
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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