ICG Magazine - August 2022 - The TV Issue

ICG MAGAZINE

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contents THE TV ISSUE August 2022 / Vol. 93 No. 06

DEPARTMENTS gear guide ................ 16 zoom in ................ 22 on the street ................ 24 exposure ................ 28 production credits ................ 112 stop motion .............. 120

SPECIALS History of Sitcoms ...... 98

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FEATURE 01

BORROWED EARTH DP Paul Elliott, and his New Mexico-based Guild camera team, dig deep into the Navajo nation for the new AMC drama Dark Winds.

FEATURE 02 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan planned a spin-off for Saul Goodman early in the origin show’s production; six seasons later, Better Call Saul wraps an Emmy-nominated story arc that ran longer than its inspiration’s.

FEATURE 03 BALANCING ACT The spin-off series Star Wars fans wanted has finally arrived, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker renew the battle between light and darkness.

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ALEXA 35 is a native 4K Super 35 camera that elevates digital cinematography to unprecedented heights.

With 17 stops of dynamic range, ALEXA 35 can handle more diverse and extreme light conditions, retaining color in the highlights and detail in the shadows, and simplifying post workflows. The new REVEAL Color Science takes full advantage of the sensor’s image quality, while ARRI Textures enhance in-camera creativity.

Easy operation, robust build quality, and new accessories round out the ALEXA 35 platform.

www.arri.com/alexa35

president's letter

Respect the People, Respect the Process

In writing this first President’s Letter for ICG Magazine, a tradition that dates back even further than my career as a Hollywood camera technician (yes, that’s a joke), I’m struck by the many changes

Baird B Steptoe Sr. National President International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600

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our industry has undergone – and how many more are in front of us. Point in fact: this August issue is themed around television, a medium that has evolved – maybe – more than any other in this industry.

My first “small screen” work dates back to 1970s network shows, mini-series, and TV movies – Baretta; Baa, Baa Black Sheep; Wheels; Tail Gunner Joe and The Flight of the Grey Wolf, which was Roy Disney's first primetime wildlife show and got me into the Union. The work has continued through 2020s network/cable shows like Runaways and Young Sheldon, and, in between, a little thing called "streaming" happened that forever changed TV production. Aside from the countless number of new shows introduced into the production pipeline by tech companies like Netflix, Amazon, Apple and others, streaming has changed our lives in less obvious ways. For instance: driven by 100 percent high-data digital capture, the camera literally never shuts off, so restroom breaks need to be carefully planned (not a joke!) Or how our Local 600 Hollywood Basic contract used to expire during the pilot season, which, I felt, always provided more urgency for producers to get a contract done. Nowadays the very idea of when (if?) there is a true pilot season has become scrambled, scheduling-wise, contributing to a culture of year-round work that only adds to the fatigue and lack of work/life balance many members experience.

In my mind, scheduling is the single biggest change in the world of TV production. I can remember working on shows that shot 12-hour days – period, end of story. In fact, I recall one 12-hour show where we were prepping a new setup with only a half-hour left in the day, and the producer ran in and said, “If the camera’s not rolling, we’re wrapping.” So, I turned the camera on! Then he ran back in and said, “Nice try, Baird.

That’s a wrap.”

Everyone laughed, of course.

But, today, no one is laughing about the subject of “unsafe hours” and the deadly consequences they bring. A show that is properly scheduled – like the one I just referenced, (which, if they to go over, would bring in a full second unit that staggered call times with the first unit), values the human factor in this industry. Today’s TV schedules bear little resemblance to those when I first came into the union. Younger Guild workers never got to experience the 52-hour turnarounds on weekends that were traditional for studio camera teams, or the various tiers of premium payments we received on Friday night when a show went past its standard weekly schedule. And while that may have been part of an industry of another era, the respect shown toward film and television workers is something that should never have changed.

I’m not just talking about the respect producers give toward camera teams, but every other union craft on that show. It’s one reason why, as president, I will advocate for every single department on a show to have a shop steward (as contracts will allow). The “eyes of production,” which often can be squinting (or downright closed), are “opened” by the on-set shop steward, whose functions include addressing safety, contract enforcement, harassment, discrimination, and many other areas that are covered in ICG’s two-day shop-steward training course. One of the most important attributes of the shop-steward role is that he or she maintains a direct line with that show’s assigned Local 600 field rep, ensuring that any issues are dealt with in a timely fashion.

Of course, there have been many positive aspects of TV’s evolution.

One is increased awareness about how to make sets safe (and, hopefully, with 100 percent participation toward that goal). The conversation around safer sets far surpasses what I experienced decades ago. (I can’t even begin to mention the crazy stuff we did back in the day).

ICG-produced safety videos on free-driving and firearms on set, and such initiatives as “Rides and Rooms,” “Safety for Sarah,” the ICG Safety App and legislative efforts to mandate a risk assessment and safety supervisor on each set are just some of the more recent efforts this union has conceived and applied to make production more humane. And, more than ever, this membership “reports their jobs” to better create an industry culture that respects human beings.

Realistic and reasonable scheduling that accounts for people, their families, and their mental health (in a very stressful industry) is a goal that can be achieved. Basically, it comes down to respecting the people who do the work and respecting the process enough to ensure that safety is a team sport.

We’re all in this together.

®

INCLUDING

14 EMMY NOMINATIONS OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY LEE HYUNG-DEOK

“AN UNMATCHED ACHIEVEMENT WHOSE POWERFUL STORY SMASHES CULTURAL AND GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES – CONNECTING US AS HUMAN.”

GAME CHANGING. TRAILBLAZING. HISTORY MAKING.

FYC.NETFLIX.COM

Publisher Teresa Muñoz Executive Editor David Geffner Art Director Wes Driver

STAFF WRITER Pauline Rogers

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Tyler Bourdeau

COPY EDITORS

Peter Bonilla Maureen Kingsley

CONTRIBUTORS Urusla Coyote Greg Lewis Jon Silberg Nicole Wilder

ACCOUNTING Mark Rubinfeld Dominique Gallal

August 2022 vol. 93 no. 06

Local

600

International Cinematographers Guild

IATSE Local 600 NATIONAL PRESIDENT Baird B Steptoe, Sr. VICE PRESIDENT Chris Silano 1ST NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Deborah Lipman 2ND NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Mark H. Weingartner NATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER Stephen Wong NATIONAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER Patrick Quinn NATIONAL SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Betsy Peoples NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Rebecca Rhine ASSOCIATE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Chaim Kantor

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

John Lindley, ASC, Chris Silano Co-Chairs

CIRCULATION OFFICE 7755 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90046 Tel: (323) 876-0160 Fax: (323) 878-1180 Email: circulation@icgmagazine.com

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ADVERTISING POLICY: Readers should not assume that any products or services advertised in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine are endorsed by the International Cinematographers Guild. Although the Editorial staff adheres to standard industry practices in requiring advertisers to be “truthful and forthright,” there has been no extensive screening process by either International Cinematographers Guild Magazine or the International Cinematographers Guild.

EDITORIAL POLICY: The International Cinematographers Guild neither implicitly nor explicitly endorses opinions or political statements expressed in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. ICG Magazine considers unsolicited material via email only, provided all submissions are within current Contributor Guideline standards. All published material is subject to editing for length, style and content, with inclusion at the discretion of the Executive Editor and Art Director.

Local 600, International Cinematographers Guild, retains all ancillary and expressed rights of content and photos published in ICG Magazine and icgmagazine.com, subject to any negotiated prior arrangement. ICG Magazine regrets that it cannot publish letters to the editor.

ICG (ISSN 1527-6007) Ten issues published annually by The International Cinematographers Guild 7755 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA, 90046, U.S.A. Periodical postage paid at Los Angeles, California.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ICG 7755 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, California 90046 Copyright 2021, by Local 600, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada. Entered as Periodical matter, September 30, 1930, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscriptions: $88.00 of each International Cinematographers Guild member’s annual dues is allocated for an annual subscription to International Cinematographers Guild Magazine.

