move isn’t so simple since it will throw off the level and balance, and might require adjusting the height of the tripod, and make the shot unusable during the adjustment. It’s essentially a matter of

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seconds but can feel like an eternity, especially if important story points are happening. But, because we have eight cameras working fulltime, essentially a camera per cast member, the coverage allows for that reset time.”

Unlike scripted shows, there were no multiple takes shooting wides, close-ups, and turnarounds. Everything was captured from all angles simultaneously. Each camera had to cover a specific zone. If they stayed with one character and tried to pan as that character moved throughout the space, they would quickly see the other cameras.

“This way, the operators could focus on a shot and know that the edit was protected.

It allowed us to be more cinematic and graceful with moves and not feel the pressure of needing to constantly create edit points every few seconds or bounce between the cast, trying to catch everything that is said,” Winters describes. “We equipped each camera with versatile zoom ranges, so they could go from a wide shot to an extreme close-up without moving position or swapping lenses.

The go-to lens is a Canon CINE-SERVO 25-250 with the occasional use of Canon CINE-SERVO 17-120s for tight spaces like bedrooms.”

Merck calls the setup “camera attacks,” as in a live event. So, it only follows that Roaring Twenties is shot like a live or live-totape series, with Merck and Winters working from a control room in a separate house next door to the hero houses. “All the cameras are fed back into this room where I can see what everybody is filming in real-time,” Merck explains. “Because we have these extremely detailed plots and assignments for each operator, our camera squad knows exactly where they are landing at all times.”

Merck divided operators into “red” and “blue” teams. Red Squad was White, Joey Fry, Osburn, and Adam Schwartz. Blue Squad was Jared Deer, Sprague, Chris Phelps, and Caleb Kuntz. The squad approach allowed for shooting in both houses simultaneously.

“Then, depending on the situation, we can easily move a camera to a better position when needed,” Merck adds. “There are also larger, more elaborate scenes that require all eight cameras, along with several additional master angles. The methodology allowed Bill and me to be fluid yet efficient. We had to keep up with the ‘speed of life.’”

Deer says he was “continually having to think on the fly, from my position and viewing angle, but also in consideration of our fellow operators. It almost feels like a three-plusplayer version of chess, where you have to think several steps ahead on what kind of framing/ composition you need, what your colleagues might get, who they may need to cover (or ‘area defense’ against), and what the talent/subjects might do or where they might go.”

“That’s part of the appeal,” adds Schwartz.

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“These are not actors, and they generally aren’t aware of how to best place themselves in moments. The operators get blocked often, but it is our ability to adapt and adjust to the spontaneity of the moment that can yield some great honest scenes and beautiful images.”

Fry agrees. “When I am filming a scene, there is so much I’m thinking about,” he says.

“Not only am I reading body language, but I am also adjusting exposure, composing a frame, following the action, listening to the dialog, and communicating with our director and the other operators to cover the scene properly.”

There isn’t that much time to experiment when the teams are in the houses. “But,” Osburn adds, “it’s fun when we do have opportunities to find interesting shots and compositions. This is more so when we are out shooting at different locations in Austin.

That also can be challenging when you don’t have an interesting angle from your camera position and try to find some way to make it more cinematic.”

What about the lighting in this new hybrid unscripted format?

“Scenes that are covered from so many angles and sizes simultaneously become a significant challenge,” reflects Lighting Director Richard Tibbetts, who was brought in to design the show and stayed on as Chief Lighting Technician. “From the beginning, Bill’s vision was to give the show as cinematic a feel as the physical spaces and the workflow would allow. We decided to combine some of the latest LED lighting technology with the power of modern cameras, making the most of their ultra-fast speeds and high dynamic range. Finding places to position lighting gear out of frame was difficult. Most of the time we were able to embrace our locations and take what the space had to offer in regard to the shape of our light. Bill’s goal is to create elegant images with fundamentally correct lighting angles while keeping the show from looking live.”

“Even though it’s real life, we’re still always thinking about the time of day, where the sun is in the sky, how we’re going to light an interior and give it a vibe,” adds Merck.

“And, of course, how to always make our talent look beautiful.”

Lighting the hero houses was the first challenge. “How do you shape the light in a space designed to live in and, in fact, being lived in?” Tibbetts wonders out loud. “We’re shooting full coverage all the time, and we don’t have a turn-around where we can adjust the lights. So, we knew we’d have to embrace the recessed lighting in the house. We see almost the entire room, including the ceiling, in every setup. We needed to be able to shape the ambiance and dial-in shadow levels.”

“I wanted lighting contrast and color

TOP/BOTTOM: “I’VE BEEN COMING TO AUSTIN TO WORK FOR A LONG TIME,” SAYS DIRECTOR ZACHARY MERCK, “AND THE FILM COMMUNITY IS RICH WITH TALENT. THERE’S ALSO A LOOK AND TONE THAT IS HARD TO CAPTURE ANYWHERE ELSE.”

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contrast to stay away from a flat look,” Winters adds. “Sitcoms were our reference for camera coverage, but from a lighting standpoint, we wanted to keep things more natural and less feeling like we are shooting in a studio with an overhead grid and perfect key, fill, and backlight.”

On a traditional scripted show or commercial, Winters would light for a wide shot, then bring the lights closer to the talent to model them for close-ups. That’s not possible when shooting wides and close-ups simultaneously or covering the action from a 270 arc. So, working with Tibbetts, the two came up with a mantra – pretend they were shooting on a soundstage with full lighting control versus practical locations.

Tibbetts replaced all lightbulbs in the house with 129 Astera NYX bulbs, which gave them full wireless CRMX control over both intensity and color temperature for every light in the house. “We worked with Production Design to choose practical fixtures that both fit the design of the show and accepted our E26 light bulbs,” he recalls. “We had to replace all the trim pieces in the recessed cans, but the bulbs screwed straight into the sockets.

“Just a few years ago, this could only be done on stage with dimmer racks and a mile or more of Socapex,” he continues. “One of our execs said: ‘You couldn’t do this 10 years ago.’ I replied: ‘We couldn’t do this ten months ago!’

These NYX bulbs are going to change the way rigs are put in, even on sound stages. I see these NYX bulbs as a game-changer.”

