The Cinematography Podcast

Peter Konczal, ASC on Black Rabbit's deliberately low-tech-analog toolkit, customized blue bounce light, and the gradual unraveling of its visual style episode by episode. Podcast highlights include: -The deliberately low-tech-analog toolkit Pete assembled with co-cinematographer Igor Martinović became the show's defining look. It included one of a kind soot filters and scratched-up glass rulers wedged into matte boxes. These complimented detuned lenses and a low-contrast LUT. -How a custom greenish-blue fill light added contrast, separating the actors from the environment. -The inspiration for the asymmetrical framing from Michael Mann's The Insider. Pete and Martinović intentionally mismatched shots instead of using standard reverses. -Choosing to light large areas, allowing performances to unfold without interruption. -How Pete and director Laura Linney used tableaus to great effect in key scenes. Find Pete Konczal: https://www.iconictalentagency.com/pete-konczal Instagram: @petekonczal_asc Black Rabbit is streaming on Netflix. Hear our previous episode with Igor Martinović on the documentary The Pigeon Tunnel: https://www.camnoir.com/ep238/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:08 Close focus 13:15-01:03:31 Peter Konczal interview 01:03:47 Short ends 01:10:21 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 347: director Natasha Kermani and DP Julia Swain In the medieval horror film The Dreadful, director Natasha Kermani and cinematographer Julia Swain transport audiences to the brutal landscapes of the Dark Ages. The independent film shot in Cornwall, England over 17 winter days. Key Podcast Highlights: -Development: Kermani spent years crafting the folkloric tale, prioritizing a "gothic storybook" aesthetic that blends historical iconography with psychological dread. -The Power of Partnership: Kermani and Swain have collaborated on several projects. Early on, they worked together to map out the film’s framing, lens choices and color story. -Practical Immersion: The crew built a practical cottage set on location, allowing for seamless camera movement between the interior hearth and dark forest. -Embracing the Elements: Filmed in the dead of winter, the production utilized the low December sun and natural ambiance to create an authentic, oppressive atmosphere without the use of hard, artificial lighting. Find Natasha Kermani: Instagram @natakerm Find Julia Swain: Instagram @juliaswain See The Dreadful in theaters and on VOD now. SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:59 Close Focus 14:23-01:03:57 Natasha Kermani and Julia Swain Interview 01:04:43 Short ends 01:09:24 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 346: Adolpho Veloso, ABC, AIP The film Train Dreams tells a story that feels less like a narrative and more like a memory. It began as an independent project that premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim before getting acquired by Netflix. Director Clint Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, ABC, AIP, chose to shoot in the rugged landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Veloso's radical commitment to naturalism in the film meant relying almost entirely on firelight, candlelight and natural light. The gorgeous result has earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography. After their successful collaboration on the low-budget indie movie Jockey, Veloso and director Clint Bentley knew a tiny crew and small group of actors could lead to good, intimate storytelling. They developed a specific visual shorthand designed to make Train Dreams feel like a discovered artifact. They chose a 3:2 aspect ratio, a deliberate nod to still photography, intended to evoke the sensation of looking through a dusty box of old family photos. “We wanted the movie to feel like memories, like finding a box of pictures,” explains Veloso. “The whole visual motif came from still images and still photography in a way.” Using a single, handheld ARRI ALEXA 35 camera operated by Veloso allowed the actors freedom to improvise and move naturally, often capturing moments that a more rigid, multi-camera setup would have missed. To maintain a clear narrative thread through Robert's (Joel Edgerton) life, Veloso established visual rules using specific lighting shifts to distinguish between the warmth of Robert’s good memories and the starker, haunting quality of his loss. Grounding the film in nature was extremely important. The team scoured Washington state, looking for woods that appeared untouched by time, yet remained accessible enough for a film crew. They shot around the Spokane area, where the drier weather and specific light quality offered the perfect backdrop for the film’s mid-century setting. Working in national forests meant strict regulations with a small footprint, and timber cutting and axe work was carefully planned. Using almost entirely firelight, candlelight and natural light is very nontraditional filmmaking, and required a great deal of planning from all departments. For the two sets, the cabin and fire tower, Veloso spent weeks tracking solar orientation. The crew carefully built the cabin to exact specifications to allow plenty of light into the space. “You have the privilege to build it the way you want,” Veloso explains. “It’s a lot of studies of what the sun is doing from week one to week seven. You have to decide where to place the windows so the light continuity holds as the seasons shift.” The most interesting technical choice was the total ban on LED lighting for period scenes. Veloso wanted the authentic flicker and color temperature of the era, but candles alone often create harsh, distracting shadows. To solve this, the team engineered a “1920s Sky Panel.” This custom rig used large reflective surfaces combined with candles and diffusion to create a soft, glowing light source that felt period-accurate yet flattering on the actors' faces. This required a constant dance between the camera and the art department. Candles, oil lamps, firelight, and campfires had to be good quality light to expose the image properly. For campfire scenes, the gaffer measured light levels in real-time, signaling the fire safety monitor to add wood precisely when the "exposure" needed a boost. A devastating forest fire at the film's climax required a shift from the naturalistic to the surreal. To capture the flames and feeling of a real forest fire, the production moved to an LED volume stage. Robert is dreaming about what happened in the fire, so the fire scene had to be strange and surreal. Veloso shot at a low frame rate with a wide shutter to create a blurred, fever dream aesthetic. The crew also shot in previously burned forests, capturing the aftermath of a real fire. Through Veloso's lens, Train Dreams is a tactile, flickering meditation on time itself. Find Adolpho Veloso: https://www.adolphoveloso.com/ Instagram: @adolphoveloso Watch Train Dreams on Netflix Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 344: Russell Carpenter When cinematographer