HILLBILLY ELEGY

Hillbilly Elegy Making an “American Dream”

by Christopher T.J. McGuire, SOC

HILLBILLY ELEGY: (L to R) Glenn Close ("Mamaw”), Amy Adams (“Bev”). Photo by Lacey Terrell/NETFLIX © 2020

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Hillbilly Elegyis an American drama film directed by Ron Howard, from a screenplay written by Vanessa Taylor, based on the 2016 memoir of the same name written by J.D. Vance. The film is a modern exploration of the “American Dream” through three generations of an Appalachian family and stars Glenn Close, Amy Adams, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto, Bo Hopkins, and Owen Asztalos.

It’s always strange how social media seems to be able to know what’s coming before you do these days…

Ron Howard’s Masterclass kept showing up on my Instagram feed months before I got a call to meet with Maryse Alberti. It was about the possibility of working with her on Hillbilly Elegy which was to be directed by none other than Ron Howard.

Needless to say, the opportunity to see Ron Howard work first-hand was incredible for me.

Hillbilly Elegy, a memoir of a family and culture in crisis, is a New York Times bestseller, written by J.D. Vance about the Appalachian values of his Kentucky family as they come to terms with the social problems of his hometown in Middletown, Ohio.

Thankfully I had a good rapport with Maryse straight away, I had loved her folio of work for a while, The Wrestler was an incredible film that leant itself to its documentary style that suited the character’s story.

Photography of Hillbilly Elegy was to be a contrast of camera applications for different time genres. Most of the film takes place through the eyes of a young J.D. in the 80 and 90s, and the decided style was handheld. Owen Asztalos plays the role of the 13-year-old J.D., and does a wonderful job of capturing the innocence and relationship the real J.D. Vance had with his mother and Mawmaw.

Gabriel Basso took on the tough side of transition of J.D. in his late-20s, and we rolled with a mixture of Steadicam, dolly, and longer focal lengths for 2012.

As this was a Netflix production we were going to use the Sony Venice, which is a great camera—ideal for Steadicam and handheld, but we were going to also deploy a Rialto adaptor system from Sony to make the body smaller so we could get the sensor into tight positions, and really attain manoeuvrability in handheld mode. Jamie Pair was the more than able 2nd AC on the film with Greg Irwin as my legendary 1st AC.

JAMIE PAIR KINDLY SHARES:

”When we went into the project it was made clear by our director of photography, Maryse Alberti, that each portion would require a specific form of photography. With that in mind we needed to structure the ability to jump from our A camera handheld build to our C camera in Sony Rialto mode, supported by a Tilta backpack, while using a handful of parts that were shared between the builds to keep each as light as possible, but also allow for quick rebuilds. The shared parts consisted of two LM30 heden motors on a single 15mm rod, a cineRT bolted to the top of an LMB5, and a Preston MDR-4. This swap between rigs was—at times—shot to shot, whatever the appropriate tool for the shot was—we made it happen.

The schedule didn't allow for much error; it was go...go...go!!!! During the show if we figured out something to make the build better, saving time, making things easier... then that is exactly what happened. There was no concept of a completely locked-in build. It constantly evolved.” TECH ON SET: FORMAT: Sony VENICE Spherical & Anamorphic 1 :2.40,4K; 3 x Sony VENICE; 2 x Sony Rialto; (flash-back footage) ANAMORPHIC Lenses HAWK V-Lite 35, 45, 55, 65, 80, 110, & 140mm; SPHERICAL Lenses; (present day footage) ZEISS Master Prime 18, 21, 25, 27, 32, 40,50, 65, 100, 135mm (80/90 period footage) COOKE S4 18, 21, 25, 27, 32, 40, 50, 65, 100, 135, 180mm

While most of the film was shot in practical locations, production had built the family homes on a stage at EUE / Screen Gems Studios south of Atlanta.

Bev and Mawmaw’s homes were the mainstay for a lot of the exposition surrounding young J.D.s life, so it was great to have total control of the set for the sake of the actors. Amy Adams and Glenn Close stepped onto set in the characters they were portraying, and sometimes you’d feel like you were actually in the presence of the real Mawmaw herself.

While we utilised the stages, we were on location both in the north and the south of Atlanta. We travelled up to the small town of Tiger, Georgia for “the holler” scenes, which is where J.D. starts off his journey as a young man surrounded by his Appalachian family.

We traveled down to the city of Macon for many of the other exterior locations. Being a British expat, I always love seeing the true deep America for its amazing architecture, both in the cities and in rural towns.

We also shot an important scene in “the holler” which is an instrumental moment for young J.D.–this was in a swimming hole for which we needed a Technocrane, and also an underwater specialist. It was great to be able to bring in Ian Takahashi, SOC to photograph the water which segued into him shooting a splinter unit.

IAN TAKAHASHI, SOC ADDED:

“HILLBILLY ELEGY was a wonderful challenge for me. I came to the project through the underwater work, and ended up taking on the 2nd unit DP role, which I was happy to jump into. I spent the moments I could watching the monitor on main-unit, and peeking at dailies in order to stay visually aligned with our DP, Maryse Alberti as well as with the energy and composition that Chris (McGuire) and Tom (Lappin) brought to their cameras.

Early on, I had a conversation with Ron (Howard) about a mindset to be in while working on this film. It was about the

TRIVIA: The film is an adaptation of the 2016 New York Times best-selling memoir of the same name.

people doing the best they can, in the way they know how. Approaching the subjects with respect and dignity at all times, and focusing on their story, not the conditions that they may live in. That was inspiring, and relayed where he was coming from, and what I would align myself with.

I leaned on 1st AC, Tom Jordan who kept everything organized and running smoothly. Our assignments ran the gamut of aerials to underwater, with VFX and car stunts thrown into the mix, on multiple camera systems and lens sets, both spherical and anamorphic.

A note on the water sequences in a creek in northern Georgia. The creek was only a few feet deep, with a muddy, silty bottom, which would be challenge for us. To mitigate this, our team installed black plastic on the bottom of about 20' of the creek, so our feet wouldn't kick up mud. With the movement and bubbles of this kinetic scene, I wasn't actually able to see anything through my monitor while underwater. The camera could see, but with the movement, and extra bubbles, mud, and mask between me and my monitor, I couldn't see anything useful. So, I would frame out of the water, using camera-housing markings as guides and visualizing the viewing angle, and just went for it.”

With a great crew and an incredible cast, we were able to shoot speedily, and enable Ron to get the story captured with the right level of intensity, whether it be the awkwardness or the voracity of growing up.

AS TOM LAPPIN DESCRIBES:

“HILLBILLY ELEGY came at the right time. Not the right time of the year but the right time in my career. Being on that set with Ron Howard, Maryse Alberti, and Chris McGuire was a truly incredible experience. I feel that if that job had come earlier in my career, I might not have made it to the end. Ron directs with such intensity and the actors were so completely immersed in their roles that any weakness on my part would have led to me being shown the door. Every day was an exciting race to the finish. Chris and I have worked together on several films, and we have grown to trust each other. Chris will allow me to get close, which for a B operator makes all the difference. He allows me to participate in the scene—not just get stuff with a long lens from across the set. I was lucky to have Sean Moe and Victoria Warren with me as the AC’s, so I never lacked for support. To be able to make a choice on the fly, and know the focus puller will be with you, is a great comfort. Being a part of this team was a thrill. I hope we all get to do it again.”

