There couldn’t have been a more prescient time – of mad minds and mad ideas – to make a film with a wake-up call
Robbie Ryan ISC BSC
AS GOOD AS IT GETS
As we head to Toruń, with this 30th edition under our belts, to celebrate the art of cinematography at EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2025, we’re taking a moment’s pause to reflect on the past year and what the future might have in store.
Was 2025 a year to forget? Or one to cherish in the memory? That all depends on your experiences, of course.
We know it’s been a tough year (and more) for many, especially those involved with either manufacturing or renting technology for the production industry, with firms slimming down or going out-of-business completely, and the commensurate loss of jobs. “Survive ‘til ‘25” has been a popular mantra. If you’ve been negatively affected, we feel your pain, but we’ll always do our best to support you.
In the UK at least, the last year has seen a terrific upswing in inward investment, with studios full, and films and streaming series galore being made. If you’re riding the wave, we feel your joy, and we’ll continue to be your champion.
Whatever your experience, will there be a “Fix in ‘26”? Things seem to be shaping-up nicely, as has been reported before in this column. With the backdrop of a vibrant industry, plus awards season and expos aplenty on the upcoming calendar, we’re optimistic.
However things work out, we thank all of our supporters around the world for continuing to believe in what we do. As the year draws to a close and a new one begins, we wish you all the best for the future.
Keep reading, stay happy and take care.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Ron Prince has over three decades of experience in the film, TV, CGI and VFX industries, and has written about cinematography for 20 years. In 2014, he won the ARRI John Alcott Award from the BSC. He also runs the international content marketing and PR communications company Prince PR. Darek Kuźma is a film and TV journalist, translator/interpreter, and a regular collaborator/programmer of the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival. He is an ardent cinephile who has a lifelong romance with the visual language of cinema.
David Wood is a freelance journalist covering film/TV technology and production He was a former technology editor at Televisual, and is a regular contributor to Worldscreen, TVB Europe and Broadcast. John Keedwell GBCT/UAV Pilot is a documentary and commercials cameraman who has worked on productions worldwide. He has great knowledge of film, tape/file-based formats and lighting, and their uses in production.
Kirsty Hazlewood has over two decades of editorial experience in print/online publications, including reporting for the IBC and ISE Daily, and is a regular contributor to folk/roots music website Spiral Earth.
Cover Image: Die My Love, directed by Lynne Ramsay, shot on KODAK Ektachrome 35mm film by DP Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC ISC.
You can subscribe to the print, digital, or print and digital, versions of Cinematography World. This will cover you for the six issues delivered over a 12-month period. Your email will also be added to our monthly newsletter update, unless you decide to opt out of these news feeds.
Cinematography World is part of Rascals Publishing & Media Ltd. The publishers emphasise that opinions expressed within Cinematography World Magazine are not representative of Rascals
Ron Prince photo by Joe Short www.joeshort.com
Ron Prince Editor in Chief
Small Lenses. Big Look.
ZEISS Nano Primes
Designed for full frame mirrorless cameras, ZEISS Nano Primes feature the ZEISS Supreme look in a smaller and more cost-effective lens package for all kinds of productions. Paired with modern cine ergonomics, the Nano Primes‘ versatile look combines a gentle sharpness with aesthetic focus roll-off and an elegant bokeh.
zeiss.com/nanoprime
JAY KELLY
BUGONIA
DP BRADFORD YOUNG ASC NAMED JURY PRESIDENT OF 2025 FILMLIGHT COLOUR AWARDS
FilmLight has finalised the prestigious 2025 FilmLight Colour Awards jury and welcomed award-winning American cinematographer, Bradford Young ASC, as this year’s jury president.
Young heads up the 2025 jury alongside South Korean film director, screenwriter and producer, Park Chan-wook, who was recently named the 2025 guest of honour, as well as leading DPs including Dion Beebe ASC ACS and Alice Brooks ASC, and colourists Pankaj Bajpai and Masahiro Ishiyama.
Young is an acclaimed American cinematographer known for his work on When They See Us (2019); Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival (2016), for which he was nominated for an Academy
Award and a BAFTA for achievement in cinematography; Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018); A Most Violent Year (2014); Selma (2014), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography in a Motion Picture; as well as Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013), and Mother Of George (2013) – both of which won him Sundance US Dramatic Competition Excellence in Cinematography awards (2013).
“It is with great pleasure that I serve as jury president for the fifth annual FilmLight Colour Awards,” said Young. “Colourists are the hidden jewels of our artform. They complete our creative utterances and are foundational to the life of a moving image.”
ZOE GOODWIN-STUART ELECTED AS ACO PRESIDENT
Zoe Goodwin-Stuart Associate BSC ACO has been elected president of the Association Of Camera Operators (ACO). Taking office on 1st October 2025, she is the first woman to hold this position. The partnership between cinematographers and camera operators is a vital and collaborative one, and Goodwin-Stuart’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter in strengthening that bond. Goodwin-Stuart has over 22 years of experience in film and television, 16 working as a camera operator. She was nominated for the BSC Operator’s Award in Film for Wonka (2023) and the Operator’s Award in TV Drama for The Witcher S3, E1 ‘Shaerrawedd’ (2023).
Storytelling through composition is always GoodwinStuart’s main aim. Using her creativity, initiative and expertise she notably combines this with ensuring strong working relationships with directors and cinematographers alike.
“As a young camera operator, nervously finding my feet, I could never have imagined that one day I would be president of the ACO,” she commented. “I am deeply honoured and profoundly grateful to be the first woman to hold this position at the ACO. This milestone reflects the progress of our industry
and our association. Technology may evolve, but the operator’s role as storyteller, artist and collaborator endures and, as president, I will continue to advocate for recognition of this artistry inside and outside our industry.”
LCA EXPANDS EUROPEAN OPERATIONS WITH NEW OFFICE IN BARCELONA
LCA – Lights, Camera, Action has opened of a new office in Barcelona, Spain, reflecting the company’s on-going commitment to support the European production community with local expertise, training and access to the latest in lighting innovation.
The Barcelona office is headed by Rubén Freixas and Adrià Lorente, both bringing industry knowledge and long-standing relationships within the Spanish market. Their leadership will ensure that customers across Spain and the Iberian Peninsula benefit from LCA’s trusted support and technical expertise.
LCA already operates dedicated offices in UK, France and Germany, and the addition of the Barcelona location further strengthens its European network, enabling more immediate service and stronger regional connections.
“Spain has become one of Europe’s most dynamic centres for film and TV production,” said Nick Shapley, managing director at LCA.
“The opening of our Barcelona office means that productions in the region have direct access not only to the very best tools, but also to the knowledge and support that have defined LCA for more than 25 years.”
LCA Spain will represent a portfolio of innovative, industryleading brands, including Creamsource, LiteGear, Rosco, Nanlux, Lightbridge and Kino Flo.
Credit: Photo by Ron Prince, at Camerimage 2019
MBS EQUIPMENT CO WELCOMES SECOND COHORT TO LIGHTING APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME
MBS Equipment Co is welcoming a second cohort of apprentices to the Screen Lighting Technician Apprenticeship Scheme, following the successful launch of the inaugural in-take earlier this year.
Developed by ScreenSkills and Access Creative in partnership with industry practitioners, the scheme provides structured training for new entrants to film and TV production.
Recognised by Skills England as the Level 3 Screen Lighting Technician Apprenticeship Standard, the programme benefits from an established funding model supported by broadcasters and production companies. This investment is helping to create continuity, workforce sustainability and a stronger skills pipeline across the industry.
Toby Dare, MBSE director of sustainability and risk management said, “This scheme provides an invaluable opportunity for entrants to begin an exciting new stage in their career, and is an essential step towards creating a sustainable future within our industry.”
CINELAB FILM & DIGITAL REVEALS RECENT PROJECTS
Cinelab has released news about the latest productions supported by its film and digital services, including some of the biggest motion pictures and streamed content.
The company provided film processing and scanning services, chiefly 4K, on: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, shot in VistaVision on 35mm
8-perf film by DP Robbie Ryan BSC ISC; Die My Love, directed by Lynne Ramsay, and shot on 35mm and Kodak Ektachrome by Seamus McGarvey BSC ISC; Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, shot on 35mm 3-perf film by Kasper Tuxen DFF; and Jay Kelly, directed by Noah Baumbach, and filmed on 35mm by Linus Sandgren FSF ASC.
The third instalment of the Lionsgate franchise, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, directed by Ruben Fleischer and shot by George Richmond BSC, received digital dailies lab and dailies colour services from the firm, as did The Woman in Cabin 10, directed by Simon Stone and shot by Ben Davis BSC, which also had an HDR grade review and a custom ACES 2.0.
CVP STRENGTHENS LEADERSHIP TEAM WITH MARK SZELIGA
To strengthen its leadership team, CVP has appointed Mark Szeliga as sales director, who brings over 18 years of experience from his career at Canon.
Over the past five years Szeliga has built a thorough understanding of CVP’s core base of customers, who operate within the broadcast, rental house, and production markets. He will utilise his knowledge of emerging imaging technology markets to help support CVP’s growth ambition.
In his new role at CVP, Szeliga will be responsible for driving the company’s sales strategy, building on CVP’s reputation for customer service and technical expertise, and
leading the sales team into its next phase of growth.
“Mark joins CVP at a very exciting time, as we continue to invest in key people and pursue strategic growth initiatives that will take the business to the next level,” said Jon Fry, CEO of CVP. “His extensive experience, deep knowledge of the imaging sector and proven leadership qualities, make him a fantastic addition to our team.”
Bugonia
Jay Kelly
Die My Love
The Woman in Cabin 10
Sentimental Value
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
90FPS 8K 16
dual sensors
stops of Dynamic Range
8K STEREO immersive
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
is the world’s first true
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is the world’s first digital film camera for Apple Immersive Video! A fixed custom lens system and dual 8K sensors with 16 stops of dynamic range record immersive video to a single Blackmagic RAW file. This unique integrated design makes shooting 3D video simpler than ever, without the difficulty of complex multi camera 3D rigs!
Designed for Apple Immersive Video!
Apple Immersive Video is a powerful 180º media format built for Apple Vision Pro. It combines ultra-high-resolution immersive imaging and spatial audio to place viewers at the center of the action. For filmmakers, it opens up new possibilities to create scenes that unfold in every direction, giving viewers a sense of presence and realism with the freedom to explore the space around them.
Incredible RGBW Sensors
URSA Cine Immersive features revolutionary new sensors designed for incredible quality images at 8160 x 7200 resolution per eye! Using the same revolutionary RGBW sensor design as URSA Cine, the new dual sensor layout features larger photo-sites, delivering an astounding 16 stops of dynamic range! Now you can capture more detail with a wider dynamic range than ever!
A Camera Body Optimized for High End Productions!
While traditional digital film cameras have very basic user controls, URSA Cine has been designed with feedback from the world’s leading cinematographers so it’s loaded with controls needed for modern filmmaking. Standard connectors make it easy to use industry standard accessories and remote camera control. You also get 12G -SDI monitoring out, 10G Ethernet for network media access and more!
Includes DaVinci Resolve Studio for Immersive Video
DaVinci Resolve Studio for Mac is the world’s only solution that combines editing, color, VFX, audio post and delivery for Apple Immersive Video. New project settings bring Apple Immersive Video to every page including a new immersive video viewer that lets you view work on any monitor, an updated spatial Audio Editor as well as multiple ways to review and export Apple Immersive Video on Apple Vision Pro.
Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive £22,845
ZEISS CINEMA HOSTS LENS SERVICE TRAINING
Zeiss and AbelCine recently offered a new round of Zeiss cine lens service training in the US, with sessions led by Zeiss service trainer Simon Sommer alongside an experienced AbelCine lens technician.
The training provided a comprehensive analysis of Zeiss Cinema lenses, covering both repair and upkeep, as well as the processes involved in evaluating and maintaining them. Participants gained insights into the tricks and tools used in lens servicing, with practical demonstrations throughout.
The programme encompassed basic adjustments and evaluations on Supreme Zoom Radiance and Supreme Prime lenses, along with discussions about other lenses in the Zeiss line. Attendees learnt how to evaluate lenses on a projector, check for scratches on elements, replace front and rear elements, and clean both elements and mechanical parts.
The course also introduced basic optical adjustment techniques on a projector, along with training on the use of a lens collimator and lens projector. Participants also gained hands-on experience with professional lens repair tools and partial lens disassembly.
DEDOLIGHT PB70 – THE 1.2K GIANT
In an industry where 5K and 10K lights have been commonplace on features and commercial shoots for decades, it is easy to dismiss a diminutive 1.2K fixture, a light which can be plugged into any regular AC power source.
However, the Dedolight PB70 1.2K competes with the big toys, outputting 50% more than a 9K ARRI in spot position, says the company.
The Dedolight PB70 is an HMI parabolic light which requires minimal power consumption whilst producing high light output with exceptional consistent quality. It can be used for direct lighting, but also as part of Dedolight Lightstream, a system for working with reflected light.
When the parallel beam from the PB70 is directed into reflectors this creates an organic lighting quality, of outstanding realism and authenticity. It has been described as the ultimate tool for creating realistic sunlight or natural light.
This is achieved by what is called the ‘virtual light source’. With direct lighting, the light travels from the light source to subject. But, with the Dedolight PB70 the light does not originate at the light head, as with conventional lighting instruments. The P70 is unique in that the light originates 20m or 60feet behind the light. This is the virtual light source, and it can be harnessed to great effect, to create infinity lighting or the illusion of light coming from very far away.
With the PB70 positioned in the studio the light comes from outside the studio. This is the virtual light
source at work. The benefit of the Dedolight PB70 is that it provides a way to escape the confines of the square law. For example, the fall-off of someone walking away from the light head is much less than with any other light on the planet and the light increase, when somebody is coming closer to the light, is also not according to the square law, to which all other lights are absolute slaves. This is the virtual light source: difficult to explain, yet easy to see and appreciate.
Check out the online video for a full explanation of the Dedolight PB70, infinity lighting and the virtual light source at https://youtu.be/rcNUNjrMlqU.
NETFLIX & PGGB LAUNCH TRAINEE SCHEME FOR DEAF, DISABLED
AAND NEURODIVERGENT ACCOUNTANTS
new iteration of Netflix and The Production Guild Of Great Britain’s (PGGB) successful NAPATS (Netflix Assistant Production Accountant Training Scheme) has opened and, for the first time, will solely focus on applications from Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent (DDN) accountants who are looking to move into the film and television industry.
Programme alumni have worked on productions such as Bridgerton, My Oxford Year and Supacell Applicants need to have academic or vocational accounting experience and a passion for film and TV. The programme offers a paid 12-month contract consisting of five weeks of classroom training,
followed by placements on a Netflix production, where trainees gain practical experience and a
clear route into future roles, either at Netflix or in the wider film and TV industry.
Kelly Phillips, VP of EMEA studio finance at Netflix said, “Production accountants are essential to ensuring our content is produced efficiently and smoothly. Yet, deaf, disabled and neurodivergent individuals remain underrepresented in these vital roles. This year, we look forward to welcoming the 2026 trainees to our upcoming productions, making our industry more inclusive and dynamic than ever before.” Applications will close on 4th November. The course begins on 25th February 2026.
APUTURE UNVEILS NOVA II 2×1
Aputure announces the Nova II 2×1 panel fixture alongside an ecosystem of modifiers and mounting accessories.
The Nova II 2×1 offers a wide range of tuneable white light from 1,800-20,000K CCT, plus tunable colour from the expanded Blair CG light engine that covers more than 90% of the Rec.2020 colour space.
“When we launched the Storm lights last year people immediately started asking when we would make a Blair CG panel light,” said Mitch Gross, VP of marketing at Aputure.
“The challenge was to make the best tuneable white light panel that was also the best tuneable colour panel, and have it bright when used direct as a narrow 35° beam, but without being reduced
to nothing with a diffuser. You can actually use it to light faces, with an amazing 90 SSI at 3200K. Nova II is really a no-compromise light, which we believe is just about the best in everything it does.”
The Nova II 2×1 is the first fixture in a new Nova II family, and the first panel light to feature the revolutionary Blair-CG light engine. There are four blues and two reds, including Deep Red, for increased gamut and saturation. Using x,y and HSIC+ modes, users can dial-in precise colours to match products, create backdrops, and even dial in perfect greenscreen or bluescreen keys to match the camera’s sensor.
The Nova II 2×1 launches alongside an ecosystem of accessories for light shaping and rigging. Light modifiers quickly attach and stack with Nova II 2×1’s new front-loading QuickClip system.
ASTERA REINVENTS PRACTICAL LIGHTING WITH SOLABULB
Astera has launched the SolaBulb, introducing new levels of performance and control in a discreet, compact form factor with 50W Par-bulbequivalent output and industry-first 15°–50° Fresnel zoom, offering spot and wide-angle beam control capabilities in a single lightbulb-style practical.
Whilst in production on his latest project, renowned gaffer David Smith (Wicked, Snow White, Guardians Of The
Galaxy) remarked, “I really appreciate how versatile the SolaBulb is. Being able to adjust the beam angle from a tight spot to a wider wash gives me so much flexibility on-set. It’s compact, easyto-rig, and saves me from whipping out multiple fixtures.”
At the heart of SolaBulb is Astera’s Titan RGBMA LED Engine delivering rich, saturated colours, accurate skin tones and dynamic output. SolaBulb’s optical system lets users rotate the front barrel to smoothly adjust the beam from soft, atmospheric glow to crisp, defined accents.
The built-in Par20 Fresnel lens provides even distribution and shadow quality that feels cinematic, while maintaining the convenient footprint of a PAR30-style bulb.
NANLUX INTRODUCES THE EVOKE 150C
Nanlux has launched the Evoke 150C, a compact and lightweight 150W fullcolour fixture built for on-the-go set-ups and flexible creative use. Weighing 2.65kg and measuring 209×147×127mm, the all-in-one unit delivers powerful output – up to 22,230 Lux at 1m (5600K, with 45° reflector) – whilst remaining easy to conceal in tight spaces or mount behind props.
Powered by the new Nebula C8 Light Engine, the Evoke 150C offers notable light quality with an ultra-wide colour temperature range from 1,000K to 20,000K, broad colour gamut coverage, and smooth 0.1% dimming. Its eight-colour LED architecture (Deep Red, Red, Amber, Lime, Green, Cyan, Blue, Indigo) enables precise colour rendering, and six built-in modes – CCT, HSI, RGBW, XY, Gel, and Effect – are designed to expand creative flexibility.
The Evoke 150C’s rugged yet lightweight design is IP66-rated, making it suitable for harsh environments. It can run off AC, V-mount batteries, or USB-PD power, offering versatility for location shoots. The new FE mount provides automated modifier recognition whilst maintaining compatibility with existing FM mount accessories.
With just a 150W draw, the Evoke 150C works
as a fill for large scenes or as a key or rim light in confined spaces.
PANAVISION WELCOMES SHERRI POTTER AS CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
Panavision has hired industry-veteran Sherri Potter as the company’s chief revenue officer. Reporting directly to Panavision president/CEO, Kimberly Snyder, Potter will lead the company’s global sales team, with her focus on driving strategic growth opportunities and revenue streams, helping to further-expand Panavision’s customer base and strengthen the company’s position.
Potter joins Panavision from Amazon MGM Studios, where she worked as a senior post-production studio executive, overseeing the post process for theatrical and streaming feature-film releases.
Previously, she spent 17 years with Technicolor, including ten years as the company’s president of worldwide post production. She is also an associate member of the ASC and a member of AMPAS.
“Sherri is passionate about the motion-picture
industry, and she cares deeply about the people she leads and the customers she serves,” said Snyder. “Her support and insights will be invaluable as we set the company’s course for the future.”
DP TIM PFAUTSCH BRINGS ASTERA TITAN & HYPERION FOR FASSADEN EXPERIMENTAL DOC
German DP Tim Pfautsch turned to Astera Titan and Hyperion Tubes to shape the visual core of Fassaden (Curtains), an experimental documentary narrated by Sandra Hüller that explores the on-set and escalation of domestic violence.
The film’s most emotionally-charged sequences are expressed through dance, and Pfautsch needed lighting that was versatile, mobile and adaptable to both performers and camera.
Working with only a modest budget and a small crew, he designed a comprehensive overhead rig using four Hyperion and eight Titan Tubes mounted to a 20×20ft frame, diffused with Ultrabounce and ½ Grid.