Winters and Tibbetts walked through the

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key action areas in preproduction. They added additional fixtures like hanging lamps over the kitchen island to act as key light for talent.

“We could control the intensity of each bulb to create contrast on the fly during scenes,” Winters offers. “A good example is the three hanging lamps in the boys’ house.

If a character was on one side of the island, we would have the lamp furthest from camera at full intensity creating a far side key; the middle lamp would be at 50 percent intensity and the lamp closest to camera around 25 percent, creating a transition to a shadow side towards camera. If the action moves to the other side of the island, we flip the intensity in real time on the fly to maintain a far-side key and shadow side creating modeling on the talent. It’s amazing to have this lighting control at our fingertips in a practical location. The technology that allows us to do this didn’t exist two years ago.”

They also placed Creamsource Vortex8 lights outside the windows shooting into the houses. The Vortex8 lights are weatherproof, so they can remain outside 24 hours a day.

“We used the dome and no diffusion panel on these ‘sun sources,’” Tibbetts explains. “The dome is hotter than the panel but much softer than the bare fixture.”

Every light is controlled from an ETC Nomad, allowing remote control from a laptop, iPad, or cell phone. Early on, Production secured a dedicated IP address that enabled remote control of the console from a number of different internet-connected devices. The lights could be controlled from anywhere.

A few weeks into the production, the Guild team is excited about this new type of unscripted capture. White says she likes “having the breathing room to be more thoughtful and precise with composition and movement that I normally don’t have time to do on other reality shows. More cameras and more time allow us to dig in with B-roll and transition shots. Bill and Zack encourage us to be creative and try weird things, which I love!”

“It’s my first reality show,” admits Sprague, “so it’s been fascinating to be part of a show that is essentially deconstructing and rebuilding the format.”

Fry seems to sum it up for the entire team, calling Roaring Twenties “a fresh concept that will bring a perspective everyone can relate to.”

“I’m blown away by every single member of this Austin crew,” Winters states. “Everyone is extremely talented and has gelled together as a cohesive unit, both creatively and personally. I will certainly be keeping in touch with every member for years to come.”

As for this new unscripted hybrid – nonactors shot in a filmic style – Winters says the programming style has a future. “You get a high level of production value and excellent coverage of scenes, yet the material and characters feel real,” he concludes. “This allows the audience to connect with the characters on a personal level. It is similar to the strong connections that can be developed between a social media influencer and their followers – but within the framework of a television series.”

LOCAL 600 CREW Director of Photography Bill Winters RED TEAM Operators Jen White, SOC Joey Fry Kyle Osburn Adam Schwartz AC Scott Dietert BLUE TEAM Operators Jared Deer Zac Sprague Chris Phelps Caleb Kuntz Still Photographer Felicia Graham

DESCRIBING ROARING TWENTIES NEW APPROACH TO UNSCRIPTED – NON-ACTORS SHOT IN A FILMIC STYLE – WINTERS SAYS THE PROGRAMMING STYLE HAS A FUTURE. “YOU GET A HIGH LEVEL OF PRODUCTION VALUE AND EXCELLENT COVERAGE OF SCENES, YET THE MATERIAL AND CHARACTERS FEEL REAL,”

HOME

COOKING Bill Palmer shooting American Idol’s Maddie Poppe

WHAT OFTEN MAKES UNSCRIPTED TELEVISION SO COMPELLING ARE THE BACKSTORIES. ICG MAGAZINE TALKED WITH THREE MEMBERS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF SHOOTING THE “HOMETOWN PACKAGE.”

BY PAULINE ROGERS

What production techniques come to mind when discussing unscripted television? Elaborate sets; intricate lighting; multiple cameras on pedestals, cranes and Steadicams; and handheld. But think about what makes unscripted TV so memorable, and it’s the characters (contestants) that linger most. And to make those real people, well, truly real, there’s got to be a backstory. Where do they come from?

What do they do in their everyday lives? Who or what are they competing for? Often that answer is a cause, a cure, a family member. The stuff of real life. And that’s when Local 600 “hometown package” specialists head out to parts unknown, toting a modest camera package and with precious little time to capture each character’s backstory. For our annual Unscripted issue, we checked in with three experienced Guild members to hear about the challenges of shooting the “hometown” stories that tug at viewers’ heartstrings.

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Seth Saint Vincent on location for Conan Without Borders

TIM BAKER

Photo Courtesy of Riley Reiss

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PHOTOS THIS PAGE COURTESY OF TIM BAKER

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LOVE IS BLIND

“ I’m not looking to be their Facebook friend. But I am usually in their space, so I want to give them respect.”

Tim Baker remembers the beginnings of this genre. “After reality programming took off, many types of shows were trying to include reality segments into portions of their shows to jump on the trend,” he recalls. “I worked on a couple’s weight-loss segment where they raced across America for Dr. Phil’s daytime talk show. From the moment we left the studio, the production team was in over their heads. Reality looks easy to make, but it takes a particular sort of person to sort through the chaos and make it in the field.”

Baker recalls that the first shoot for that Dr. Phil segment was a scavenger hunt on Hollywood Boulevard, which he describes as “pure bedlam.

The cast and crew were running between traffic

by Mann’s Chinese Theater,” he continues, “and sprinting across the street whenever they felt like it. Nothing was planned out in terms of safety; it felt like a game of Frogger. Our second challenge was on the Las Vegas Strip, running from hotel to hotel, picking up fake passport stamps in the middle of summer. There were supposed to be water stations at each stop, but they weren’t there when we landed. The shoot slowly improved along the way when we finished in New York City. The whole thing was a lesson in ‘what not to do.’ That’s when I realized many traditional TV producers had no idea how to wrap their heads around this new genre.”

Fortunately, things have changed. It isn’t just camera crews who have learned how to handle the hometown package. Reality producers now plan

and strategize.

“Fly-on-the-wall is a well-known style,” Baker adds, “where producers want the cast filmed without having cameras in their line of sight.

That’s best achieved shooting at a distance with long lenses and out of the eyeline of our cast. I’ve always thought it’s awkward for the cast when they are in an emotional scene, and they look up and see a camera operator, Sound, and producer all around the camera, staring at them in vulnerable moments.”

Baker says out in the field, it’s constantly aspiration versus reality.