Finally, it really was a testament to director, Ron Howard in his passion for filmmaking, and his utmost respect for his crew—you really felt a part of the process. For someone so prepared and lucid with his thoughts you see first-hand the years of experience he has, and his willingness to share with ALL of his crew.

Above: Owen Asztalos and A camera/Steadicam operator Christopher T.J. McGuire. Below: HILLBILLY ELEGY: (L to R) Haley Bennett ("Lindsay”), Glenn Close ("Mamaw”), Owen Asztalos ("Young J.D. Vance"). Photos by Lacey Terrell/NETFLIX

Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) and Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) in THE IRISHMAN. Photo courtesy of Netflix

Chris McGuire made his debut in the motion picture industry operating with the MK-V Revolution on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Since then he’s built a modest folio of movies including: Conan the Barbarian, Godzilla: King of Monsters, Jason Bourne, and Terminator: Dark Fate.

Throughout the years he’s developed a keen enthusiasm to embrace all types of technologies and new equipment in order to achieve the shots for all forms of narrative. Working with camera crews around the world, he lists this as his greatest passion for the job–meeting new people, and learning from them.

Happy to have worked with DPs including Barry Ackroyd, Larry Sher, Julio Macat, Barry Peterson, and Maryse Alberti amongst many—Chris has counted himself lucky to have been a part of many productions, commercials, and music videos included, and he’s always satisfied by the passion and education shared by each DP.

Photo by Lacey Terrell

TOM LAPPIN

Tom fell in love with movies as a kid growing up on Long Island, New York. The Walt Disney Studios had double features at the South Shore Theater in West Babylon every summer. At the University of Maryland, Tom started taking photography and film related classes. It was there he met Boots Shelton who introduced him to professional filmmaking.

Tom’s first feature film was the original Hairspray with John Waters. After two more John Waters films with Boots (Crybaby and Serial Mom) then 12 Monkeys with Terry Gilliam—Tom moved to Los Angeles. After some lean months in LA, Tom did a few shows with Bill Pope as a B camera focus puller. Eventually, Tom joined Andrew Rowlands, the camera operator on Michael Ballhaus’ crew. He first worked as B Camera, then as A Camera. Before Michael retired, Tom had the pleasure of working with him on Wild Wild West, What Planet Are You From, The Legend Of Bagger Vance, Gangs Of New York, Somethings Gotta Give, and The Departed.

Tom was moved up to operator by Florian Ballhaus on the film Flight Plan. Subsequently, he’s worked with the younger Ballhaus on over 18 projects such as: The Devil Wears Prada, and Marley and Me. Since moving to Atlanta Tom has operated on many films Black Panther, Hillbilly Elegy, and Suicide Squad among them.

Photo by Barry Wetcher

JAMIE PAIR

Jamie Pair is a camera assistant born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Being in the right place at the right time he landed his first job as a camera PA, and he took off from there at the beginning stages of Atlanta's incentive boom. Eventually, he found himself working as a 2nd AC for projects all over the world. His credits include: Stranger Things, Ozark, Gemini Man, Black Panther, Falcon Winter Soldier, Hill Billy Elegy, Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk, and Ant-Man 2.

Ian S. Takahashi, SOC, originally from Napa Valley, California, moved to Los Angeles in 2005, and pursued a career as an underwater camera operator and DP. First, working as an assistant and joining IA600, and later the SOC as an operator.

His credits include feature films The Suicide Squad, Glass, and Us, commercials for Apple, Nike, Ralph Lauren, music videos for Beyoncé and Harry Styles, and the scripted series True Detective, Scandal, The Last Ship, and Lethal Weapon, to name a few.

Ian began his career interning under Francis F. Coppola, and later John Toll, ASC. He also won a CLIO for his first national commercial as DP (Kaiser Permanente feat Steph Curry 2017).

Photo by Michael Jonas

TRIVIA: Ron Howard and Bo Hopkins were both in American Graffiti (1973) and More American Graffiti (1979), but didn't share any scenes in either.

TRIVIA: There are 13 Academy Award nominations between Amy Adams and Glenn Close but currently no wins between either of them.of the same name.

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IN THE WORDS OF Christopher T.J. McGuire

The Trial of the Chicago 7 Framing History

an interview with Michael Fuchs, SOC and Alan Pierce, SOC by David Daut

(L-R) Catlain Fitzgerald as Daphne O’Connor, Alan Metoskie as Allen Ginsburg, Alex Sharp as Rennie Davis, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, John Carroll Lynch as David Dellinger, Sasha Baron Cohen as Abbey Hoffman, Noah Robbins as Lee Weiner. Photo by Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX

For his sophomore directorial effort, Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 retells the story of the anti-war protests staged at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the trial that followed in its aftermath. The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Alex Sharp as Rennie Davis, Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale.  WATCH TRAILER NOW

Camera Operator: If I’m not mistaken, this was each of your first time working with director Aaron Sorkin as well as cinematographer Phedon Papamichael. How did each of you come to be a part of the picture?

Michael Fuchs: I opened my email one day on set and saw an email about interviewing for a job that had Aaron Sorkin as the director and Phedon as the director of photography. I said, “huh. That probably looks like something I should do.” I wasn’t super familiar with the story from the outset, but it was certainly a draw to be a part of something like that.

Alan Pierce: I got a text from Craig Pressgrove who was the “A” camera first—just saying that he was going to be on a film that Phedon was shooting and they were looking for a B operator and that if I was interested, someone would reach out to me. Eventually, the production manager scheduled the meeting with Phedon. We talked about handheld operating and other stylistic approaches to this project.

I knew that Michael was involved so I reached out to him and asked if would put in a good word for me. I wanted to work with Phedon and Sorkin and obviously with my friend Michael as well. It was really just kind of a perfect instance of being in the right place at the right time and having the time off—I don’t usually have that time of year off—and I got the job, thankfully.

CO: What was it like working with both Papamichael and Sorkin?

Fuchs: Sorkin as a director is very efficient. We didn’t get too many cracks at takes during scenes—he’s obviously very clued into the dialogue and how it’s being read, almost exactly as he imagined it when he was writing it—so he’s very focused on the spoken word and the dialogue going on and I think he leans on the cinematographer and whoever else is taking care of the images to make sure that what is desired is achieved and he can worry about what is being said. Sometimes he’d get what he wanted to hear pretty quickly, so even though we weren’t trying to do too many super inventive things on this film visually, it’s still like any other movie or anything you’re making—when you’re trying to make something right or do it well and do it precisely, it takes time. The more cracks at something you get, the better you are at it, so it was always a challenge to have things done very well within two or three takes. Two really seemed like the average, if that.