Controlled via the Astera App, this rig allowed Pfautsch and his gaffers to create
lighting ‘zones’ that could be adjusted instantly without disturbing the set. A Kino Flo shell fitted with Titan Tubes provided additional backlight when required.
This set-up offered extraordinary creative range. By shifting colour temperature and shadow, Pfautsch underscored the dancers’ emotional journey – from cool, reflective solitude to warmer, suffocating tones that conveyed the pressure of trauma. The app’s flexibility meant the lighting could keep pace with the choreography’s dynamic movement, offering seamless transitions in mood and texture.
“Astera has been with me since the beginning,” said Pfautsch. “For this project, we put a lot of care into how to depict the emotions –and lighting was integral to this.”
LENS FLAIR
Our regular round up of who is shooting what and where
INTRINSIC:
In features James Mather ISC continues the James Stewart bio-pic. In TV drama David Liddell has graded Shetland, as has Evan Barry on Clapperboard’s Baby Tom Hines has been busy on Beyond Paradise Andrew Johnson and Tony Coldwell have graded their episodes of Call The Midwife. Nic Lawson continues series two of the revamped Bergerac. Simon Vickery operated on The Dark in Scotland. Gabi Norland has been operating on Ted Lasso and documentaries. Simon Hawken FNF has been shooting in Ireland with Bill Murray’s golfing doc Off Course Lynda Hall has been busy on documentaries. Martin Roach, Gareth Munden, Leon Brehony and Gavin White have been busy with commercials and corporate films.
SCREEN TALENT:
Andrew Rodger recently wrapped a horror feature
for director Giles Alderson at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia. Adam Sliwinski is prepping The Karen Read Story for A+E. Bart Sienkiewicz PSC worked on the UK unit of a US TV documentary series.
CASAROTTO:
Matt Gray BSC is shooting Tip Toe for Quay Street with director Peter Hoar. David Katznelson DFF BSC is lensing Mobland 2 for Paramount+. Frank Lamm is framing on Silo S4 for Apple with director Michael Dinner. Tim Palmer BSC is shooting Netflix’s Geek Girl S2. David Pimm is filming on Sweetpea S2 for SeeSaw with director Coky Giedroyc. Annika Summerson BSC has reunited with Shannon Murphy on Age Of Innocence for Netflix. Wojciech Szepel is shooting Sid Gentle Films’ Honey with director Toby Macdonald.
INDEPENDENT TALENT:
Dan Atherton is shooting episode 7 of The
Gentlemen S2, directed by Nick Rowland. Ole Birkeland BSC recently wrapped on Dear England, directed by Rupert Goold and Paul Whittington, and then lit a commercial with Harry Bradbeer for Park Village. Eben Bolter BSC ASC is shooting Cape Fear Miguel Carmenes continues to shoot spots and has been enjoying the rave reviews for Juice S2. Chris Clarke shot 2nd unit on Sirius, directed by Lee Smith. Oliver Curtis BSC is prepping on block 2 of War, directed by China Moo-Young. Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC shot an Asics spot with Traktor. Ben Davis BSC is prepping on Jumanji 3, directed by Jake Kasdan. Michael Filocamo is shooting A Good Girls Guide To Murder S3, directed by Tom Vaughn. Catherine Goldschmidt BSC ASC is shooting Three Body Problem with director Miguel Saoichnik. Billy Kendall continues to film music videos and ads with directors Relta & Charlie Rees. Suzie Lavelle BSC ISC is shooting Bloomers directed by Will Sharpe. Toby Lloyd is working on an Untitled Passion Pictures Documentary, directed by Daniel Vernon, and has also been shooting 2nd Unit on Oasis Live ‘25, directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern. John Mathieson BSC has wrapped on Lincoln In The Bardo, directed by Duke
This page: (main image) Bart Sienkiewicz PSC shooting in London; (clockwise) Ole Birkeland on Dear England with focus puller Jason Walker & DIT Mark Kozlowski (photo by Mark Kozlowski); and Eben Bolter BSC ASC (centre) with his camera crew on Cape Fear.
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
Johnson. Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC is shooting Narnia with Greta Gerwig. Patrick Meller has been lensing TVCs with Fiona McGee, Guy Manwaring and US. Stephan Pehrsson BSC is shooting Ahsoka S2 for Lucasfilm and will go on to Mobland S2 with Guy Ritchie. Carmen Pellon Brussosa has been busy shooting shorts and spots. Tat Radcliffe has been lighting with Vaugan Arnell. Kate Reid BSC has started on Everybody Wants To F*ck Me James Rhodes recently got back from LA, having been named as one of the ASC’s Rising Stars, and is currently shooting with director Max Fisher. Ashley Rowe BSC is shooting California Avenue, directed by Hugo Blick. Martin
directed by Matt Lipsey. Mark Waters is shooting Grantchester S11 directed by Rob Evans. Linda Wu has been busy shooting ads and music videos.
LOOP TALENT:
The agency welcomes Brigit ‘Bebe’ Dierken, whose credits include Sexy Beast (Paramount), Origin (Leftbank) and Victoria (ITV). Bebe has just wrapped on The Rapture (BBC/Mammoth). Lorenzo Levrini is shooting a feature film in Scotland. Rufai Ajala is filming Once Now Never Again in NY, and their film Mad Bills To Pay screened at this year’s London Film Festival. Denson Baker ACS NZCS recently wrapped the feature The Butler Ryan Eddleston is prepping for the feature Frank And Percy Darran Bragg is shooting short form. Matt North is filming blocks of Call The Midwife and Silent Witness Ali Asad recently wrapped-up the grade for a feature. Bertrand Rocourt is in prep for the feature The Last Moon Oona Menges BSC is prepping for the feature Trenchfoot Marti Guiver was shortlisted in the Young Arrows and Kinsale Shark Awards. Martyna
Kent has been operating Steadicam on commercial projects. David Pulgarin ACO is back in the world of commercials. Ben Mitchell ACO operated dailies on Death Valley, The Rapture and feature A Colt Is My Passport Grant Sandy-Phillips ACO recently wrapped on the feature Confinement as B-cam/ Steadicam. Michael Vega has been operating Steadicam in short form. Camera operators Jack Smith and Laura Van De Hel have been shooting on commercials.
BERLIN ASSOCIATES:
,
Edward Ames shot block three of Waterloo Road S18. Sarah Bartles Smith is shooting Tommy & Tuppence with directors Fergus O’Brien and Ellie Heydon for BBC Studios/Britbox. Nick Cox shot block two of Waterloo Road S18. George Geddes recently finished shooting ITV’s Balamory Len Gowing recently wrapped on Odd Squad 5 for BBC Studios. Annemarie Lean-Vercoe shot block two of Sister Pictures’ The Split Up Frank Madone has been lighting Only Child S2 for Happy Tramp. Nick Martin
Knitter is shooting a documentary about Chernobyl. Emma Dalesman has been shooting short form. Tom Turley is filming documentaries. Dave Miller is lighting food ads. Nicholas Bennett lit commercials for ITV and BBC. Olly Wiggins has been framing shorts. Arthur Lok, Paul Mackay and Chris O’Driscoll have been lighting ads. Jon Muschamp shot the film Car Park Natalja Safronova recently lit a campaign for Nike via Unit 9. James Anderson ACO has wrapped block two on The Wanted Man as A-cam/Steadicam. Ben Eeley ACO SOC worked on Bergerac S2 as A-cam/Steadicam. Sebastien Joly ACO has been working in his native France on narrative and commercial projects. Gary
Images: (clockwise) DP Eben Bolter BSC ASC (l) with gaffer Bob Bates ICLS on Cape Fear; Eben with 1st AD Jude Gorjanc on Cape Fear; Toby Lloyd on the Cardiff Oasis shoot (photo by Omar Ragab); Dan Atherton on The Gentlemen (photo by director Nick Rowland); Caroline Bridges at the wheels filming Dexter Procter directed by Matt Lipsey (photo by grip Dan Robinson); and Mark Waters shooting Grantchester S11 (photo by Robson Green)
Ruhe BSC is lighting the second season of The Agency Erik Wilson BSC is lensing on Celeb Friends, directed by Jason Orley. Tom Wade ACO is framing B-Cam/Splinter Unit for Beekeeper 2 directed by Timo Tjahjanto. Caroline Bridges is filming Dexter Proctor
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
shot the opening block on Ludwig S2 for Big Talk. Trevelyan Oliver shot a further episode of Call The Midwife S15. Tom Pridham has completed on A Christmas Miracle for Big Talk Productions and C4. Pete Rowe is shooting Expectation Entertainment’s The Chelsea Detective S4. Simon Rowling lit the horror feature Legacy, for director David Slade and producers Adrienne Picciotto, Chris Abernathy, Eric Fleischman, Justin Rosenblatt. Alistair Upcraft is shooting on Amandaland S2. Matt Wicks lit The Reluctant Vampire for Boffola Pictures. Phil Wood shot the second block of Quay Street Productions’ The Blame
VISION ARTISTS:
Benedict Spence has finally wrapped new sci-fi Neuromancer, the Apple TV series created by Graham Roland and J. D. Dillard, adapted from William Gibson›s 1984 novel of the same
name. In the last few months Ben’s work on Netflix’s TV series Eric, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, was nominated for a BAFTA. Ben is in prep on a new TV series for A24. Nick Morris’s feature film Pillion had its UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival. Directed by long-term collaborator Harry Lighton the erotic queer romance stars Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling and was produced by Element Pictures. Jonas Mortensen is shooting Counsels, a new, Glasgow-set legal drama produced by Brian Kaczynski, directed by Lynsey Miller for BBC. Kia Fern Little has graded Theo James Krekis’ BBC short Pretty Green Eyes, a comedyhorror produced by The Fold and shown at BFI IMAX. Will Hanke
Images: (clockwise) Korsshan shooting Schooled; Oona Menges BSC at the camera; DP Pete Rowe in the corn; Pete Rowe and 1st AC Sophie Richards at the camera; Denson Baker ACS NZCS on The Butler (photo by Rod Gammons); Simon Rowling with the
and Lorenzo Levrini shooting a feature in Scotland.
directed by Rosa Barba. Yunus Roy Imer is shooting the next season of the German Netflix show, Doppelhaushälfte David Gallego ADFC shot in Columbia for a new Netflix series, Paloma Toby Leary has been busy shooting visualisers for Jade’s new album release with directors Fa & Fon. Sean Price Williams shot Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Tears’ music video. Will Pugh shot on The Real Free Willy, a new HBO series. Ben Smithard BSC is lensing Florian Zeller’s next feature, Bunker Korsshan Schlauer wrapped on Schooled for C4 and then graded Samuel
graded the TV series Alice And Steve for Clerkenwell Films, and then started shooting the BBC comedy series Break Clause directed by Alice Snedden. Luciana Riso’s feature Retreat exhibited at the Toronto and London Film Festivals. The feature film features an all-deaf cast and directed by Ted Evans for The Fold. James Blann’s feature film I Swear, directed by Kirk Jones, also premiered at the Toronto and London Film Festivals. The film stars Rob Aramayo and follows the story of Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson.
ECHO ARTISTS:
Nadim Carlsen DFF lit a commercial with Machine Operated and is now shooting Singing Chen’s feature, The Ancient Tree Federico Cesca ADF ASK recently graded Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist. Rachel Clark BSC wrapped on the next instalment of the I Am C4 series, directed by Dominic Savage. Andrew Commis ACS recently wrapped on Tilda Cobham-Hervey›s feature, It’s All Going Very Well, No Problems At All Nick Cooke has graded the drama series Two Weeks In August Ruben Woodin Dechamps has finished shooting a project
slider;
Abrahams’ Lady Chloë Thomson BSC continues to shoot on Netflix’s Pride And Prejudice Maria Von Hausswolff DFF is shooting Annie Baker’s next A24 feature, Ancient History
Delivering Solutions To Fuel Creativity
The CVP Projects Team delivers end-to-end solutions, from design and specification to seamless installation and training. With a flexible, collaborative approach, we tailor each project to your needs, leveraging our extensive supplier network and industry connections to ensure the best technology fit. Our expert project management and reliable equipment supply bring together the right people and technology to create future-proof studio environments.
A Unique Approach
With evolving technology and countless choices, selecting the right system can be challenging. That’s why we collaborate early, guiding clients to define objectives, resources, and solutions to bring their vision to life. We understand the latest technologies and how to integrate them into creative workflows seamlessly.
Expertise and Guidance
With deep roots in cinematography, film, and broadcast, CVP is renowned for expert service, unbiased advice, and support. Our Projects Team leverages decades of experience and strong partnerships to integrate best practices and cutting-edge technology, keeping clients ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.
Bespoke Solutions
As experts in designing, specifying, and delivering studios, gaming, VR, XR, MR, and brand activations, we provide tailored advice to align technology with your vision. From cameras and tracking to LED and processors, we ensure seamless integration across commercial applications, including podcasting, broadcast, corporate projects, and film.
TRUSTED BY
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
SARA
PUTT ASSOCIATES:
Aga Szeliga has been operating dailies on Narnia with DP Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC, and Clayface with DP Rob Hardy BSC. Akhilesh Patel operated B-camera on I Am Not Alice Bell with DP Giulio Biccari. Alastair Rae recently worked with Kate Winslet on her directorial debut Goodbye June.
Andrei Austin picked-up dailies on The Witcher and Sense & Sensibility. Andrew Bainbridge was A-camera on Boarders with DP Yinka Edward. Ben Mankin operated A-camera in Canada on the Untitled Netflix Newfoundland Series with director Jamie Childs and DP Will Baldy. Chris Maxwell shot
on the eight-part series Counsels for BBC Scotland. Julian Morson operated on Avengers Doomsday, helmed by the Russo Brothers. Michael EshunMensah worked with Iconoclast on a Sports Direct shoot, using the Sony Venice POV Head Rig, and also with Alvaro Gutierrez to shoot a test pilot pitch for A24. Rick Woollard recently did dallies on Clayface with Rob Hardy BSC, operated Steadicam for Rogue Films, and used his AR rig for a Centre Parcs shoot for Untold Studios. Tanya Marar recently picked-up dailies on The Agency S2 Tom Walden operated A-camera on Mobland S2 with DPs David Katznelson BSC and Stephan Pehrsson BSC. Vince McGahon did dailies on Warner Bros’ Dark Train Will Lyte operated A-camera on Apollo Has Fallen with DPs Adam Etherington BSC and Dale Elena McCready BSC. Zoe Goodwin-Stuart was B-camera on Narnia for Heyday Films & Netflix. Ben Wilson recently finished as 2nd Unit DP on The Immortal Man. His latest show I Fought The Law is on ITV. Chris Dodds shot the short film Albatross starring Harry Enfield. Chris Fergusson recently lit the short Two Kids. Giulio
Images: (clockwise) Helena Gonzalez shouldering the camera; Akhilesh Patel on Hunting Alice Bell; collage of André Chemetoff, Alejandro Martinez, Arseni Khachaturan, Yaron Orbach, and Maceo Bishop shooting The Smashing Machine; John Lynch selfie on Rivals 2; and Chris Dodds on Albatross.
block three of Blood Of My Blood, with DP Ali Walker. Dan Evans operated Steadicam on ITV’s Secret Service for ITV and BBC One’s The Capture Danny Bishop continues working on Ghostwriter alongside DP James Friend BSC ASC and director JJ Abrams. Ed Clark operated A-camera on Slow Horses with DP Nanu Segal BSC. Ilana Garrard picked-up dailies on Practical Magic 2, Ludwig 2 and various commercials. Jack Mealing was B-camera on the main unit of Road House 2 with DP Ben Seresin BSC. James Frater operated on Netflix’s The Gentleman S2 with DP Mark Patten BSC. James Leigh operated A-camera/Steadicam on Mammoth Screen’s The Rapture with DP Catherine Derry BSC. Jessica Lopez worked with DP Jonas Mortesen
Biccari is lighting the new ITV series Adultery Helena Gonzalez lit the short Sheep And Pheasant Jan Jonaeus has finished lighting Legends for Tannadice Pictures. Lorena Pagès is lensing on Clapperboard’s Death In Benidorm Martyna Jakimowska recently shot 2nd Unit on Playground’s All Creatures Great And Small S6. Toby Moore recently lit on Call The Midwife S15. Yinka Edward has finished filming on Boarders S3
WIZZO & CO:
The agency welcomes Shaun Harley Lee SASC to its roster. Shaun shot S2 of Dreaming Whilst Black and the feature Norah, directed by Tawfik Alzaidi, which played at Cannes 2024 receiving a Special
Mention in Un Certain Regard. Mike McMillin is also new to the roster and currently shooting the feature Deepest Darkest, directed by Florence Kosky. Dmytro Nedria is lighting the feature Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint, directed by Jack Spring. Nicola Daley ACS is prepping an Apple+ drama shooting in Berlin. Felix Cramer was nominated for Best Cinematography at the German TV Awards for I Am Scrooge Ryan Kernaghan ISC is shooting Vigil S3. Susanne Salavati BSC is lighting The Split Up Aaron Reid BSC is shooting a Netflix drama and has completed the grade on Wild Cherry Steven Ferguson has graded on Hijack S2. Luke Bryant has completed the DI on The Other Bennett Sister directed by Jennifer Sheridan. Scott Coulter and Chas Appeti are working on embargoed productions. Franklin Dow is working on an embargoed documentary. Simon Stolland shot the short In Between in Italy. Jan Richter-Friis DFF is shooting The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon in Spain. Hamish Anderson recently wrapped the feature A Rare Breed, directed by Sam Johnson. Tim Sidell BSC has graded on The Night Manager S2, directed by Georgi BanksDavies. Chaimuki has graded on drama Never Too Late Ashley Barron ACS recently wrapped on Rivals S2 alongside director Jamie Jay Johnson.
Maximiliaan Dierickx SBC lit a drama in Belgium. Dan Stafford-Clark is shooting Big Mood S2 directed by Rebecca Asher. Matthias Pilz shot 2nd Unit on a Netflix drama. Sverre Sørdal FNF, Aman K Sahota and Darius Shu have been shooting shorts. Theo Garland shot with Henry Littlechild. Will Bex continues shooting an embargoed project with Scott Lyon. Charlie Goodger filmed with Trevor Robinson. Ben Magahy framed with William Barlett, Arran Green with Jack Bailey and Fede Alfonzo shot with Jamie Rafn. Henry Gill shot with Roxy Rezvany and David Procter BSC shot with J Marlow. Joe Douglas lensed with That Jam, and Murren Tullett with Guy Paterson. Gary Shaw has
completed the grade on drama Coolie Nick Dance BSC recently graded on Grace
LUX ARTISTS:
Steve Annis BSC recently wrapped the feature Body Song, directed by Georgia Hudson and shot a Renault commercial, directed by Rupert Sanders. Lol Crawley BSC ASC recently shot 1664 spot, directed by Brady Corbet. Christopher Aoun continues to shoot the feature The Years With You, directed by Caroline Link. Jarin Blaschke is shooting Werewulf, directed by Robert Eggers. Sebastian Blenkov continues lighting season two of the episodic series The Agency Patrick Golan shot an ad for Coach, directed by Marcus Ibanez, and has wrapped on The Incomer, directed by Louis Paxton. Jasper Wolf NSC lensed a campaign for
WHO,
WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
Prada, directed by Spike Jonze. Mauro Chiarello lensed a commercial for Gucci with a director Mau Morgo. Ben Carey lit a CashApp
TVC, directed by Cliqua. Daniel Landin BSC recently shot an Etsy commercial with director Steve Rogers. Nicolas Bolduc CSC continues to work on Le Fantôme De l’Opéra, directed by Alexandre Castagnetti. Giuseppe Favale a shot DFS commercial, directed by Bradley & Pablo and a Just Eat commercial with director Romain Chassaing. Robin Brown lit for Dos Equis, directed by Ivan Zacharias. André Chemetoff wrapped the longform project Chez Momo Justin Brown BSC lensed on a Citroen ad, directed by Fredrik Bond. Matyas Erdely HCA ASC is lensing Moulin Rob Hardy BSC ASC continues shooting Clay Face for DC Studios, directed by James Watkins. Erik Henriksson wrapped Brother Save Us, directed by Jesse Bahrenwald. Magnus Joenck continues shooting October, directed by Jeremy Saulnier. Kasper Tuxen DFF shot an Allwyn ad, directed by Martin De Thurah. Todd Martin will soon wrap Samo Lives, starring Will Poulter, Jeffrey Wright and Danny Ramirez. Mattias Rudh FSF shot a campaign for Rolex, directed by Natanael Ericsson. Maximillian Pittner framed a music video for Rosalia with a director Nicolas Mendez, an IKEA ad, directed by
Justyna Obasi. Alejandro Martinez AMC ASC recently wrapped in HBO’s House Of The Dragon S3. Michael McDonough ISC ASC has completed on Happy Hours, directed by and starring Katie Holmes. Adam Newport-Berra is shooting Club Kid, directed by and starring Jordan Fistman. André Chemetoff lensed a Claude TVC, directed by Daniel Wolfe. Jody Lee Lipes ASC recently lensed a Meta spot, directed by Derek Cianfrance. Rina Yang BSC shot a Vogue x Ebay commercial, directed by Mia Barnes, and a music video for Doja Cat, directed by Bardia Zanelli. Yaron Orbach lit One Night Only, directed by Gluck Will, starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro. Arnaud Potier AFC has wrapped Sense And Sensibility, directed by Georgia Oakley. Nanu Segal BSC is shooting on Apple’s Slow Horses S7. Ben Seresin BSC is working on Dalton, an Amazon sequel to Roadhouse, directed by Ilya Naishuller. Adolpho Veloso ABC has wrapped on Remain, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Harry Wheeler is shooting Major Players for C4. Sebastian Winterø is working on a Perlorian Brothers project. Bradford Young ASC continues shooting Thomas Crowne Łukasz Żal PSC is working on Vaterland, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski. Arseni Khachaturan recently shot a project for ChatGPT, directed by Miles Jay, and an Xbox ad, directed by Onda.
