The Cinematography Podcast

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.

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.

Russell Carpenter, Oscar winner with a huge Hollywood career, discusses his early experience in public television, shooting films like 'The Wizard of Speed and Time' and 'The Lawnmower Man.' He shares stories about working with James Cameron on 'Titanic' and 'True Lies,' and talks about his current collaboration with Cameron on 'Avatar 2 and 3.'

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.

DP Matthew Clark talks to Ben about his early career, getting his big break on the NBC comedy series “30 Rock” from cinematographer Vanja Cernjul and working with the brilliant Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and Alec Baldwin. He discusses the importance of creating a look for a comedic series that keeps viewers happy and comfortable, and how to light for comedy to make it more dramatic and interesting but not distracting from the story. Matt's recent film “Late Night,” starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, was directed by his film school friend Nisha Ganatra. The two crafted a very naturalistic and approachable look for the movie.

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 37 Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC Talks Bad Times at the El Royale, shooting Black Mirror's “Nosedive” episode with director Joe Wright, The Avengers, Nocturnal Animals, Atonement, High Fidelity and The Greatest Showman. Mulit-Academy Award nominee Seamus McGarvey sits down with Illya for an intimate conversation about his work on High Fidelity, shooting the episode “Nosedive” for the Netflix series Black Mirror with director Joe Wright, and how much he loved working on Bad Times at the El Royale. Seamus discusses how each film can be a very different creative collaboration with each director, and the importance of creating an intimacy between the cinematographer, the director and the actors, no matter how big or small the movie. Instagram: @seamiemc Sponsored by Arri- Check out the new Arri Alexa Mini LF Ben's short end: DC Universe canceling Swamp Thing the day it premiered. DC Universe streaming service Save Swamp Thing on Twitter: #SaveSwampThing Illya's short end: The trailer for Brittany Runs a Marathon and Amazon's marketing for the movie feels like a misfire. Ben Rock: @neptunesalad twitter @bejamin_rock instagram Illya Friedman: @hotrodcameras Kays Alatrachi: www.musicbykays.com Editor: Abby Corbett

In our second LIVE podcast, Checco Varese, ASC discusses his collaborations with Guillermo Del Toro on “Pacific Rim” and “The Strain,” his upcoming movie, “It: Chapter 2,” working on many TV pilots and music videos, his early days in South America as a war correspondent and much more.

Acclaimed Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen talks to Illya about working with Guillermo del Toro on The Shape of Water, Crimson Peak and Mimic.  Del Toro's frequent collaborator discusses the ease of shooting digital cinema now vs. the old days of relying on a lab to process the film correctly.  For the John Wick films, lens choices and tricks played a big part in how he and director Chad Stahelski accomplished a flare effect on the films.  In John Wick-Chapter 3- Parabellum, Dan discusses shooting mainly at night and created a glistening, rainy look.

Swedish cinematographer Linus Sandgren talks to Illya about his extensive career working with high profile directors like Damien Chazelle on First Man and La La Land, Gus Van Sant on Promised Land, and David O. Russell on the films American Hustle and Joy. For the film First Man, Linus used 16mm, 35mm and IMAX formats to portray different looks throughout the movie. While working on Promised Land, he and director Gus Van Sant decided to use Super 35mm 1.3x anamorphic. He also discusses lighting choices and his passion for drawing his own storyboards.

Writer, Director, Producer, Lije Sarki talks to Illya about his latest project, Concrete Kids. The movie follows two nine year old boys on one adventurous night in Los Angeles. Lije discusses wearing many hats as the writer, director, and producer of the project, willing a project like this into being and aesthetic choices that served the production .  Concrete Kids was shot in 17 nights with a budget of only $25K.  Lije talks about the challenge of the search for the two young leads, shooting with kids almost entirely at night, and then securing sales and distribution for feature film.