That was Sorkin, at least to me. I’ll always remember having to do things well, early. Sometimes without a lot of rehearsals for various reasons; I feel like that’s a common thing that goes on, the more we age in this industry, there’s just less rehearsal time. You have to work quickly and well so they can move on quickly.

Then with Phedon, he’s just looking for a very precise, determined camera. Very precise framing that we work on together, but he's also someone who certainly has the final say in terms of what it looks like, and he was very verbal about that. We would wear HMEs, like a lot of DPs prefer these days, and he would be monitoring the situation. It was nice, in a way, to be held to such a high standard every shot. That type of drilling and that type of practice and work I think can make you better.

Pierce: I’ll echo what Michael said. Sorkin will give you two takes, if not one take, so you have to be on your game, you have to be ready to execute, so lining up shots, working with the second team after rehearsal was imperative. And Phedon knew that quite early, so he kind of imposed that attitude of, “here’s what we need to do and we need to get it right as soon as possible,” because we may not get a second take. That’s how I approached every shot, that there may only be one shot at this. So working with Aaron was kind of—maybe not freeing—but it makes you focus in a way. It’s easy sometimes when you know you’re going to get multiple takes to figure it out on the first take and then massage it on the second take and then massage it a little bit more on the third take until you finally, in your head, feel like the shot was right. He was pretty satisfied with take one or take two unless there was a major flub of a line, then we’d get another shot at it. So again, it was a way of really focussing on take one that you don’t always get. And that’s everyone, including focus pullers, lighting, grips, actors—you know, the actors learned quite quickly that if they didn’t get it right on the first take they may not get a second take, they’d literally have to beg for a second take.

And Phedon, you know, same thing. He’d just done Ford v. Ferrari and their aesthetics and the way he and the director framed was very specific. He has a vision in his head, and you have to get in tune with that pretty quickly or he’ll let you know. “That’s not what I want, that’s not the edge of frame that

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IN THE WORDS OF Michael Fuchs

Michael Fuchs, SOC and Alan Pierce, SOC on set of THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX

I just walked away from.” Which for me was great too, because usually I’m given a lot of freedom on B camera to come up with some of my own framing to compliment what the A camera is doing, so he had a lot of great input on that.

CO: Given your documentary background and Sorkin’s style of shooting this with limited takes, did it feel like you were kind of capturing this as it happened as opposed to a more traditional movie shoot?

Pierce: Not necessarily. I mean, we did a few takes—I remember running up that hill with Michael quite a few times. And it was two cameras, so Michael was also in there with the handheld, but he also was a little more stylized with some of the Steadicam shots. So, there’s really two sides of this: there’s I guess you could say the more cinematic version of the demonstrations where we used some longer lenses and we used Steadicam—I think there’s even one crane shot in there that Michael did—and then there was the other side of it where I was told, “you’re documenting what’s happening here.” For me, it was a very freeing experience to just photograph and try to relive history a little bit.

Fuchs: Yeah, the lack of takes didn’t feel as big of an issue out in Chicago. I guess it became more of a thing in the courtroom. Charlie Libin did a handful of days as the C camera operator and helped us efficiently capture as many angles of the action as possible in the courtroom. To me all that stuff felt like a regular movie shoot out in Chicago. I enjoyed doing that stuff probably more than the courtroom because it was a bit more freeing, whether it was handheld or Steadicam. It was fun to be there with Al, have two of us handheld running up this hill with all these extras towards these cops with all the haze and fog. It made for some very good behind the scenes photos. I hope that translated into the film with those production values, but at least in behind the scenes photos, I was thrilled.

Both Al and I had an incredible camera department alongside us and it was definitely the reason why I made it through such a challenging film. Beyond just executing technically at a very high level, their support for us overall—and I mean emotionally as well—was invaluable. Craig Pressgrove and Eve Strickman in Chicago on A (Marc Loforte took over for Eve in New Jersey) and Ethan Borsuk and Brendan Russell on B. It was a privilege to be a part of that team.

Pierce: I’ve gotta say, there are people who lived during that time and that still live in Chicago, and they were just so pleased that we were actually on the hill. We were in the park, Grant Park, where this stuff really happened. That was an added bonus to being

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX

there, shooting on location where this madness happened.

CO: Speaking of that juxtaposition of the real events with the dramatized events of the film, I don’t know how much of this was in the script versus found in the edit, but one of the more interesting things the movie does stylistically is cutting between the versions of these events that you shot and archival footage of the actual events. Can you talk a little bit about your approach to shooting those sequences and whether or not you knew they would be held up side-by-side with the original footage?

Fuchs: Alan, I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember hearing that there would definitely be archival, real footage put into the mix with all the stuff that we were doing. I personally don’t remember that being laid out to us in advance. Phedon did want us to watch segments of “Medium Cool,” a documentary that was done on all of the demonstrating around that time in Chicago, which was certainly helpful. We tried to recreate the atmosphere as best we could.

Pierce: Yeah, I had no idea they were going to splice it together. That’s a stylistic approach and a director’s and cinematographer’s discussion. Do you make it clearly two separate things, or are we trying to give you a rewind to what happened and trying to bring you into the fold with what we’re doing today? But I don’t remember ever having a specific conversation.

CO: Sort of along those same lines, what sort of equipment did you use on this shoot in terms of camera, gear, that sort of thing.

Fuchs: I’ll say that Phedon seems to be a big fan of sliders, just in case he wants to add a little push, a little squeeze on something or someone at the end of a scene, at the beginning of a scene, whatever it is. I think he has developed a liking for four feet worth of slider to be on standby at all times. So, it was interesting to get used to that; to always have a slider on the dolly. Sliders can be a bit awkward with all that mass so we just worked to make sure things were stabilized and supported while still moving at a fast pace. And, you know, the handheld was the handheld, and that was obviously supposed to be the juxtaposition between courtroom and demonstration.

Steadicam was used more in Chicago than in the courtroom. I think we open in the courtroom with a Steadicam shot and then close the movie with a Steadicam shot as well, so that kind of bookends how you find the courtroom, if I’m remembering correctly. It really was a pretty straightforward way, I thought, that the camera spoke throughout the film; anchored in studio mode during the courtroom, very still, then you cut out to Chicago and there’s a bit

TRIVIA: Abbie Hoffman's (Sacha Baron Cohen) frequent stand-up scenes were filmed at a nightclub in Newark, NJ called QXT's which focuses on underground music and art.

Michael Fuchs and Alan Pierce on set of THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX

more docu-style stuff going on. The A dolly grip on the Chicago unit was my friend, John Hudecek, who I had just met in Chicago on the job prior, the new Candyman film. Such an amazing attitude and a true partner in executing shots. The same can be said about Jaoquin Padilla, who did the A dolly on the New Jersey unit. Another amazingly skilled technician that I valued having in my corner.