“I’m not looking to be their Facebook friend,” he laughs. “But I am usually in their space, so I want to give them respect. I may not believe in what they are saying or their political beliefs, but we don’t get into a discussion while we’re doing a scene.”

But, Baker admits, sometimes the human elements overwhelm. “It was common to be crying on Undercover Boss when the boss revealed who he was and what he was going to do to help the person he worked with,” he adds. “On Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, it was hard not to get wrapped up in the moment when people saw their new house.”

Baker’s camera package differs from show to show. “If I leave the studio for a field shoot, I would like to shoot with the same camera for the field as we used in the studio,” he explains. “For example, on 12 Dates of Xmas this year, we were using ARRI

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LEFT: Bill Palmer on location with American Idol’s Willie Spence RIGHT: Palmer on location in Nevada. Photos courtesy of Bill Palmer

“You have limited tools and time, so it’s often the choices you don’t make that can make your work special.”

ALEXAs during the house reality portion, so we packed up the cameras to take with us on the road so we could match our look to the rest of the show.

“On big shoots,” he continues, “when we travel with the art department and a couple of operators, we have a drone, a MōVI, sliders, lens options and props. For the small shoots, we are very limited, especially with lights. These days, I like to carry lights that run off batteries. Throw it on and flip a switch on SkyPanel S30s, Titan Tubes, 1-by-1s, LED ribbons, and LED Source 4s. The ability to light with battery-powered lights has opened field shoots up and allowed for much more creative lighting on small-crew shoots.”

Bill Palmer has been working the reality competition circuit for close to a decade. The American Idol’s Homecoming Hero shoots, for which the show will fly the top three contestants back to their hometowns in the middle of finals week, are the most ambitious hometown packages he covers. Palmer says a typical shoot day might involve a contestant visiting the local news station, the governor’s house, their old high school, their workplace, their childhood home, even the music shop where they got guitar lessons. “As if that’s not enough,” he shares, “we’re liable to throw in an impromptu swamp-boat adventure, ATV ride, and a totally nonsensical product placement beat – all in one day.”

Palmer recalls that when American Idol winners Maddie Poppe (2018) and Laine Hardy (2019) returned to their hometowns, each had more than 10,000 people show up for concerts (in towns with roughly 1,000 residents). “You can imagine the excitement that is around you when these kids come home,” Palmer says. “Where we have to be creative – and sensitive – is when the contestants

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invite us into their homes. There’s the home cooked meal, letting you unplug their appliances to charge batteries, rearrange the furniture to make their home more appealing on camera – all of which are in the service of telling their story. You’re interacting on a level that’s very different from filming an actor on set.”

The key, Palmer shares, is to stay focused, which sometimes isn’t that easy.

“I got a little weepy during Maddie Poppe’s hometown heroes shoot on Idol,” he reflects, “where the entire elementary school surprised Maddie by singing her cover of Rainbow Connection. More than 100 little kids earnestly singing one of the warmest songs in existence to a hometown girl from a tiny town in Iowa who would go on to win one of the biggest reality shows on TV – it was pretty special.”

Palmer, whose gear is all field-driven – everything from a MōVI Pro or a Mavic 2 drone to ARRI AMIRAs, RED MONSTROs, Sony VENICE, and Palmer’s new favorite, the RED Dragon-X with Canon L-Series zooms – says there’s often only one chance to catch moments like Maddie Poppe’s.

“And if you fly your equipment across the country, you had better capture the essence of that person and that town,” he insists.

“What makes each one unique is much more than a drone shot of a water tower with the town’s name. It’s the people, the storefronts, all the frayed edges and split seams. It’s about shooting the way it feels. If their house/hometown feels offbeat, quirky and outside-of-the-box, then don’t frame everything with perfect headspace. If the hometown feels a little sad and somber, avoid that wide-angle lens, and don’t fight off every unflattering shot with LitePanels. You have limited tools and time, so it’s often the choices you don’t make that can make your work special.”

BILL PALMER

Portrait of Bill Palmer by Tobin Yelland

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SETH SAINT VINCENT

Portrait of Seth Saint Vincent by Troy Harvey

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“There are a lot of different ways to cover these scenes,” he reflects. “To me, it’s like being invited to a dinner party at someone’s house you’ve never been to. You need to showcase everything about your host and his/her home, but you have to remember you’re only a guest.

“That means coverage is crucial,” he continues. “While a wide shot in comedy works 100 percent of the time, for this format it’s the smallest details that will matter in the edit. Knowing what to focus on while five different things are happening and prioritizing all that in a split second is a helpful skill. One of the most important things I’ve learned to embrace is to step away from the viewfinder. Considering the big picture is key – you don’t have blinders on, and shooting with intention is the best way to tell a story.”

Saint Vincent says that while it’s impossible to plan what footage will come out of the hometown shoot, logistics and prep are still important. “Probably the most intense ones have been the Conan shoots,” he admits. “Everything we take into a country is carefully considered, because once we are there, nothing else is accessible. We travel for 15-20 hours to a country and shoot 20 to 25 locations in seven days. I remember one time we needed a shot from a mountaintop in Israel into Syria. Because bombings are an everyday occurrence in that region, I needed a lens that would keep us safe and at a distance from any potential incident. In prep, I realized if I brought a rehoused 150-600mm Canon lens, because of its long telephoto range and lightweight profile, it would give us the latitude we needed.”

He says he’s been fortunate, as a DP, to visually capture real-life stories. “I appreciate how close I am to my work and how these experiences have helped me hone my craft,” Saint Vincent concludes. “All of these field shoots and home stories have allowed me to see life through the camera I never would have otherwise seen.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SETH SAINT VINCENT

BELOW: (Left) On a a mountaintop in Israel overlooking Syria for Conan Without Borders (Right) Cooling off in Israel’s Dead Sea (also Conan) Photos courtesy of Seth Saint VIncent

Seth Saint Vincent says he shot many “memorable and intimate” home package/field shoots for unscripted hit shows like Dancing with the Stars, American Ninja Warrior, American Idol, and most recently, Conan Without Borders. “I remember once on an American Idol field package in Houston,” Saint Vincent recounts, “we were allowed to showcase NASA’s Lydon B. Johnson Space Center as our backdrop. It was an intimate shoot, with many confidentiality obstacles associated with filming inside Mission Control.”