UNITED AGENTS:
Søren Bay DFF has wrapped on the second block of The Forsytes S2 for Mammoth Screen. Adam Etherington BSC has graded Apollo Has Fallen for Canal+ and Paramount+ with director David Caffrey. Philippe Kress DFF shot a TV series in Denmark. John Lee BSC shot on the first block of The Forsytes S2. Mark Nutkins graded an episode of the new series of BBC’s Silent Witness Danny Cohen BSC is prepping John Madden’s feature But When We Dance. Matt Lewis is filming the A24 series It Gets Worse. Kieran McGuigan BSC had graded Trigger Point S4. Bet Rourich’s work on Los Domingos premiered at San Sebastian Film Festival. John Sorapure is second unit directing on Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew Simon Tindall is shooting series three of Sherwood. Ollie Downey BSC is shooting Aric Avalino’s episodes of the final season of Silo Álvaro Gutiérrez AEC has wrapped an A24 presentation project. Frida Wendel FSF shot a four-part mini-series for TV2 Norway and Amazon Prime with director Kenneth Karlstad. Alasdair Boyce lit a block of BBC’s Counsels David Rom has returned to shoot on Ted Lasso S4 Laurens de
Images: Martijn van Broekhuizen in Alaska; and Max Pittner in the desert!
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
Geyter is shooting on the Agatha Christie adaptation, Tommy & Tuppence, for Lookout Point. Si Bell BSC lit the new drama series Maya for C4, written and co-directed by Daisy Haggard. Anton Mertens SBC is shooting Bookish S2 for UKTV. Milos Moore lensed Fightland for Starz. Neus Ollé is framing Spanish feature Caballé for director Patricia Ortega. David Raedeker BSC has wrapped on Apple TV+ drama series 12 12 12, directed by Kari Skogland.
Ed Rutherford BSC shot a block on Rivals S2 for director Dee Koppang. Juan Sarmiento G lit Kaouther Ben Hania’s feature You Shall Not Make An Image Anna Valdez Hanks BSC lit a block of Silo S4 for AMC Studios and Apple TV+. Ben Wheeler BSC was the opening DP on Sister Pictures/ Netflix’s Black Doves S2. Barry Ackroyd BSC has been busy with commercials, including an Erste
Bank spot with directors Daniel and Szymon via Arts & Sciences, shooting in Morocco. Magni Ágústsson ÍKS lensed block one of the upcoming TV series Grown-Ups with director James Griffiths in Dublin, for See-saw Films and Netflix. Alex Barber shot two commercial campaigns in Europe with Smuggler. Daniel Bronks was in Cape Town for a new Philipps commercial with Karien Cherry via Giant Films.
Simon Chaudoir shot with Thomas Kelly in Bangkok on a L’Oreal ad through Ta Production, and in Budapest on a Dior project with director Torso through Division, Paris. Sam Care BSC is shooting the feature Our Fault: London with director Chanya Button at 42 films for Amazon. Catherine Derry BSC is shooting upcoming series The Rapture for BBC One. Sara Deane shot block two of See-Saw Films/ Netflix’s Grown-ups with director Ciaran Donnelly. Stephen Keith-Roach was in Lithuania on a McDonalds spot for director Michael Gracey at Partizan. Diana Olifirova recently shot a commercial in Sofia for Nexus Studios with director FX Goby. Simon Richards lit a Tesco ad for director Jonathan Gregson via New-Land, London. Oli Russell BSC is shooting upcoming series War with New Pictures. Simona Susnea shot block two on The Other Bennet Sister with director Asim Abassi. Marcel Zyskind DFF filmed The Seal Woman in the Faroe Island, with director Tea Lindeburg, for Motor Productions.
WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION AGENCY:
Baz Irvine ISC BSC continues shooting the second season of The Agency alongside director Zetna Fuentes for Paramount+. PJ Dillon ISC ASC and Richard Donnelly ISC are still shooting their respective blocks on HBO’s House Of The Dragon S3. Fabian Wagner BSC ASC is lighting This Is How It Goes, the upcoming feature for Gaumont and 22Summers, with director Idris Elba. Simon Duggan ACS ASC recently wrapped Practical Magic 2 with director Susanne Bier for Warner Bros, supported by WPA clients Mark Goellnicht SOC and Alejandro Chávez AMC, taking on operating and splinter unit roles. Baz Idoine ASC continues shooting on Disney+’s Ahsoka S2. Callan Green ACS NZCS is shooting The Beekeeper II with director Timo Tjahjanto. Vanessa Whyte BSC continues shooting the fourth season of Ted Lasso for Apple TV+. Maja Zamojda BSC lensed Project Codename, the new Netflix limited series from Broke & Bones alongside director Al Campbell. Stephen Murphy ISC BSC has continued shooting on The Gentlemen S2 with director Eran Creevy. Joel Devlin BSC lit Deadpoint with directors Marco Kreuzpaintner and Laura Scrivano for C4 and Clerkenwell Films. Ruairí O’Brien ISC BSC lit the feature Skintown for BBC/RTÉ with Keeper Pictures, alongside director Kieron J. Walsh. Matt Windon has been shooting Amazon’s The Terminal List: Dark Wolf S2 with director Marcos Seiga. Katie Swain shot second unit on Avengers: Doomsday for Marvel. Paul Morris recently wrapped on Apple TV+’s The Wanted Man, directed by Rachel Leiterman. Scott Winig and Robert Binnall have wrapped the next season of Netflix’s The Witcher. Kolja Brandt has been framing the fourth and final season of AMC’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, working with acclaimed director and DP Michael Slovis ASC. Bryan Gavigan is shooting ITV’s new series Believe Me with director Julia Ford. Nathalie Pitters lensed on Adultery with director Will Sinclair for ITV/Poison Pen Studios. Meanwhile, Joel
Images:
Honeywell shot another series for ITV/Poison Pen titled The Dark, working alongside director Gilles Bannier. Pedro Cardillo ABC has been filming on Ludwig S2 for BBC with director George Kane. Arthur Mulhern ISC shot on The Hardacres S2 for C5 with directors Rachel Carey and Stephen Bradley. Pablo Lozano ADF lit the upcoming feature Pysche with director Agustina San Martín for Infinity Hill. Jamie Cairney BSC shot the
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
Fox shot with Bite Collective and director Karen Thomas for Marks & Spencers’ Christmas campaign. Benjamin Todd wrapped in Prague after shooting a Dove ad with Biscuit Filmworks and Ben Strebel. Edward Gibbs shot with director Ed Spreull and Prodigious for a Eucerin spot.
MCKINNEY MACARTNEY MANAGEMENT: Ben Butler has been shooting commercials. Wes
Spragg BSC recently wrapped on The Witcher S5, with Alex Garcia Lopez directing. Richard Stoddard is filming for Death Valley S2 with director Simon Hynd in Cardiff. Robin Whenary recently finished shooting on Call The Midwife S15 with director Syd Macartney.
PRINCESTONE:
documentary Girl On The Run for Plum Pictures, and lensed an ad for San Pellegrino with Smuggler director Alicia MacDonald. Job Reineke lensed on the third block of Starz’s Fightland with director Colm McCarthy. Adam Barnett filmed the second block of the docuseries Boombox for Rogan Pictures. Emily Almond Barr recently wrapped her block of ITV’s Grace S6 alongside director Miranda Howard-Williams. Jake Polonsky BSC has wrapped on 70Up for ITV alongside director Asif Kapadia. Carl Burke has finished Simon Ross’ next feature Call Of The Void Amandine Klee SBC is shooting Deal Productions’ feature Four Loves alongside director Jorge Dorado. Jack Edwards shot second unit on C4’s new series Maya with directors Daisy Haggard and Jamie Donoghue. Sunshine Hsien Yu Niu continued shadowing and operating on Pride & Prejudice for Netflix with director Euros Lyn. Sy Turnbull lit a spot for Optimum Nutrition with director Tom Merilion at Dark Energy. Tibor Dingelstad NSC shot a spot for NPO Luister for Daan Van Citters and Since 88. Stefan Yap shot with director Priya Ahluwalia for Ella Eyre via Protocol, and then for Netflix UK with Baby Teeth and director Femi Ladi. Carl Burke lensed a TVC for Beats with director Tom Cockram through Creative Blood. Dajiana Huang lit a Mimi Webb promo with director Avesta Keshtmand via Friend. Dan Holland shot a spot in Bucharest for Braun via Casta Diva Pictures, with director Andrea Jade Colom. Marcus Domleo shot a campaign for H&M with director James Barnes and Kennedy London. Thomas Tyson-Hole travelled to Florence with Bullion and director Dominic O’Riordan for W Hotel’s latest commercial, and then went to Spain with Charlie Watts and Prose On Pixels to lens a Jet 2 ad. Matthew
Cardino shot Best Medicine for Fox, on location in New York State. Sergio Delgado BSC AEC is shooting A Tale Of Two Cities with director Hong Kahou. Gavin Finney BSC is lighting Lord Of The Rings S5 for Amazon, with director Stefan Schwartz. Jean Philippe Gossart AFC shot on 3 Body
Problem in Budapest with Jeremy Podeswa directing. Steve Lawes has completed filming AMC’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon S3 with director Dan Percival. Dale Elena McCready BSC NZCS has been on location in Wales, Malta and Spain, shooting Paris Has Fallen Series S2 for Hulu and Canal+, directed by Alice Troughton. Andy McDonnell shot C4’s A Woman Of Substance with director Richard Senior. Richard Mott is shooting This City Is Ours S2 with director Saul Dibb. John Pardue BSC recently lensed The Syndicate with director Joseph Bullman. Mike
Of the agency’s cinematographers… Diego Rodriguez is working on Formula 1: Drive To Survive, a docuseries following the FIA Formula One World Championship, and a Netflix documentary from 22 Summers, with King Charles III and Edris Elba looking at the work of the King’s Trust. Of the agency’s camera/Steadicam operators… Cosmo Campbell ACO is shooting on A Wanted Man for New Pictures and Apple TV+, directed is Jakob Verbruggen with DP Trevor Forrest, starring Hugh Laurie and Thandiwe Newton. Michael Carstensen ACO has finished framing on HBO’s House Of The Dragon S3, and has gone onto Beekeeper 2 with DP Callan Green and director Timo Tjahjanto. Matt Fisher ACO is working on the WW2 espionage drama feature, Fortitude, with DP Alan Caudillo and director Simon West. Justin Hawkins is lensing Rivals S2 with DPs John Lynch ISC and Carlos Catalan BSC, starring David Tennant and Aidan Turner. Tony Kay ACO is shooting on The Gentlemen S2 for director Guy Ritchie, with a cast including Theo James and Joely Richardson. James Layton Associate BSC ACO is filming on Silo S4 with DPs Ollie Downey, Anna Valdez-Hanks and Zac Nicholson BSC for Apple TV+. Dan Nightingale ACO is filming on Quay Street Production’s drama series Tip Toe, with director Peter Hoar and DP Matt Gray BSC. Peter Robertson Associate BSC ACO has been lensing on an undisclosed Netflix production. Joe Russell ACO is framing on War, an eight-part drama starring Dominic West, with DP Oli Russell BSC. Peter Wignall ACO is shooting an undisclosed Merc TV series for Netflix in Ireland and Morocco.
Images: Wes Cardino on Best Medicine; and two shots of Richard Stoddard on Death Valley 2.
GREAT GEAR GUIDE•IBC 2025
GEARING UP...
Reporting and photos by Kirsty Hazlewood, Alice Larner, Shelley Smart and Claire Saunders.
ALADDIN
Crafted from robust aluminium, the Alite 2 light is designed to be small, portable and durable. Its compact form factor makes it easy to carry anywhere, whilst the back surface allows the attachment of MagSafe accessories and magnetic products. Whether mounted on your camera rig, workstation, or in a handheld set-up, this light adapts seamlessly.
Aladdin commented, “We are showing the Alite version 2 for the
ANGÉNIEUX
Angénieux presented its Optimo Ultra 12X, an existing long range zoom that has been modified to fit the ARRI Alexa 265 format. It comes with IRO (Interchangeable Rear Optics) technology.
Arnaud Esbelin, operational marketing & communication manager, at Angenieux, commented, “We have the Super 35 format, the Ultra 35 format, the Full Frame format, and now the 65mm format. The IRO technology, which is patented, allows users to change from one format to another. You can change a part of the rear optical group on the entire zoom that swaps from
BLACKMAGIC
Blackmagic Design presented updates across its digital film, live production and post-production product lines, including the URSA Cine 12K LF and 17K 65 cameras.
With both models featuring a new largeformat RGBW sensor that has 16 stops of dynamic range, the URSA Cine line includes interchangeable lens mounts, 8TB of internal highspeed storage and 10G Ethernet for direct media offload.
Blackmagic also launched Blackmagic Camera ProDock at IBC, a new dock that adds professional camera connections to iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
first time at IBC. It’s a 15v on-board camera light with a CLAID 5-LED engine (Cyan, Lime, Amber, Indigo, Deep Red). The light has built in WiFi and Bluetooth, it’s also magnetic on the back side which means you can easily mount it anywhere. It has a foldable diffuser for easy and quick access, as well as an interchangeable battery.”
The ProDock works with the Blackmagic Camera app to add support for external timecode, genlock, audio, SSD recording and more, promising to transform the iPhone into an even more powerful production tool for highend studio and on-set environments.
Glenn Lightbody, director EMEA at Blackmagic Design
one format to another – modifying your focal length, your focus ring and your T stop.”
Esbelin added, “Angénieux is the only lens manufacturer providing a way to customise a zoom lens to nicely fit the camera sensor being used.”
CANON
Canon’s EOS C50 is a compact Full Frame RF mount Cinema EOS camera built for aspiring and professional videographers. Jack Low, EMEA communications lead/corporate communications at Canon said, ”We’re proud to announce the latest entry to our cinema EOS range, the Canon EOS C50. It’s the smallest and lightest cinema camera we have ever created. Not only does it feature a Full Frame 7K sensor, but it’s Canon’s first cinema camera featuring Open Gate recording.”
said, “With more and more people adopting iPhone technology to tell their stories, including the recent cinematic release of 28 Years Later, the ProDock facilitates usability and accessibility and gives filmmakers more options than ever before, without being hindered by connectivity.”
The EOS C50 is compatible with Frame.io’s camera-to-cloud connectivity, and weighs 670g. Its dimensions are 142 x 88 x 95 mm. For handling, the EOS C50 can be mounted either horizontally or vertically, with the display and menu settings automatically adjusting, and it also boasts a detachable handle unit. It supports RF lenses, as well as EF/PL lenses with the optional Canon PL-RF Mount Adapter, and a selection of Canon EF-EOS R mount adapters.
IBC 2025 HIGHLIGHTS•
CREAMSOURCE
Creamsource unveiled the Vortex24 Soft in Amsterdam, a 1950W native soft light, the largest soft source in the Vortex range, which the company says will deliver smooth, bright, beautifully even light at scale. The new fixture is powered by the same proven Vortex platform that gaffers and their lighting teams have come to trust as an on-set workhorse.
Diffusing the Vortex24 hard panel through domes or bounce inevitably reduces output. The Vortex24
Soft has an output of over 190,000 lumens natively, spreading double the output of the Hard across a wide 110° beam. The result is more usable light across the field and brighter coverage off-axis.
As it’s designed as a native soft source, the Vortex24 Soft can be placed close to the camera and talent in space-constrained stages and reduce the number of fixtures required for softboxes or overhead rigs. Control is unified through CreamOS, providing a consistent interface across the range. At the core is CCMS (Creamsource Colour
DOPCHOICE
Over at the Astera stand, DoPchoice revealed its Snapbag ‘Barndoor Fit’ for the Astera QuikPunch. Designed expressly to pair with Astera’s latest LED Fresnel, it delivers even more lighting options for the already versatile wireless spot fixture.
DoPchoice’s instant set-up softbox offers users a fast and efficient way to control the focussed illumination of the QuikPunch. Thanks to the Snapbag’s silver reflective interior, light output is amplified. To soften light, the system comes with a choice of included diffusion, a full Snapcloth and Half Grid Cloth, which affix across the lightface using hook and loop fastenings. To command light
FUJIFILM
One the biggest highlights of IBC this year, was Fujifilm announcing the launch of its brand new GFX Eterna 55 digital filmmaking camera.
The GFX Eterna 55 features a large format 44 x 33mm sensor – GFX 102MP CMOS II HS – with a diagonal of approximately 55mm, roughly 1.7 times larger than a regular full-frame 35mm sensor, enabling filmmakers to capture rich, true-to-life visuals and have enhanced flexibility in post-production.
The camera promises to deliver rich tonal expression with high image quality and enable more diverse visual expression through Fujifilm’s colour reproduction technology cultivated for over more than 90 years since the company’s founding.
The sensor in the Eterna 55 is the world’s tallest large-format
direction, the Snapbag has a 50x50cm front making it fully-compatible with the SGQ50W40 40º Snapgrid.
Optimised for use with QuikPunch’s small-sized barndoors, the leaves slide easily into the Snapbag’s dedicated side pockets. A tight, robust and sag-free fit is ensured by two hook and loop fastening strips which holds the system in place
Management System), which uses the RRGBBW LED mix to deliver colour accuracy and consistency across the lineup. Each pixel zone is factory-calibrated, with real-time feedback that keeps colour locked even at low dimming levels or shifting temperatures. Operating natively in CIE xy colour space, CCMS ensures precision and repeatability that productions can depend on.
sensor designed for filmmaking cameras. As a result, filmmakers have the flexibility to match lenses with any size image circle by selecting between the following shooting formats without any reduction in image resolution: GFOpen Gate 4:3, GF 16:9, Premista, 35mm and Super35.
The camera has a native G-mount and comes with a first-party mount adapter – PL Mount Adapter G – expanding the range of compatible lenses, supporting filmmakers in realising their creative vision and exploring diverse visual expressions.
Fujifilm also announced the Fujinon GF3290mmT3.5 PZ OIS WR lens (GF32-90mmT3.5), the first motorised power zoom lens for GFX cameras, and the first GF series lens optimised for motion production.
It inherits the operability and design of the widelypraised Premista series of
Godox presented the MG4K, a high-efficiency, compact light said to outperform traditional 4K HMI lights. With a light head weighing 10kg, the MG4K delivers 25,600 lux at 5600K @5m using a 30°reflector.
It features a wide CCT range from 2,800 to 10,000K with precise ±100% Green/Magenta adjustment, enabling accurate colour reproduction. The unit incorporates an advanced cooling system
for stable performance and carries an IP65 rating, while full compatibility with the G-Mount accessory ecosystem enables flexible configurations for various lighting setups.
The MG4K weighs 10kg without the yoke and 12.5kg with the yoke, making it easier to rig, move, and position on set. Its compact size allows operation by a single person while providing high-intensity output suitable for large-scale productions.