Pierce: In terms of technology it doesn’t seem like a new tool, but obviously during the original demonstrations there was not a Steadicam getting news coverage. There was no one doing Steadicams in courtrooms. They were discussing these oners they were going to do in the courtroom, and I remember thinking to myself, “how is that going to hold up in this pseudo-period piece?” But after watching Michael nail this thing, just hone in on it and rehearse it while things and people are flying around—and we had half the extras we were supposed to! I mean, they were recycling background into certain areas, filling in as people were moving, and the way Michael was able to coordinate this inside the chaos of that courtroom was really impressive. When I finally watched it, I said, “this is beautiful! This is perfect!” It’s a way to introduce each character in the film in a really magical way. And to finish the film, I thought it was really, really well done and well planned out and well executed. So, in terms of technology, that was my one take on it; for a second I was a little nervous about it, but it worked really well.

CO: Along those lines, at the time of the actual events a Steadicam would’ve been brand new technology. Certainly not used in courtrooms or out on the ground in the protests. So there’s definitely some give and take between period authenticity versus modern sensibilities. Could you talk a little bit more about how you approached blurring the line between the two in terms of how you shot the film?

Fuchs: We’ve all probably seen a lot of period piece films at this point, and it’s something that’s done a lot. You know, they move the camera on a Steadicam in a 60s piece, but it’s just taking that license you have as a visual author or director or whoever’s making that decision to tell the story. It’s still a movie, so it doesn’t have to be completely factual to the time period it’s made in, and I think Aaron similarly took some liberties with what happened in that courtroom. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the whole thing with my Steadicam closing shot that fades up and away into the back of the courtroom while he’s saying all those names, I don’t think he said those names in real life in the courtroom like that. So, to me, that just adds to the whole fact that it’s a movie and it stands as a movie—a piece of something creative—and licenses were taken

TECH ON SET: 2 Alexa LF bodies; 1 Mini LF body; Panavision T Series lenses (detuned); 50' Technocrane; Libra Head; GPI Pro Steadicam (w/volt)

in how to tell it. There wasn’t too much focus on having things be period-accurate in terms of the tools. I think Aaron and Phedon just wanted to try and tell the story as cleanly and elegantly as they could and see the people talking in the frame, as it always comes back to with Aaron.

CO: If I’m not mistaken, you shot this during the fall of 2019. Obviously, as this movie illustrates, police violence and police riots are nothing new in this country, but following the Black Lives Matter protests of this past summer, that conversation has definitely come back to the fore in a big way. What’s it like now looking at the work you did on this film through the lens of this new context it gained after the fact?

Fuchs: It was certainly interesting to see that this would come out after such a heated summer. I think maybe even the film ending up on Netflix rather than being a traditional release in theaters, the combination of the odd timeliness of it and the fact that it was on that platform, hopefully more people at least learned about this story, and if they wanted to research it further and learn more about it. It was okay to see that maybe this reached more people or more people were in tune with it because of the climate that’s happening now and the fact that it ended up on a streaming platform. It’s just undeniable these days that stuff is watched probably predominantly through there as opposed to theaters. Even if it ends up there eventually, the fact that it’s new and available to stream, buzz gets going and it’s nice. It gets good exposure and people can learn about historical events.

Pierce: The effect it had that I saw from people was that I don’t think many people knew who Bobby Seale was before this movie. They knew about the trial of the Chicago seven and they knew about the demonstrations, they understood it happened in Chicago; they understood all of these peripheral things, and they knew some the names, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, but no one I knew ever said, “oh, what about Bobby Seale?” You can’t watch this movie and not know the name Bobby Seale now. So, I think it had a real impact on people. And the timing is the timing, you can’t plan that kind of stuff, thank God. But it definitely had an impact on people.

CO: Michael, you kind of touched on this a bit, but I wanted to follow up more on the fact that the movie was originally intended to be released in theaters, but obviously due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released directly through Netflix. That’s also become something of a hot topic in the time since the movie was released. What are your thoughts on people viewing this movie at home versus in a theater?

Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman in THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX

TRIVIA: Four of the actors who play main American characters in this film are actually not American but British (Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp and Mark Rylance).

On the set of THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise.

Fuchs: I won’t lie, I saw that this was playing in a theater in Jersey because Jersey had something like three theaters open. I figured I probably won’t get to see something I worked on on the big screen for a while, so I went one night because Netflix did release it in a few places. There was maybe one other person in the theater, felt safe the entire time, tested negative for COVID for months after that, but it was great to see! You know, that’s why I fell in love with movies. How grand the presentation is, how large the image is, and certainly one of the most satiating things about working in the industry is to see the results of your work on a screen that large with sound that big. It was nice to see this out there. It’s too bad people maybe won’t get to see a lot of their work going forward on such a big screen, but I think the general population that consumes this content just doesn’t care quite as much as maybe we do in terms of the big image. They’ve got Netflix at home, it’s comfy, they can lie there and watch whatever they want. The pro, I guess, is that you’re probably reaching more people nowadays, but the con is not having as immersive of an experience as it used to be. But I’m not sure how much it directly effects people like Al and myself; as long as people enjoy the movie—or hate it! But at least they’re watching something we did. I just hope people see it either way. And it’s an honor to work on something that’s on Netflix.

Pierce: I hope it sparked more conversations at home. Just having it go right to Netflix and having more people watching it, maybe more people saw it than would pay $12 to $18 to see this movie in the theater. Now you have it on Netflix, now your kid’s watching it, now your mother and father are watching it, and maybe it started a discussion at home.

CO: This film wrapped production prior to the real start of the pandemic, at least in the U.S., but have either of you done any production work during the pandemic, and can you talk a bit about what it’s like working in that new environment?

Fuchs: Yeah, we finished this in December, and then the world basically changed completely a couple months later. I started a movie two weeks in, prior to our shutdown, then came back five months later and just completed the last eight weeks of it without having to shut down one time. We felt like we kind of beat the odds, which was great, but it’s very dependent on who is hired to run the safety and compliance devision on sets these days. There’s so many and so many different people have been in charge of that. Our set was very strict, I felt pretty safe there. They were very adamant about the KN95 masks and the face shield all the time for us, and sometimes we’d even wear gowns because this was a musical and sometimes the cast would be singing, so I’d be running around doing Steadicam in these

Photo by Niko Tavernise.

Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Fred Hampton, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, Aaron Sorkin as writer/director, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden in THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX

Alan Pierce on set of THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise.

long gowns. It must have looked like interesting performance art from a zoomed out view. It’s certainly something to get used to, I think most people are just dealing with it. It’s forced maybe a few people here and there to leave the business; we lost one assistant on the job who just left New York and quit the business and went out to farm in California. It’s a bummer to lose people you like working with, but these are the crazy times we’re in and I’m also happy for people who can make a big change to better their quality of life these days.