The longtime Guild member recalls how he was “restricted technically” because NASA officials were conversing with astronauts that were orbiting space. “I was prohibited from shooting select NASA officials and monitors,” he adds. “Coverage was accomplished by positioning myself on the farthest side of the room. I used only the longer end of the lens to compress the image as much as possible.”

What Saint Vincent loves about shooting the hometown package is the chance “to visit places I never would have thought possible,” he smiles. “I climbed a 1200-foot radio tower to film a repair on a Discovery show called Hazard Pay. The shoot involved endurance and precision. Midway during the ascent, the radio transmitter had to be turned off. If not, radiation emitted by the transmitters would have cooked our organs! Because of the altitude, I could see the curvature of the earth. It was intense, filming host commentary at multiple locations and carrying a 27pound camera, batteries and a backpack full of gear.”

Traveling with Conan Without Borders has taken Saint Vincent to 13 different countries, including some remote parts of little-filmed places like Greenland, Palestine, Haiti and Ghana.

He was among the first visitors to go into Cuba after decadeslong sanctions were lifted. Saint Vincent has even traveled to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the border of North and South Korea (and intentionally stepped across the line while filming).

“ While a wide shot in comedy works 100 percent of the time, for this format it’s the smallest details that will matter in the edit.”

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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 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 82

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First Man / Photo by Daniel McFadden

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“RIPPLE EFFECTS” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBERT MCLACHLAN OPERATORS: SEBASTIEN AUDINELLE, SPENCER GILLIS ASSISTANTS: NICK INFIELD, EMILY LAZLO, KEITH HUEFFMEIER, JJ LITTLEFIELD DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: FILIP DVORAK LOADER: TREVOR SNYDER DIGITAL UTILITY: BATOUL ODEH STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ELIZABETH SISSON

A VERY GOOD PRODUCTION, INC. & WAD PRODUCTIONS

“THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW” SEASON 19 LIGHTING DIRECTOR: TOM BECK PED OPERATORS: DAVID WEEKS, PAUL WILEMAN, TIM O’NEILL HANDHELD OPERATOR: CHIP FRASER JIB OPERATOR: DAVID RHEA STEADICAM OPERATOR: DONOVAN GILBUENA VIDEO CONTROLLER: JAMES MORAN HEAD UTILITY: CRAIG “ZZO” MARAZZO UTILITIES: ARLO GILBUENA, WALLY LANCASTER, DIEGO AVALOS

BACK STREET PRODUCTIONS, LLC “HUSTLE”

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ZAK MULLIGAN, TIM SESSLER OPERATORS: STEW CANTRELL, ARTHUR AFRICANO, CHRIS ARAN ASSISTANTS: TROY DOBBERTIN, TSYEN SHEN, MIKE TOLAND, EVE STRICKMAN, ALEC FREUND, JAMES MCCANN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: THOMAS WONG LOADER: MADELIEINE KING, RYAN KING STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SCOTT YAMANO

BEACHWOOD SERVICES

“DAYS OF OUR LIVES” SEASON 57 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: VINCE STEIB OPERATORS: MARK WARSHAW, MICHAEL J. DENTON, JOHNNY BROMBEREK, STEVE CLARK CAMERA UTILITIES: STEVE BAGDADI, GARY CYPHER VIDEO CONTROLLER: ALEXIS DELLAR HANSON

BIG INDIE DAISY JONES, INC. “DAISY JONES & THE SIX”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHECCO VARESE, ASC OPERATORS: JOSEPH ARENA, JOSH TURNER ASSISTANTS: MARK STRASBURG, IGNACIO MUSICH, MICHAEL NIE, AMANDA MORGAN STEADICAM OPERATOR: JOSEPH ARENA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DANIELE COLOMBERA LOADER: NICOLA CARUSO

DIGITAL UTILITY: DAVIS BONNER STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: LACEY TERRELL

CAMERA UTILITY: TERRY AHERN VIDEO CONTROLLERS: MIKE DOYLE, PETER STENDAL

CBS

“NCIS” SEASON 19

“BULL” SEASON 6 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN ARONSON, BARNABY SHAPIRO OPERATORS: ELI ARONOFF, ROMAN LUKIW ASSISTANTS: SOREN NASH, MICHAEL LOBB, TREVOR WOLFSON, NIALANEY RODRIGUEZ LOADERS: IVANA BERNAL, JONATHAN FARMER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KEITH PUTNAM

“CSI: VEGAS” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOM CAMARDA OPERATORS: KENNY BROWN, NICK FRANCO ASSISTANTS: SIMON JARVIS, CLAIRE STONE, CHRIS MACK, TIM SHERIDAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GREG GABRIO CAMERA UTILITY: TYLER ERNST DIGITAL UTILITY: MORGAN KEANE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE

“ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT” SEASON 40 LIGHTING DESIGNER: DARREN LANGER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KURT BRAUN OPERATORS: JAMES B. PATRICK, ALLEN VOSS, ED SARTORI, HENRY ZINMAN, BOB CAMPI, RODNEY MCMAHON, ANTHONY SALERNO JIB OPERATOR: JAIMIE CANTRELL

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: WILLIAM WEBB, ASC OPERATORS: GREG COLLIER, CHAD ERICKSON ASSISTANTS: JAMES TROOST, NATE LOPEZ, YUSEF EDMONDS, ANNA FERRARIE, HELEN TADESSE, ANDREW HAN DIGITAL LOADER: MIKE GENTILE

“THE 4400” SEASON 1 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER BAFFA, ASC, SCOTT THIELE OPERATORS: BLAINE BAKER, STEPHANIE DUFFORD ASSISTANTS: CORY SOLON, JOHN WATERMAN, ELLA LUBIENSKI, DILLON BORHAM STEADICAM OPERATOR: BLAINE BAKER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RYAN SHUCK LOADER: RINKESH PATEL DIGITAL UTILITY: NIHAL DANTLURI

“SEAL TEAM” SEASON 5 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: J. MICHAEL MURO, ERIC LEACH OPERATORS: NATHAN STERN, JOREL O’DELL ASSISTANTS: ROGER SPAIN, PAUL TOOMEY, SCOTT O’NEIL, NOAH MURO STEADICAM OPERATOR: NATHAN STERN