It also features the smallest 63mm light-emitting surface, achieving a near ‘point-source’ to maximise brightness and optical efficiency.
David Chomiak, global brand
even in demanding, heavy-vibration environments. By rotating the barndoors, users can freely position the softbox.
At 0.85kg/1.87-lbs, the Snapbag instantly opens to 51x51x44 cm. Like all Snapbags, the Barndoor Fit can be swiftly removed and folds into its own compact pouch, ready for the next set-up.
high-end Cine zoom lenses, yet weighs approximately 2.1 kg whilst still producing an image circle that will cover the new GFX Eterna 55 digital filmmaking camera in full GF Open Gate mode.
Combined with the newly-announced GFX Eterna 55, the GF32-90mmT3.5 is said to open new possibilities in filmmaking, introducing a more efficient shooting style and significantly expanding creative freedom for filmmakers.
ambassador at Godox, said, “At IBC this year we are showing two new waterproof products from the Knowled series of lights, the MG4K and the MG4KR. The MG4K is a bicolour light, and the MG4KR is the full colour RGBWW version of the MG4K. The reason the MG4K light is so popular and so good for gaffers is because compared to the previous generation of such powerful lights, it’s just half the weight and size.”
GODOX
GREAT GEAR GUIDE•IBC 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
RED
Built on the V-Raptor [X] platform, Red’s new V-Raptor XE, launched at IBC 2025, brings the company’s large-format global shutter sensor to a more accessible entry-point, whilst retaining core V-Raptor features such as R3D recording at up to 8K VV 60p, 4K 120p and 2K 240p. Available with either Nikon Z or Canon RF mounts,
NANLITE
Nanlite’s new Miro 30c and Miro 60c are compact, lightweight and versatile round panel lights designed to offer fast, flexible lighting with professional-grade performance and modern design.
Equipped with Nanlite’s advanced Nebula C4 Light Engine, they deliver bright white light, vivid, richly-saturated colours, and natural eye-lighting effects.
For mounting to stands or placing on surfaces, the Miro 30c and 60c feature stepped yokes, allowing multiple tilt angles for precise positioning. Both lights can also be powered via PD adapters or NP-F batteries for flexible operation
full-frame imagery into live-broadcast workflows. It supports up to two channels of 4K 60P (HDR/SDR) via 12G-SDI, IP broadcasting compliant with SMPTE ST 2110 (TR-08), and a 4K 60P JPEG-XS feed.
it promises to combine uncompromising image quality with versatile lens options.
Also at IBC, Red introduced its CineBroadcast Module, designed to bring filmic,
TERADEK
Teradek’s Prism Jetpack is a 5G video contribution pack designed to meet the demands of live field production at the highest level. With cutting-edge connectivity and studiograde monitoring, Prism Jetpack introduces a new category of mobile contribution for news, sports, and event coverage.
Derek Nicholls, technical product manager, said, “The Prism Jetpack is a system that was built incorporating a Small HD monitor, a Teradek encoder and a Lowepro carry system, all designed to work together for the customer in any location. The Jetpack has four HD inputs, eight internal 5G global modems, a 2.5-hour internal battery, and an external
on location. The lights can illuminate subjects as key lights or serve as an ambient wash, making them suitable for live streaming, content creation and photography.
The Miro 30c is slightly larger than a CD, whilst the Miro 60c is comparable in size to a salad plate, with emitting surfaces of 6.5 inches and 8.2 inches respectively.
Each fixture is equipped with a 45° focussing lens, producing a bright and concentrated beam while drawing only 30W (Miro 30c) or 60W (Miro 60c). A magnetic diffuser is included for quick switching between soft and harder light.
The system includes a robust Lemo SMPTE hybrid fibre connector and a rack-mountable base station, whilst expanding workflows with slow motion, AI/ML enhancements, and real-time 8K 120FPS R3D streaming via the Red Connect license. A new broadcast colour pipeline enables live painting and multi-camera colour matching using standard broadcast controls, with metadata saved per frame. Already deployed by CBS Sports, NBC Sports Group, and MotoAmerica, the module is proving its broadcast potential.
IBC also marked the first showing of Red
battery that is hot swappable so you can keep your stream-up indefinitely.”
At the heart of Jetpack is an advanced 5G architecture featuring eight internal 5G modems and a custom highperformance antenna array, with total support for up to ten simultaneous network connections, including Starlink. Whether operating in densely-populated urban centres or remote field locations, Jetpack ensures rock-solid connectivity when reliability is critical. With the ability to stream in 4K60, 10-bit HDR, and carry up to 16 audio channels, it delivers broadcast-grade performance for even the most challenging live productions.
cameras with Nikon’s Z Mount. Both the V-Raptor [X] and compact Komodo-X were displayed with Nikon’s premier mount, offering broader lens choice and enhanced performance.
The V-Raptor [X] features an 8K VV global shutter sensor with exceptional low-light and high frame-rate capability, while the 6K S35 Komodo-X delivers up to 6K 80P in a lightweight 2.6 lb body. Nikon’s Z Mount provides sharpness, low-light capability and edge-to-edge detail, completing a comprehensive lens-to-codec capture solution.
The Height of Cinema
Named after its 55mm image diagonal, FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 features a native 4:3 aspect ratio – a staple in cinematography for decades. It gives today’s filmmakers up to 3x larger canvas than 4-perf Super 35, for versatile, cinematic creations.
STOCK IN TRADE
By Ron Prince
Kodak has announced significant advances to its VISION3 colour negative motion picture filmstocks, with the introduction of a new negative structure incorporating an Anti-Halation Undercoat layer (AHU), that delivers technical and environmental enhancements, whilst retaining the outstanding image quality for which Kodak is renowned.
AHU is a gel-based replacement for the traditional carbon-based REMJET backing. The new AHU film structure improves halation protection and incorporates a process-surviving, anti-static and scratch-resistant backside layer, minimising dirt and dust accumulation during scanning, thereby delivering a cleaner film for printing and other subsequent film-post routines, all whilst maintaining VISION3’s sensitometric performance.
Filmstocks with the new AHU layer have already been successfully used on several feature and shortform productions. These include: Tornado (2025, dir. John Maclean) shot by DP Robbie Ryan ISC BSC; an upcoming, but as yet untitled, A24 musical comedy directed by Jesse Eisenberg; and Addison Rae’s music video entitled ‘Fame Is A Gun’, directed and filmed by cinematographer Sean Price Williams.
“We were happy to be guinea pigs, and to try something new,” says Robbie Ryan, whose filmstock package on Tornado included several rolls of VISION3 500T AHU. “I worked exactly the same with the new KODAK VISION3 AHU 5219 as I would with the regular 5219, and didn’t notice any effect on the rushes at all. The new 500T AHU product performed equally to the current VISION3 without any appreciable difference.”
Kodak says it will gradually introduce the new film AHU structure for all KODAK VISION3 Color Negative Films – 5/7219, 5/7213, 5/7207 and 5/7203 – and that AHU will be gradually implemented across all formats – Super 8, 16mm, 35mm and 65mm.
“This historic enhancement to the VISION3 family with AHU is the result of many years of dedicated research and development by the expert film design team at our factory in Rochester, NY,” says Vanessa Bendetti, Kodak’s vice president and head of motion picture.
“After extensive internal testing and the successful implementation of all VISION3 AHU codes and formats on filmed productions, we’re excited to offer a new, improved, more robust and environmentallyconscious product, that gives filmmakers the same
exceptional photographic performance they love and expect from the VISION3 range.”
Halation in photographic film is a phenomenon where bright light sources appear to have a glowing halo or a soft, reddish-orange “bleed” around their edges, particularly noticeable in high-exposure scenes. This effect is caused by light reflecting from the rear of the film base and scattering back into the emulsion, resulting in a secondary exposure.
REMJET, invented by Kodak in 1934, is a black, carbon-based layer coated onto the backside (or bottom) of KODAK motion picture colour negative films for the purposes of halation, static and scratch
The new 500T AHU product performed equally to the current VISION3 without any appreciable difference
protection, and is a layer which washes away during processing at the lab.
KODAK motion picture colour negative films have included REMJET at least since 1948 when the company introduced triacetate ‘safety film’ as a replacement for nitrate film, for which Kodak received a Technical Academy Award in 1949.
However, whilst REMJET has been applied to the base side of colour motion picture negative filmstocks for many decades, it has also proven a source of certain issues, namely the accumulation of dirt if the stock were to be disrupted during the film workflow
We’re excited to offer a new, improved, more robust and environmentallyconscious product
– either through camera and/or during processing. Furthermore, the removal of the REMJET layer during processing means the loss of anti-static properties during subsequent film handling and a build-up of sludge in the baths at the lab.
Historically, REMJET has done an effective job in protecting against halation and static, whilst adding a level of scratch-resistance to the base-side of the film, so for many years this challenging part of film manufacturing – coating REMJET onto a thin substrate –and film processing, all continued as normal
In more recent years though, as customer workflows advanced, Kodak began to explore viable alternatives to REMJET. As early as 2008, the company investigated REMJET replacement with filamentary silver for halation protection. Then, in 2016, as part of Kodak’s continued investment in its rejuvenated motion picture business, the film design team began final development work on a gel-based anti-halation protective undercoat layer (AHU) for VISION3 colour negative films.
Tornado
AHU is manufactured as part of the emulsion coating process and contains silver and other chemical components, which have been scientifically-balanced for optimal sensitometric performance. The density in this layer, which protects against halation is removed, without leaving gunge in the film baths.
Whilst REMJET-backed film loses its antistatic layer during processing, the new film structure incorporates a process-surviving anti-static layer, which tests have demonstrated acts as a repellent to dust particulates.
There is no change to the product’s sensitometry nor are any workflow adjustments required in processing, scanning and printing, although significantly higher densities can be expected in skip-bleach processing, and filmmakers are advised to consult with their lab or Kodak representative if considering alternative processing techniques. There is no change to the archival performance with the new film structure either.
Approximately 45 multi-layer pilot coating experiments were performed between 2016 and 2018 by Kodak film builders and product engineers, supporting development of AHU formulations for 50D, 200T, 250D, and 500T VISION3 films. Between 2019 and 2022, other priorities (and the global pandemic) meant Kodak’s AHU efforts were shelved, until the programme was resurrected in 2023. Since then, Kodak has updated the original AHU layer design and reformulated each of the colour negative film codes, before making the new filmstock available and commencing the phaseout of traditional REMJET stocks.
Current product that has REMJET on the back side of the film is deep black in colour with a slightly matte appearance. The new AHU film structure incorporates a transparent based-side anti-static layer and an emulsion-side halation protection layer. Without the REMJET layer, the colour of the new base-side is dark brown with a glossy appearance.
The film support remains an acetate base. If splicing, it will perform the same as the current product. The sensitometry and handling of the new AHU film structure is identical to the current VISION3 product.
Internal testing and customer trials have shown that AHU film offers cleaner results and that photographically it combines seamlessly
with REMJET-backed film. Moreover, upon full conversion of VISION 3 to the new AHU film structure Kodak estimates that photochemical labs around the world will collectively reduce water consumption by millions of gallons per year, pre-bath chemical solutions by more than 50,000 gallons per year, and lower energy-use up to 100,000kWh annually.
It is important to note, as of the publishing of this article, that whilst AHU is now in the market, Kodak is still in the final stages of a rigorous commercialisation process for new film structure and volumes will be limited for the foreseeable future. Kodak also points-out a mis-assumption that AHU can/should be processed C-41. This is not the case. Whilst the removal of REMJET makes it possible to process AHU in C-41, VISION3 formulations are specifically designed for ECN chemistry and image fidelity will be impacted if processed otherwise.
While side-by-side comparisons have shown the new AHU film structure controls halation more successfully than REMJET, testing is recommended for shot compositions including a highly specular light source pointed directly towards the lens at 8-stops or above normal exposure settings. Certain cameras fitted with highly-polished chrome, rail-design back pressure pads may produce additional flare. In this case, Kodak recommends users speak with their camera rental company about alternative black back-plates to eliminate reflection.
“During the period when both REMJET-backed VISION3 film and the new VISION3 AHU film structure are in the market simultaneously, there is no issue with combining them in any workflow,” adds Bendetti. “From capture to processing and post-production, the two film structures work together seamlessly, and the advent of AHU and allows Kodak to continue offering motion picture customers premium photographic products.”
Vanessa Bendetti
CALLING PLANET EARTH
By Ron Prince
Shooting on KODAK film, DP Robbie Ryan BSC ISC used VistaVision to captivating effect on Yorgos Lanthimos’ satirical scifi kidnap thriller Bugonia , declaring himself to be “stunned by the results.” The film is expected to feature prominently in the 2026 awards season.
Bugonia (whose title refers to an ancient Greek belief in the birth of bees from dead cows) follows Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his impressionable younger cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), whose beehive colony in the meadow next to their decrepit rural home has begun to collapse.
Teddy, an internet conspiracy theorist, believes the problem has been caused by extra-terrestrials who have infiltrated and now covertly control humanity. To send a message to the aliens that humans are not to be toyed with, Teddy aims to capture one of the invaders he has identified in the form of Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), the steamrolling CEO of a local biomedical corporation, where he holds a menial job and whose opioid experiments have left his mother in a permanent coma. The pair duly make the abduction and begin interrogations in the confines of the dark and dingy basement, hoping to force an admission from the Andromedan invader, board her spaceship and return her to where she rightly belongs.
with credits encompassing Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank (2009) and Wuthering Heights (2011), Ken Loach’s The Angel’s Share (2012) and I, Daniel Blake (2016), Billy O’Brien’s I Am Not A Serial Killer (2016), Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) and Marriage Story (2019), plus John Maclean’s Tornado (2025).
Upon reading the script for Bugonia, Ryan says, “I was all-in. There couldn’t have been a more prescient time – of mad minds and mad ideas – to make a film with a wake-up call. Yorgos is a visionary, who is always eager to explore and try new things. We had used a VistaVision camera on Poor Things, to shoot the flashback sequence in which Bella is reanimated, and he really loved the detailed and immersive result. When it came to making Bugonia he felt VistaVision would be a great choice, and I was really keen to see how we might get that to work.”
It felt like one of the biggest films I’ve done
An international co-production between Ireland, South Korea and the US, Bugonia is an English-language remake of the South Korean black comedy sci-fi thriller Save The Green Planet! (2003, dir. Jang Joon- hwan, DP Hong Kyungpyo), adapted by Will Tracy, with filmmaker Ari Aster amongst the producers.
After pre-release screenings at festivals worldwide, the movie earned rave reviews for
the extraordinary power of its immersive visual treatment, along with Lanthimos’ whip-smart exploration of themes surrounding corporate greed, extreme environmentalism, the ideological confrontation of paranoia versus power, and humanity’s ability to overcome its failings.
The movie is Ryan’s fourth feature collaboration with Lanthimos, following their work together on The Favourite (2018) and Poor Things (2023), both earning the DP Oscar nominations, and Kinds Of Kindness (2024) – all shot on Kodak.
The Irish DP has an impressive and consistent track-record of shooting on 16mm and 35mm film
VistaVision is a high-resolution widescreen film format, developed by Paramount Pictures in 1954, to create a higher-quality visual experience that would compete against the rising popularity of television and lure audiences back into cinemas. Instead of running the film vertically through a standard 35mm camera, VistaVision cameras run 35mm horizontally, giving an 8-perf 1.5:1 frame, that has double the surface area of standard 35mm film, resulting in sharp and highly-detailed images with fine grain.
White Christmas (1954) was the first feature to be shot using VistaVision and became the highest grossing film of the year, followed soon after by equally-successful classics including Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958).
Although Paramount dropped the format in the early 1960s, due to refinements in Eastmancolor filmstocks, VistaVision’s high-resolution still made it attractive to filmmakers for VFX sequences in the Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones franchises.
In more recent times, VistaVision has made a notable comeback as the main production format on movies such as The Brutalist (2024, dir. Brady Corbett), which won three Academy Awards, including one for its cinematographer Lol Crawley BSC ASC, and with directors Paul Thomas Anderson and Lanthimos selecting it for their respective features One Battle After Another and Bugonia.
“Yorgos is known for the distinct visual
language he brings to each film. Whereas we’d gone for super-wide angles in The Favourite and Poor Things, the difference with this film was that he wanted the cinematography to focus more on portraiture. And what better way is there do portray the landscape of the face, than on a very beautiful, high-resolution format like VistaVision?” Ryan remarks, “I have to admit that until we did Poor Things, I had never shot in VistaVision before and also didn’t really know much about it, other than the beauty, grandeur and clarity of the images in films like The Searchers (1956, DP John Ford, DP Winton C Hoch ASC) and Vertigo (1959, DO Robert Burks
We had the same lenses that were used on One Battle After Another
ASX). So I really had some learning to do.”
About a year before going into production on Bugonia, he duly tracked-down Scott Smith and Marty Mueller, experts in IMAX and largeformat camera restoration, who, as happenstance would have it, had recently been responsible for overhauling the Wilcam W11, the world’s only 8-perf sync-sound VistaVision camera, rebuilding it with new electronics, motors known as ‘The Silencers’, plus modern features including a 2K video tap, optional 2,000ft film magazines offering ten minutes of recording time, and a Panavision lens mount, available through Panavision in Woodland Hills, California.
“We employed a Beaumont VistaVision camera on Poor Things, but realising it was pretty noisy, used it just for the non-sound-sync flashback sequence. By comparison the Wilcam W11 is much quieter and could therefore be more easily used for dialogue scenes.
“So we shot tests with the actors and Yorgos was impressed by the luscious detail in the images, and despite the quirks and foibles that come with vintage equipment – like the camera jamming on whip-pans, and the horizontal magazines being the size of two enormous pizzas that would make it interesting to manouevre around – he felt VistaVision was the perfect format for the film.”
Regarding references, Ryan recounts, “I didn’t really look at VistaVision films per se during prep. Rather Yorgos encouraged me to watch the work of Bill Douglas, particularly his trilogy – My Childhood (1972, DP Mick Campbell), My Ain Folk (1973, DP Gale Tattersall) and My Way Home (1978, DP Ray Orton) – which are deeply-rooted in Douglas’ own life experiences, memories and childhood in a Scottish mining village. They’re gems, with beautiful compositions, timed camera moves and rhythms in the editing, that combine to create a unique emotional and visual language. If anything, our cinematographic style was influenced by all that.”
Whilst Bugonia is set in the US, it was largely shot in the UK. Filming took place between June
and September 2024, over 47 shooting days. The first 39 days were spent amid 3,500 acres of mature beech woods and rolling pastures on the Culden Faw Estate, near Henley-on-Thames, England, where Teddy and Don’s prairie-style
Yorgos is a visionary, who is always eager to explore and try new things
home, including the basement, was constructed as an entire set, under the auspices of production designer James Price. Ryan says the location was a blessing in disguise, as he was able to moor his own 40ft-cruiser, the ‘Mary Louise’, on the River Thames, and thereby avoid a lengthy commute from London every day.
After wrapping in the UK, the production spent eight days shooting at locations around Atlanta. Second unit filming, supervised by Daniel Wolfe as director and Harry Wheeler the DP, took place in London and Greece.
Supported by Panavision during production, Ryan deployed the Wilcam W11 for the movie’s dialogue scenes, and a Beaumont camera for non-dialogue sequences. When it came to lenses, the DP liaised with Panavision’s lens guru, Dan Sasaki, about a set of prototype optics. These offer a similar look to Panavision’s legacy Super Speed glass, famously favoured by Gordon Willis ASC, and were specially-developed to cover the VistaVision format for One Battle After Another, through collaboration between Sasaki and director Paul Thomas Anderson. After One Battle After Another had wrapped, and Ryan was prepping Bugonia, he opted to work with those
same prototypes.
“Dan asked me how I wanted the image to feel, and my main request was for sharpness, partly because that’s what Yorgos likes and partly because of the large 8-perf format. So, we ended-up using the same ones that were used on One Battle After Another.
“As the film was very close-up on the actors, we used a lot of the shorter focal lengths, chiefly the 18mm, 21mm, 40mm and 50mm which are all T1.4, but went with longer-length 129mm T1.8 and 180mm T1.9 Panavision Primos on some occasions.”
Ryan selected KODAK VISION3 250D 5207 for the basement scenes, KODAK VISION3 50D 5203 for day exteriors and KODAK VISION3 500T 5219 for low-light and night scenes. The dreamlike flashbacks alluding to Teddy’s comatose mother were shot using KODAK DOUBLE-X 5222 35mm negative. Film processing was done at Cinelab, UK, with the final grade performed by Greg Fisher at Company3 in London.