Russell Carpenter began working on Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash concurrently, he knew stepping into the world of Pandora would be a much different production environment. Carpenter and director Jim Cameron had previously collaborated on True Lies and Titanic, which won him the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. As the cinematographer, Carpenter’s primary concern was ensuring the lighting on live, motion-captured actors blended seamlessly with a CGI-generated universe. Audiences instinctively understand the physics of sunlight filtering through a forest or the way light refracts underwater. To maintain an emotional connection to the story, Cameron insisted that every frame feel like it was in the real world of Pandora. The Avatar sequels were built in layers, with digital artists building the environment based on the script. Rough versions of the scenes and the blocking for the actors were plotted out, and then they were ready for the motion capture with the actors. Carpenter worked closely with production designers to determine how light should "feel" in these virtual spaces. Because the background was digital, the camera movement and lighting could be tested with instant feedback. If a virtual camera moved through a forest, the real-world lighting on the actor could be tested to react to every digital leaf and shadow in real-time. For over a year, Carpenter lived in two worlds: the virtual and the physical. "I had to keep lighting consistent in the CGI world while translating what Jim was doing on the capture stage," Carpenter says. "In the world of motion capture, things have to match to the half-second. If the camera travels a specific distance at a specific speed, the actor has to be exactly there. It’s painstaking." A major breakthrough for the sequels was the use of programmable LED systems. Working with computer programmers and moving lights, Carpenter’s team devised a way to shift intricate lighting setups instantly. This allowed for more complex visual storytelling, such as backlit sequences and the dappled, moving light of the Pandoran jungles. For Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron pushed for a more "organic" look, requesting the digital world mimic the flaws of physical film cameras. “Certain artifacts were introduced into Fire and Ash that we didn't quite have on Way of Water,” Carpenter explains, “such as lens flares and the appearance of water running off the front plate of a camera lens.” The team tested shooting lens flares, and a Weta programmer built it into the CGI world. To simulate the "Ash People" shooting flaming arrows, Carpenter’s team used a grid of overhead LEDs programmed to "zip" past the actors' heads at arrow-speed, creating a realistic flicker of firelight on their faces Despite the technical hurdles, Carpenter found that the core of his craft—sculpting light—remained the same, even if the toolkit had changed. He admits the transition isn't for everyone. “I would say to any cinematographer who ventures into this territory, there's a learning curve where you definitely feel like a stranger in a strange land,” he says. “You realize that, especially in terms of live action, your percentage of the pie is less—but your impact on the final vision remains vital.” You can see Avatar: Fire and Ash in a variety of formats in theaters everywhere. Hear our previous interviews with Russell Carpenter: https://www.camnoir.com/ep40/ https://www.camnoir.com/ep200/ Find Russell Carpenter: Instagram @russellcarpenterasc Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 342: Amy Vincent, ASC Cinematographer Amy Vincent, ASC feels like she's reached the place where she wants to be, working on the kinds of films she likes. Vincent and director Craig Brewer have collaborated on several music-forward films, including Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan, and a Footloose remake in 2011. Throughout the years, Vincent and Brewer have created a shared cinematic language built on deep trust. Their latest collaboration, Song Sung Blue, is a biopic about a Neil Diamond tribute band. Craig Brewer had seen the original documentary Song Sung Blue at a film festival, and knew that he wanted to adapt the story of Mike and Claire Sardina, who formed a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning and Thunder. To bring their world to life, Vincent’s primary mission was to protect Brewer’s instinctual, writer-driven process. While many modern productions retreat to the controlled environment of a soundstage, Song Sung Blue leaned into the grit of reality. The film was shot entirely on practical locations in New Jersey, doubling for Milwaukee. Vincent admits she was initially reluctant to embrace the cramped quarters of real homes, but the shot design was quickly informed by the limited space. Pre-production tests on location with period light fixtures and wood paneling on the actors' hair and makeup also gave the entire production team a chance to see the film's vision come to life. For the film’s musical sequences in bars and on stage, Vincent made a deliberate technical choice to embrace the performance lighting. By choosing a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the lighting fixtures themselves could be part of the composition. Rather than hiding the sources, she embraced lens flares and visible fixtures, treating the lighting as a character in the performance spaces. This added an authentic "stage" texture to the Lightning and Thunder shows. The visual language of the film was born long before the first day of principal photography. Vincent was present during the actors' vocal recordings and rehearsals, watching how leads Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson interacted. She points to “Play Me,” a scene where the characters sit back-to-back on a piano bench after they first meet, as a product of this observation. “That all started for me by watching the actors physically moving and singing in those initial rehearsals.” By the time they reached the set, the camera movement was already a natural extension of their physical performances. For Vincent, Song Sung Blue is a project where the technical execution perfectly aligns with a narrative she believes in. “Craig is aligned with the idea of telling stories about people who dream beyond their means,” she says. “I always love that. It’s something I hope I get to continue doing.” See Song Sung Blue in theaters and streaming on VOD. Find Amy Vincent: Instagram @amyvvincent Hear our previous interview with Amy Vincent: https://www.camnoir.com/ep259/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 01:45 Close Focus 08:30-58:38 Amy Vincent Interview 59:45 Short ends 01:09:15 Wrap up/Credits Support Ben's short film, The Ultimate Breakup! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theultimatebreakup/the-ultimate-breakup-short-film?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=the%20ultimate%20breakup&total_hits=2 The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social