Non-members may purchase an annual subscription for $48.00 (U.S.), $82.00 (Foreign and Canada) surface mail and $117.00 air mail per year. Single Copy: $4.95 The International Cinematographers Guild Magazine has been published monthly since 1929.

International Cinematographers Guild Magazine is a registered trademark.

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CREATING TV MOMENTS THROUGH MOVEMENT

wide angle

I

’ve been a fan of Director Chris Eyre’s work ever since Smoke Signals swept both the Audience and Filmmaker awards at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, which at that time was still a small, intimate gathering.

Sundance founder Robert Redford picked his Utah location because of the time he’d spent making a film there (Jeremiah

Mexico, there were plenty of remote and challenging locations. Unlike those indie producers who negated gun safety in the same state, at the same time, the Dark Winds team have been proud of their safety record.

“Of course, we hired a professional armorer to handle all of the weapons for the two days, and the guns were never out of his sight,” Director Bookstaver recounts about a massive robbery-shootout sequence. “Before each take,

Johnson) and the area’s deep connection to Native American culture and history. Sundance and Smoke Signals was a perfect marriage – the first Indigenousmade feature to break wide served up a story (thanks to Eyre’s nimble direction and Sherman Alexie’s funny, caustic script) that transcended Native culture while never short-changing its characters’ histories.

After Smoke Signals, Eyre became, in his own words (Exposure, page 28), “the go-to guy for years if a Native director was wanted for a movie with Native content. But,” he adds, “most of those movies were not about Natives; they were about a non-Native writer’s wanting to tell their version of what was ‘Native’ in their mind and how to use that agenda to tell their stories.”

Flash-forward 24 years to this August 2022 TV Issue and our cover story on AMC’s new crime series Dark Winds, based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee mystery novels – co-executive produced by none other than Robert Redford. Shot by New Mexico-based Director of Photography Paul Elliott and inspired by a room of all Native writers (along with a mostly all-Native cast and plenty of Native crewmembers), Dark Winds is the third prominent TV series in the last year (along with Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls) that, like Smoke Signals, really wants Native filmmakers to tell their stories in their way.

Eyre (who co-directed with Sanford Bookstaver) is Cheyenne and Arapaho, while the Santa Fe locations where Dark Winds takes place are Navajo territory. Regardless of the tribe, the pilot episode garnered a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes because Eyre and Elliott have a clear affinity for the stunning southwestern landscapes where they both live, and the characters that inhabit Hillerman’s

the guns were hand-inspected by my first assistant director Michael Chandler, by the armorer, by the stunt coordinator, by the actors, and by myself before we rolled cameras.

These were real guns, and safety was of utmost concern.”

A-Camera/Steadicam Operator Twojay Dhillon goes on to credit “our incredible first AD, Doug Metzger; Key Grip Trevor Rogers and Stunt Coordinator/2nd Unit Director Chris Howell. Whether we were up one mountain and down another, floating on a barge with a camera crane, dropping a helicopter off a cliff, or tiptoeing around a 10-foot pit, I never once felt concerned for my safety,” he told ICG staff writer Pauline Rogers. “I also had [A-camera Dolly Grip] Jeremiah Phillips in close proximity, whom I literally trust with my life.”

Love for New Mexico-based Guild crews doesn’t end there.

ICG freelance writer Jon Silberg, who nine years ago conducted a roundtable Q/A after Breaking Bad’s final season [ICG Magazine January 2013], is back this month talking with Better Call Saul’s creative team as the multiEmmy-nominated series wraps its sixth and final season (Who You Gonna Call? page 50). Checking in with CoCreators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, Directors of Photography Marshall Adams and Paul Donachie, Chief Lighting Technician Steve Litecky, Season 6 Production Designer Denise Pizzini, Special Effects Coordinator Werner Hahnlein, and B-Camera Operator Matt Credle, Silberg gives voice to yet another New Mexico-based show where safety is always job number one. Or – as Hahnlein defines a safe set – “everyone and everything working together, all the time, every day.” Gould went one better, telling Silberg, “I’m not alone in saying this show had the greatest crew I’ve ever worked with, with the best attitude and the greatest attention to detail I’ve personally ever seen. One of the saddest things for me in ending the series is that we’re allowing this incredible group of people to go

world circa 1971. (And if Zahn McClarnon, playing Lead Navajo Tribal Policeman Joe Leaphorn, doesn’t win an Emmy next year, that organization needs to reconsider its voting process.) As one would expect with a crime series, there’s plenty of gunplay; and, as one would also expect with a series shot in New

to the four winds.”

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Photo taken on the set of The Comeback Trail, Zia Pueblo, NM

Photo by Sara Terry

CONTRIBUTORS

Ursula Coyote Who You Gonna Call?, Stop Motion “Shooting stills in the New Mexican desert can be rewarding as well as challenging. We have extreme weather: high winds, dust storms, haboobs, monsoon rains, blizzards, scalding to freezing temperatures – sometimes all in one day! There’s also the high altitude, rough terrain and exciting creatures like rattlesnakes and scorpions that make working here a lot about acclimation. Of course, it’s all worth it, because of New Mexico’s vast vistas, beauty, and amazing light.”

Jon Silberg Who You Gonna Call?

“I got a little carried away preparing to write this month’s look back at the incredible six seasons of Better Call Saul. And, frankly, my tenure at Cinnabon probably didn’t inform my article at all. Live and learn. I did greatly enjoy chatting with a wide variety of talented people who have made BCS such a powerhouse – from the creators to two of the cinematographers and members of their crew, to the person behind the always-impressive practical effects. But I think I’ll stick with the writing and leave the Cinnabon thing to Gene.”

ICG MAGAZINE

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David Geffner Executive Editor

Email: david@icgmagazine.com Cover photo by Michael Moriatis / AMC

GEAR GUIDE

08.2022

Sigma 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN $899 WWW.SIGMAPHOTO.COM

This lens is a compact (3- × 4-in.) fast-aperture ultrawide zoom lens designed exclusively for mirrorless camera systems. Offered in Sony E-mount and Leica L-mount, the lens accepts 72mm front filters, such as neutral density (ND) and circular polarizer, and is perfect for on-the-go filmmaking. The stepping motor ensures swift, accurate and silent autofocus during both still and video capture. An advanced optical design featuring internal zoom keeps the lens balanced on gimbals even as focal length changes. Adventure and outdoor sports specialist Liam Doran says, “The autofocus was fast and accurate. In continuous/servo mode and tracked fast-moving athletes without issue.” He adds, “Video and hybrid shooters will also appreciate the quietness of the autofocus. The zoom is internal – this will be great for gimbal users as the balance point remains the same from 16 to 28mm. The lens also has a 72mm front-filter thread, making it easy to use ND and polarizing filters.”

Tilta Hydra-Arm Mini STARTS AT $9,999 WWW.TILTA.COM

“The Hydra-Arm Mini gives DP’s the toolset to shoot visceral car work at an economical budget,” describes Local 600 Director of Photography Erick Koretz. “I recently used it on a car commercial with the SJI RS 3 Pro and was amazed at how the Hydra-Arm Mini allowed me to create evocative camera movement in a similar style to the much more expensive camera car systems.” Designed to achieve complex camera moves while shooting from a moving vehicle, the compact system fits in three cases and is small enough to be checked on a commercial airline. The kit includes all necessary mounting components and can be attached to any car. The user-friendly controller allows you to make precise movements with the arm, which supports 360 degrees of rotation and safety features like maximum and minimum height limitations. Built to work with DJI RS 3 PRO, DJI RS 2, Ronin 4D and other similar systems, shots that were costprohibitive a few years ago are now more accessible. Taking inspiration from the Hydra Alien and other full-sized Hydra Arms, Tilta believes this form factor will be a compelling addition to any filmmaker’s arsenal. “When used properly and safely, it’s a tool that has endless possibilities,” adds Koretz.