NOVEMBER 2021 PRODUCTION CREDITS

85

Frequency Coordination - No Delay - Custom Applications - Tech Support Aerial Downlink

Ultra Reliable Wireless Video & Long Range Preston Control

CMS PRODUCTIONS “ARMAGEDDON TIME”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DARIUS KHONDJI, ASC, AFC OPERATORS: JULIAN DELACRUZ, CHRIS REYNOLDS ASSISTANTS: ERIC SWANEK, STACY MIZE, TYLER SWANEK, NATHAN TRUCKS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GABE KOLODNY LOADER: CALEB MURPHY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ANNE JOYCE

“PAST LIVES” OPERATOR: DOUG DURANT ASSISTANTS: KALI RILEY, JOEL ADAM RUSSELL LOADER: NAIMA NOGUERA STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JON PACK

“PINBALL” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JON KENG OPERATOR: DEAN EGAN ASSISTANTS: BRANDON EASTMAN, MATT LYNCH, AMAYA CHENU, DAVID DIAZ DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: VINCENT CARNEVALE

Los Angeles | Atlanta www.RFFILM.com Noodles 818-406-7102

DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAUL RIVEROS LOADER: KALIA PRESCOTT STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE

“SHARPER AKA WOOHOO” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHARLOTTE BRUUS CHRISTENSEN OPERATOR: PETER AGLIATA ASSISTANTS: AURELIA WINBORN, BASIL SMITH LIZ HEDGES, TONI SHEPPARD LOADER: ANDREA ROMANSKY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ALISON COHEN ROSA PUBLICIST: AMY JOHNSON

“THE TALK” SEASON 11 LIGHTING DIRECTOR: MARISA DAVIS PED OPERATORS: ART TAYLOR, MARK GONZALES, ED STAEBLER HANDHELD OPERATORS: RON BARNES, KEVIN MICHEL, JEFF JOHNSON JIB OPERATOR: RANDY GOMEZ HEAD UTILITY: CHARLES FERNANDEZ UTILITIES: MIKE BUSHNER, DOUG BAIN, DEAN FRIZZEL, BILL GREINER, JON ZUCCARO VIDEO CONTROLLER: RICHARD STROCK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE

DISNEY+

CHERNIN ENTERTAINMENT

EYE PRODUCTIONS, INC.

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD VIALET, ASC, MADELINE KATE KANN OPERATORS: XAVIER THOMPSON, CHRIS FREILICH ASSISTANTS: ALAN NEWCOMB, CALLIE MOORE, BRIAN DECROCE, NUBIA RAHIM DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CHRIS RATLEDGE LOADER: ERIN STRICKLAND UTILITY: CHANDRA SUDTELGTE

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DONALD THORIN OPERATORS: JIM MCCONKEY, GEOFFREY FROST ASSISTANTS: NICHOLAS DEEG, MARTIN PETERSON, KENNETH MARTELL, JONATHAN SCHAEFER LOADER: DEVERAUX ELMES

“P-VALLEY” SEASON 2

86

NOVEMBER 2021 PRODUCTION CREDITS

“BLACK FLAME AKA HOCUS POCUS 2” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ELLIOT DAVIS OPERATORS: JIM MCCONKEY, CALLUM MCFARLANE ASSISTANTS: BILL COE, STEPHEN WONG, BOBBY MCMAHAN, TREVOR CARROLL-COE CAMERA UTILITY: SIERRA COSSINGHAM DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JASON JOHNSON LOADER: ANNE ABBRUZZESE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MATT KENNEDY

“BLUE BLOODS” SEASON 12

“WALKER” SEASON 1 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER B. KOWALSKI, IAN ELLIS

OPERATORS: TIM BEAVERS, PK MUNSON, ROB MCGRATH ASSISTANTS: ROBERT RENDON, KELLY BOGDAN, THEDA CUNNINGHAM, RIGNEY SACKLEY, JACK LEWANDOWSKI, LESLIE FRID STEADICAM OPERATOR: TIM BEAVERS STEADICAM ASSISTANT: ROBERT RENDON LOADER: BRENDA SZWEJBKA DIGITAL UTILITY: EMILY BROWN, DUSTIN MILLER REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: CHRIS SMITH STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: REBECCA BRENNEMAN

FUQUA FILMS

“THE RESIDENT” SEASON 5 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JULES LABARTHE OPERATORS: LAWRENCE KARMAN, ANDY FISHER, JESSICA HERSHATTER, JUSTIN DEGUIRE, JENNIFER RANKINE, TAYLOR CASE, CAMERON SCHWARTZ, GRACE CHAMBERS LOADER: TREY VOLPE DIGITAL UTILITY: ALEX GALVEZ STEADICAM OPERTOR: LAWRENCE KARMAN STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: GUY D’ALEMA

GIMME DAT MONEY, LLC “DESUS & MERO” SEASON 3

OPERATORS: DANIEL CARP, KATHLEEN HARRIS, MARK SPARROUGH ASSISTANT: PETER STAUBS CAMERA UTILITY: JONATHAN SCHAMANN

HFB MOVIE, INC.

“HAPPINESS FOR BEGINNERS” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY VECCHIONE OPERATORS: KOREY ROBINSON, MATTHEW FLEISCHMANN ASSISTANTS: CONNOR LAWSON, LOTTE SKUTCH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LOIC DE LAME LOADER: MATT ELDRIDGE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BARBARA NITKE

HOP, SKIP AND JUMP PRODUCTIONS/ FREEFORM

“WHAT I WAS DOING WHILE YOU WERE BREEDING” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BENJAMIN KASULKE OPERATORS: MARC CARTER, SHELLY GURZI ASSISTANTS: SHARLA CIPICCHIO, NICK CUTWAY, ANDY KENNEDY-DERKAY, DAN MARINO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PETER BRUNET DIGITAL UTILITY: SARAH MARTINEZ

INDY ENTERTAINMENT “INDY ENTERTAINMENT”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MOTT HUPFEL OPERATOR: SANDY HAYS ASSISTANTS: KINGSLEA BUELTEL, DAN BAAS, JANNIS SCHELENZ, ROYCE LELI STEADICAM OPERATOR: SANDY HAYS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LISA KONECNY DIGITAL UTILITY: NATHANIEL MARTINEZ STILL POTOGRAPHER: MIKE MORIARTIS

https://youtu.be/Adb7TgKcBIk https://youtu.be/Adb7TgKcBIk https://youtu.be/Adb7TgKcBIk Check out our Kurve Parabolic Umbrellas https://youtu.be/Adb7TgKcBIk