“I love shooting on Kodak. I know those stocks, and how they perform, really well. The biggest issue was choosing which stocks to get cut into 2,000ft loads for the Wilcam W11. As it worked out, the 250D was our main workhorse, and if we were ever in danger of running low, it was easy to switch to 500T, as the two stocks marry together and you cannot see the join.”
Ryan estimates that 90% of Bugonia was shot using VistaVision cameras. Mainly a singlecamera shoot, Ryan operated the Wilcam II throughout production, supported by Olga Abramson on focus, with Matt Fisher working as Steadicam operator and wielding the Beaumont, aided by Cristina Cretu on focus. Brain Udoff worked as the VistaVision camera technician. As the noisier Beaumont was unsuitable as a B-camera for a small number of dialogue scenes, such as the kitchen/dinner sequence, a regular 35mm camera was introduced to provide the necessary coverage.
“Because of the unwieldy size and weight of the Wilcam W11, we shot on a Peewee dolly most
of the time, sometimes with a three-axis stabilised Libra Head to ensure the shots were steady.” Ryan recalls. For the car driving scenes, the camera was rigged to the car with Emma doing the driving herself for authenticity, rather than using a low-loader.
“VistaVision cameras are not easy to work with, and I’m really proud of my camera team in making sure things ran smoothly without too many issues, and for generally keeping us up-to-speed.”
Ryan’s framing decision, during the basement interrogation scenes, is worthy of note, with the camera looking upwards at the protagonists to amplify the idea of incarceration and inquisition taking place in a dungeon-like environment.
“It’s a strong angle, that’s for sure, it sears those faces into your brain, and I loved how you can practically feel details like the stubbly bristles on Teddy’s face,” says Ryan. “As you can see in all of the films we’ve made together, Yorgos is not a fan of having the camera straight-on at the same eye-level as the actors, and the angles for the basement scenes really did help to convey a subterranean feeling.”
One complication of shooting in VistaVision came with synchronising the lighting to the cameras. As Ryan explains, “The main problem was fact that the Wilcam W11 has a locked shutter-angle
of 144°, which, at standard 24fps, equates to a 1/60th of a second exposure time. This setting is commonly used in US production to eliminate flicker from artificial lights and computer monitors by
VistaVision was the perfect format for the film
synchronising the camera’s exposure with the 60Hz power supply frequency.
“As were shooting in the UK, which has a 50Hz supply, this meant, my gaffer, Jonny Franklin, had to design the electrical power supply to match the camera. So along with making sure we had a generator capable of delivering 60Hz, he also to wire the whole house and adapt the lights accordingly too.
“It was a massive job, that took a good couple of weeks alone. When it was done, however, Jonny had ensured that all of the lighting fixtures were networked together so that Nathan Porter, our lighting console operator, could dim a light up or down or dim at the touch of a button.
“I really enjoyed working with Jonny, who helped with the management of making things look like they we lit naturally, or how you might imagine the fluorescent confines of a creepy cellar to appear, all whilst making sure to keep the forest of flags and fixtures out of the way of the camera and the actors.”
Summing-up his experience on Bugonia, Ryan remarks, “I really enjoy Yorgos’ filmmaking process, and his presence on-set makes it an enjoyable family affair. Although it’s quite a simple film really, for some reason it felt like one of the biggest films I’ve done. Maybe it was managing the big lumps of vintage camera machinery, and trying not to worry too much about them breaking down.
“It’s great to see the resurgence of VistaVision and whilst you might associate it with big vistas and broad skies, Yorgos saw its potential for character portraits, especially landscapes of faces, and the results are stunning.”
NOT IF? WHEN!
By Darek Kuźma
Barry Ackroyd BSC’s third feature with director Kathryn Bigelow impresses through a distinctive visual grammar that unsettles both the eye and the imagination, and lingers long after the end credits roll.
In A House Of Dynamite, the final entry in an unofficial triptych with The Hurt Locker (2008, DP Barry Ackroyd BSC) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012, DP Greig Fraser ACS ASC), Bigelow builds her story around the sudden detection of a nuclear missile heading towards an unidentified US city, threatening an apocalyptic, end-of-the-world scenario.
The escalating crisis, is retold three times over, from different points-of-view along the chain of command, each version shifting in tone and visual detail: the first with the stunned military operators who initially detect the threat; the second with Washington officials who are forced to turn fragmentary intelligence into action;
and finally with the President, who is hurriedly shuttled between cars and helicopters as he confronts the impossible and terrifying choice of what the response will be to the attack.
Kathryn and I make films that don’t give you simple answers
Across the storytelling arc of the film, what begins with frenetic urgency gradually slows into stillness as the weight of decision-making grows, until confinement itself becomes part of the story. At the same time, the film captures the paradox of crisis: people operating at the peak of their concentration and skill, yet exposed in their human fragility.
From the outset of their feature collaboration, spanning The Hurt Locker and Detroit (2017) Bigelow and Ackroyd have pursued a form of authentic visual and emotional immersion stripped of comfort. These are films that demand active participation and put trust
in the viewer’s imagination. A House Of Dynamite may be both their most viscerallykinetic work and their hardest to endure before nerves begin to fray.
“We wanted people to feel the immense gravity of the situation the characters are in, as a thermonuclear device speeds towards the US,” Ackroyd says, noting that prep was less about references than about
The intention was never to over-dramatise things with colour or lighting
achieving credibility. “There was never a time when the film was meant to be soft around the edges, to echo something familiar or repeat what we’d done before.
“Kathryn’s always progressing. She wants the next film to be different, tougher, more precise. I feel the same. You can’t impose style for its own sake. The story dictates the style, and you build a visual language around that.”
Authenticity very quickly became the ground on which the film could stand.
“Kathryn and production designer Jeremy Hindle gained limited access to many government buildings before I was even on the job, and were able to observe those facilities, but with computers and screens closeddown for obvious reasons. They did some LiDAR scans and were able to photograph certain details. After further research by Jeremy, these locations were then built as sets at Cinelease Studios in New Jersey – right down to the hinges and the doorknobs.”
During prep, Ackroyd himself was taken into secure areas beneath The White House, and other real-life locations.
“We went into the Situation Room itself. Although the access was similarly limited, we learnt how it
operates, who sits where, and what the hierarchy of command would be if there’s catastrophic event. That was rebuilt to the millimetre too,” he recalls.
The same was true of other interiors, including the vast Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) building and an earlywarning system site in Alsaka, all recreated in accurate detail. Commensurate rigour applied to the exteriors as well: aerials of Washington DC, with closed streets for motorcades, and helicopter shots The White House or Capitol Hill; coverage of a re-enactment of the Battle Of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, in Gettysburg; and Iceland doubling for US military sites in Alaska. Additional photography also took place in Kenya.
the Battle Of Gettysburg re-enactment, both of whom Ackroyd describes as “great companies”.
“We went with the Alexa 35 because, in combination with the lenses, it was the right form factor. You’ve got the zoom, the stop and the focus, all within reach of your fingers, and for me it’s like playing a musical instrument. You’re not operating from a monitor, you’re with the camera, physically connected to it and the lens.”
Although much of the camerawork would appear to be handheld, Ackroyd explains he employed other means of to create that effect. “Forward motions, such as pushing down a corridor, following through a doorway or round a corner, were handheld. But during long takes and dialogue scenes between multiple characters, the camera was far too bulky to have on the shoulder.
Each location offered a distinct visual character, which the filmmakers embraced-fully. Yet even with nearperfect replicas of key government rooms and facilities, Ackroyd says certain adjustments proved unavoidable.
“The authenticity at that level is both brilliant and brutal, as those interior spaces aren’t built for cinema. They’ve got strange red rosewood panels, fluorescent downlights, no natural light sources, quirks like semicircular windows reflecting everything in the room. It sort of describes America: high-tech command centres with mock Georgian furnishings and bad light,” Ackroyd laughs.
“To make our replica sets ready for the shoot, we had to replace the fittings, and those industrial lamps with their weird exposure range, with LEDs that we could control for colour, temperature and intensity.
“Sometimes, during production, we might have to kill half the fixtures, dim the others, and soften things with diffusion. We relied on Tiffen IRND filters from .3 up to .9, Glimmerglass 1/8 and 1/4, and circular polarisers – small things, but they helped to shape the exposure and keep consistency. Nothing in the lighting was stylised. The drama came from the room, the people and how we framed the story beats. It was often painful to work in those conditions, but the environment was true. That’s what mattered.”
In order to mimic the same freeform physicality as handheld, we typically had the camera on a dolly with short slider of about two of three feet – using the slider to move left or right, the zoom lens to push-in or pull-out, and the dolly simply to reposition during a shot. Even on the dolly and slider, I had my eye at camera. It’s a bodily connection, and it’s like operating handheld, and it kept the camera fluid, alive, instinctive and responsive to the moment.
“Because most of the sets were built on flat industrial floors, we didn’t need dolly track. We could just shift the camera position as the moment required to what was happening in front of us. That’s what kept it authentic.”
Emotional authenticity also came from how the camera attuned to the unravelling of the story across the three different versions.
“I always find the rhythm of a film through the camera. It goes back to my documentary days, when we’d walk into a room and respond to what we saw. You listen to the words, watch the emotions, anticipate the moment something shifts.
Ackroyd paired ARRI Alexa 35s with Angénieux Optimo zooms (24–290mm T2.8, 15–40mm T2.6, 28–76mm T2.6 and 45–120mm T2.8), supported by a set of Cooke S4/i primes from 14mm to 180mm. The camera gear was supplied by TCS in New York for
“The opening section had to be frantic because the situation itself was frantic. With alarms, panic and information flooding-in, the camera had to follow and depict all of that.
The second section, as the officials in Washington digest the incoming intelligence and distil that into what actions are required, had needed energy, but less frenetic.
“We never wanted to shoot the same shot twice. So, if we did a long take and then realised a piece of the action might be missing, we had the agility to try another move from a different angle or position,” he explains.
For the third section, the rhythm shifts as confinement takes hold.
“When the President gets into The Beast – the armoured vehicle that takes him to a helicopter and then on to a bunker – you can’t jump around with the camera anymore. You’re locked-in with him. He’s
Images: Eros Hoagland/Netflix
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE•BARRY ACKROYD BSC
confined and has to make probably the most important decision of his life, so the camera movement necessarily became confined too.”
Shooting the scenes inside a near-perfect replica of The Beast travelling along the freeway, and then the
It was always about standing outside the story, looking-in and observing
“Still, we were very lucky in having extraordinary support from the local authorities. We had police escorts in Washington, and they doubled as our escorts on camera too. In New Jersey the Governor instructed to the local officials, ‘Whatever they want, you do it.’ That meant things like roads being closed for us, and the FEMA opening its vast complexes. That’s rare.”
A House Of Dynamite was always filmed with at least three cameras, with Ackroyd supported by 1st AC Olly Driscoll on A-camera.
“Gregor Tavenner took B-cam with 1st AC Cory Stambler, and Katherine Castro, who had been my focus puller before, was on C-camera with 1st AC Nolan Ball. Each of us had a slightly different style – Kat loves the handheld documentary feel, Greg had worked on Succession and understood that observational approach – but we were united by intent, always reacting to one another.”
When it came to colour and lighting, Ackroyd insisted on restraint.
“The intention was never to over-dramatise things. I’ve worked with my DIT Kyo Moon for years, so we already had a LUT that kept things natural-looking and unforced, and I took that same approach with the lighting. The drama was already there in the lens choices, the movements, the zooming, the positioning. What we needed was honesty, not manipulation.
“Looking back, I think that way of working comes from shooting with Ken Loach. It was always about standing outside the story, looking-in and observing, so that the emotions and the connection emerged on their
noticed what the days were – I was just there, in the zone, living it with the camera, the crew and the cast.”
I always find the rhythm of a film through the camera
Yet the visual result resists understatement, especially in the way it is chaotic but not random, immersive but not manipulative, authentic but never comfortable.
“Kathryn and I have always made films that are difficult. They don’t give you simple answers. They
presidential helicopter, demanded precision.
“We had two cameras inside the car and two inside the helicopter. However, on the freeway, as the motorcade raced through Washington, we needed to cover everything because you can’t go back and do it again. You can’t reset. You’ve got one chance, so we had five, six, even seven cameras rolling to cover the convoy of vehicles.
own, without the need for anything dramatic in terms of colour or lighting.”
Ackroyd shrugs at the idea of A House Of Dynamite being described as a cinematographic achievement.
“I’m never one for overestimating what I’ve done,” he says modestly. “I’d rather underestimate it. For me, it just felt natural to be there, natural to shoot it this way. I never
demand that you stay with them, that you imagine your way through them. It’s why we return to work together.”
And so, A House Of Dynamite closes not with certainty but with a question. What would you decide, locked inside such impossible confinement? It is a film that terrifies not with explosions, but with the silence of choices only the imagination can complete.
ME, MYSELF AND I
By Ron Prince
If you wanted to bring a theatrical flourish to your picture, especially one with a story about the movies and stardom, and to shoot it on 35mm film too, then who better to hire than someone steeped in the art of doing just that?
That’s what happened when director Noah Baumbach lured Oscar-winning DP Linus Sandgren FSF ASC for the star-studded Netflix production Jay Kelly, about a megawatt motionpicture idol and his devoted manager, who embark on an unexpectedly profound journey through Europe, including a poignant train ride to Italy, and find themselves confronting the choices they’ve made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they’ll leave behind.
“In its concept and, as I discovered, during its creation too, this film is all about love,” says Sandgren. “Love for the movies and moviemaking, love for other people, the kind of love we ought to have for ourselves, and the love we should leave behind.
This film is all about love… and an ode to cinema
“We see Jay Kelly grappling with who he is beyond his on-screen persona, taking a soul-searching journey and reflecting on past mistakes. I related strongly to that. The personal vulnerabilities of dedicating yourself to something, being away from home for long periods, particularly the impact on family and your regret about missing time spent with loved ones, are things we all have to deal with, especially in filmmaking.”
Sandgren counts Damien Chazelle’s La La Land (2016) and Babylon (2022) amongst his canon of more theatrically-styled projects, not to mention a certain cinematic bravura in films such as First Man (2018, dir. Damien Chazelle), No Time To Die (2021, dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga) and Saltburn (2023), to mention just a few – all of which were shot on Kodak film.
Written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly stars an ensemble cast including George Clooney as the icon Jay Kelly, and Adam Sandler as Ron his manager, alongside Laura Dern and Billy Crudup. It had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2025 Venice Film Festival, where the cast received glowing reviews for their performances, especially the meta-narrative of Clooney playing a global superstar. Sandgren’s cinematography was similarly hailed for its wonderfully-rich cinematic language, including several surreal set-piece flashbacks when Jay Kelly walks-in on his own memories.
Although Sandgren had not worked with Baumbach previously, he reveals himself to be a great admirer of the director’s The Squid And The Whale (2005, DP Robert D Yeoman ASC), due to the film’s “gritty, naturalistic approach and brilliantly-intimate cinema-vérité feel. I often recommend it when hosting classes about cinematography,” says the DP.
“Noah and I struck-up an immediate connection and, during the course of many long subsequent Zoom calls about the visual storytelling, it became clear to see the passion he had for this project, and the way he envisaged it as a blend of classic movie magic and European cinema. He wanted it to be an ode to all of that.
“In this production, our camera needed to be anchored around and emotionally-connected to Jay, with him in almost every frame, but be free enough to introduce and include other characters. I was also keen to embrace Noah’s challenge of incorporating a surrealist element into the storytelling, such as Jay literally walking into his
own memories, to highlight the contradictory themes of artifice and reality.”
When it came to creative references, Sandgren reveals, “We watched a lot of films that influenced things, for example movies by Federico Fellini starring Marcello Mastroianni, like La Dolce Vita (1960, DP Otello Martelli) and 8½ (1963, DP Gianni Di Venanzo), in which the central characters are in fruitless searches for one thing or another, and where the style blurs so beautifully between fantasy and reality. We also took-in movies like Night Train (1959, dir. Jerzy Kawalerowicz, DP Jan Laskowski) for the way the action was captured cinematically through railway carriages.”
Like Sandgren, Baumbach is a film stalwart, having previously shot The Squid And The Whale, The Meyerowitz Stories (2017, DP Robbie Ryan BSC ASC), Marriage Story (2019, DP Robbie Ryan BSC ISC) and White Noise (2022, DP Lol Crawley BSC ASC) on 16mm or 35mm film.
“Both Noah and I both love shooting on film,” Sandgren remarks, “and there was never any question that Jay Kelly was always going to be shot on anything other than 35mm.
“For me, a large part of cinematography is about evoking emotions, and film has texture and depth to it, an imperfection and impressionistic feel, that I really believe helps to do that. It also helps to suspend the disbelief, in an instant.
“So, the main decision we had to make was whether to shoot Jay Kelly
in classic Hollywood 2.40:1 Anamorphic, or whether it should be framed in the more traditional European widescreen filmmaking format of 1.66:1 of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the latter is where we eventually landed.
“We both felt that 1.66:1 would be the most honest to the humanity in the story, placing Jay in each environmental, whilst being a kind of nostalgic homage to European cinema.”
Principal photography on Jay Kelly took place across a total of 60 shooting days, beginning in March 2024 with a two-day stint in Tuscany to shoot the background plates for the lengthy section of the movie that takes place on the train.
The personal vulnerabilities of dedicating yourself are things we all have to deal with
The interiors of Jay Kelly’s Malibu mansion and the interior train scenes were all shot on constructed sets at Shepperton Studios, UK, respectively using traditional backdrops and modern LED walls.
Our camera needed to be anchored around and emotionallyconnected to Jay
The flashback scenes depicting Jay Kelly appearing in his own memories, involved production designer Mark Tildesley constructing dual sets side-by-side, enabling Clooney and the camera to travel as if my magic from an aeroplane into an audition theatre, and from the train to a film set.
Interior and exterior locations nearby Shepperton and London doubled for US-based settings in the story. Filming also took place in Pienza, Tuscany, where a railway station set was constructed.
Sandgren’s main camera on the production was a 3-perf 35mm Aaton Penelope, adapted to take Panavision Primo lenses, with the camera package provided by Panavision in London.
“I love the Penelope as it can do everything an ARRICAM LT or a Panavision XL can do, but it’s quieter, smaller and more efficient in various ways. For instance, it takes just a few seconds to reload a 400ft magazine – which meant Noah and the cast could immediately go for another take, without having to hang around for us.
“Also, for scenes on the train, where the camera tracks back and forth several times through the crowded carriage, shooting handheld would have been tricky. So were able to create a sense of that by mounting the Penelope and a Camera Revolution Libra Head on a 73ft Chapman Leonard Hydroscope crane. We turned the Libra Head through 90-degrees to its normal ‘Matrix’ mode, which switched the tilt and pan around. This meant the camera could swim like a fish between the
performers on the crane, with the Penelope being less intrusive for the actors to perform around.”
As for the lenses, Sandgren remarks, “I know the Panavision Primos having used them on The Nutcracker And The Four Realms (2018, dirs. Lasse Halström & Joe Johnson) and Saltburn. I like the luscious, colourful and subtly-stylised aesthetics they bring to the picture.”
Sandgren shot the movie’s day exteriors on KODAK VISION3 5203 50D, with KODAK VISION3 5213 200T for day interiors and KODAK VISION3 5219 500T for low light and night scenes. Regular film processing –without any push or pull-processing – plus 4K scans, were done at Cinelab in the UK, with dailies overseen by Doychin Margoevski and the final grade conducted by Matt Wallach at Company3.
“I always like to scan the negative once and for all in 4K, so that the dailies grade CDLs can move on to the DI. This way I can spend proper time to make sure the film gets the look we want already in the dailies. The final DI is then a collaboration between me, Doychin and Matt, to get where we finally land.
“I like to always start with a print emulation LUT so that we always can do a print, and then do printer light adjustments first, and then primaries as needed. If we do it right, the dailies should have the look of the final movie, and the DI is primarily a time for finer adjustments.”
Whilst Sandgren shot on traditional film, he had no hesitation in using it in combination with the very latest in LED wall and lighting technology for the train journey sequences.