Pierce: Yeah, I think Michael went back before I did. I was on a Disney project, a movie in Boston, we had a week left, COVID hit hard, they shut us down. They finished the movie and it’s streaming now on Disney+ called Godmothered. Total 180 going from Trial of the Chicago 7 to a Disney film, but it was great! But I just hunkered down and laid low. I got calls for work, but I just didn’t want to be the one to experiment with everything. I felt safer being home with my family. I was waiting for Succession to start back up again, we were going to start in April, but they pushed and we didn’t start shooting until December and I didn’t take a job up until then. It’s a tight-knit family, Warner Bros. and HBO went above and beyond to make sure we had a safe working environment. They put together a great COVID team. They have a COVID department, basically, responsible for testing and for safety on set. Someone will come around to you and say, “you need to put your face shield on, you need to bring your mask up over your nose, please keep 6 feet apart.…” And they’re not doing it to nag you, we all basically signed a social agreement because we want to work on a show that we love, so we’re all adhering to the protocols.

MICHAEL FUCHS, SOC

Michael Fuchs is a camera/Steadicam operator living in New York City. In addition to welcoming more plants into his life and home, Michael loves working with goofy, fun, and kind filmmakers from across the globe. He cannot be more grateful for the opportunities New York has provided as it has allowed him to meet and work with some of the most talented crews and department heads in existence. Michael bows his head nightly in the hopes his luck does not run out.

Photo by Beka Venezia

ALAN PIERCE, SOC

Alan "Al" Pierce, SOC began his career as a camera assistant on documentaries and industrials in the late 1990s. He has been a camera operator for more than 20 years and has traveled the world doing so. Alan was invited to join the SOC in 2011 after being featured in Camera Operator magazine, Wading through the Ozarks on Winter's Bone written by Steve Fracol, SOC. (Camera Operator Special Awards Edition 2011) Alan has been married to his high school sweetheart, Cristina, since 2000 and they spend much of their off time on Cape Cod, MA. Currently he is working on Season 3 of the HBO series Succession.

Photo by Cory Stambler

DAVID DAUT

A writer and film critic for close to ten years, David Daut specializes in analysis of genre cinema and immersive media with bylines at Lewton Bus, No Proscenium, and Heroic Hollywood. David studied at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and currently works as a freelance writer based out of Orange County, California. Photo courtesy of David Daut

TRIVIA: In regards to the film's timely subject matter in 2020, Aaron Sorkin described the film as being more about modern day than the 1960's. He explained that, "The script didn't change to mirror the times. The times changed to mirror the script."

Shooting the Super Bowl

by David Daut with interviews from: Jay Kulick, Lyn Noland, Jofre Rosero, and Rob Vuona, SOC

SUPER BOWL LIV, Chiefs take the field for warm ups.

The Super Bowl is the biggest American sporting event of the year is also one of the last major pieces of “event television” that can draw millions of viewers to their TV sets. With 2021’s Super Bowl LV just having recently taken place on February 7th, Camera Operator magazine reached out to several operators who’ve shot for both the game and its famous Super Bowl Halftime Show, to hear about their experiences working on these colossal television events.

JAY KULICK

Camera Operator: To start, what’s your background as a camera operator and how did you get started shooting for sports broadcasts like the Super Bowl?

Jay Kulick: I have been a camera operator for over 35 years. After an internship at a local UHF station during a summer vacation from college, I was given an opportunity to work in all of the technical departments. One day I found myself with my hands on a camera. That was the moment I knew I had found my calling as a camera operator. Professionally, I started to work as an assistant for a DP, and also I found work at Madison Square Garden Network and on other sports shows in the New York Metro area. This eventually led to work on gymnastics and figure skating shows for NBC Sports. During this time I had purchased my first Jimmy Jib and was asked by NBC to operate with it on the Super Bowl in 1998. I was really limited to color shots during the game. Pretty much there for halftime not game coverage.

Photo by ??

QUESTION: How much does the Lombardi Trophy weigh? ANSWER: Seven pounds.

QUESTION: What famous jeweler makes the Lombardi Trophy? ANSWER: Tiffany.

Kulick: I am extremely lucky that I will be working on my 15th halftime show this year. The 12 to 15-minute show is a bit different than any other live show that I work on like the Tonys or the Oscars. We rehearse and script the shots for the all the performances just the same, but rehearsals finish on Friday night and we get changes on Sunday afternoon, leaving no opportunity to rehearse again. We all line up in an end zone tunnel waiting for the first half to end. Once the all clear signal is given, cameras, set pieces, audio speakers, all roll out and into position on the field. Once in place our utilities plug in our cameras. Imagine the director in the truck, with two minutes to air, seeing his main show cameras in black. Then one by one they pop up on the monitor wall. Until two minutes to air! Gotta love live! I’m sure this year will be much different than this.

CO: The Super Bowl seems to be one of the few remaining pieces of “event” television that truly reaches a mass audience. Just about everyone can recall a memorable moment from one of the games. Is there a moment from one of the broadcasts you’ve worked on that stands out as particularly unforgettable?

Kulick: Looking back, one of the more memorable moments for me would have to be the controversy with Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction. That was definitely an unscripted moment at the end of her performance with Justin Timberlake. It happened so quickly and at the very end. I didn’t even know it happened until after I was off the field. I would testify that it was not rehearsed that way!

CO: This year’s Super Bowl is bound to be fairly unique in the history of the event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Have you done any live TV work during the past year, and if so, can you talk a bit about what it’s like working under the increased health and safety restrictions?

Kulick: Our industry has taken many precautions to get us back to work as safely as possible. The shows that I have worked on this year have adhered to the many safety protocols put in place and recommended by the industry studies. Testing and a negative result before we can arrive is just the first step. Shields, masks, social distancing, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, and continual testing, are all tools that we now have to use as we do our work. I think the best word to use is adaptability. Our industry very creative and can develop new technical and non-traditional ways of broadcasting. We just have to look at it a little differently through our lenses.

CO: What was your experience like working on the Super Bowl Halftime Show this year in terms of both the show itself and working within COVID guidelines compared to previous years?

Kulick: Just approaching something as large as the Super Bowl and thinking about COVID is a bit intimidating. I haven’t worked on anything quite that large this year. I don’t think there has been a production that large this year. So you’re feeling that in the back of your mind, plus knowing that the whole camera configuration and set is all different going in. I used a different camera than I had in the past 10 years or so. They wanted to make it more cinematic, so they went with ARRI cameras. The core cameras—the two Steadicams, the rail cams, the towers, the two RF handhelds—were all ARRIs or ARRI minis. And the set was up in the stands where normally it’s down on the field. There was also the difference that the set was already put together as opposed to running on the field with hundreds of extra people that normally bring the carts out and assemble everything on the field. There was no anticipation of riding out onto the field like I normally would, sitting in the tunnel for the last two minutes of the half, waiting to go out on my camera. There’s not quite a feeling like it when you roll out, the sense of adrenaline rolling out onto that field and knowing you’re in the Super Bowl. There wasn’t really a crowd like that this year. We were preset in our positions, the rail cam and towers were positioned just backstage under a tent, where there was fresh air and we were separated enough so it was safe, still all operating with masks. They tried to keep it as safe as possible for us; there was distancing at the meals, there was distancing at meetings. In fact, we only had one camera meeting where normally we have a camera meeting every day. So we would get notes emailed to us and a link to the previous rehearsal to watch and look at our changes going into the next one. After that first day, our meetings were all pretty much done on camera or over the phone. In the past we would get our notes emailed to us and we would get a link, but we would still have those in person meetings with the director and the AD and watch it all together and go over it shot-by-shot, note-by-note, but this year we only had that opportunity once. At that point we hadn’t really shot it yet, so we were just looking at rehearsals that were done on iPhones. So the prep was definitely different for us on the camera side, but we came in on Tuesday for our first rehearsal, and we generally have about three days for rehearsal.