HMI LED JOKER ALPHA SLICE JAX MEDIA, LLC

LEGENDARY

NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, LLC

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOBIAS DATUM OPERATORS: REBECCA ARNDT, PATRICK MORGAN ASSISTANTS: STEPHEN KOZLOWSKI, HAFFE ACOSTA, MIKE SWEARINGEN, MARIA GONZALES

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: QUYEN TRAN, ASC OPERATORS: NICK MULLER, SPENCER HUTCHINS ASSISTANTS: KEITH POKORSKI, NELSON MONCADA, ANDREA BIAS, TONY FALLICO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL ROMANO LOADER: LINDSEY DALLANEGRA DIGITAL UTILITY: JOSH KNOLLER STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: TINA ROWDEN

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FAIRES A. SEKIYA OPERATORS: JOE TOLITANO, BENJAMIN SPEK, WILLIAM NIELSEN ASSISTANTS: GEORGE OLSON, MATTHEW BROWN, MICHAEL KUBASZAK, BRIAN KILBORN, PATRICK DOOLEY, ELIJAH WILBORN LOADER: RICHARD COLMAN UTILITY: KIEN LAM

“PARTNER TRACK”

KANAN PRODUCTIONS, INC. “RAISING KANAN” SEASON 2

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANCIS SPIELDENNER, EDWARD PEI OPERATORS: PYARE FORTUNATO, GREG FINKEL ASSISTANTS: MARK FERGUSON, SUREN KARAPETYAN, TRICIA MEARS, KEITH ANDERSON DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: HUNTER FAIRSTONE LOADERS: HOLDEN HLINOMAZ, KATI PEREZ STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CARA HOWE

LARRY’S DINER, INC.

“LARRY’S DINER” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LAURA GONCALVES OPERATORS: JUSTIN FOSTER, REBECCA RAJADNYA ASSISTANTS: ZACH RUBIN, FILIPP PENSON, TANEICE MCFADDEN, SANCHEEV RAVICHANDRAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ANTHONY HECHANOVA LOADER: MICHAEL POMORSKI HEAD TECH: DEXTER KENNEDY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: NIKO TAVERNISE

“BROTHERS”

MGM

“SHELTER” PILOT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH CAWLEY OPERATORS: RYAN TOUSSIENG, SHANNON MADDEN ASSISTANTS: KYLE BLACKMAN, MICHELLE SUN, PATRICK O’SHEA, RODRIGO MILLAN GARCE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL PARMELEE

MINIM PRODUCTIONS, INC. “SNOWFALL” SEASON 5

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ELIOT ROCKETT, CHRISTIAN HERRERA OPERATORS: XAVIER THOMPSON, PAULINE EDWARDS ASSISTANTS: ALEX LIM, GINA VICTORIA, PRENTICE SMITH, JOSE DE LOS ANGELES LOADER: FERNANDO ZACARIAS UTILITIES: JACQUES VINCENT, AIDAN OSTROGOVICH

“CHICAGO MED” SEASON 7

“FBI” SEASON 4 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BART TAU OPERATORS: AFTON GRANT, JAMES GUCCIARDO ASSISTANTS: LEE VICKERY, YURI INOUE, GEORGE LOOKSHIRE, NKEM UMENYI LOADERS: RAUL MARTINEZ, CONNOR LYNCH STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: WALLY MCGRADY, MIKE PARMELEE

“FBI MOST WANTED” SEASON 3 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: WILLIAM KLAYER, LUDOVIC LITTEE OPERATORS: CHRISTOPHER MOONE, SCOTT TINSLEY ASSISTANTS: RORY HANRAHAN, JAMES DALY, CAROLYN WILLS, DANIEL PFEIFER LOADERS: JOHN CONQUY, MATT ORO STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK SCHAFER

NOVEMBER 2021 PRODUCTION CREDITS

87

“LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME” SEASON 2 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM DENAULT, JACK DONNELLY OPERATORS: JON BEATTIE, JOHN PIROZZI ASSISTANTS: JOHN OLIVERI, NICHOLAS HAHN, KEVIN HOWARD, DERRICK DAWKINS LOADERS: EVAN BREEN, PATRICK ARELLANO STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: MICHAEL PARMELEE, VIRGINIA SHERWOOD

“LAW & ORDER SVU” SEASON 23 OPERATORS: JONATHAN HERRON, JAMIE SILVERSTEIN ASSISTANTS: CHRIS DEL SORDO, MATTHEW BALZARINI, BRIAN LYNCH CAMERA UTILITY: GIANNI CARSON

“NEW AMSTERDAM” SEASON 4 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW VOEGELI OPERATORS: GARETH MANWARING, PEDRO CORCEGA ASSISTANTS: JAMES MADRID, MATTHEW MONTALTO, ROBERT WRASE, BRIAN GRANT LOADERS: THOMAS FOY, PHILIP THOMPSON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS

“THIS IS US” SEASON 6 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: YASU TANIDA OPERATORS: JAMES TAKATA, DANIEL COTRONEO ASSISTANTS: SEAN O’SHEA, JOE SOLARI, JEFF STEWART, TIM SHERIDAN LOADER: WADE FERRARI STEADICAM OPERATOR: JAMES TAKATA STEADICAM ASSISTANT: SEAN O’SHEA DIGITAL UTILITIES: GOBE HIRATA, ADAM GARCIA STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON BATZDORFF

NETFLIX PRODUCTIONS, LLC “FLORIDA MAN” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ADRIAN CORREIA OPERATORS: JOHN LEHMAN, KATHLEEN HARRIS ASSISTANTS: PATRICK BOROWIAK, DEREK SMITH, ROY KNAUF, DARWIN BRANDIS LOADER: JILL AUTRY DIGITAL UTILITY: PAIGE MARSICANO STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK SCHAFER