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AUGUST 2022

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GEAR GUIDE

08.2022

FilmGear Helios 1100C $8,850 WWW.FILMGEARUSA.COM

“With studios and sets getting taller, our space lights have had to adapt to project their soft glow from higher than ever before,” describes Lighting Designer Simon Yeung. “With the new RGB Helios’ output, we can hang them at any height and still control all of their creative functions wirelessly from the ground.” The Helios 1100C improves on its award-winning throw by combining rigorously quality controlled 4-in-1 MCOB LED chips with FilmGear’s custom 24-degree TIR lenses. The included diffusion discs can open the beam angle up to 33/44 degrees for wider coverage through the hanging skirt set or softbox. Each of the six heads individually outputs 2700-10000K white light in CCT mode, full-spectrum color in HSI mode, 300+ filtered presets in Gel mode, and 18+ dynamic effects in Scene mode. With LumenRadio’s TimoTwo module built in, the Helios 1100C’s wireless DMX, Bluetooth, and app controls give chief lighting technicians the flexibility and precision to design complex overhead lighting with few barriers.

Cinema Devices Ergorig CenterFit $1,950 WWW.CINEMADEVICES.COM

Cinema Devices introduced “weightlessness” to shouldermounted camera operation with the award-winning Ergorig Classic. The new CenterFit builds on this success with a design that allows greater freedom of movement, additional space for underslinging the camera, and a more balanced weight distribution. Developed to accommodate female physiques, these innovations are proving popular with all genders. The Undersling and Undersling Riser accessories bring the same weightlessness to “low mode” handheld operation. This lightweight exoskeleton supports payloads up to 50 pounds with a compact form factor that earned the 2022 SOC Technical Achievement award. “I want to commend Cinema Devices for evolving their design to work with different body types, including those of us curvy women,” states Guild Director of Photography Jendra Jarnigan. “They were committed to making vest options to fit anyone who may want one and were very proactive in getting feedback and experimenting with different modular modifications. This is a game-changer!”

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CINE GEAR EXPO Atlanta OCT 7-8

TRILITH STUDIOS CINEGEAREXPO.COM

AUGUST 2022

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GEAR GUIDE

ARRI ALEXA 35 $75,000 WWW.ARRI.COM

“We put ourselves in a difficult lighting situation, with bright windows in the background and lots of negative fill in the foreground,” describes Oscar-winning Director of Photography Erik Messerschmidt, ASC. “And the ALEXA 35 outperformed all my expectations. I could not get the camera to clip – the dynamic range is so wide and impressive. This is a completely new generation of ALEXAS." The camera features a native 4K Super 35 sensor that elevates digital cinematography to new heights. With 17 stops of dynamic range, ALEXA 35 can handle more diverse and extreme light conditions, retaining color in the highlights and detail in the shadows, as well as simplifying post workflows. The new REVEAL Color Science takes full advantage of the sensor’s image quality, while ARRI Textures enhance in-camera creativity. Easy operation, robust build quality, and new accessories round out the ALEXA 35 platform.

ETC APEX PRICE ON REQUEST WWW.ETCCONNECT.COM

Lighting Programmer David Patrick says, “The Apex brought big improvements to my workflow – especially being able to customize OLED Target Keys as well as the haptic touchscreens. Being able to quickly configure faders and playbacks to control things like effects or color temperature and tint on the set let me be more flexible in general. With the Apex I could create and output effects and looks for the gaffer and DP more quickly than ever. Apex took my game to a whole new level.” The Eos Apex 5, 10, and 20 consoles make the programming experience faster, easier, and more comfortable than ever, with top-level features like haptic-feedback touchscreens and encoders, endlessly-remappable OLED Target Keys, and motorized playbacks with dedicated scroll wheels. Fiber and copper connections enable blazing-fast communication with your lighting network, while the flexible I/O Garage lets you mix and match DMX and show control outputs for each new setup. The generous 4K dual-axis folding multitouch displays provide a crisp, luxurious interface for programming, monitoring and built-in visualization.

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08.2022

Phenom Camera-Ship RENTED ON HOURLY BASIS WITH REQUIRED DAILY MINIMUMS WWW.TEAM5.RENTALS

“This platform is like an AMG Mercedes – don’t let the comfort fool you,” observes Aerial Director of Photography Dylan Goss. “It’s top tech and performance with the massive practicality of a completely certified business jet.” The Phenom Camera-Ship (nicknamed PCS-1) was built specifically for filming complex high-speed aerial sequences. Created in partnership between PCS-1 and Team5 Aerials, it has flown alongside some of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the skies, including the aerial sequences with F-18 fighter jets for Top Gun: Maverick [ICG Magazine June/July 2022]. PCS-1 was born from an Embraer Phenom 300 airframe and modified to handle carrying a pair of stabilized aerial camera systems while operating unrestricted within the FAA’s standard category. It was created to fill a gap in the aerial filming industry left by much smaller “experimental” aircraft and is the only FAA-certified highspeed, high-altitude, pressurized filming platform utilizing latestgeneration digital gimbals. PCS-1 can operate with dual Shotover F1 systems, mounted both fore and aft simultaneously. It carries a crew of two pilots and up to six passengers, all flying in businessjet comfort at a speed of up to 350 knots and an altitude of up to 45,000 feet.

MDR.S for Teradek RT $3,499 WWW.TERADEK.COM

Teradek RT wireless lens-control system adds the new MDR.S to its array of expandable components for focus, iris, and zoom control.

Small and powerful, it is the most compact motor driver receiver available to activate any FIZ function. MDR.S supports up to three daisy-chain motors and a wide 28-volt input range. The unit weighs in at 2.4 ounces and features a touch-button OLED display. Whether selecting RT’s compact Single Channel solution or a complete CTRL.3 FIZ system – which are both compatible with MDR.S – all kits support camera run/stop, app control from an iOS device, and lens mapping to auto-calibrate lenses to pre-marked focus rings.

When paired with a SmallHD monitor, Teradek RT displays an unobtrusive zero-latency overlay of lens data including focus, iris, and zoom marks, axis limits, and rangefinder readouts. In addition to the RT TOF.1 Rangefinder, it integrates with other industry-leading rangefinders, including Focusbug and Cine RT.

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ZOOM IN

Devon Stinson TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR PHOTO BY KAREN KUEHN

When Devon Stinson was young, he joined his best friend’s family on a trip to Universal Studios.

There was a movie being made about stunts. “Oddly enough, there was a ride-able crane on set,” he recounts with a smile. “My best friends and I had our faces smashed against the fencing, and someone from the crew noticed. So, my friend got to slate, and I got to call action. I don’t think anybody could not be in love [with filmmaking] after that.”

Stinson credits forward-thinking former Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson with kick-starting his film career. “It was an attractive incentive package,” Stinson continues. “The entire state jumped on board, especially my charter high school. They were a huge advocate of the arts and created programs that crossed over into our state college. So, I had film theory and film training at the

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college on weekends. We’d make shorts and watch films like Battleship Potemkin in high school.”

Fresh out of high school, Stinson worked on a USC thesis film in his hometown of Las Cruces, New Mexico, before studying at New Mexico State University. Soon after, Stinson moved to New Orleans, where, after only a few months, his money dried up. “An old mentor of mine asked me to do a grip/electric job in Oklahoma,” Stinson shares, “and I was really desperate for work. The only wrinkle was that I would have to drive up with the Technocrane from New Orleans.”

As fate would have it, Stinson landed a night security job at one of the busiest nightclubs in NOLA’s French Quarter, which was frequented by crane techs from nearby Panavision. “I would work at the club at night and go with the guys [from

Panavision] to set the crane for free during the day, or go help them with anything in the shop,” Stinson recounts. “All I had to offer them in return was free access to the club and a clean crane. But it did happen to be one of the best music venues in town,” he smiles.

It wasn’t long before Stinson gained a reputation as a savvy Technocrane technician, first with Panavision and then with Pro-Cam rentals.

