James Laxton, ASC Frames Class and Generation Gaps in Beef 2

James Laxton, ASC Frames Class and Generation Gaps in Beef 2

From The Cinematography Podcast by The Cinematography Podcast

May 29, 2026 · 1h 11m

About this episode

James Laxton discusses his work on Season 2 of Beef and the thematic elements of cinematography.

James Laxton, ASC is the Academy Award nominated cinematographer of Moonlight. His latest project is Season 2 of Beef, the acclaimed Netflix series created by Lee Sung Jin. This season explores themes of love, class, and generational cycles. Key Podcast Highlights: -How James and Lee built a color palette of spring, summer, autumn, and winter that stays continuous through lighting, costume, and production design to give each couple their own visual world. -Why shooting on the large-format ARRI 265 was a thematic decision, presenting characters as larger than life symbols of forces far bigger than themselves. -How light and framing portray the power dynamics, from a harsh, undiffused backlit golf course confrontation to wide symmetrical frames of opulence that trap characters inside the class structures surrounding them. -How James and Lee established a shared visual language, honoring the DNA of Season 1 while pushing the show somewhere entirely new. Find James Laxton: http://jameslaxton.com/ Instagram: @mrjameslaxton See Beef s. 2 on Netflix Hear our previous episode with James Laxton on Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk: https://www.camnoir.com/ep63/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:09…

People in this episode

Host: The Cinematography Podcast

Guest: James Laxton

Topics covered

  • cinematography
  • visual storytelling
  • class dynamics
  • interview
  • film production
  • color palette
  • generational themes

Keywords

  • cinematography
  • Beef
  • James Laxton
  • Moonlight
  • color palette
  • class structures
  • visual language

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Netflix

Books & works: Moonlight, Beef

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