Jenelle Riley, three-time Emmy-winning entertainment journalist and awards commentator. She breaks down this year’s nominations, debates Best Picture frontrunners like Sinners and One Battle After Another. They argue cinematography contenders, celebrate the new Achievement in Casting category, note notable snubs, and weigh acting races in tight, opinion-packed conversation.
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insights INSIGHT
Two Iconic Cinematography Moments To Influence Future Films
Autumn Durald Arkapaw's cinematography in Sinners and Michael Bauman's work on One Battle After Another are the year's most talked-about visuals.
Ben Rock highlights the big blues number in Sinners and PTA's final car chase as future-reference scenes.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Recognize Casting For World Building
Casting deserves its own Oscar because it builds believable ensembles and discovers fresh non-professional talent.
Jenelle recalls Cassandra Kulikundas and casting that used real nurses and cops to add authenticity to One Battle After Another.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Newcomers Standing Tall Against Stars
Sinners and One Battle After Another both cast first-time actors who held their own opposite veterans.
Jenelle names Chase Infiniti and Miles Caton as newcomers who convincingly sparred with Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Benicio Del Toro.
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The Cinematography Podcast 2026 Oscar Special
Jenelle Riley, three-time Emmy-winning entertainment journalist and host, chats with Ben and Illya for our SEVENTH annual Oscar nominations special. With a focus on cinematography, they discuss what they liked, what will win, what should win, and their favorite movies of the year that may not have been recognized.
They discuss this year’s nominations, including the likeliest Best Picture and Best Director contenders, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. F1 is also mentioned as an outlier for the category, although the cinematography by Claudio Miranda is excellent. This year's new category, Achievement in Casting, is celebrated as a much needed addition. The cinematography competition is a heated one, with both Autumn Durald Arkapaw and Michael Bauman as favorites, with Bauman recently winning the ASC Award. Some of the snubs this year include one of Jenelle's favorite movies, Life of Chuck. Song Sung Blue also didn't receive much awards love. Last year's awards omitted the worthy film, Thelma.
Also discussed: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Find Jenelle Riley on Facebook, Instagram, Blue Sky, X: @jenelleriley
and Substack: https://substack.com/@rileywrites74/note/p-183180534
Tune in to the SAG/AFTRA foundation YouTube Channel to see Jenelle's interviews with several of the nominees this year. https://www.youtube.com/@SAGAFTRAFoundation
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
The Cinematography Podcast