“RUSTIN” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOBIAS SCHLIESSLER, ASC OPERATORS: LUKASZ BIELAN, JAMES GOLDMAN ASSISTANTS: JIMMY JENSEN, JUAN NITO SERNA, TRISTAN CHAVEZ, BENEDICT BALDAUFF CAMERA UTILITY: KAYLA LUKITSCH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CURTIS ABBOTT LOADER: KIM HERMAN STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID LEE

“THE WATCHER” SEASON 1 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON MCCORMICK, MACEO BISHOP OPERATORS: STANLEY FERNANDEZ, MARK SCHMIDT ASSISTANTS: GAVIN FERNANDEZ, AUSTIN RESTREPO, COREY LICAMELI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFFREY HAGERMAN LOADER: DANIEL RODRIGUEZ STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ERIC LIEBOWITZ

POSSIBLE PRODUCTIONS “BILLIONS” SEASON 6

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GIORGIO SCALI, ASC, BRAD SMITH OPERATORS: JONATHAN BECK, JENNIE JEDDRY ASSISTANTS: CAI HALL, LEONARDO GOMEZ, II, PATRICK BRACEY, SEAN MCNAMARA LOADERS: DONALD GAMBLE, LYNSEY WATSON, AARON CHAMPAGNE, EVAN BREEN STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: PAUL SCHIRALDI, JEFF NEUMANN

“WHEEL OF FORTUNE” SEASON 37 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

“SUPER PUMPED” SEASON 1

STALWART PRODUCTIONS

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM FROHNA, TREVOR FORREST OPERATORS: JODY MILLER, BRIAN PITTS, DJ HARDER ASSISTANTS: FAITH BREWER, NEO ARBOLEDA, SARA INGRAM, JENNY ROH, MELISSA FISHER, DAISY SMITH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PASQUALE PAOLO LOADER: KC LAUF DIGITAL UTILITY: SAMANTHA SCHMIEDESKAMP

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GLENN BROWN, ABE MARTINEZ OPERATORS: CHRIS CUEVAS, PARRISH LEWIS, SCOTT THIELE ASSISTANTS: CHRIS WITTENBORN, HUNTER WHALEN, ERIC ARNDT, SHANNON DEWOLFE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PAUL SCHILENS DIGITAL UTILITIES: MIKKI DICK, CHRIS SUMMERS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JAMES WASHINGTON

2ND UNIT DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM FROHNA OPERATORS: REMI TOURNOIS, SHELLY GURZI ASSISTANTS: MELSSA FISHER, SHARLA CIPICCHIO, DAISY SMITH, ANDY KENNEDY-DERKAY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SCOTT STEPHENS LOADER: ALEX GADBERRY CAMERA UTILITY: DANA FYTELSON

PUPPPET SHOW S2, INC.

“HELPSTERS AKA UNTITLED PUPPET SHOW” SEASON 2 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FREDERIC FASANO OPERATOR: MARK SPARROUGH ASSISTANTS: PETER WESTERVELT, ADAM MILLER, MYO CAMPBELL, CARLOS BARBOT DIGITAL UTILITY: ASA ELMFORS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: PATRICK HARBRON

SHOWTIME PICTURES “THREE WOMEN”

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ULA PONTIKOS, CATHERINE LUTES ASSISTANTS: JOHN REEVES, SARAH SCRIVENER STEADICAM OPERATOR: DEVON CATUCCI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DOUG HORTON LOADERS: LIAM GANNON, JASON GAINES STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JOJO WHILDEN

SONY

“JEOPARDY!” SEASON 36 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: CAROL KAELSON

“61ST STREET” SEASON 2

“FEAR THE WALKING DEAD” SEASON 7 DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOTT WINIG, JAN RICHTER-FRIIS OPERATORS: CRAIG COCKERILL, KRIS HARDY ASSISTANTS: MARK BOYLE, SAM PEARCY, LOUIS WATT, DON HOWE STEADICAM OPERATOR: CRAIG COCKERILL DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JAMIE METZGER LOADER: MATT AINES DIGITAL UTILITIES: JASON HEAD, ASHLEY BJORKMAN TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: JOE DATRI REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: CHRIS SMITH STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: LOUIS SMITH PUBLICIST: SHARA STORCH

TOW LLC

“THE OLD WAY” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SION MICHEL OPERATOR: RAQUEL GALLEGO ASSISTANT: JORGE DEVOTTO

TURNER CENTER NORTH, INC. “AND JUST LIKE THAT” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TIMOTHY NORMAN OPERATORS: MATTHEW PEBLER, WYLDA BAYRON ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL BURKE, ADRIANNA BRUNETTO-LIPMAN, MABEL SANTOS HAUGEN, AMBER ROSASSLES DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LUKE TAYLOR LOADER: BRIAN PUCCI

UNION SQUARE PRODUCTIONS, INC. “A GOOD PERSON”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MAURO FIORE, ASC OPERATORS: BILLY GREEN, SEBASTIAN SLAYTER ASSISTANTS: EVAN WALSH, SHAUN MALKOVICH, MIGUEL GONZALEZ, JADE BRENNAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: IMANUEL SMITH STEADICAM OPERATOR: BILLY GREEN STEADICAM ASSISTANT: EVAN WALSH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: IMANUEL SMITH

88

NOVEMBER 2021 PRODUCTION CREDITS

CREW PHOTO NETFLIX - GRACE AND FRANKIE

UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, LLC “RUTHERFORD FALLS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOM MAGILL OPERATORS: RICH DAVIS, ALEXA IHRT, ABBY LINNE ASSISTANTS: ADAM COWAN, ADAM TSANG, MATT BREWER, JEREMY HILL, WILL EMERY, SKIP MOBLEY LOADER: SONIA BARRIENTOS UTILITY: KAREN CLANCY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: COLLEEN HAYES

WARNER BROS

“BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA” SEASON 2 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PATTI LEE, ASC OPERATORS: MARK DAVISON, CHRIS HINOJOSA, JON PURDY, MICHELLE CRENSHAW ASSISTANTS: JEFF JOHNSON, VITO DE PALMA,