CO: Obviously there were a lot of unique challenges this year due to COVID, but this year’s show was a unique presentation in a lot of ways. Would you say there were any advantages—either creatively or technically—to the way it was done this year that couldn’t have been done in the past?

QUESTION: What teams have won the most Super Bowls? ANSWER: Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots (6 each).

QUESTION: What teams haven’t appeared in a single Super Bowl? ANSWER: Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Kulick: I’d say maybe in terms of the director being a little less nervous of his cameras coming up. In the past, he would generally have a core of eight camera operators come in for the halftime show, and then the game cameras he would choose would support that. So you’d have your sky cams, your 50-yard camera, your end zone camera—probably a complement of another eight cameras from the game side to make the show happen. But normally those eight core cameras would have to set up during the commercial, where now he could see them before the event started, ready to go. So that anticipation of nervousness of a camera not coming up was kind of taken out of the loop. Creatively, though, it still felt like a halftime show. The grandness of it still seemed to feel like a halftime show. That’s what they were looking for and I think they accomplished that pretty well! I was proud that it did come across that way, because that’s hard to do. And again, totally different having the main part of the show up in the stands. Because we’re normally on the field, he was trying to figure out how we could get those shots when we couldn’t have any long lens cameras in front of the stage. There was no room. If you put three pedestal cameras in front of the stage, you’d see them because they’d have to get up higher. So the solution was they had two rail cams that were able to pedestal up and down on towers as well as a 30-foot tower cam behind that that went up for shots and came down to protect from wider shots. So that was a solution for him there that we normally wouldn’t be able to do, though they might try to figure out how to do it next year. They’re always trying to push the envelope every year. We didn’t have jibs this year either because we weren’t on the field, so he made more use of sky cam and the abilities of the rail cams and the tower. That helped them, but it also meant it was a show for the people at home more than the people in the stands. Generally, the NFL wants to cater to those fans in the stands as well as the people at home. It’s quite a balance they have to find, but the challenge this year was how do you make that work at home. Not too many large concerts being done live right now, and people are kind of wanting that and needing that, so to be able to connect with the viewer at home was a challenge, and I think it was accomplished. It connected with me as an operator! The Weekend seemed quite genuine, he was singing live, which is not an easy feat to do ever in a big show like that. So I think they did what they wanted to accomplish. They were quite successful at it and I was happy to be a part of it.

TRIVIA: During last year’s Super Bowl, before the start of the game, there was a tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna who were killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020 by having both teams stand on the 24-yard line for a moment of silence there is also a moment of silence for Hall of Famer Chris Doleman who passed away from brain cancer.

JAY KULICK

From award shows such as the Oscars and the Tonys to live theatrical productions like Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert and The Sound of Music Live!, eight-time Emmy Award- winning camera operator Jay Kulick has worked on some of the biggest television shows produced. In his nearly 35 years as a camera operator, he has developed his skills to include handheld, pedestal, dolly, remote heads, rail cams, jibs and cranes. His two companies, Boom Productions and TechnoBoom, allow Jay to rent his Jimmy Jibs, remote heads and Technocrane.

Jay has shot comedy specials with Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, and musical specials with Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Prince, and Lady Gaga, to name a few. Shooting in unique locations such as the Arctic Circle for a Winter Solstice special, and an active volcano in Nicaragua for a Nik Wallenda highwire walk, just add to his diverse experience. He recently returned home from Washington DC where he operated his Technocrane at the Celebrating America show and The National Covid Memorial for the 2021 Biden Harris Inaugural. The 2021 Super Bowl Halftime Show was his 15th.

LYN NOLAND

Camera Operator: To start, what’s your background as a camera operator and how did you get started shooting for sports broadcasts like the Super Bowl?

Lyn Noland: I have had an incredible career. My background is varied, but I have mainly worked on live shows and specials. In 1995, I was asked by Roger Goodman, the director, to join the team for the halftime show. At that time, I did handheld camera on the stage. The theme of the show that year was Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, and it featured Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, and Tony Bennett. Because I was on the stage, I had to dress up in a

CO: How does shooting for the Super Bowl compare to other live TV work you’ve done?

Noland: The halftime show is different than any other live show because it is an extremely fast-paced 12 to 15-minute show. Everyone has to do their job precisely in order for it to work. The cast, crew, and technicians run on and off the field with great speed. Cameras, lighting, and audio are plugged in and hopefully work. There is a tremendous amount of pressure involved, and it is live! Compared to other live shows, it is an adrenaline rush from start to finish!

CO: The Super Bowl seems to be one of the few remaining pieces of “event” television that truly reaches a mass audience. Just about everyone can recall a memorable moment from one of the games. Is there a moment from one of the broadcasts you’ve worked on that stands out as particularly unforgettable?

Noland: Well, I have to say that on my first halftime show, where I was in a costume on the stage, there were boa constrictors next to me. I’ll never forget that! Also, when we shot Bruno Mars at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, it was 44 degrees Fahrenheit, but felt much colder! But what stands out the most to me is always the anticipation of being driven out (I’ve used a Chapman crane camera for the past six year) and the camaraderie of that moment.

CO: This year’s Super Bowl is bound to be fairly unique in the history of the event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Have you done any live TV work during the past year, and if so, can you talk a bit about what it’s like working under the increased health and safety restrictions?

Noland: I just shot New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square which was live. Because of the pandemic, it was difficult to find anything to shoot, the streets were empty. We were all tested more than once. I was outside on a roof and was able to be socially distanced. Dick Clark Productions took great care to keep us safe. I imagine that production for the halftime show this year will take very good care of the crew.

Lyn Noland in action. Photo by Joey Despenzero

Photo by Joey Despenzero

LYN NOLAND

Lyn Noland is an award-winning, New York-based camera operator whose career has taken her across the United States, throughout Europe—and into nearly every television genre across the spectrum. Noland began her career more than 30 years ago in the hectic world of New York news. She has since gone on to shoot primetime specials, scripted series, network documentaries, and stand-up comedy specials with the likes of Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. Given her creative instincts, visual skills, and keen eye, Noland is a favorite among directors of live award ceremonies. Such events include 20 Academy Awards as well as multiple Tony Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Mark Twain Prize, Showtime at the Apollo, and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions. She shot and won an Emmy for Jesus Christ Superstar Live. Noland has also been behind the camera for such legendary musicians as the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Elton John, and Bruce Springsteen. She has also shot The Super Bowl Halftime Show eight times. As one of television’s most accomplished camera operators, Noland has won six Emmy Awards and garnered more than 58 Emmy nominations.

