The Cinematography Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Salvatore Totino, ASC talks Any Given Sunday, Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code, Spider-Man: Homecoming, working with Oliver Stone, Ron Howard, and more Oct 02, 2019

Show notes

Sal Totino grew up in Brooklyn NY and began his career as a music video and commercial DP before landing his first feature on Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday. He's worked with director Ron Howard on eight films such as The Missing, Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon and The Da Vinci Code. Sal has two upcoming films out soon- The Postcard Killings and The Tax Collector.

Don M. Morgan, ASC: talks Starman, Christine, Seven, working with John Carpenter, Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Joseph Sargent Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Legendary cinematographer Don Morgan shot “Used Cars” and “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” with Robert Zemeckis; Steven Spielberg's “1941,” and John Carpenter's “Starman” and “Christine.” Don also filmed the iconic aerial scenes in “Seven” for director David Fincher and talks about his long television career with director Joseph Sargent.

Special Episode: IT Chapter Two- Cinematographer Checco Varese, ASC reveals the stories behind the biggest horror franchise of the year Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

Checco Varese gives us the scoop on shooting IT Chapter Two with director Andrés Muschietti. Checco and his crew's commitment to their craft has paid off: at the time of this post, IT Chapter Two has grossed more than $320 million worldwide.

Michael Gioulakis: on shooting Us, Glass, Split, It Follows, John Dies at the End, working with Jordan Peele, M. Night Shyamalan, David Mitchell and Don Coscarelli Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis is best known for shooting horror films “Glass," “Split,” and “Us.” He got a foothold in filmmaking with the cult indy film “John Dies at the End.” With “It Follows,” Mike and director David Mitchell created a retro, timeless look for the movie. He also discusses the meticulous storyboard sessions directors M. Night Shyamalan and Jordan Peele both have for their films.

Director and Cinematographer Ellen Kuras, ASC: Talks Swoon, I Shot Andy Warhol, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Summer of Sam, Ozark, Wormwood, Catch-22 and more Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

Ellen Kuras believes that following your gut and listening to your inner voice makes you a great filmmaker. Ellen got her start shooting documentary and indy movies such as “Swoon,” “I Shot Andy Warhol” and “Personal Velocity,” plus several films with Spike Lee including “Bamboozled” and “Summer of Sam.” She discusses working with Michel Gondry, the unique challenges of shooting “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” working with documentarian Errol Morris on “Wormwood” and shooting the Netflix series “Ozark.” Ellen also directed and shot her documentary “The Betrayal-Nerakhoon,” which received an Academy Award nomination. Her current work includes directing some episodes of Hulu's “Catch-22” and directing the Netflix series “Umbrella Academy.”

Bill Wages, ASC: Talks The Forgiven, Into the West, Sun Records, Burn Notice, Down in the Delta, and inventing Glimmerglass filters. Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

Bill Wages' motto: complicated is easy, simple is hard. He talks about his work on the film, "The Forgiven," the TV series "Burn Notice," "Sun Records," "Into the West," and working with poet Maya Angelou on her directorial project "Down in the Delta." Bill also invented a number of groundbreaking cinematography tools: Tiffen Glimmerglass diffusion filters and two flagging devices known as WagFlags and WagBags.

Ep 42 – Shana Hagan – Talks documentary work- Married in America, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Shakespeare Behind Bars, working with Michael Apted, Parks and Recreation and more. Aug 14, 2019

Show notes

Cinematographer Shana Hagan has decades of experience shooting documentaries, reality television and even scripted work on “Parks and Recreation” and “Arrested Development.” She discusses her verite approach to shooting, the DP/director relationship, and the huge style variations in documentary film. One of her earliest jobs was as an assistant editor on the documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.” Shana's current work includes the Michael Apted series “63Up” and the doc “The Kingmaker” about the Marcos family's reign in the Philippines.

Ep 41 – Vanja černjul, ASC – Talks Crazy Rich Asians, The Deuce, 30 Rock, Orange is the New Black, and more! Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Vanja Černjul began his career in the U.S. filming small independent films like “Wrist Cutters, A Love Story” before breaking into television, shooting the pilot for “Ugly Betty” then going on to DP the first season of “30 Rock.” He developed the realistic, naturalistic lighting looks for “Nurse Jackie” and “Orange is the New Black,” and created the grainy, gritty 70's look for HBO's “The Deuce.” Vanja's biggest project to date is “Crazy Rich Asians,” which has become the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the last 10 years. He talks about its success, working with director Jon M. Chu and finding a gorgeous, unconventional look for a romantic comedy.

Ep 40 – Oscar Winner Russell Carpenter, ASC – On Titanic, True Lies, James Cameron, Hard Target, John Woo, Ant-Man and more! Jul 24, 2019

Show notes

Academy Award winner Russell Carpenter, ASC has a huge Hollywood career that's spanned decades, though he got his start working in public television and didn't even go to film school. He discusses his early experience on films like the cult classic “The Wizard of Speed and Time,” “Cameron's Closet,” and “The Lawnmower Man,” and still enjoys shooting small films like the Indian movie “Parched.” For “Hard Target” with director John Woo, each scene was meticulously timed and shot with multiple cameras. Russell first worked with director James Cameron in 1994 on the film “True Lies” and then again on “Titanic,” which won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. He tells a few stories about the movie tricks he and James Cameron used on “Titanic.” Russell is currently working again with Jim Cameron on Avatar 2 and 3.

Ep 39 – Manuel Billeter – Talks the Marvel/Netflix series Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Orange is the New Black and working with Alfonso Cuarón Jul 13, 2019

Show notes

Manuel Billeter discusses his early career and getting his big break working in post production editing “Y Tu Mama También” for director Alfonso Cuarón, who encouraged him to pursue a path in cinematography. He talks about the high profile series he's worked on, such as “Law and Order,” and “Person of Interest,” how a show getting canceled or getting fired can lead to better opportunities, working in urban settings with night exteriors and the incredible energy it can generate. When creating the unique noir feel for “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage,” Manuel loved the look of sodium vapor streetlights, but most of New York has converted to LED lights, so each individual streetlight was gelled to get the yellower look.

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