Today, he works with the Supertechno (15-, 22-, 30-, and 50-foot) and is the first person in North America to use the 75-footer, which he got to see in the making when he visited the Plzen (Technocrane) factory in Europe. He’s also often on the MovieBird 35-45s and 17s as well as the Scorpio 10.

“One of the best compliments I can hear is, ‘Let’s just do it off the crane,’” he shares. “On Outer

08.2022

TOP PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEN LAMARCA / DEVIN STINSON BOTTOM PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN A. RUSSELL / DEVIN STINSON

Range, which was filmed entirely in New Mexico, [DP] Drew Daniels loved to see what our crew could accomplish with the crane. The opening of Season 1, Episode 8 starts with a long, slow-moving build-up of the deputy sheriff (Tamara Podemski), and the big reveal is these buffalo running through an open field. To achieve these kinds of shots, you have to be able to work in tandem with at least three other minds: the camera operator, who is operating the remote head, the first AC, who’s pulling focus, and most importantly, the dolly grip, who is swinging the arm of the crane. Because they are telescoping cranes, my job relies on the telescoping part or the extension and retraction of the camera.

“Why would one choose the crane to do this specific shot?” Stinson continues. “We used a Super Technocrane 50, and it allowed us to show in the same sequence the details of the character approaching the cliff, widening after it, and then overlooking the buffalos from above.”

Stinson has worked three seasons on Stranger Things: a few crane days on Season 1, and many

more on Season 2 – plus as crane operator on Season 4, shot in New Mexico. The jobs are similar – and different. “You must have an operator’s level of thinking. A crane tech will typically be the equivalent of a best boy but needs to have a mechanical understanding of the equipment and be able to assist in any moves that require additional help. A crane operator, sometimes called the lead crane tech, is like the key of our small specialty gear. That person helps create the desired shot from either the director, the director of photography or the camera operator by controlling the crane movements.”

He goes on to describe how cranes are used in diverse ways, “not only high, wide reveals, but they can also mimic dolly moves or even be lockoffs in places you might not be able to put sticks,” Stinson adds. “Later in the season, in Episode 5, a few of the heroes are burying an agent in a desert junkyard. I think this scene shows a huge part of what cranes are capable of. There is a slow, low reveal in the beginning, slow push-ins, quick push-

ins, statics – one in particular over the hood of a car – and plenty of overs.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to crane-tech for some of the original people who created my current position as a crane operator,” Stinson concludes. “Doing so molded my current baseline of knowledge, both on the tech and operating side.

I have a great feeling of gratification being back home in New Mexico. It’s an even greater fulfillment to work alongside such gifted New Mexicans, who work at such a high level of professionalism. When I left the state to pursue other opportunities, I never expected that would have prepared me to return as an equal. It’s very humbling.”

Stinson says the beauty of crane shots is that they can be almost anything the director and DP need. “I feel like it is my job to help achieve the desired effect of the creative team, whether that means placing the camera in a spot and locking it off or creating compound moves. My role is to interpret the direction and translate that into the crane’s strengths and limitations.”

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ON THE STREET

Cooking with Cameras

BY PAULINE ROGERS PHOTOS BY VANESSA CLIFTON

Over the past Juneteenth weekend, 27 Black female members of Local 600 got together for the first annual Camera Cookout 2022 in New York City to network and attend workshops and lectures, as well as continue to build community.

It was a resounding success.

“One job after another, I heard the same refrain: ‘I’ve never met a Black woman camera operator before,’” shares Local 600 Operator Chris Wairegi, who was recently featured in ICG Magazine’s Generation NEXT class of 2021 [ICG Magazine December 2021] and created the Juneteenth event. “In my career, I have not been a stranger to being the only woman or person of color on a crew,” Wairegi adds. “But it was not until this year that I discovered that I am one of fewer than 100 Black women and gender-non-conforming members of IATSE Local 600.”

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Early this year, Wairegi started looking for others of her ilk, and it took months to find 22 people. The group decided to meet in person for what Wairegi had planned to be a casual drink in a city, but what quickly morphed into a weekend well beyond her expectations.

Through her network, Wairegi connected with MeLisa Zackery of Unlimited Possibilities, Co, who immediately became excited by the potential for a larger event, and jumped onboard.

“One of the things that impressed me most was the skill set these women need to have to do their job,” Zackery shares. “How physically they have to make sure their body can sustain the work they are doing. To help this community to come together, have some fun, ask questions and voice their concerns for today and where the Union is going for them became important. To witness their determination to continue

to help one another was inspiring.”

To fund the event, Wairegi reached out for sponsorships and support. Companies like Panavision, Rosco, Starz, ARRI, A-Frame, B&H, Zeiss and more signed on. “We saw this as a great opportunity to support a historically underrepresented group of women in our industry,” describes Marttise Hill, sales representative for Rosco. “Events like these are what move careers forward, and we want to be part of that change.”

Rosco not only sponsored the welcome cocktail event, but they also set up demos of Rosco LED fixtures and designed a small set where members could test lights in different settings. In addition, Wairegi set up her camera and monitoring to offer real results for members to compare and discuss.

“There are a great many stories that need to be told, and many new voices to be heard,” adds Tony

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ON THE STREET

L TO R: CHRIS WAIREGI, OPERATOR AND FOUNDER OF 600 BLACK WOMEN, TYRA FORBES, LOADER, CRYSTAL POWER, DIGITAL UTILITY, ALLYSON HOOVER, LOADER, LUCILLE CELIC, ARRI RENTAL MARKETING COORDINATOR

Wisniewski, senior marketing manager for ZEISS. “ZEISS looks to support the emerging artists as they learn their craft, hone their skills, and look to bring their vision to the screen. We’re proud to support Chris Wairegi and her efforts to provide support for women and BIPOC members of her community.”

Panavision’s involvement was even more extensive, opting to host a Zoom presentation for the group on June 8th. Aaron Saffa, Manager of Panavision’s New Filmmaker Program, kicked off the webinar before introducing Dan Sasaki, Panavision’s senior VP of optical engineering and lens strategy [ICG Magazine June/July 2022], who shared a deep dive into the artistry, science and technology of motion-picture optics.

Panavision New York hosted the group in person the weekend of the event and provided equipment for a wheels and film-loading training class (taught

by Local 600 members). “We were thrilled to open

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our doors for the Camera Cookout,” states Chris Konash, VP and general manager of Panavision New York. “Panavision is committed to supporting and empowering filmmakers through education, networking and other professional development opportunities, and we share this group’s dedication to building a truly inclusive industry.”

Wairegi says the feeling of being surrounded for the first time by individuals who share in her struggles and passions was one she’ll remember for the rest of her life. “Members like Crystal Power drove 13 hours to make the gathering after her flight was canceled,” Wairegi marvels. “Chelsea Alan became part of the group just weeks after becoming a Guild member.

DP Mia Cioffi Henry touted that, despite all the years of wisdom, training and teaching, we are doing something powerful and very necessary.”

Power, who joined Local 600 in 2019, says the two most exciting elements of the event “were the

amount of hands-on training I had access to and the level of expertise and knowledge available. It’s one thing to watch a video online or read a book, but when you have a well-equipped space and people with more experience to teach you new skills, that makes you a better person in your craft,” she states.

For Mia Cioffi Henry, who is head of cinematography in the Graduate Film department at NYU and a recent Guild member, the event instantly dispelled her loneliness in the field. “Often, I am the only Black person on a set or the only woman in my department,” she laments. “Connecting with others who have had the same experience was thrilling! The group is something I wished I had in my early days.

It was a wonderful reset to have a non-competitive space to talk about goals and dreams for our careers.”

Naoe Jarmon, who has been a Local 600 member for just a few years, says she’s “still on some

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L TO R: DIRECTOR AISHA FORD, LOCAL 600 DP MIA CIOFFI-HENRY

sort of high, knowing that I have these ladies in my corner. Most times, we are considered the ‘unicorns’ on set. People say they’ve never seen/worked with a Black woman in-camera, and we are usually alone.