TOP ROW L TO R AKILI TATE - UTILITY, TONY GUTIERREZ - B-CAMERA OPERATOR, PETER PEI- LOADER MIDDLE ROW L TO R RENE TREYBALL - B CAMERA 2ND AC GALE TATTERSALL - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, LUKE MILLER - DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, JAY HERRON A-CAMERA OPERATOR, KNEELING L TO R RUDY PAHOYO - A-CAMERA 2ND AC, MICHAEL ENDLER A-CAMERA 1ST AC, MARK REILLY - B-CAMERA 1ST AC

MARIANNE FRANCO, ADAN TORRES, LISA ANDERSON, ALICIA BRAUNS, LANCE MITCHELL, JORDAN HRISTOV VIDEO CONTROLLER: JOHN O’BRIEN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: T. BRETT FEENEY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL YARISH PUBLICISTS: KATHLEEN TANJI, MARC KLEIN

“PIVOTING” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GRANT SMITH OPERATORS: RYAN HOGUE, TIMBER HOY ASSISTANTS: RYAN GUZDZIAL, JESS FAIRLESS, KEVIN ANDERSON, ANDIE GILL STEADICAM OPERATOR: TIMBER HOY LOADER: DEVON FERNANDEZ

COMMERCIALS 99TIGERS

“MARSHALLS” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS BOTTOMS OPERATOR: CAROLYN PENDER ASSISTANTS: MATT CIANFRANI, MIKE THOMPSON, DOUG KOFSKY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KAZIM KARAISMAILOGLU

ANONYMOUS CONTENT “GOOGLE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB WITT ASSISTANTS: NICOLAS MARTIN, YOSHI ABE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BEN MOLYNEUX REMOTE HEAD TECH: JAMES O’HARA

NOVEMBER 2021 PRODUCTION CREDITS

89

“INSTAGRAM” DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DARREN LEW, MICHAEL BERG ASSISTANTS: RICK GIOIA, ROBERT RAGOZZINE, JORDAN LEVIE, DAN KECK DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFF FLOHR STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JEONG PARK

BISCUIT “AT&T”

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

“TRUIST” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT ASSISTANTS: LILA BYALL, GAVIN GROSSI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

BULLITT

“QVC+HSN” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TIM HUDSON, ACS ASSISTANTS: JEFF CAPLES, DAISY SMITH DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SACHA RIVIERE

“SPRITE” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AARON KOVALCHIK OPERATORS: CHRIS DARNELL, PARKER TOLIFSON, NATE CORNETT ASSISTANTS: LAURA GOLDBERG, REED KOPPEN, CHELI CLAYTON SAMARAS, DAISY SMITH, ROB REAVES DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DANIEL APPLEGATE

CHROMISTA “CHROMISTA”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ZAK MULLIGAN ASSISTANTS: WALTER RODRIGUEZ, JORDAN LEVIE, MATT DEGREFF STEADICAM OPERATOR: STEWART CANTRELL DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MIKE KELLOGG

CMS PRODUCTIONS “MARSHALLS”

M SS NG P ECES “YOUTUBE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB WITT ASSISTANTS: NICOLAS MARTIN, STEPHANE RENARD, ALAN CERTEZA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BEN MOLYNEUX MOVI OPERATOR: CONNOR O’BRIEN

MOXIE PICTURES “NETFLIX”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BARRY PARRELL ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL GAROFALO, SCOTT GAROFALO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL KELLOGG

PASSERINE “NIKE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KAI SAUL ASSISTANTS: NICOLAS MARTIN, ALAN CERTEZA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BEN MOLYNEUX TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: JAMES FAVAZZO TECHNOCRANE TECH: JUSTIN ZAFFIRO REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: JAMES DELATORRE

RAKISH “ENDO”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB HAUER ASSISTANTS: LAWRENCE MONTEMAYOR, CURTIS DAVIS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAFFI VESCO

STATE LINE “CHECKERS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEJANDRO WILKINS ASSISTANTS: ROBBIE CORCORAN, STEVE WORONKO REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: JOHN MANFREDI

SUPERPRIME “COINMASTER”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW WHEELER OPERATOR: WALTER RODRIGUEZ ASSISTANTS: RORY HANRAHAN, ELIZABETH SINGER, KYLE REPKA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MARIUSZ CICHON

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MAZ MAKHANI ASSISTANTS: DANIEL AJEMIAN, MATTHEW BOREK DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BEN CRUMP PHANTOM TECH: MATT DRAKE

“MARYLAND LOTTERY” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MISCHA LLUCH ASSISTANTS: ALEX GUCKERT, ANDY KUESTER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN VALLON

EPOCH

“VOLKSWAGEN” DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB HAUER ASSISTANTS: LAWRENCE MONTEMAYOR, ROSE LICAVOLI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAFFI VESCO

HUNGRY MAN, INC. “AT&T”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KAI SAUL ASSISTANTS: NICOLAS MARTIN, ALAN CERTEZA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BEN HOPKINS

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MUSIC VIDEOS SOMESUCH “SCARFACE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: NORM LI, CSC OPERATOR: ED MOTTS ASSISTANTS: NICOLAS MARTIN, ALAN CERTEZA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DAVID THOMAS

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NOVEMBER 2021 PRODUCTION CREDITS

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11.2021

Halyna Hutchins APRIL 9, 1979 – OCTOBER 21, 2021

Halyna Hutchins was a rising star in the world of cinematography, and her talent, passion, and drive lit the way for all who had the pleasure of working with her. This image, shot with Halyna’s personal stills camera on the set of the short film Good Bad Luck, was taken in April 2021. As is often the case on a film shoot, the cast and crew became a surrogate family, but on a project made up entirely of volunteer filmmakers, that sense of camaraderie was deeper than usual. Halyna was the most experienced person on that set and did not need to be there to further her career – she was there because she wanted to support us, and because it was another opportunity to do what she loved. We worked together in challenging, snowy conditions in the mountains, and Halyna set the bar for what we

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could achieve, inspiring us to push past our limits. We all sensed she was the real deal and came to know her as a fierce, fearless filmmaker with tremendous passion and dedication to her craft. But Halyna was much more than that – she was a dear friend to so many and a devoted mother and wife, who loved her family above all else. We will always remember Halyna, and we humbly dedicate our film to her.

May she rest in peace.

- The producers, director, cast, and crew of Good Bad Luck PHOTO COURTESY OF D E R E K S E T T L E R/G E T R E A L R E A L P R O D U C T I O N S

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