“I remember Haris Zambarloukos BSC GSC using a flat LED wall to such good effect on Murder
On The Orient
Express (2017, dir. Kenneth Branagh), seeing how the light reflected nicely on glass and wood. This made me choose the same type LED panels when we built a 60ft diameter and 40ft tall half-cylinder (that later became the volume) for First Man. We had 360-degree video imagery for various scenes, that we could rotate to camera, and wrap around our sets. The 30ft distance to the wall, gave us a realistic depth-of-field.
A large part of cinematography is about evoking emotions
sliding trusses, which could be moved back and forth to create a sense of motion. MBS Aquabat LED battens were also fitted to the top and bottom of each window to help provide moving reflections and support a three-dimensional quality to the lighting.
“I really find LED walls to be painted backdrops 2.0, and should be used as such. We decided to use this technique for Jay Kelly, which turned-out to be really helpful and efficient on-set, and radically minimised the post production time as most shots from the LED volume shoot were untouched.
“I have worked with my gaffer David Sinfield ICLS on every film I’ve shot in England and around Europe, and he is always at the forefront of lighting and what you can do with it. Working with our lighting supplier MBS, he helped to devise a lighting set-up in the LED volume that gave exactly the lighting effects I was looking for.”
Background plates for the train journey were shot in 8K on Sony Venice 2, using a super-wide Entaniya Hal 220-degree fisheye lens, several months before principal photography began, in order to get them prepared and running properly on the LED wall set at Shepperton Studios. Sandgren remarks, “When we shot the plates for our train sequences, it was incredible to see how real sunlight moves around in a train, how it flickers because of trees or posts passing-by, how it bounces-up from the adjacent train tracks onto the ceiling, or reduces to nothing in a tunnel, and this influenced how we designed the LED wall and the lighting.
Using Roe Black Pearl 2 2.8mm pixel-pitch panels, two LED walls, measuring 7m tall and 30m wide, were built along each side of the train carriage, around 5m away, with the ends of each wall angled so as to wrap-around the front and rear of the carriage and help give correct parallax during filming.
As the idea was that one side of the carriage would face the sun, each window looking that way had illumination from nine dedicated Nanlux Evoke 2400B fixtures, controlled by DMX. The Evokes were fitted on
Inside the train, LED practical could be flickered on or off as necessary, and ARRI Sky Panels diffused through Magic Cloth were used to provide ambient light coming through the train’s skylights.
“You don’t really see the background plates, rather the scenery whooshes-by, and the genius of using LED walls is the way you can use them for interactive lighting,” Sandgren enthuses.
“We wanted our train sequences to look as authentic as possible and the set-up was designed to give Noah and I the capability to play with the lighting according to the emotions in each scene.
“At any one point Adam Baker, our lighting programmer, could trigger different parts of the background plate, to give us uninterrupted golden sunlight, a couple trees flashing by, the shadows from a steel bridge, or the dramatic darkness of a tunnel, and could also change the colour and intensity of the lighting as appropriate to the moment, all at the press of a button. It was quite brilliant.”
Along with the LED wall, Sandgren also employed Rosco SoftDrop translights to create the day and night background vistas from Jay Kelly’s Malibu home, which was actually built as a two-storey set at Shepperton, using a Softsun 100K to create the effect of bright sunlight.
“I really loved working with the SoftDrops, as we could light the fronts in tandem with the Softsun for day scenes, or just the backs for night times. We could easily elevate or reposition them depending on which floor the action was taking place for the correct horizon line, and the results were insanely good.”
Summing-up, Sandgren concludes, “This story was personal to me, and I am sure it will resonate with many who see it. It was amazing to work with Noah. He’s a brilliant storyteller, and I found it very rewarding to have all those long discussions with him and get to know him before we started production. We got really close making this film, and the final result is the way he originally intended it to be – a story that slowly boils away with emotions, and an ode to cinema.”
THE ROADS NOT TAKEN
By Darek Kuźma
In Train Dreams , director Clint Bentley crafts a poetic drama about fleeting beauty and earthly struggles, with cinematography by DP Adolpho Veloso ABC AIP giving it an intimate, naturalistic soul.
Bentley and Veloso had already tested each other’s creative tenacity on Jockey (2021), a human drama disguised as a sports film about a horse-racing veteran determined to retire with a bang, filmed with a small crew, but with ambitions far beyond its modest budget. It was in that barebones environment that the pair forged their bond, learning to stretch limited means into a language that conveyed not only what was spoken, but also what lingered between the words.
When Bentley turned to Train Dreams, an expansive yet delicate portrait of the early-twentiethcentury American logger, Robert Grainier, and his search for belonging, Veloso was already part of
This was one of the most extraordinary projects of my career
the conversation, receiving drafts of the script and shaping images long before the cameras rolled. From the outset, their collaboration was anchored in the belief that shared instincts could guide them through the film’s larger scale, its period setting, and the vast emotional wilderness at its core.
“I loved working with Clint on Jockey, as hard as it was. We formed a makeshift family on that set, and I wanted to do another film with him no matter what,” recalls Veloso.
What pulled Veloso even closer to this project was the unexpected familiarity of Grainier’s life, cutting timber in remote forests and forging fleeting bonds.
“When I read the first draft, I was like, ‘This is my life!’. As a DP, you go away for months, each time you’re surrounded by a new circle of co-workers –some you may never see again, others you might see 20 years later – and when you return home, reconnecting can feel brutal.”
Robert lives two separate lives: that of a quiet logger, attuned to the natural world, and that of a
loving husband and father. For a long time, he struggles to reconcile the two, but as each journey begins to feel emptier – lacking the depth and sense of belonging that awaits him at home – he edges closer to inner peace, though perhaps too late.
This personal resonance made prepping Train Dreams all the more compelling, especially since Veloso and Bentley knew that evoking the early 1900s risked rendering the story static.
“We didn’t want to fall into the trap of a beautiful period film that would distance the audience emotionally from the story. Being as naturalistic as possible was key: making every source, from sunlight to candlelight, feel real, and letting the sets breathe as 360-degree environments, where the camera could turn anywhere and reveal a cabin, a forest, or other real locations we shot in,” he says.
Research became their scaffolding: photographs of loggers perched on massive stumps, accounts of how people lived back then, grainy B&W stills speaking louder than any costume drama.
To heighten the personal connection for viewers, the pair chose to shoot in a 3:2 aspect ratio.
“We wanted to give the image a memory quality. Because family pictures tend to be shot in 3:2, most people associate this format with memories. We wanted the film to feel as if you were watching someone’s memory.”
Knowing most of the challenges ahead, Veloso chose the ARRI Alexa 35 digital camera for its sensitivity and dynamic range, as well as its size and flexibility when shooting handheld with real fire or candles in tight interiors, such as the Grainier family’s cabin in the woods or a train wagon.
“I felt it was vital to keep the colours and have a filmic quality, and only ARRI cameras have that. We always shot ARRIRAW at ISO 800, which – particularly with 1.3 lenses – was more than enough for even the trickiest lighting situations, whilst maintaining continuity of texture.
“Clint also loves to improvise and always wants to give the actors space to fin d the right reactions. We’d often, especially when dealing with kids and animals, let them interact and follow with a handheld camera. So having a small, mobile camera package was essential to make it work.”
Veloso ultimately equipped his Alexa 35 with two sets of lenses, mostly 50mm and wider.
“For firelit nights and any situation requiring fast lenses we used Zeiss Super Speeds with an T1.3 aperture. Our AC, Nick Kelling, was amazing at pulling focus with all the long, improvised takes, letting Clint and the actors explore a given scene.
“For daytime exteriors we relied on vintage Kowa Cine spherical primes. These are slower lenses, but I knew we’d be dealing with plenty of sunlight, and I just felt the way they flare is magical.”
Veloso adds that he created no LUTs for Train Dreams. “I always use the regular Alexa Rec.709 LUT, just to see what we’re shooting and later enhance it if needed. It gives me more control over what I shoot.”
An Angénieux Optimo 12x Ultra (U35 26-320mm) zoom, used sparingly, extended the visual vocabulary. The camera gear was supplied by Koerner Camera Systems.
After eight weeks of prep and scouting, principal photography stretched over six weeks between March and May 2024 in Washington State, mostly around Spokane, but also near Seattle and along the Canadian border.
“We moved around quite a lot to find different looks for the film’s varied timelines, and to find ways to make the natural world a presence of its own, because Train Dreams is also about the power of nature and
how it can affect us,” Veloso says.
“That meant weaving the environment into the shots, framing so that nature – and its impact on people – was always visible, often by giving characters more headroom, placing them on one side of the frame with nature on the other, or contrasting them with colours: lush greens, or dusty greys and oranges during the fire sequences.”
Veloso and Bentley’s pact of trust meant they could step into unpredictability to be more naturalistic. If it rained, they embraced it. If the light slipped behind clouds, they moved with it.
Yet the film’s most impressive set piece – a massive fire ravaging the once-beautiful landscape, rendering it almost apocalyptic – put that philosophy to the test.
“We looked at footage of real fires to stay accurate and respect how terrifying they can be,” recalls the DP. “During our first prep, before the film was postponed due to the Hollywood strikes, we even witnessed a real fire, something no image can truly emulate.”
This sequence, seen through Grainier’s point-ofview, was shot on-location, with gaffer Kevin Cook and his team recreating the flames.
“They did a brilliant job – the right colour, temperature and frequency, all held at a constant level. They built a wall of fire supported by SkyPanels and a rig of more than two hundred Parcans at varying heights and colours – a combination of 1000W 64s and regular Parcans –to mimic shifting temperatures.”
By contrast, the disturbing dream sequence of Robert’s family fleeing the merciless flames was the only one shot on the volume stage at Vossler Studios.
“There’s a very specific visual code to each
period of Grainier’s life. During his childhood and teenage years, the camera doesn’t move at all. In his adult life, it becomes more fluid, mixing handheld shots, dolly tracks, zooms in and out. Near the end of Train Dreams, we moved to Steadicam and rigs that glided in a softer way.
“For most of the film we shot with very sharp shutters – 90-degrees, 45-degrees, 22-degrees –so the image felt more real and defined. The dream sequences were a different beast. Inspired by the opening sequence in Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express (1994, DPs Christopher Doyle & Andrew
We wanted the film to feel as if you were watching someone’s memory
Lau) we shot those with a 356-degree shutter at 12fps, 6fps, and even 4fps, to create a dragged, blurred image that felt both realistic and lyrical, haunting in its uncertainty – capturing that sense of not knowing whether it’s real or imagined, or how much of it exists only in his head.”
Naturalistic light proved the hardest element to capture, especially at night, when campfires and candles illuminated Grainier’s cabin or the loggers’ camps.
“We really wanted to immerse the actors in reality.
They sat before real wood-burning, not gas-fuelled, props, so the sparks and smoke lent authenticity.”
The camera simply observed, lit by the same sources Grainier himself would have known.
“Kevin Cook and our key grip Ryan Fritz built a few DIY sources that made the light brighter or softer without losing the flicker – essentially reflectors we could place candles inside, with diffusion in front, easy to move around. They were our 1920s SkyPanels,” Veloso laughs. “Everything else was about bouncing the light and controlling it with the SFX levels.”
The Northwest Package and Cook’s own Mechanical Rabbit Power & Lighting supplied the equipment. The ‘wall of lights’ was provided by Amp’d Lighting & Audio Visual in Spokane.
Colour grading in Brazil was mostly about refining what had been shot in-camera and extending the film’s visual idea of memory. Veloso reunited with Sérgio Pasqualino, the veteran colourist of City Of God (2002, dirs. Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund, DP César Charlone), with whom Veloso and Bentley had previously worked on Jockey.
“Sérgio respects what’s there, understands it and enhances it without inventing a look,” says Veloso, who explains they leaned toward hues that evoked colourised memories.
“When I compare colourised photographs with B&W originals, I connect more with the colourised version, even knowing those weren’t necessarily the real colours. I thought bringing that aspect of colourised images was an effective way of evoking the feeling of remembering something, whilst altering it through the very act of recollection.
“We explored a lot of scenes this way, including the visions that haunt Robert, to keep
them as naturalistic as possible, whilst still sending never content to show only what is before the eye,
“This was one of the most extraordinary
ROLL UP, ROLL UP, ROLL UP!
The 33rd edition of the world-renowned EnergaCAMERIMAGE festival of cinematography is here. Every November, the historic city of Toruń, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, becomes the beating heart of international cinematography, drawing filmmakers, students and industry-leaders around the globe to celebrate the art of the moving image.
Last year the Golden Frog, the festival’s highest honour, was awarded to Michał Dymek PSC for The Girl With The Needle, with a Special Mention for its director Magnus Von Horn. Lol Crawley BSC ASC received the Silver Frog for The Brutalist, with Paul Guilhaume AFC garnering the Bronze Frog for Emilia Pérez, echoing how cinematography remains an endlessly varied art-form capable of capturing stories of vastly different tones with equal impact. The previous edition also honoured award-winning exponents of filmmaking craft, including DP Ed Lachman ASC, the Italian-American documentarian Gianfranco Rosi, film editor William Goldenberg, and production designer Nathan Crowley.
Equally-inspiring was the recognition of emerging talent. Todd Martin’s award in the Cinematographers’ Debuts Competition for Tatami, Sandhya Suri’s directorial debut with Santosh and Elizabeth Lo’s Mistress Dispeller in the Documentary Features Competition, all testified to a vibrant new generation of filmmakers.
The festival bridged cinema with other forms of visual storytelling too, honouring Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC for his work on Taylor Swift’s ‘Fortnight’ and Robert Elswit ASC for the Netflix mini-series Ripley. On the national stage, Piotr Sobociński Jr. PSC received the Golden Frog for Polish Films, reinforcing EnergaCAMERIMAGE’s commitment to highlighting homegrown cinema.
Female representation reached higher levels than before, with 75% of the cinematographers’ debuts and nearly half of the directors’ debuts. Several panels under the banner The Year Of Brave Women united organisations worldwide.
It is hoped that the direct conversations with groups championing change that also took place, will have some influence over the festival’s adoption of a fresh policy towards equality and diversity across the board. Although the final programme was not available at press time, EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2025 will introduce an expanded Television Series Competition, now open to subsequent episodes, as well as pilots, acknowledging the increasingly cinematic nature of long-form storytelling, and giving the chance for even more cinematographers to shine. As for other moves, we’ll have to wait and see. Looking forward, the 33rd edition, scheduled for November 15–22, 2025, promises to continue the tradition of bringing together the past, present and future of cinematography, through its screenings, seminars and masterclasses. The festival says its focus will remain on the intersection of art and technology, and on creating meaningful encounters between students, emerging talents and the leaders of the craft. This edition will spotlight cutting-edge tools, from next-generation cameras and lenses to VR/AR platforms and hybrid workflows. The Camerimage Market will once again serve as a hub where global manufacturers, start-ups and research labs reveal prototypes at the intersection of technology and artistry.
A particular highlight for 2025 is a major exhibition of Bill Viola, one of the most influential figures in contemporary video art. Curated by Marek Żydowicz and Kira Perov, and running in Toruń until December, it offers festival guests an opportunity to experience Viola’s extraordinary meditative explorations of perception, time and spirituality.
industry meetings, the festival fosters collaborations that often blossom into international co-productions and lifelong creative partnerships.
Looking ahead, EnergaCAMERIMAGE says its hopes for the future rest on three pillars: keeping cinematography at the heart of global film culture; supporting young creators through education and mentorship; and cultivating dialogue between art and technology. Above all, the festival aims to remain an open meeting place for cultures – a crossroads where tradition and innovation, artistry and technology, memory and imagination converge.
Whether it’s honouring artists and icons, screenings and networking, as the lights rise on the 33rd edition, EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2025 promises to once again reaffirm what makes cinematography so vital: the images on screen and the conversations, inspirations and connections that arise around them.
WHO WILL WIN THE GOLDEN FROGS?
FILMS IN THE MAIN COMPETITION
Hamnet – DP Łukasz Żal PSC, dir. Chloé Zhao
F1: The Movie – DP Claudio Miranda ASC, dir. Joseph Kosinski
A House Of Dynamite – DP Barry Ackroyd, dir. Kathryn Bigelow
Nuremberg – DP Dariusz Wolski ASC, dir. James Vanderbilt
Sound Of Falling – DP Fabian Gamper, dir. Mascha Schilinski
12 Obrazów Aniewolenia (12 Paintings Of Enslavement) – DP Paweł Tybora PSC, dir. Lech Majewski
Chopin, Chopin! – DP Michał Sobociński PSC, dir. Michał Kwieciński
Franz – DP Tomasz Naumiuk PSC, dir. Agnieszka Holland
Late Shift – DP Judith Kaufmann BVK, dir. Petra Biondina Volpe
Beyond the awards, 2024 proved a milestone moment amid calls for greater inclusion and diversity – that the festival should be not just a cinematic celebration but a cultural advocate for representation as well.
Taking what would seem to have been small steps in that direction, the festival highlights that of the 97 films selected from 2,422 submissions last year, more than one-third were made by women.
This year carries a special emotional weight with a tribute to the late David Lynch, a long-time friend of the festival. Screenings, conversations and events will pay tribute to his legacy, whilst broader reflections on his heritage in cinematography will take shape through retrospectives and archival projects.
Beyond films, EnergaCAMERIMAGE thrives on encounters. From the Talent Demo Showcase and mentorship conversations to informal gatherings and
A Complete Unknown – DP Phedon Papamichael, dir. James Mangold
Anemone – DP Ben Fordesman BSC, dir. Ronan Day-Lewis
Mother – DP Virginie Saint-Martin, dir. Teona Strugar Mitevska
Sinners – DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw ASC, dir. Ryan Coogler
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere –DP Masanobu Takayanagi, dir. Scott Cooper
OUT-OF-COMPETITION SCREENINGS
The Lost Bus – DP Pål Ulvik Rokseth, dir. Paul Greengrass
Ballad Of A Small Player – DP James Friend BSC ASC, dir. Edward Berger
Sentimental Value – DP Kasper Tuxen DFF, dir. Joachim Trier
Song Sung Blue – DP Amy Vincent ASC, dir. Craig Brewer
Frankenstein – DP Dan Laustsen DFF ASC, dir. Guillermo del Toro
One Battle After Another – DP Michael Bauman ICLS, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Father Mother Sister Brother – DP Frederick Elmes ASC & Yorick Le Saux AFC, dir. Jim Jarmusch
Amrum – DP Karl Walter Lindenlaub BVK ASC dir. Fatih Akin
Sorry, Baby – DP Mia Cioffi Henry, dir. Eva Victor Le Lac – DPs Fabrice Aragno & Joseph Areddy, dir. Fabrice Aragno
The Delights Of The Garden – DP José Luis Alcaine AEC, dir. Fernando Colomo
28 Years Later – DP Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC, dir. Danny Boyle
The Testament Of Ann Lee – DP William Rexer ASC, dir. Mona Fastvold
LIZ GARBUS RETROSPECTIVE
The multi-award-winning documentary maker, Liz Garbus, will receive the award for Outstanding Achievements In Documentary Filmmaking, honouring her ability to blend social insight with artistic craft.
There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (2011) – DP Michael Tucker
Becoming Cousteau (2021)
Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011) –DP Robert Chappell
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) –DP Igor Martinovic
The Farm: Angola – DPs Sam Henriques & Bob Perrin
CINEMATOGRAPHERS’ DEBUTS COMPETITION
East Of Wall – DP Austin Shelton, dir. Kate Beecroft
Reedland – DP Sam Du Pon, dir. Sven Bresser
Raptures – DP Mimmo Hildén, dir. Jon Blåhed
Solitary – DP David Christopher Lynch, dir. Eamonn Murphy; Censurada – DP Nicolas Aguado, Ianire Beriain, dir. Mario Garza
Father – DP Adam Suzin, dir. Tereza Nvotová
In The Shadow – DP Amir Aliveisi, dir. Salem Salavati
DIRECTORS’ DEBUTS COMPETITION
East Of Wall – DP Austin Shelton, dir. Kate Beecroft
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You – DP Christopher
Messina, dir. Mary Bronstein
Truth & Treason – DP Bianca Cline, dir. Matt Whitaker
Reedland – DP Sam Du Pon, dir. Sven Bresser
Solitary – DP David Christopher Lynch, dir. Eamonn Murphy
Girl – DP Yu Jing-Pin, dir. Qi Shu
The Chronology Of Water – DP Corey C.
Chopin, Chopin!