So, coming together as one at the same location with similar goals of increasing our knowledge and skills was paramount.”

Alyssa Longchamp, who attended the event and shot photos throughout, says the Juneteenth Cookout far surpassed her expectations. “I was just thinking we would sit around and get to know each other and eat some food,” she laughs. “But, attending the many workshops impressed me the most – from learning patience and focus during Zakiya’s filmloading workshop to healthy practices on how to stand with heavy gear during Local 600 DP Graham Willoughby's Handheld Workshop, arranged by Ethan Mills at A-Frame.”

For Ally Hoover, a film loader based out of

Charlotte, North Carolina, the reticence of being with her “big city” peers quickly evaporated. “I was comfortable the minute I walked into the room,” Hoover shares. “I was most impressed that this group and the Camera Cookout almost seamlessly allowed me to overcome my imposter syndrome and speak for myself. I was taking my time with equipment, asking questions to our leaders, and not afraid to take opportunities to better myself as a professional.”

Wairegi says the Juneteenth Camera Cookout would not have been possible without a slew of key volunteers and partners. “Beyond those vendors already noted, there were people like DP Valentina Caniglia and Operator Barbie Leung, who came to Tribeca at 8 a.m. Saturday morning to lead our Panahead Wheels Workshop,” Wairegi adds. “Carolyn Pitt of Productions.com traveled from Atlanta to network directly and encourage members. Directors

Aisha Ford and Jenn Shaw sat in conversation, sharing their lessons from the field. And Lucille Celic of ARRI came and closed our Cookout with a raffle for vouchers to the ARRI Academy online. I can only do so much as one person, so this weekend resulted from many, many dedicated and talented individuals lending their skills and time.”

The young Black filmmaker says she hopes to continue supporting “those coming behind us, and uplift those who are here,” she concludes. “My dream is to arrange for a scholarship to pay the dues for qualifying individuals seeking union membership and provide a grant opportunity for existing members to fund their next project. I hope the model that’s been built can be taken and used to advance the fight for equal representation for anyone and everyone.

I hope businesses and individuals will continue to give their support because this event is only the beginning.”

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EXPOSURE

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Chris Eyre DIRECTOR | DARK WINDS

BY PAULINE ROGERS PHOTO BY MICHAEL MORIATIS / AMC

Indigenous filmmaker Chris Eyre hails from two Native American tribes – Cheyenne and Arapaho – and is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is Navajo and Apache land. But the man whose debut indie feature, Smoke Signals (1998), became the first Native feature to break wide (not long after the coming-of-age story won the Filmmakers Trophy and the Audience Award at a relatively unknown film festival called Sundance) says his connection to the “front range” lands where his ancestors traveled – from New Mexico up through Montana – is inseparable from who he is as a storyteller.

For the new AMC crime series Dark Winds, based on novelist Tony Hillerman’s series about two Navajo Tribal Policemen, Eyre points to an “all-Native” writer’s room, along with a large percentage of indigenous filmmakers in front of and behind the camera, as a key factor in his approach to directing. And while Smoke Signals put Eyre on the map (finding its way into the U.S. National Historic Registry for cultural and artistic preservation along the way), the director says this most recent “moment” for Native filmmakers is coming to the small screen, not the independent film world, which is forever hampered by changing distribution channels. ICG Magazine Staff Writer Pauline Rogers caught up with Eyre on the eve of Dark Winds’ premiere episode to hear how the world has changed since Smoke Signals, and what is on the horizon for Native filmmakers.

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EXPOSURE

ICG: Take us back to the late 1990s and your debut feature, Smoke Signals. How did it get made and how did it change your life? Chris Eyre: Smoke Signals gave me a legitimate career in the industry. It was like a rocket ship going from filmmaking obscurity to a Smoke Signals screening at the White House, to meeting studio heads and all kinds of producers and projects and getting offers to direct movies. Smoke Signals was loved in the Native American community because it was a great story, but also for addressing the lack of representation in movies and television by Native American people, who wanted (and still do) to tell their own stories. The lack of any mainstream commercial self-representation grew the movie’s historical footprint and made it beloved by the audiences that identified with it so deeply. It also made me the go-to guy for years if a Native director was wanted for a movie with Native content. Most of those movies were not about Natives, though; they were about a non-Native writer’s wanting to tell their version of “what was Native” in their minds and how to use that political agenda to tell their stories.

[Smoke Signals writer] Sherman Alexie and I had a vision about not even questioning what we were doing with regard to creating Native characters; it wasn’t reverse-engineering, we just wanted to bring funny and real characters to life and tell their stories for the sake of loving those characters.

Four years ago, Smoke Signals was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” How much has changed for Indigenous filmmakers in those intervening decades? Smoke Signals was an anomaly in 1998. There simply were no other references to Native creators telling their own stories in mass media and crossing over to the mainstream in any significant way. We were largely “invisible.” Today, the film still holds up and is deserving of the U.S. National Film Registry to be preserved for all time because it transcends its parts and becomes about a universal act of potential forgiveness between a boy and his deceased father. It’s magical at the end.

The change for Indigenous filmmakers has finally come through television, not independent filmmaking, which had distribution drawbacks with people not being able to see the work. In the past three years, three television shows have emerged with Native American writers, producers and directors. Before 2019, I would say it was difficult for Native and Indigenous media content creators to have their voices in the mainstream. I think it has changed due to activism, woke culture, studio executives and talented Indigenous people getting opportunities.

After your follow-up feature to Smoke Signals, Skins, which also touched on the legacy of reservation life and characters battling those

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scars, you said: “The only thing you get in making period pieces about Indians is guilt. I’m interested in doing what non-Indian filmmakers can’t do, which is to portray contemporary Indians.” Dark Winds is a period piece, but I’m guessing that quote has a different context now? Historically speaking, Dark Winds is a contemporary show in many ways, and it is also a period piece. I have wanted to make 1800s period pieces, but not the same way they have shown Native people as the tragedy “standing in the way of progress.” There are so many dangerous doctrines of representation that merely mimic the monolithic one-sided understanding of us. Always written by non-Native people, about Native people. That is why it is so important for Native and Indigenous writers to tell our stories the way they see them – maybe we will all learn something new about our history if it’s told by the other half of that history.

Dark Winds joins Reservation Dogs as two recent cable/network series made by and about indigenous people. Is the film industry finally having a moment when it comes to Native filmmakers? Or is this an anomaly and then it’s back to business as usual? America is changing.

You know, the “two steps forward, one step back” principle. Well, we are firmly on the one step back

Another Sundance feature of yours, Edge of America, in 2004, touched on race relations between Black and Native Americans, which is rarely something we see, even to this day. To what extent has the Native American experience been left out of the current conversation about race in America? The current conversation about race in America is largely focused on African American and white relations. There is good reason for this within the population’s numbers, but that is not “diversity.” The Native voice in America has been “invisible” and “co-opted” as a tool for over-cultural political agendas – forever.

Very rarely do we ever hear Native voices in mass media or even Native voices at all. Ironically, even the terminologies were never spawned by Native people. They have always been assigned and co-opted by non-Natives; i.e., “Indian” (which we know is not related to India), American Indian, Native American, and now, Indigenous. Mostly it is always non-Natives who assign their versions of what “Indians” means to them. Thankfully, as is the case in most of history, the arts lead in humanity and social norms and acceptance, so that is why television is making a difference. Like the way Ellen DeGeneres did with “Ellen” and making gay a norm for the masses. Shows like Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls and Dark Winds offer an alternative and first-person representation of the diversity of Native American people. But most of all, these are great stories that entertain.

Talk about how writers like Sherman Alexie and Tony Hillerman, and the worlds they portray, have influenced what you do as a director. I don’t think there is anything more that I like than great writers – “people that can take you somewhere.” Both Sherman and Tony’s writing takes you somewhere, but they are not the same in describing a part of Native America. One might be from an outsider’s point of view and the other from an insider’s point of view, but I don’t think you can have one without the other. Visually, Sherman’s work is based more in realism, dramedy and personal triumph – which doesn’t mean it has to look gritty or magical either.

