CAPTIVE CURIOSITY Robbie Ryan BSC ISC reveals how he created tension—largely within the confines of a basement setting—and the VistaVision adventure he enjoyed, working with rare cameras to craft one of Yorgos Lanthimos’ most technically ambitious films. Spanning The Favourite,…
MEMORY IN MOTION From shooting in Nigeria to walking the red carpet at the Cannes premiere, Jermaine Edwards’ cinematographic journey with My Father’s Shadow—his first feature—saw him explore capturing the feeling of childhood memory on 16mm celluloid. A child’s-eye view…
A TERRIFYING TENANT The Man in My Basement sees down-on-his-luck Charles become even more unlucky when a strange man takes residence in his cellar. Using lights and, more importantly, the absence of them, Ula Pontikos BSC worked with director Nadia…
TAKING THE PLUNGE Cinematographer Steven Breckon reflects on lensing Charlie Polinger’s debut feature The Plague; part body horror, part coming-of-age psychological thriller. From the raw realities of adolescence through to powerful underwater scenes, the team captured a unique tale of…
ONE BATTLE, ONE VISION To craft Paul Thomas Anderson’s road movie with a difference, Michael Bauman set off on a multi-city shoot to capture the director’s wild and wonderful story of epic proportions almost entirely on VistaVision, taking the format…
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing ignites late-’90s Big Apple grit, with Austin Butler leading and cinematography from Matthew Libatique ASC LPS fuelling the chaos in this fast-paced crime thriller. Charlie Huston’s cult noir novel Caught Stealing gets the big screen…
RETURNING TO OZ Last year’s Wicked defied not only gravity but expectations, nominated for 10 Academy Awards and banking $750 million at the global box office, becoming the most successful Broadway film adaptation of all time. Alice Brooks ASC explains…
PORTRAIT OF A FRACTURED MIND Reuniting with Lynne Ramsay, Seamus McGarvey ASC BSC ISC pushed visual boundaries when framing a tortured soul; finding the heartbreaking beauty along the way as the mental state of Die My Love’s central character gradually…
BRINGING A CLASSIC TO LIFE Very few stories are as well-known as Mary Shelley’s Gothic horror Frankenstein, but if any filmmaker can add a fresh twist to the tale, it’s Guillermo del Toro. Longtime collaborator Dan Laustsen ASC DFF explains…
PULLING UP TREES Following a logger in 1900s Washington, US, Train Dreams uses a grand canvas to tell a personal story – Adolpho Veloso ABC AIP explains how he and writer-director Clint Bentley crafted a period piece that feels relatable…
FEELING A MOMENT Timely tale A House of Dynamite is lensed in an authentic, intimate and honest way by Barry Ackroyd BSC, capturing the increasing threat and tension as the story is revealed from multiple perspectives. Viewing filmmaking as an…
TAKING A PUNT Fresh off basketball drama Rez Ball, Kira Kelly ASC instantly turned her attention to another sport in Him. Yet, blending American football with surrealist horror, this shoot proved a very different experience for the filmmaker… “Unless a…
HIGH STAKES Making Ballad of a Small Player meant striking a careful balance between atmosphere and restraint. Cinematographer James Friend ASC BSC reflects on the contrasting challenges of filming in Macau’s tightly controlled casinos and on the open waters of Lamma Bay. …
LIGHTS, CAMERA, KRYPTON! That thing you saw in the sky this past summer may not have been a bird or a plane, but more likely Warner Bros’ newly lifted hopes for a rebooted DC film universe, thanks to the critical…
SIGNS OF THE TIMES Ollie Downey BSC relied on Astera tubes with diffusion socks and HMIs outside windows to light Reunion, managing a tight schedule and high page count with a traditional yet effective lighting setup. The BBC drama miniseries Reunion is widely…
A REVOLUTIONARY ART Nouvelle Vague recounts the production of Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal debut Breathless in fascinating detail, marking a triumphant pairing between Richard Linklater and rising French cinematographer David Chambille. Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) spirits audiences to that…
MISFITS COME OF AGE Selecting tools and techniques to reflect the energy or intimacy of a scene were essential for Si Bell BSC, Kate Reid BSC and Neus Ollé BSC AEC when lensing the screen adaptation of the witty and…
SPACE ACE Jess Hall ASC BSC reinvents Marvel’s retro-future aesthetic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, blending 1960s inspiration with cutting-edge IMAX technology for a unique visual journey. The story of Marvel Comics began in 1939 with the founding of Timely Publications, which…
A LENS ON LIFE From spontaneous dance routines through to the end of the world, The Life of Chuck’s unique narrative commanded an equally distinctive filmmaking approach to translate Stephen King’s short story celebration of what it means to be…
CREATIVE DRIVE The need for speed and authenticity was the driving force behind one of this year’s most highly anticipated cinematic events— F1: The Movie. Claudio Miranda ASC ACC details the method he and director Joseph Kosinski implemented when lensing…
CULINARY CONSISTENCY Lauded as one of this generation’s most beloved shows, Andrew Wehde fills us in on how he has cultivated The Bear’s distinct visual style over four seasons. As the FX juggernaut airs its fourth instalment, Andrew Wehde has…
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