Late Shift
Franz
Hamnet
A House Of Dynamite
F1: The Movie
Father Mother Sister Brother
There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane
Liz Garbus
photo Todd France
Song Sung Blue
East Of Wall
Nuremberg
Sound Of Falling
Waters, dir. Kristen Stewart
Sand City – DP Mathieu Giombini, dir. Mahde Hasan
Eleanor The Great – DP Hélène Louvart AFC, dir. Scarlett Johansson
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES COMPETITION
All The Mountains Give – DP & dir. Arash Rakhsha
Iron Winter – DP Benjamin Bryan, dir. Kasimir Burgess
Messengers – DP Adam Crosby, dir. Jeffrey Zablotny
The Queen And The Smokehouse – DP Kacper
Gawron, dir. Iga Lis
Silver – DP Stanisław Cuske, dir. Natalia Koniarz
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS COMPETITION
The Believers – DP Bill Kirstein, dir. Evan Newman
Lanawaru – DP & dir. Angello Faccini
No Mean City – DP Ronnie McQuillan, dir. Ross McClean
Plongeurs – DP Jaime Ackroyd, dir. Hector Aponysus
A Quiet Storm – DP Alexandre Nour, dir. Benjamin Nicolas
Voices From The Abyss – DP Eliott Reguera Vega, dir. Víctor Rejón, Irving Serrano
Welcome Home Freckles – DP Benjamin Kodboel, dir. Huiju Park
DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Bedrock – DP Hanna Linkowska, dir. Kinga Michalska
Dear Tomorrow – DP & dir. Kaspar Astrup Schröder
The Eyes Of Ghana – DP David Feeney-Mosier, Brandon Somerhalder, dir. Ben Proudfoot
The Golden Spurtle – DP Dimitri Zaunders, dir. Constantine Costi
Last Take: Rust And The Story Of Halyna – DPs
Craig Boydston, Halyna Hutchins, Oliver Lukacs, Michael Marius Pessah, Olesia Saveleva, Serge Svetnoy, Corey Weintraub, Dennis Zanatta & Daniel Zollinger, dir. Rachel Mason
Letters From Wolf Street – DP & dir. Arjun Talwar Megadoc – dir. Mike Figgis
Mensch – DP Bartosz Bieniek, dir. Paweł Wysoczański
Underland – DP Ruben Woodin Dechamps, dir. Rob Petit
12 Obrazów Aniewolenia (12 Paintings Of Enslavement)
Eleanor The Great
The Queen And The Smokehouse
Plongeurs
Underland Megadoc
SCENES FROM CAMERIMAGE 2024
Sinners
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART
By Ron Prince
DP Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC ISC harnessed KODAK 35mm Ektachrome to compose Lynne Ramsay’s acclaimed and colourfullybleak comedy-drama, Die My Love, and declares, “It’s some of the best work I’ve ever done.”
The slow-burn film follows Grace and Jackson, a young couple who relocate from New York to Jackson’s childhood home in rural Montana, in search of a quieter life. At first, they are deliriously happy together, engaging in passionate sex and drinking cold beer to offset the oppressive summer heat.
However, as they adjust to their new surroundings and soon become parents, Grace starts to struggle with feelings of isolation and psychological distress about marriage, motherhood and domesticity. Despite help from family and friends, her deteriorating mental health gradually drives their marriage into dangerously unpredictable territory, where reality and fantasy become blurred.
The film, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, alongside Sissy Spacek, Nick Nolte and LaKeith Stanfield, is based on the 2012 novel Die, My Love by Argentine writer Ariana Harwicz. It premiered in-competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a six-minute standing ovation and earned critical acclaim for the abilities of the cast and filmmaking team to emotionally-connect the audience to themes about identity, happiness, postpartum depression and mental health.
Die My Love is the second collaboration between Ramsay and McGarvey following We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011), which McGarvey also captured on KODAK 35mm film.
“I’ve known Lynne since she was at film school, and we’ve been great friends ever since,” McGarvey enthuses. “She’s such a vivid person, and it’s always exciting to work with her because she has such a natural understanding of how to use the camera to weave the narrative thread. She’s very good at finding frames and spaces between lines of dialogue that can say just as much as the words themselves.
“What attracted me to this film was the honesty in how the script dealt with big, serious issues that affect a great many people. I also loved Lynne’s deft touch in being able to use comedic moments to both prick and intensify the darkness. She doesn’t have hard-and-fast rules about filmmaking and is open to ideas, and she has an intimate relationship with music and sound as
part of the storytelling. This liberates your thinking about how you portray cinematographically what’s on the written-page.”
He adds, “When all of that was coupled to working with actors of the calibre of Jennifer, Robert, Sissy, Nick and LaKeith, in a real rural location that helped to focus everyone’s attentions, I just thought, ‘Wow, what a toybox!’”
Some creative references came in the form of well-known artworks, such as Christina’s World (1948) by American painter Andrew Wyeth, for its evocative rural environment, especially what McGarvey calls “the quivering nature of the prairie grasses and its back-of-the-head composition”, delivering a sense of emotional separation, vulnerability and the unknown world of inner thoughts.
Further inspiration came from the French post-Impressionist Henri Rousseau for the overwhelming presence of nature in his paintings, and the bountiful but sometimes violent dream spaces where humans and animals coexist.
considered paintings that gave a sense of dreamscapes and perpetual twilight, such as the atmospheric cyanotype Nocturnes of photographer Edward Steichen, and various works by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte and the Italian metaphysical artist Giorgio de Chirico. Indeed, given the movie’s fairly tight budget, and the volume of nighttime outdoor scenes to contemplate, these references led the DP to shooting day-for-night, thereby imbuing the images with what he calls “a mysterious, psychic stylisation”.
For the film’s nighttime sequences, McGarvey
The Petzvals have a beautiful swirling bokeh
Cinematic references encompassed the filmmaking style of Douglas Sirk, in films such as All That Heaven Allows (1955, DP Russell Metty ASC), where doorways, windows and reflections are used to frame characters in the stifling constraints of domestic spaces, and Rosemary’s Baby (1968, dir. Roman Polanski, DP William A Fraker ASC) for its creation of psychological tension. McGarvey also notes the experimental silent short Meshes Of The Afternoon (1943, dirs. Maya Deren & Alexander Hackenschmied, DP Alexandr Hackenschmied) that explores subjective experiences and the subconscious through surreal and symbolic imagery, including a knife.
“Essentially, we were inspired by a kaleidoscope of disrupted, broken images where you can’t quite grasp onto the surety of a regular portrait or setting. We wanted this film to be alluring at times, unsettling at others. Passionate then oddly dangerous, and even animalistic.”
McGarvey says there was never any doubt that Die My Love would be shot on analogue film, adding,
“It’s an act of faith. You have to allow yourself to fall into the intangible mystery of the filmic process from the camera to the lab, where happenstance is often registered in happy accidents. Film gives an impression rather than a factual digital binary recording of something, and quite often the results make your hairs stand on end.
“On a practical level, Lynne tends to shoot very few takes. She’s very decisive about her shots and knows when she has what she wants. So, I knew we would shoot less, and weren’t going to break the bank.”
Explaining how he and Ramsay arrived at using KODAK Ektachrome, McGarvey relates, “We wanted to capture real scenarios, but to render them in an otherworldly, almost spectral, way. We considered shooting infrared, but after I tested Ektachrome we knew we had the stock we needed to create a dreamlike and phantasmagorical feeling to the imagery.
“Ektachrome is imbued with its own peculiar photographic properties – striking colours but accurate flesh reproduction, a certain sharpness and fine grain, high contrast and reduced latitude, just six stops. It’s a limiting palette that is difficult to shoot with because there’s no forgiveness, there’s no leeway. Any over or under-exposure gets baked-in to the film and there’s no going back from that. You have to live with the decisions you make on-set, but the outcome is always special.”
Production on Die My Love took place over 29 shooting days between August and October 2024, at locations in and around Calgary, Canada, with some work filmed on interior sets constructed in the ballroom of a hotel, and car scenes shot against an L-shaped LED wall, measuring some 12 x 12ft.
We wanted this film to be passionate, then oddly dangerous, and even animalistic
McGarvey framed the film in Academy 1.33:1 aspect ratio, predominantly using Panavision Millennium XL 35mm cameras, plus an ARRLIFLEX IIC for handheld work. His lenses included P-Vintage glass, a brace of Petzval optics in 58mm and 85mm focal lengths, and a Canon T0.95 Dream Lens. He also used a variety of Tiffen Glimmer and Black Glimmer Glass filtration to enhance the filmic aura in the picture. The camera and lens package was provided by Panavision in Calgary, except for the Petzvals and Canon lenses, which McGarvey co-owns with filmmaking friends.
“We wanted to shoot in Academy ratio from the outset because, although we’d be including landscapes and rural vistas, the core of this film was a portrait of a woman, with very few group shots.
“Although I have never shot in Academy aspect ratio before, I loved how it was used in recent features like Ida (2013, dir. DPs Paweł Pawilkowski, DPs Łukasz Żal PSC & Ryszard Lenczewski) and Saltburn (2023, dir. Emerald Fennell, DP Linus Sandgren FSF ASC). There’s a claustrophobic imprisonment to the frame that lets you get inside someone’s head.
“On interior wides, you see more of the ceiling than
SEAMUS MCGARVEY
you would do in 1.85:1 or 2.35:1, and we embraced the idea of framing shots with additional headroom. As for landscapes, you can use this aspect ratio to recognise the insignificance of humans, which we also really liked.”
Speaking about his lens selection, McGarvey says, “The PVintage lenses incorporate vintage glass from Ultra Speed primes and give a lovely organic and dreamy look. Generally speaking, I used the Petzvals on the exterior close-ups of Jennifer as they
that would cover the sky, and the look was baked-in to the image. It was very effective, and when you think you see the moon, it was actually the sun. I also used the candle smoke filters on some of the day exteriors for atmospheric effect.
“I got some comments about those pictures looking weird, but Lynne is such a renegade and thought it was fantastic, an almost hand-knitted quality. With some VFX help during post we dotted some slightly out-of-focus stars, and the results looked spectral and phantasmagorical.”
Film processing and 4K scanning were done at Cinelab in the UK with the dailies supervised by dailies colourist Darren Rae. “Before we shot, I did a lot of testing, and Darren understood the concept of what we were going for right away, which consequently meant that the dailies had beautiful colouring with the shadows opening-up for a softer look.”
have a beautiful swirling bokeh, akin to the look we liked in Christina’s World, a kind of dizziness that helped us get inside her head. The Canon Dream Lens brought subtle vignetting when used wide open and gave the image a charming glow.”
McGarvey estimates he shot two thirds of the movie using KODAK Ektachrome 35mm Color Reversal 5294 film, mainly daytime exterior/interior scenes due to its 100ASA rating, switching to KODAK VISION3 5213 200T and KODAK VISION3 5219 500T negative stocks for darker scenarios and dayfor-night sequences.
“For the night photography, particularly the exterior day-for-nights, we were inspired by Steichen’s cyanotypes, where the images have a monochromatic wash of cyan. I could have filmed the day-for night scenes on Ektachrome but, because of its limited latitude, the results would have looked too lithographic and crunchy. So I shot those using the 200T and 500T.
“We didn’t want a typically cinematic cool, backlit nighttime look that comes with shooting day-fornight, but something more nightmarish, rather a remembered nightmare or kind of a fever dream.
Die My Love was a single-camera shoot in the main, with Chris Chow working as the camera operator, frequently working handheld, assisted by Cory Budney on focus. Gary Winter led the grip team, with Martin Keough working as gaffer.
“Chris is a brilliant operator, and did an extraordinary job,” McGarvey notes. “We didn’t want rectitude or rectilinearity in the framing or camera movement, rather that the images had a sense of being slightly skewed, of things being not quite right. So handheld became a key component of the photographic style.
“A lot of the time we wanted to let the performances run and you’ve got to be alive photographically enough to capture it. Often when you give actors the limits of framing, it can be very asphyxiating for them in terms of their movement. So handheld allowed for the kind of free-range choreography with the performers.
“In the meadow scenes, of Grace and Jackson prowling around on all-fours in the long grass, I remember Lynne talking about the images being accompanied by the sound of insects, and the place being alive with the noises of crickets and bugs.
“However, one of the difficulties I faced was that the skies were bright-white and burnt-out. To mitigate that, I made candle-smoke filters from optical flats, which I blackened slightly with smoke from a candle flame, before rubbing-away the areas that I did not want to affect the image. This left a smoky band
“So I suggested keeping the camera almost on the ground, as close as possible to the actors and inside the soundscape she had described to me. Chris filmed those shots on Ektachrome using a Petzval lens, which made the background swirl like crazy. The results really spoke to our original idea of the film being passionate, oddly dangerous and animalistic.”
Regarding the car work and shooting using LED walls, McGarvey says, “The best and the worst conversations often happen in cars, and when you’ve got a performance to consider, it’s often a pain in the ass shooting with a process-trailer or low-loader.
“The thinking was to create a sense of the car being a pressure-cooker, and to enable the actors to easily run and re-run their performances, rather than waste time resetting the car at the end of a road between takes and going again.
“That’s how we arrived at using an LED wall. We shot high-rez background plate footage using a small Blackmagic camera array. Using a turntable to spin the car round whilst also reversing direction of the background footage, we were able to shoot all of our car work in a day, again using the Ektachrome. When we got the rushes back, I found the wall itself gave out a strong magenta cast, but that was quickly fixed during the DI by our colourist Adam Inglis at Harbor.”
McGarvey says his approach to the lighting was based on the space and architecture of the location, and the actors’ movements.
“Because of the sensitivity of digital cameras, there’s a temptation and a tendency to shoot without much light, which I find gives the image a disappointing murkiness. With the Ektachrome particularly, I enjoyed throwing-in light that had
It’s one of the best films I’ve ever made
direction and meaning, and was happy to mix traditional sources like HMIs with LEDs.
“On the interiors, I mainly bounced light-in from the outside, and depending on how that rebounded around a room on objects and faces, might subtly supplement the interiors with ARRI Sky Panel S60s, LiteGear Lite Mats and Astera tubes, plus Astera Luna Bulbs in the practicals. At other times, on the day exteriors, it was sometimes as simple as following the actors about with a bounce board.
McGarvey concludes, “It may have been the nature of the story, but this was actually quite a difficult film to shoot for all sorts of reasons, including a certain tension at times. But I think it’s one of the best films I’ve ever made in the how the photography was psychologically in-tune with the story, and I’m very proud of how it has been received.”
Colourist Adam Inglis at Harbor
“Getting the band back together after Atonement in 2007, Die My Love was another opportunity to work with the super-naturally talented Seamus. The project was made even more exciting by the decision to shoot on KODAK Ektachrome reversal stock. Being a story about a life in chaos, the unpredictability of Ektachrome perfectly reflected Grace’s character. We wanted to preserve that volatile essence, so we were careful not to normalise this too much, but instead embrace the randomness of analogue. I love film because it’s alive. It has its own voice and we let it speak, by going back to the raw scan if necessary to see what magic was in there. Seamus loves to play with light flaring the lens, so we would let this burn and bleach the frame. Cyan shouted its presence throughout the film, the highlights would sear, and the grain swarmed with anger. If it looked mad, as well as beautiful, all the better.
A significant part of the film was shot dayfor-night. Seamus wanted a distinct look here, referencing photographer Edward Steichen’s haunting Nocturnes. These scenes weren’t supposed to look like realistic night, nor conventional day-for-night. Seamus had created a custom smoke-stained filter to shoot through, so I extrapolated the idea – softening and diffusing the shadows subtly to give us some of Steichen’s ethereality. I lowered the luminance of blue within the image to give us the darkness whilst leaving the actors faces with a subtle glow. Cyan again infused our near monochrome palette. Since this day-for-night wasn’t always literal, we also spent some time discussing exactly what emotional or narrative hour best served the scene.”
GRAVE NEW WORLD
By Darek Kuźma
At once a modern gothic tale of obsession and a sumptuous visual feast, Frankenstein realises director Guillermo Del Toro’s long-held passion project, brought to life by his trusted cinematographer Dan Laustsen DFF ASC.
From the ambiguous Arctic prologue, echoing the framing device of Mary Shelley’s proto–sciencefiction novel of 1818, to the candlelit halls of Victorian grandeur haunted by the erosion of humaneness, Del Toro’s Frankenstein bears the unmistakable mark of a filmmaker who has waited decades to make it his own.
Del Toro’s vision of Victor Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s tragic creation remains familiar, yet unfolds as an epic meditation on desire, grief, parenthood, generational trauma, and the fragile boundary between humanity and monstrosity.
For DP Dan Laustsen DFF ASC, this meant crafting images that would resonate with both the timelessness of Shelley’s text and the sensibility of a cinephile director whose films are shaped by colour, texture and myth.
“I read Mary Shelley’s book a couple of times and it fascinated me straight away, but the way Guillermo reshaped it made it even more compelling,” he recalls.
Laustsen says he first heard whispers about Frankenstein while shooting Del Toro’s Crimson Peak (2015), when the director confided it was the dream of his life.
Guillermo wants everything perfect… but with a great crew nothing is impossible
“Then, while we were working on Nightmare Alley (2021), he told me, ‘Dan, we’re going to shoot it.’ I remember it as a real ‘wow’ moment, realising I would be able to help him bring that dream to life.”
The two have been partnersin-crime since 1997’s Mimic, their bond strengthened through Crimson Peak, the Academy Award–winning The Shape Of Water (2017) – which earned Laustsen his first Oscar nomination – and Nightmare Alley, which brought him the second one.
the fear remains. When you walk onto a set, you’re always afraid of not doing your best – especially with a film based on an iconic story that everyone knows.”
“Working with Guillermo is always a long process of finding the right language to tell the story. Before we even began, he created a series of mood boards, which were a pathway into his imagination. Then we went to museums, galleries and exchanged hundreds of photos and visual references,” he shares.
From the outset, they agreed the film should look like a modern work in a classical frame, which led to specific choices: wide lenses, a bold colour palette, and camera movement that kept the storytelling alive.
“We didn’t want to feel distant but to be with the characters in the different environments in the story. No handheld, no dollies – mostly crane or Steadicam on a small jib arm. We often started wide and moved into a close-up, which meant the wide had to look gorgeous and the close-up beautiful – all in the same shot. Often, we didn’t cover the scene, we just shot it in one. But that’s moviemaking – you hold the sequence, you hold the picture, telling the story with the camera and the actors.”
“Mimic was my second American movie and Guillermo’s first. We were young and innocent and afraid of everything. We’re not innocent anymore, but
The effect is theatrical and kinetic, with costumes, sets, and props never reduced to background, but there to be absorbed and enjoyed by the audience.
Colour became central to the design. “Frankenstein is a very colourful movie, with intense reds, greens and
blacks, and precise hues guiding the audience’s focus, imagination and perception,” Laustsen says.
Yet the guiding tone was something else. “When we did Mimic, we used a colour we called ‘steel blue’, and it has followed us through every film. It’s not exactly blue – more blue-green – and gives the image a nightlight quality. It works beautifully with costumes and sets, and, against candles, firelight or sunsets it enhances tones that would otherwise remain hidden. We tried to step away from it during tests, but
nothing else worked quite as well.”
The colour palette drew further inspiration from Rembrandt as well as the candlelit rigour of Barry Lyndon (1975, dir. Stanley Kubick, DP John Alcott BSC). As for the aspect ratio, Del Toro rejected CinemaScope’s horizontal sprawl, preferring the more vertical American widescreen which let him frame faces against the grandeur of the sets.
Laustsen treated the colour palette with special reverence. “We didn’t use any LUTs. Jasper Vrakking, my DIT, and I made corrections every day. Steel blue is very sensitive: if you miss exposure, it goes too blue or too green. So we tried to stay consistent,” he recalls.
Laustsen typically set the camera to 3200 Kelvin, letting daylight skew cool and Tungsten warm. “If I wanted to change colour, I did it with light. We just pushed the blacks a little down, sometimes higher, sometimes lower, but that’s it. The look of the movie is what we shot.”
The look of the movie is what we shot on-set
DAN LAUSTSEN DFF ASC•
Equipment choices followed naturally. “Our main lens was a 24mm on the ARRI Alexa 65. On a largeformat sensor that feels like a 19mm on Super 35 – you don’t feel it’s wide, but you’re still close to the actors. I shot the whole movie at T4. The depth-offield is small, but you can still feel the geography of the scene, and you’re right there in this Victorian world of science and exploration.
The Alexa 65 also gave me the feeling of shooting 70mm in the old days. We talked with Guillermo about Lawrence Of Arabia (1962, dir. David Lean, DP Freddie Young BSC) and other classics where composition and lighting really matter.”