Sherman’s work is rich in its smallest observations that make it Native, sometimes only to a Native person. The character payoffs are about us winning in a way that only he can create, and if you don’t understand that life, it can go past you. Each story is different, and visualizing them is an exciting prospect to convey the potency of his work. But you should always start with a blank frame and let the story inform you. With Tony’s work, it is meant to be broad and incorporate the beauty of the world around it and the mystery. On one hand, Dark Winds is a crime series, and on the other hand, it incorporates some culture. That balance is an interesting line to walk, and I think it is somewhat natural for our Native American crew and writers. We are always mixing two worlds. We have many Navajo people in front of the camera and behind that are finding this balance together as we seek to tell more stories

right now by a lot of political standards. But I do not think this Native renaissance is a fad to fall backward because there are too many like-minded people that expect more now. In every category of progress, we have advanced – socially, mutually, and humanly. There are too many good people out there for this country to backslide and too much interest in looking at where we have come from and where we are going. Too many good people know our past and fight to not repeat those times. And we as tribal nations and people will not cede.

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from a Native American point of view. Visually, Tony’s work seeks to tell the broader beauty of the mesas and the sunsets. In the Southwest, you find a photographer’s paradise, from the wide shots to the macro shots of plants and desert rain. You add great written characters to that and a great whodone-it story, and you have a great show to work on every day.

As noted, Smoke Signals is in the National Registry, and your short film A Thousand Roads was the signature film for The National Museum of the American Indian. You are also the first Native American to win a DGA award. Institutionally, your work has made massive strides, but how do these kinds of recognitions translate into a change in the real world when it comes to a reconciliation of this country’s treatment of Indigenous peoples, if at all? I think it all matters. I believe in step-bystep and little-by-little. I’ve had great mentors and supporters in the pursuit of my storytelling dreams.

I’ve gotten to work with incredibly talented people – Native and non-Native people – and I have mixed those places well. I’ve worked with fellow explorers like Claudio Miranda [ASC] and Rick West for The National Museum of the American Indian movie A Thousand Roads, and Willy Holtzman for Edge of America, for which I won a DGA Award in 2005. I recall a scene I shot for a television series called We Shall Remain, and I had the legendary actor Wes Studi on horseback portraying a Cherokee Indian in the early 1800s. Wes is fluent in his own Cherokee language, but he told me that he had never played a Cherokee speaker in a movie before. A small portion of Cherokees owned slaves – as taught by their common oppressor – so there was a scene in which he is a Cherokee landowner with slaves. Not only were we telling this historical truth that most people don’t know, but Wes was able to use his first-learned language to speak to his workers in Cherokee and them to understand him, as that surely happened.

That small, truthful, never-seen-before on-camera reality of historical storytelling is the “why.” So, it all matters when it comes to telling stories and exploring new places within the stories, too.

You are a member of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, who formed a strong alliance hundreds of years ago with combined territories spreading from Montana to Texas. You’re based in New

Mexico, which is historically Navajo and Apache country. How does your tribal ancestry impact where you live and make films today? How would you describe New Mexico’s impact on you as a cinematic artist and storyteller? I love to drive. I have family all over the West, but I have a certain feeling when I drive up and down the front range of the Rockies, through Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. I visit the places, too. All the reservations north and south and see friends over the years. I also go to conflict sites or historical places when I drive. It feels natural to me to drive all this land that I know my relatives traversed. When I get behind the camera, I’m inspired by seeing the land and walking where those people walked. The land has always made me feel good. It is so fun to shoot among these incredibly inspiring places. My heart is right along this front range between Montana and New Mexico.

This is not the first time you brought Leaphorn and Chee to the screen. [Eyre directed two episodes of the PBS series Mystery! that featured both characters.] And it’s not the first time you worked with [Executive Producer] Robert Redford.

How did you make sure Hillerman’s characters authentically came to life – from the use of actors speaking the language to how far and how you portrayed mystic elements? We hired a Native American writer’s room where they all discussed what they liked and didn’t like about bringing this series to life. We asked the writers to give their takes on these stories from a Native point of view. That was the starting point, then hiring talented Native collaborators along the way as crew and performers that knew the world we were describing. Beyond that, we had Navajo cultural advisors and elders weighing in on set every day.

And balancing the level of cultural detail for those Native audiences versus those unfamiliar with the world? The thing I love about this mystery is its Indigenous/Native point of view. For example, when Ada Growing Thunder [Amelia Rico] goes to grab something off of Bernadette [Episode 1], some audience members go, “What was that?” and others will go, “Oh my God! I know what she tried to do.”

It’s what’s unspoken that I’m most interested in.

Right away, Bernadette stares at her like, “Did you just try to take a hair off my shirt?” and it’s haunting.

We see that from Bernadette’s insider point of view, and we don’t explain it. Our characters live in that

world, so why would I need to objectify or explain it?

Like when Bernadette stops the car and takes out some corn pollen. I didn’t shoot close-ups of corn pollen because she knows what she’s doing. This is the kind of allowance I love because it’s told from an insider point of view. There are many fundamental elements of the show – the Western, the Southwest, Monument Valley, the crime, the mystery – that will be familiar to people. They just haven’t seen them put together like this before.

There’s an obvious bond between you and Director of Photography Paul Elliot, one of the few nonNative Americans on the show. What were some of the things that were key to you both interpreting this world? Paul and I had an incredible conversation about movies early on and liking classic westerns and great mysteries, too. I think that was our base, to reference what we liked about those older movies.

Sometimes it wasn’t a visual we liked, but a feeling we liked and how we could get there. We also both appreciated the natural light, whether we silked off the intensity or not just playing the direction of the natural backlight or allowing the intense front light of the low sun to blast the characters in orange western warmth. We had a similar eye for what we liked. Most of all, what Paul and I did together came from a love of the land and a feel for building drama.

Casting Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn was like striking gold. How did he, as an actor and a person, influence the story? My daughter said of Zahn as Leaphorn, in the highest compliment, “He has that feel of one of my favorite uncles, you know?” The thing I like best about Zahn as Leaphorn is that he is more than that, too. I like Leaphorn like a trusted family member, but you can see he’s done a lot and been through a lot. As an uncle or a family member, he will try and give you the very best of himself all the time. But I don’t know if I’ll ever fully know Leaphorn and what he’s done before or what he’s seen before.

I told Zahn that if I know more about Leaphorn at the end of this ride, that will be great, but I don’t think we can ever know him because he’s not built that way.

He’s old school.

You have to be so excited at the quick pick-up on this series for Season 2. What can we look forward to in the next installment – that you can share? I think you can expect more mystery and the unknown that comes with this world, and also the crime drama, but sometimes those two worlds are hard to separate. Also, more Leaphorn and Chee and Bernadette, Emma, and Sally too! There will be a deeper dive into their characters and where they are going together. We’ll still keep on point by sharing historic and cultural markers that make this world unique and solidly Native American in its approach.

Lastly, I think you can expect to be engrossed and entertained by this world and its cool characters!

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FEATURE DARK WINDS

b o r r o w e d

BY PAULINE ROGERS PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MORIATIS / AMC

EARTH

DP PAUL ELLIOTT, AND HIS NEW MEXICO-BASED GUILD CAMERA TEAM, DIG DEEP INTO THE NAVAJO NATION FOR THE NEW AMC DRAMA DARK WINDS.

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71, Gallup, New Mexico. A robbery in progress.

A coordinated movement takes out the drivers and blows up an armored truck.

A helicopter looms. We see old cars and a meticulously designed town where the movie theater marquee reads LITTLE BIG MAN. Price? $1.25. We then see the robbers abscond with the money.

As the helicopter floats away, the scene blends into sweeping images of Monument Valley and a white cowboy hat caught in the glare of the hot desert sun. The scene reveals two men: one frightened, digging a hole in the desert; and the other, face hidden by the hat with his hand resting on his gun. As he flips the leather catch off…

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” says the man digging.