JOFRE ROSERO

Camera Operator: To start, what’s your background as a camera operator and how did you get started shooting for sports broadcasts like the Super Bowl?

Jofre Rosero: I started working in the industry back in 1989 and have done mainly entertainment and some sports. Working in Los Angele and having the network throughout different companies, I do live TV which opened the doors for me to work on this incredible event.

CO: How does shooting for the Super Bowl compare to other live TV work you’ve done?

QUESTION: Which Super Bowl Halftime Show preceded a stadium blackout? ANSWER: Beyoncé in 2013.

QUESTION: What team has participated in the most Super Bowl games? ANSWER: New England Patriots.

Rosero: It happens so fast; it is very demanding in every aspect. You have to bring your A game, but it goes beyond just being a skilled camera operator. There’s so much going into the shoot that is unknown. We rehearse a lot to make sure things go smoothly, but there is always something that happens that’ll test my 30 years of shooting experience. Last year it was the audience for me. I had someone jump in front of my shot and it’s unfortunate because you always want the show to be perfect.

CO: In addition to the halftime show, did you shoot any coverage for the game itself? What are the unique challenges of shooting sports coverage as opposed to a musical performance?

Rosero: I don’t shoot sports any more. Used to at the beginning of my career, though. For me the main difference is that shooting sports is about the skill and challenges of following the game, keeping things in focus, and reacting to things as they develop to keep the viewers in the game. I think sports camera operators are not as appreciated and respected as they should be. You can see that in the rates, and how crews are managed. Entertainment is more about the feeling you convey through the camera movement—how it goes along with the music or the acting—and the respect we get is a totally different game.

CO: The Super Bowl seems to be one of the few remaining pieces of “event” television that truly reaches a mass audience. Just about everyone can recall a memorable moment from one of the games. Is there a moment from one of the broadcasts you’ve worked on that stands out as particularly unforgettable?

Rosero: Yes! Miami. Prince. It was raining, but the show looked incredible and I had a lot of admiration for Prince and how he performed under a very difficult environment. The floor was very slippery, and being able to move across the stage was very challenging, but he did it gracefully. It was windy and some of our shooting notes blew away from us! I had to do things from memory with over 30 scripted shots, not to mention the amount of electrical cables around us on an extremely wet field. But in the end, we were all safe. It was a show to remember in every aspect. But in general it is almost magical to see how everyone in the crew comes together every year to make this show the best of the best and everyone’s so happy to be a part of it. That sticks in my mind every time.

CO: This year’s Super Bowl is bound to be fairly unique in the history of the event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Have you done any live TV work during the past year, and if so, can you Rosero: Yes, working this year has changed our business at every level. At times, because of the amount of people permitted in the set, I’ve had to do the work of three to five people. The way we are covering performances also has been affected since cameras have to be placed without operators. I sometimes welcome the challenge; I like having to use all my skills as a DP. Plus—bringing my knowledge of 30 years in the business helps me keep my brain in tune. I am working on the halftime show this year, waiting to see new challenges but also knowing that you are only as good as your last show. I hope I can bring my A game this year.

Photo courtesy of Jose Rosero

JOFRE ROSERO

Jofre Rosero has been working in the industry since 1989, with a background in both entertainment and sports. He’s worked as a camera operator for concert specials for artists like Elton John and Britney Spears, awards shows ranging from the MTV Video Music Awards to the Oscars, as well as The Super Bowl Halftime Shows for multiple Super Bowls.

ROB VUONA, SOC

Camera Operator: To start, what’s your background as a camera operator and how did you get started shooting for sports broadcasts like the Super Bowl?

Rob Vuona: I started out shooting extreme sports with my friends: sky surfing, skateboarding, street luge, bungee jumping, world extreme skiing championships, freestyle motocross, etc. That led to shooting the X-Games for ESPN. Those contacts allowed me to branch out to mainstream sports doing football, basketball, baseball, soccer, NASCAR, and four Olympics with NBC. The Super

CO: How does shooting for the Super Bowl compare to other live TV work you’ve done?

Vuona: I mainly work in live TV within the entertainment genre. Shooting anything live is an adrenaline rush that becomes addictive, then add something like the Super Bowl and the excitement is only heightened. On top of that add your favorite team and it becomes a perma-grin [permanent grin] situation.

CO: The Super Bowl seems to be one of the few remaining pieces of “event” television that truly reaches a mass audience. Just about everyone can recall a memorable moment from one of the games. Is there a moment from one of the broadcasts you’ve worked on that stands out as particularly unforgettable?

Vuona: My memorable moment is from Super Bowl LII, Patriots versus the Eagles. My job on Steadicam was to walk with the players that are carrying the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the winner’s platform. I am super excited and proudly walking around with a perma-grin, wearing my Patriots jersey thinking, "how cool is it that I am going to be walking Tom Brady across the field and up onto the winner’s platform after the Patriots win the Super Bowl?” Well, as you know, my Patriots did not win that Super Bowl and I had to walk out the winning Eagles players, all while wearing my Patriots jersey. [Laughs] One of the Eagles players, as he is carrying the trophy, turns and looks at me and says, “Too bad you’re wearing that jersey today.” [Laughs] I deserved it! I had lost my perma-grin at that point.

CO: This year’s Super Bowl is bound to be fairly unique in the history of the event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Have you done any live TV work during the past year, and if so, can you talk a bit about what it’s like working under the increased health and safety restrictions?

Vuona: I am proud to say that our industry has risen to the challenge of managing the COVID crisis and coming up with protocols that allow us to still produce amazing content. Since the release of our industry to go back into production I have been PCR nasal swabbed 29 times and counting. From a camera standpoint, the obvious challenge with the new health and safety restrictions is the use of the PPE while trying to shoot. Doing Steadicam is difficult enough, but add a KN95 mask and a face shield and all kinds of fun issues arise. [Laughs] The separation of crew into zones is another interesting protocol that works well in containing and/or tracing the spread of COVID. Unfortunately, the anti-zone crossing protocols keep us from seeing and hanging out with so many of our work friends during the day. Lunch is another aspect of our protocol that has become a different experience, every person has to stay six feet apart and on some productions it kind of feels like junior high where COVID compliance officers roam through the tables telling you, “no talking,” unless you are wearing your mask. Overall, I am happy to comply with any of the health and safety restrictions because, like everyone, we are just happy to be working and doing what we love!

QUESTION: What two cities have hosted the most Super Bowl games? ANSWER: Miami and New Orleans.

QUESTION: Who won the Super Bowl the year of the infamous “wardrobe malfunction?” ANSWER: New England Patriots.

Photo courtesy of Rob Vuona

ROB VUONA, SOC

Rob Vuona, SOC is best known as a Steadicam operator on live television shows in Los Angeles, and was the design consultant on the first Steadicam specifically designed for live television, Tiffens Shadow-V where the “V” is for Vuona.

Rob moved to Los Angeles in 1985 to pursue a career in television production and attended California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with a major in telecommunications.