The spherical Leica Thalia lenses were his chosen match. “They’re the perfect combination with the Alexa 65: the colour balance, the way they cover the sensor, the detail at the edges of the frame. I like precise lenses –if I want a flare, I want to make it, not get it by accident.”
To soften the sharpness of the lenses, Laustsen placed Black Pro-Mist filters inside the camera body. “The skin looks beautiful, the blacks are pitch black, but the highlights blow a little bit. That’s the interplay of
“We started in Toronto, where we shot most of the film until June – on sets at Pinewood, the rest at Netflix Studios, including a ship and Arctic wasteland that was built on a parking lot and dressed in snow. After Canada we moved to the UK to shoot miniatures at Bray Studios supervised by José Granell at The Magic Camera Company: the exploding lab, the collapsing tower, the mechanical details of Victor’s workshop.
“We wanted to do shoot as much as possible in-camera, so throughout the shoot we relied on old-fashioned painted backdrops instead of LED walls, and embraced the use of miniatures, since they matched the lighting so well. The tower had some CGI, but the explosion site and collapsing batteries were all miniature.”
lighting and filter. Depending on the situation, we used an eighth or a quarter. It kept the blacks strong but gave this beautiful softness in the highlights.”
The DP kept this attitude toward world-building consistent in lighting.
“We never had lights inside the sets. Every scene was lit from outside, sometimes in a 360-degree set-up that left space only for the crane. We used many 20Ks, 18Ks, HMIs, Dinos and Raptors. The Raptors were great because you could pan and tilt them remotely and put steel blue on them,” he explains.
“I’m a little old-fashioned. I like Tungsten light. I like big lights. LEDs like the Creamsource Vortex 8s and 4s worked for fill, background, or fire effects, but as much as possible I used Tungsten or HMI as the key. Especially for dramatic scenes: when Victor is freaking-out making the creature, and the light is freaking out too, everything dramatic, moody, beautiful,” he adds.
The DI at Company 3 in Los Angeles with Stefan Sonnenfeld – who also worked with Laustsen on Nightmare Alley – involved minimal changes. “Of course, you need the colourist’s eyes; we did some work with power windows, but the palette was built into the wonderful costumes and sets, and the creature. If you change it, you kill them. What we shot is pretty much what you see in the final film.”
Candles and firelight were slightly adjusted too, inspired largely by to create a different kind of romantic mood.
The journey ended in Scotland, with August and September spent filming in castles and on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. For the icy wilderness, they travelled north to frozen fields, shooting brief but brutal sequences in sub-zero conditions. ARRI Canada and ARRI UK supplied the camera gear, while Sunbelt Rentals in Canada and MBSE in the UK provided the lighting equipment.
Laustsen says his team was essential: camera operators Gilles Corbeil, who has worked with him since Mimic, and James Frater on Steadicam; gaffers Michael L. Hall in Canada and Shawn White in the UK; first AC Doug Lavender, who handled the demanding focus pulls of large-format close-ups; and many others. Some of the Canadian crew went over to the UK, but most of the team changed.
“When you have candles everywhere, it gets very soft. We wanted more contrast. We like single-source lighting. We like the shadows black.”
Principal photography stretched over a hundred days on two continents between February and September 2024.
“Some I’ve worked with on many projects, others I met for the first time. And they were all great. That’s what I love about moviemaking: the teamwork. I’m not doing this alone. We’re in it together. Guillermo wants everything perfect – the light, the set, the costumes, the performance. That takes time, but with a great crew nothing is impossible.”
In Frankenstein, that pursuit of perfection has forged a film that feels both classical and startlingly contemporary, a tale stitched together from shadows and steel blue, from the intimacy of a close-up and the sweep of a crane – a grave new world where beauty and terror walk side-by-side.
MIND GAMES
By Ron Prince
Shooting on Kodak 35mm film, DP Malik Hassan Sayeed’s moody cinematography helped to amplify the tension in director Luca Guadagnino’s psychological-thriller After The Hunt.
The film stars Julia Roberts as Alma, a respected professor of philosophy at Yale University, who suddenly finds herself at a personal and professional crossroad. When Hank, one of her professorial colleagues and best-friend, is faced with a serious accusation from a promising PhD student, called Maggie, Alma is forced to grapple with dark secrets from the past as mind games take hold.
The film premiered out-of-competition at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, with Roberts’ performance receiving high praise, and Sayeed’s murky, off-kilter cinematography being noted for underscoring the moral ambiguities in the screenplay, and the twistsand-turns in the unfolding story.
The film represents a notable comeback to longform narrative by Sayeed, after a 25-year hiatus.
The DP made an instant name for himself on his debut feature, Spike Lee’s Clockers (1995), considered a masterclass in utilising light, colour and composition to devastating emotional effect. This reputation was cemented by Lee’s Girl 6 (1996) and He Got Game (1998), and the noir-like visuals he created for Hype Williams’ crime movie Belly (1998). However, with his star ascending, the DP remarkably opted-out of making features for a career shooting commercials, motivated largely by a desire to be present for his young children.
“I felt that I needed to focus on my family, and although I didn’t rule-out working in movies entirely, it would have to be the right one to lure me back,” says Sayeed. “So, I was both interested and flattered when Luca asked me to shoot After The Hunt.”
Although After The Hunt marks Sayeed’s first feature collaboration with Guadagnino, the pair were not entirely unknown to one another, having previously worked together on a commercial for Chanel No.5,
“Luca actually got the script for the film whilst we were shooting that spot, and by the time we had finished he asked me if I would like to film it for him,”
Film is a comforting, calming space for me to function in
Sayeed recalls. “That sounded amazing to me, as I had a calling to return to features and a desire to immerse myself in the world of academia, where the movie was set. I’m a person who gets excited by
learning and shifting realities, and so it was enticing to me at this stage of my life.”
Sayeed adds, “My cinematographic approach comes from the school of French filmmaker Robert Bresson. His book Notes On The Cinematographer (1975), where his thoughts about adopting a minimalist but controlled approach to get to the heart of how things should feel, were like an epiphany to me. So when Luca declared himself to be a Bressonfan too, I was 100% signed-up.”
When it came to crafting the visual grammar for the film, Sayeed says he was struck by Guadagnino’s references. “Luca gave me two precise and wonderful cinematographic inspirations, which I absolutely loved – the work of Sven Nykvisk FSF ASC with Ingmar Berman, and Gordon Willis ASC with Alan J Pakula, among others. He wanted After The Hunt to feel as if it were shot the 1980’s, and those restraining parameters gave me a great idea about the nuances he had in mind.
starring Margot Robbie.
It had to be the right project to lure me back
“Luca liked the way Sven and Ingmar Bergman depicted relationships, the way that faces and people were photographed in films like Persona (1966) and The Silence (1963). We also dialled-in to The Passion Of Anna (1969) and the colour scheme in Cries And Whispers (1972), which looked unbelievable when we screened a print of that film during prep at the BFI in London.
“Gordon Willis has always been a North Star for me, lighting spaces and shadows, working in the toe of the curve with his dark and high-contrast lighting with Pakula on movies like Klute (1971) and All The President’s Men (1976). I also like the intentional, structural, world-building he introduced to the more sophisticated, Manhattan-based narratives he shot.”
Guadagnino had further specific requests. “He wanted to shoot the film in very few takes and with just one focal-length lens, a 35mm, which he had done on Call Me By Your Name (2017, DP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom), which I consider to be a masterpiece. I love the work of the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, and his idea and knack of capturing ‘the decisive moment’, how he almost exclusively worked with a 50mm lens. and had always wanted to shoot a film along those lines.
“One of the other rules that Luca came up with was that we would only use equipment from the time he wanted to evoke, meaning if the technology didn’t exist before 1988, we wouldn’t use it.”
To lock-in to the one-lens approach, Sayeed undertook rigorous testing of different lens systems before he and Guadagnino settled on using Canon K35 optics.
“Canon K35 lenses were produced in 1976 by
AFTER THE HUNT•MALIK HASSAN SAYEED
way of Canon’s response to Zeiss Super Speeds,” Sayeed explains. “So they’re similar to the Super Speeds in that they’re fast lenses, between T1.3 and T1.5. but they’re a little bit warmer and they have some interesting optical properties too. They’re sharp in the centre, even when used wide open, with a pleasing patina, gentle focus fall-off and soft, round bokeh. You can see in the final film how I used the distortion at the edges of the frame to depict the dissonance between the characters, which Luca really liked.”
Sayeed headed to London for six weeks of prep before the shoot got underway between June and September 2024. Although After The Hunt is set in and around the campus of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, it was shot almost entirely in the
have great latitude. This allowed for a cohesive look across the different lighting conditions within the project. I used 85 filters on the camera, as I don’t like to do the correction in the DI. I prefer the look to start from the place where things take place, rather than burning-up time and energy in the grading suite.”
Andrei Austin operated A-camera assisted by Wayne Goring on focus, with Callum Hammett heading the grip team and Mazi Mitchell supervising the lighting department as gaffer.
“Luca does not do many takes – mainly one or two maximum – which helped to keep our shooting ratio down along with the stock and processing costs. He’s also very spontaneous. We didn’t really know how we were going to cover a scene until we got there. This
UK, except for background plates of the Ivy League institution and the town, which were composited during post production by the VFX team led by Fabio Cerrito at Frame By Frame out of Rome. Multiple interior and exteriors sets were built on the stages and backlot of Shepperton studios, whilst Cambridge University proved key filming locations, namely Alma’s classroom, Alma’s office, the dean’s office and Battell Chapel
The DP framed the film in 1.85:1 aspect ratio for its traditional cinematic look, and used ARRICAM ST and LT 35mm cameras for the shoot, filming with 1,000ft magazines. As the camera was variously deployed on a crane, jib arm, dolly and rolling spreaders over rough surfaces, a Camera Revolution 4-axis Matrix gimbal was employed to ensure steady movement and give camera team freedom to move around spaces and react to performances without using tracks. The K35 lenses were supplied by Camtec in LA, with the rest of the camera package supported by ARRI Rental in the UK.
“With older lenses, like the K35s, you really do have to understand the characteristics of particular lens sets, as they don’t all age exactly the same. So I had two sets that I know really well shipped-over from the US, along with a set of Falcons that are made using the same glass.
“We needed three sets of optics, as we had two or three cameras running for certain scenes and needed the focal lengths to match. Although we carried 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm primes, 98% of the film was shot on using the 35mm lenses.
The DP selected all-Tungsten stocks for the film – KODAK VISION3 5213 200T for the mainstay of production and KODAK VISION3 5219 500T when the lighting conditions needed a faster capture medium – around a 60/40 split – using 85 colour correction filters on the camera. Film processing was done at Kodak Film Lab, based on the lot at Pinewood Studios, with Harbor’s Joe Gawler overseeing the final colour grade.
“As they share the same base emulsion and processing, the 200T and 500T are a nice match for one another, with similar grain characteristics and both
meant we had to be prepped for anything camera and lighting-wise, and to be able to react to what Luca wanted when we shot for real, which I think kept things fresh and true to the moment.
“The camera placement and blocking comes primarily from Luca. As he’s also an editor, with a great affinity for the photography, he knows how to cover a scene and what he wants to take into the editing room. He may not cover a whole scene, just a shot for a particular line of dialogue or a detail. I really admire that level of craft.”
As per the brief to go old-school with the equipment, Sayeed says, “Apart from having to put some LED strip lights into Alma’s kitchen, our lighting was all HMIs, fluorescents and incandescents. I like to root
I get excited by different realities
With older lenses, like the K35s, you have to understand the characteristics of particular lens sets
myself in the reality of where we are, so the lighting was motivated by the rooms and spaces where the action took place, using practical lamps around the interiors, and either daylight or sunlight coming through windows and skylights with the HMIs.
“There were many moments when you realise there’s a lot going on inside the character’s minds, and I had to channel that intuitively by bringing a certain atmospheric presence to various scenes in Alma’s apartment, along hallways and inside stairwells, which meant working in the toe and reaching into the shadows, which the VISION3 stocks do extremely well.”
Looking back on his experience of returning to shooting features, he remarks, “Film is a comforting, calming space for me to function in. It’s my normal. At the risk of shooting myself in the foot, I would be very, very, very happy just filming on film for the rest of my career.
“I think it was Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu’s cinematographer who believed that the energy of the person who touches the camera is actually reflected on the film. It certainly brought its own special vibe and energy to the cast and crew on our set, and I think that has directly transduced into what you see on screen.
“Good vibes also came from the top. Being veterans, Luca and Julia, both made this production a very enjoyable and harmonic experience for everyone involved. I was excited to work with Luca, and I am truly thankful he asked me to shoot this film for him.”
After filming After The Hunt, Sayeed went on to shoot a second film for Guadagnino on 35mm film, entitled Artificial, loosely-based on the behind-the-
MALIK HASSAN SAYEED•
scenes drama at CEO Sam Altman’s OpenAI, the Silicon Valley behemoth behind ChatGPT, but that’s another story.
SHINING A LIGHT ON...
ATTILA DÓCZI
By David Wood
Age// Born// School// Lives// Hobbies// 57
Budapest, Hungary
Electronic school Budapest
Martial arts (Aikido) and computercontrolled lighting
Selected Filmography:
(as gaffer unless otherwise stated)
Europa Centrale (2024)
Trap (2024)
The Brutalist (2024)
Dance First (2023)
Russian Doll (TV series, 2022) (gaffer, Budapest)
Evolution (2021)
Dime Qien Soy (TV series, 2021)
The Song Of Names (2019)
The Troupe (2018)
Boy 7 (2015)
Beatles (2014)
La Banda De Picasso (2012) Istanbul (2011) – c hief lighting technician
How did you get started?
I began working in the lighting department of the Hungarian Film Company (MAFILM) in September 1986. When I first entered the film studio, I began learning the craft as a production assistant and trainee. Later, I worked as a grip, handling camera movement and equipment.
Your big break?
Becoming a gaffer was for me largely thanks to two Hungarian film professionals and an unexpected stroke of luck: gaffer Árpád Szírmai, who trained me over many years, and DP Gergely Pohárnok, who first invited me to take on the role.
I began working with the chief lighting technician, Árpád Szirmai, one of the most experienced and respected professionals in Hungarian film production. We developed a very good relationship, not only professionally but also personally. He practically became a foster father to me, teaching me a great deal both professionally and personally. I spent many years working alongside him.
During one of our shoots, I met Gergely Pohárnok, then a film school student and aspiring cinematographer. He invited me to be the gaffer on his next commercial. I was very nervous, as I didn’t yet feel I had the attitude of a gaffer, but we took on the project together, and it turned out wonderfully. Essentially, the two of us pulled it together, and after that, requests for me to
The key is that the work remains a collaboration
work as a gaffer started coming in, as word spread that I was now working in that role.
Next, I formed a small team and we worked on foreign productions coming to Budapest – American, British, Swedish, Italian, Spanish, and Danish films – so I had the perfect opportunity to work on a wide range of international films, and was able to learn a tremendous amount in the process.
How do you see the role of gaffer?
It’s like having a vast library of information about film lighting; you memorise everything and apply your knowledge appropriately at the right moment. At the same time, your job is to support the cinematographer, without taking control.
The key is that the work remains a collaboration, and the final result emerges from the cooperation between the cinematographer and the chief lighting technician. It is essential to always follow the cinematographer’s guidance and offer a helping hand.
How do you keep up with innovations in lighting technology?
I enjoy progress, new tools, and new technologies. When I started, only payphones existed. Today, the whole world fits in our pockets! This has been a huge change and has influenced my entire life. I love trying out new things, and it’s important to me to understand what I am doing and why, since as a technical professional this is expected – but it is also a hobby.
I am interested in lamp development, the creation of film lighting fixtures, and the improvement of existing lights. If I notice a problem or think that a lamp could perform better for professional use, I am inclined to contact the manufacturer and share my suggestions.
Are LEDs as good as more traditional HMI/ Tungsten fixtures?
I believe that every lamp has its own purpose. There are situations where LED lights are particularly advantageous, but in certain cases, nothing can replace a high-powered Halogen lamp. For this reason, a mixed approach is often best. One of the main advantages of LEDs is that their colour temperature can be easily adjusted, which is great for cinematographers. There’s no need to use gels or clips, and you don’t have to worry about the light changing colour
ATTILA DÓCZI•GAFFERS CAFÉ
during a scene or burning-out in the centre. This feature can be fully incorporated into the planning of a shoot, making LED lights highly effective for professional work. How important is it to be green/ environmentally-friendly?
LED technology has a great contribution to make when it comes to making productions greener. Often, no generator is required and the lamps can run directly from the main power supply. This is important, as we all want the world to be preserved for future generations. Overall, the use of LED lamps is not only practical and convenient but also environmentally-friendly, making them a valuable tool.
What are your current favourite pieces of
lighting equipment and why?
I enjoy using robotic lights, including blade-style robotic lights because they make achieving the desired result much easier than other types of lamps. Sometimes I even incorporate entertainment-industry lights into film shoots, not just specialised film lights. Anything that provides light and fits the scene. Even an iPhone can create the brightness and mood needed for a particular shot.
I am especially interested in indirect lighting techniques. Good film lighting is often invisible – it feels natural, as if the sunlight happened to fall in the right place at the right time. It’s not forced, direct lighting, but light bouncing off surfaces to create a soft, natural effects.
The use of colours and textiles is very important in this. For example, one of my favourites is a beige IKEA bedspread – when used in an exterior scene, it gives a beautiful, skin-friendly reflective light to the actor’s face, that is natural, yet slightly brighter.
Of course, I have favourite bits of kit, but there is no single best lamp; the key is that the light fits the scene and conveys the desired mood.
Most challenging jobs?
During the shoot of The Brutalist (2024) there were a few particularly interesting lighting challenges. For example, in a church scene, we had to project a cross of light onto the floor whilst creating the impression that the sunlight was filtering-in from the top of the church. We
GAFFERS CAFÉ•ATTILA DÓCZI
accomplished this task using two robotic lights, and the result was perfect. The cross of light appeared exactly where Brady Corbet the director, and Lol Crawley BSC the DP, wanted it, with the desired intensity and size. This was an exciting challenge as we had to ensure that only the cross dominated the scene whilst the rest of the space remained in shadow.
Another interesting technical challenge was when we had to simulate daylight in an apartment. We achieved it using a combination of HMI lights (5,600 Kelvin) and yellow lamps (3,200 Kelvin). The bluish light provided the ambient daylight feel, whilst the yellow light created the sensation of sunlight. We placed the two lights close together to minimise shadows, and the mixture created a very natural and convincing colour palette, making it seem as if sunlight were entering the room.
Overall, The Brutalist was an extremely enjoyable project, full of challenges. The biggest question was always whether we could complete the preparations on time and keep pace with the director and cinematographer. I am very grateful to Lol for his flexibility – if he saw that a solution was too complicated, he would let us handle it in a simpler way. The result was a beautiful collaborative effort, which I really enjoyed creating.
Regular crew?
I always try to work with the same lighting team, although, of course, every gaffer knows that eventually members of the team will start independent projects. When a best boy goes off to work independently on a commercial or film, I feel proud, because it shows I trained them well. But there’s also the challenge of figuring-out who will replace my first assistant in the team.
Over the past 36 years, I have trained many best boys and gaffers, and I am extremely proud of each of them. I know that in doing so I am essentially cultivating my own future competition, but for me, it means I must always stay one step ahead to ensure that knowledge and precision remain within the team.
My current team is a perfectly coordinated unit. We are strong on every front. For heavy machinery – such as Manitous or Cherry Pickers –two professional operators handle the work, and we have a brilliant lighting console operator who responds immediately to any request, whether it’s a colour change, brightness adjustment, or any special effect, and always delivers exactly what we ask. The rest of the team, including a strongman who can carry a crane dolly alone or someone who can handle five 125-meter cables at once, also perform their tasks with professionalism.
What’s next for you?
One of my main goals is to teach and mentor young people – not only in lighting, but also giving
them the opportunity to work with cameras, grip equipment and other tools of the trade. Under the guidance of experienced professionals, they can learn the subtle details and craftsmanship that make this industry so rewarding. This is the direction I envision for the next chapter of my career.
I am currently working on my own company, which rents and distributes lighting equipment. The company is named ELEX Rental, and we collaborate closely with Astra Studio here in Budapest. I hope that this venture will provide a stable foundation for the future.