The camera moves hesitantly to the second man. “That’s enough,” is his only, cryptic comment. “Open it, slowly,” he adds.

The camera moves in to reveal Native American artifacts.

“Put ’em back,” the man with the hat continues.

A pause as the other nervously dumps the artifacts into the ground where they belong.

The voice with the hat continues as we slowly see his face. “If I catch you stealing artifacts again, the hole you will be digging will be a lot bigger.”

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This is our introduction to Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), the iconic Native American detective who drives author Tony Hillerman’s series of Leaphorn/Chee mystery novels, and now, AMC’s new period series, Dark Winds – perhaps the first show in cable TV history made by and about indigenous peoples. McClarnon, whose credits include The Son, Westworld and Fargo, embodies Leaphorn in ways beyond the actor’s craft.

Along with stunning New Mexico visuals and authenticity brought by a mainly indigenous cast and crew, you have what Director of Photography Paul Elliott describes as a TV series “about a world outside our normal experience. It’s a refreshing change from the way native peoples are mostly represented.”

Created and executive-produced by Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Returned, Almost Human, Fringe), Dark Winds stars McClarnon (who is also an executive producer) and Kiowa Gordon (The Red Road and Roswell, New Mexico). Vince Calandra (Castle Rock, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Sharp Objects) is the showrunner and executive producer. Other executive producers include George R.R. Martin, Robert Redford, Tina Elmo, Vince Gerardis, and Anne Hillerman, with Chris Eyre (see Exposure, page 32) and Sanford Bookstaver directing. Described by AMC as a “western noir thriller,” Dark Winds follows two Navajo Tribal Police Officers on the hunt for the perpetrators of multiple yet seemingly disconnected crimes. The pilot episode on June 12 garnered 2.2 million viewers in Nielsen live+ ratings; with a 100-point score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s no surprise AMC green-lit the second season just 11 days after the first episode aired.

Elliott says one of his first considerations was capturing a 1970s feel.

“I kept coming back to having contrast, strong visuals with hot light and dark shadows, and no fill light,” he explains. “I wanted to shoot the desert in early or late light and utilize punchy hard sunlight on interiors, often playing it a little warm.

The light in New Mexico is amazing. Very changeable at times, which was a challenge, but you get this dramatic sharp light in the late afternoons that I’ve not seen anywhere else, and incredible skies.”

Employing wide ZEISS Master Primes (including a 12mm) for what he describes as “their crispness, without being clinical,” Elliott paired the ZEISS glass with an ALEXA Mini. He chose the Master Primes for their ability to shoot into “the hot New Mexico

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skies with no veiling, to shoot wide at 1.3, when necessary, and the close focus control,” he adds. Elliott shot lighting tests with the cast and exteriors, creating LUTs for day/ exterior, day/interior, and night/exterior, and a flashback look (with a DIT brought in from L.A. as the production had no full-time DIT). “We looked at reservation photographs from the ’70s that had this wonderful, faded Polaroid look,” Elliott continues. “These photos inspired our flashbacks, and we amended them a little in post. We worked with a wonderful timer, Tim Vincent at Picture Shop, who helped push blue into the shadows and yellow into the highlights.

First AC Liza Bambenek says one of Dark Winds’ biggest challenges was the landscape and ever-changing weather. “It was mainly logistical and physical,” she explains. “Most non-stage days involved working out of Kubotas with trailers, pulling gear wagons through the dirt, and hiking gear by hand into remote locations. Every day in the elements required extensive cleaning and gear maintenance. Outside of working respectfully on local pueblo land and doing our part to support the storytelling and traditions of the Navajo people, the greatest success of our camera department was keeping the gear in proper working order and safely traversing the rugged landscape – every single day.”

Or as Leaphorn tells his new sidekick, Chee, of the vast spaces that comprise the Navajo nation: “We’re two cops patrolling 27,000 square miles.” Elliott says they scouted Monument Valley for key exteriors and found some amazing locations, “but, for various reasons, we were not allowed to shoot there,” he shares. “We shot all the exteriors around Santa Fe. Some of those locations were hard to access at times, but it was well worth the effort to grade the roads and clear brush to make base camps.”

The team did send a drone unit into Monument Valley, where VFX later had to remove modern cars and insert period vehicles. “The great thing with the New Mexico locations was that we could shoot 360 degrees,” Elliott adds. “Sometimes, with a little help from our VFX friends, we had to remove a highway, but we didn’t have to cheat reverses to avoid modern buildings.”

He credits Production Designer Mark Garner with solidifying the period look.

“Buildings like the police station, Leaphorn’s house, a large cave on stage, and an entire

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Navajo village, as well as the exterior of Leaphorn’s house, a remote cabin, and the witch’s house on location, were done with such attention to detail and texture. That added to creating a world few have seen on screen before,” the DP says. “Mark was always aware of lighting, and he found some great practicals and window treatments. We wanted to contrast the Navajo world with the outside world – and he did a wonderful job with that.”

As per the source material, the spiritual aspects of the Navajo world offer some of the most striking visual moments. “It’s such a major part of the police investigations,” Elliott continues. “Dark forces, ominous skies, other realities. In one scene in the police station, Bernadette drifts off into a kind of trance as the witch character enters and mysteriously releases Nakai from jail. When Bernadette falls on her desk, we use a three-axis head to tilt with her to accentuate the change in perspective. The rest of the sequence is shot with a Lensbaby, impressionistic and blurry.

We had the witch move across the room on a dolly as a dark shifting shape. When she comes out of the trance, we twist back to normal with her, and the jail is empty.”

Chief Lighting Technician Ray Ortega says that “in keeping with Paul’s vision for the look of the show, we used 5K’s for interior sets, and 10K tungsten units through the windows, as well as LED Quasar units installed in overhead practicals. This allowed us to both utilize the hard outside light and have control of the ambient interior light.”

Other memorable scenes include a large cave (shot on stage), which Elliott lit with a few lanterns and a fire on the dirt floor. “I created a low-level ambiance by bouncing a couple of S60s off the white tent that the cave set was housed in, timed to match the color of the firelight, with a slight undulating flicker,” the DP shares. “Using the firelight alone created too much flicker, so it was augmented with a low S60, again timed to match the firelight.”

When Leaphorn walks into a murder scene in a night motel room, he applies powder to his face to ward off the dark forces. Elliott says he wanted the room to feel mysterious, “so we kept it dark with just Zahn’s flashlight and a flashing red police car light through the window. The red accentuated the blood splattered on the walls and gave a kind of beating-heart feel,” he explains. “When he’s in the bathroom, he finds a dead girl in the tub.

I just went with the bounce off the bathtub from the flashlight, which gave an eerie low glow to Zahn’s face – effective in revealing his pain.”

When Bernadette goes to apprehend the ‘witch,’ she enters a dark and spooky day interior, for which Elliott had asked the art department to place a loose-weave blanket over a window that had an M90 blasting

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through. “It barely gave a glow and provided the only light source when Bernadette’s flashlight gets knocked to the ground during the fight,” Elliott recalls. “When the struggle continued into a passageway, we used candles and a distant hot light from a doorway at the end of the hallway. There is a mix of silhouettes and dimly lit candlelight until they end up in the living room, lit only with hot light blasting through the far windows.

Eventually, the candles set fire to the house, and it turns into an inferno in which the witch dies. It’s a very effective scene with fantastic handheld work from [A-Camera/Steadicam Operator] Twojay Dhillon, SOC and [B-Camera Operator] George Stephenson, and great focus pulling from Liza [Bambenek] and [B-Camera 1st AC] Cheri Barnard.”

Ortega notes that “Paul’s vision for the look of the show allows the viewer to experience the beauty of [New Mexico], which is important not only cinematically but in relation to the viewer’s experience of the story. In the hands of anyone else, the viewer would not enjoy as great a connection to both the places and the people on screen.”