During his 30 years behind the lens, on 100s of shows, shooting in 125 countries, he has earned 13 Emmy nominations that resulted in six wins. He is humbled to have been appointed to the first SOC Live Television Awards Committee.

When he isn’t operating a Steadicam, he spends time traveling with his wife, Jacqueline, eating pasta with his family, skiing, mountain biking, and avoiding injuries playing ice hockey. He is still working on a coffee table book of photography from his first 50 years.

by Lisa Stacilauskas, SOC

What’s Your Story…?

My interests in dance, theater, and photography led me to explore video production in high school. I interned and worked as a production assistant with a local production company, and then took some media production classes as part of my double major in French and Communications at the University of Michigan. I was especially inspired by the cinema classes I took during my junior year immersion program at a university in France.

After traveling and working to save up some money, including a short stint editing the weekend news clips for a local new station (where I once mixed up a clip from baseball, with a clip from basketball. Luckily, the sports anchor was quick on his toes and rolled with it live on TV! Oops!), I applied to graduate school and earned my MFA in Film with a concentration in Cinematography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. I entered Art Center intending to direct but found myself gravitating toward cinematography. I worked on as many student projects as I could and DP’d anything a fellow student asked me to.

I guess I was naive heading into film school. I thought I would learn to become a DP then get hired as a DP when I graduated. Upon graduation I was being hired as a DP, usually to work for free! I paid my bills working occasionally as a camera assistant, but mostly as an electrician on low-budget movies. Although I couldn’t tell you the names of those movies, I really enjoyed being there—being on set and part of a collaborative effort. I have very fond memories of that lighting crew. We had lots of laughs. At one point I was only four days shy of joining Local 728!

My first break as a camera operator came after I turned down an assistant job on reality show for kids. I told them “I’m not an assistant, I’m an operator.” Today, I realize how cheeky that was! Luckily, it worked out to my advantage. The production company kept my resume and months later called me to operate on a highly-anticipated new show…Big Brother! I could finally back up my claims of being an operator. I got enough days to join the Union but waited several more years until I felt I had a chance of actually being hired on a Union show. Reality TV wasn’t where I wanted to be, ultimately, so I keep working on improving my DP and operating skills—mostly shooting short films and spec commercials. I finally got my shot at B camera on a non-Union TV movie by showing the DP my cinematography reel to prove I could shoot film and operate a camera.

Although I still have leaner years, and hate being unemployed or having to looking for work, I’m very grateful to be working in a profession I love. I feel very fortunate to have found the SOC early in my operating career and have found it to be a great source of support and community; which is sometimes lacking in this gig-to-gig lifestyle.

I am also grateful for those DPs, operators and producers who gave me my first opportunities. I consider myself very lucky! As we all know: LUCK, is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Stacilauskas

LISA STACILAUSKAS, SOC

Lisa Stacilauskas, SOC is a camera operator working primarily in scripted television. She’s currently wrapping up her fifth season on the ABC comedy, American Housewife. Past credits include: Community, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Disney’s, Starstruck.

She is a member of ICG Local 600 and has been an Active member of the Society Of Camera Operators since 2008. Currently serving on the Board of Governors, she is honored to be part of the recently formed Inclusion Committee, and is excited to see the impact it, and the SOC in general, are having on the industry.

Corporate Corner

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MEET NODO®

NODO Film Systems is thrilled to be a new corporate member of the Society of Camera Operators. NODO’s founder, Local 600 Cinematographer Boyd Hobbs, sought to create digital hand wheels with the same tactile feel as a mechanical gear head. This resulted in the Inertia Wheels™, the first wheels to include brushless motors embedded inside the hand wheels. The patent-pending Inertia Motors™ allow the operator to adjust the mass and drag of the wheel creating a completely new feeling while honoring the 100-year legacy of wheels. Unlike most other hand wheel manufacturers, NODO is completely focused on the operating experience. We partner with other remote head companies to offer a range of compatibility: MōVI XL, EX Camera, Ronin 2, RS2, and more. But more importantly, we partner with operators, like Mitch Dubin, our SOC sponsor, to develop and add new features for this ever-changing industry. Inertia Wheels are designed by camera operators for camera operators. Whether you’re filming car-to-car or operating in virtual production, our wheels have the flexibility you need. Plus, we added an optional third-axis, long-range wireless radios, built-in effects, and a free training app to help you stay sharp between shoots. We’re excited to connect with SOC members to find out how Inertia Wheels can work for you. Contact us to set up a demo at our Downtown LA office or find a dealer near you. Give physics a spin. Try NODO’s Inertia Wheels.

NEMAL

We design and manufacture custom cables, hybrid assemblies, and complete interconnect solutions engineered to meet the most exacting specifications and perform in the most demanding situations. We specialize in innovative, customized connectivity solutions for the film and broadcast industries. Our products include LEMO SMPTE and Neutrik OpticalCON cables, adapters, reelers, HD/ 3G/12G audio, video and hybrid cable, tactical fiber, RF cables, and our patented DT-12 connectors.

We manufacture extra flexible, rugged high-power Audioflex UL rated speaker and lighting cables with Neutrik PowerCON, SpeakON or Socapex connectors. Our fiber products include custom SMPTE panels, pigtails, adapters, and fiber cleaning kits. Nemal’s FOCC24 series SMPTE 311 Camera Cable, choice of most major networks, is approved by both Lemo and Neutrik, and is available in multiple variations (studioflex, rugged outdoor, tactical, water-block Riser rated, and mini-Steadicam. Our latest product innovations include CAT6 snakes and a family of hi-rel XLR adapters. Our Stadium-4 Plenum SMPTE cable won the Best of Show Award by Sound and Video Contractor at InfoComm 2019. Since 1979, we’ve helped hundreds of camera operators and other content producers solve challenging connectivity situations. Nemal cables and connectors enable broadcasters to easily integrate mobile and fixed camera systems. Whether up-fitting older systems with newer technologies or future-proofing new installations, Nemal provides a single source solution. Our family of hybrid ENG cables includes turnkey, interconnect systems—on reelers and ready-to-use —in any configuration. See what other camera operations professionals are saying about us: bit.ly/3oSWesl or visit Nemal.com for a full line of connectivity solutions.

Corporate Corner

THE STUDIO-B&H • DISCOVER WHAT THE STUDIO CAN DO FOR YOU.

The Studio-B&H’s long-term mission is to offer the widest range of technology solutions in the marketplace to the entire community and to the Society of Camera Operators in particular. With our team of sales engineers, skilled application specialists, project managers and account representatives, we are ready to assist SOC Members with all their equipment needs. We offer one of the most extensive array of digital cinema cameras packages, optics, lens controls, monitoring, support and motion systems, gimbals, and stabilizers, as well as advanced camera tracking. The Studio Technology Center is the cornerstone of our operations where we offer special opportunities to experiment with emerging technology, find ways to innovate, test real world system configurations or simply gain knowledge through hands-on experience. If you are interested in learning more about how the studio team can fulfill your needs, reach out to us: thestudio@bhphoto.com to get started.