OPPOSITE PAGE: FOR THREE LOCATIONS INTERCUT IN ONE EPISODE, DIRECTOR SANFORD BOOKSTAVER (BOTTOM LEFT) WANTED THEM TO ALL HAVE SIMILAR “PHOTOGRAPHY WITH SIMILAR GEOMETRY,” HE NOTES. “SO, WE PLANNED THE SEQUENCE IN PREPRODUCTION TO HAVE THE CRANES ASSEMBLED AHEAD OF TIME AT EACH LOCATION.”

Director Bookstaver (Dexter: New Blood) recounts that when he first met with Elliott, he explained that he was a “visual director who likes to shoot my TV shows like films. I wanted to be collaborative as well and keep it within the style that he and Chris Eyre were establishing. They were both open to my ideas and let me bring some of my style to the show as well as make it look like one coherent piece. Paul was an incredible collaborator on the set and a joy to work with.”

Bookstaver’s favorite sequences include a montage opening for Episode 3, which he had pitched to Elliott and the producers. “I wanted a visceral beginning with shots that were an homage to Scorsese,” the director continues. “It was a huge challenge for the camera operators and dolly grips, who all did an amazing job.”

The Kinalda ceremony, shot over many days, provided a different challenge.

“One of the main sequences was following Nanobah (Makena Ann Hullinger) running through the desert,” Bookstaver recalls, “as she progresses farther and farther each day. We shot most of the sequence with a motorized vehicle with a stabilized camera mount, and at a higher frame rate to give it a majestic quality. The original plan was to also use a drone, but there were issues. So, at the last minute, the grip team constructed a crane in an unstable part of the terrain to get the other coverage we needed.”

Later in the same episode, three scenes are intercut: the burial of Hosteen Tso, the digging of the hole for the corn cake, and the burial of the Atcittys’ daughter Anna. “I wanted them to all have similar photography

with similar geometry,” Bookstaver notes. “So, we planned the sequence in pre-production to have the cranes assembled ahead of time at each location to give us the latitude to shoot the same kind of shots with cinematic scope.”

A key shoot-out sequence was complicated with little time to shoot.

“We met with a storyboard artist and made very detailed shots of the whole scene, and then scouted the location with Stunt Coordinator/2nd Unit Director Chris Howell, who is one of the best in the business,” Bookstaver adds. “It was a challenging location in terms of loading equipment because it was in the middle of the desert, and many of the shots took place on a rock wall.

“Paul used a 30-foot Technocrane for both days of the sequence to give us the latitude and expediency,” he continues. “I put the storyboards on posterboard and then on C-stands so the whole cast and crew could reference them throughout the days. We meticulously worked our way through every storyboard. I could not have made the shots without the help of our script supervisor Merina Seidel.”

Because the horrific impact of what happened on Rust, another New Mexicobased project, coincided with the Dark Winds’ shoot, gun safety was top of mind. “Of course, we hired a professional armorer to handle all of the weapons for the two days, and the guns were never out of his sight,” Bookstaver explains. “Before each take, the guns were hand-inspected by my first assistant director Michael Chandler, by the armorer, by the stunt coordinator, by the actors, and by myself before we rolled cameras. These were real guns, and safety was of utmost concern.”

Steadicam Operator Dhillon adds that, “if I tried to describe just how important safety was on this show – and how safe we were – I would fail miserably. All kudos to our incredible first AD Doug Metzger, key grip Trevor Rogers, and stunt coordinator Chris Howell. Whether we were up one mountain and down another, floating on a barge with a camera crane, dropping a helicopter off a cliff, or tiptoeing around the 10-foot pit where the Mormons were being held captive, I never once felt concerned for my safety. I also had [A-Camera Dolly Grip] Jeremiah Phillips in close proximity, whom I literally trust with my life. I had to, to get the level of work we needed to do done.”

Dhillon says Dark Winds was the most challenging shoot he’s had to date. “Physically, it was demanding, as we were shooting at about 7000 feet the entire time, and a large percentage was captured on the Steadicam,” he shares. “Traversing up, down, and across the sides of steep mountains on dirt the texture of cornstarch is a challenge! I’m fortunate to have had the camera assistants and grip department around me that I did.

Liza and Katy had the Steadicam dialed in,

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“ IF I TRIED TO DESCRIBE JUST HOW IMPORTANT SAFETY WAS ON THIS SHOW – AND HOW SAFE WE WERE – I WOULD FAIL MISERABLY.” A-CAMERA/ STEADICAM OPERATOR TWOJAY DHILLON, SOC

and Jeremiah [Phillips] deserves co-credit for any of my shots/sequences. He stopped me from falling, guided me around careerenders, and easily has one of the best eyes and framing instincts of anybody I’ve worked with.”

Dark Winds’ opening sequence was also a special memory for Dhillon.

“It’s one of the most complex in the show and was a challenge for both aesthetics and safety,” He adds. “Doug, Paul, Trevor, and Chris had clear and stringent rules as we shut down a major thoroughfare in Española and had a single day to shoot a massive explosion, multiple stunts, and a helicopter landing and taking off. The Steadicam was vital for the connectivity felt when the bomb is placed under the truck after the bomb has exploded and the guards try to flee, and when the robbers sprint back to the helicopter.”

While many of the Steadicam shots could

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have been captured on a dolly or Technocrane, Dhillon describes “a distinct and palpable intimacy when you are within arm’s length of the actors, which is lost with a physical disconnect when elaborate machinery is involved,” he adds. “The choice of camera platforms by Elliott – whom we lovingly named ‘Sir Paul’ – and Chris Eyre enabled the kind of intimate camera-actor relationships that make the show so incredible. Zach McClarnon isn’t what I would call a ‘traditional method actor,’ but he did stay within a certain radius of Leaphorn’s psyche.

Being near Zahn allowed me to sense how he was going to play a scene, and where and how he was going to move throughout it. Often, he would silently motion me over. We would walk and dance around the set, going through Leaphorn’s beats, with me – attempting, at least – to visually watch for the bodily shifts and moments of stillness.”

Picking back up on the safety aspect, Phillips says he was especially concerned about the many running shots. “Twojay couldn’t run backward through that rough terrain fast enough, so Trevor and [Key Rigger] Mike Biss built a rig on the fly that lived on the UTV,” Phillips recalls. “It turned out great from the camera’s perspective, and Twojay never had to worry about being injured.”

For the massive shootout sequence, the grip department had to figure out how to get a camera lined up with the helicopter landing on top of it without it getting smashed.

“Trevor came up with a design for a crash camera housing based on our discussions,” 1st AC Bambenek recalls. “Over three successive weekends, and in his spare time, he welded up a housing that worked so well we asked for a second one for future shots.”

“We also used it when the Mormon

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OPPOSITE/ABOVE: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/SHOWRUNNER VINCE CALANDRA, SAYS THE SHOW “WAS BLESSED” TO HAVE DP PAUL ELLIOTT, WHOSE EXPERIENCE IN NEW MEXICO IS UNMATCHED. “PAUL COULD TELL YOU HOW THE LIGHT WOULD CATCH A CERTAIN PATCH OF LAND, AND A TIME AND DATE, WITH PINPOINT ACCURACY. HE IS A WALKING ALMANAC OF LIGHT AND SHADOW.”

crashes the truck,” Rogers recalls. “It’s hard to find a big crash housing that can fit a complete camera. And we didn’t have time to un-build the camera to put it into a small housing. [The rig] weighed 100 pounds, but it prevented the camera team from having to take 15 minutes to rebuild. That may not sound like much, but we were under strict COVID restrictions – 10-hour days. If we were in the middle of a shot and 10 hours, they would make us call it and come back later to finish that shot.”

One of Rogers’ favorite challenges was getting a crane out into the middle of a lake.

“Mike Biss and I had multiple meetings over months about how to get all that gear in there,” Rogers adds. “Mike built out a ‘crane barge,’ as we called it, over a few days before we arrived with the first unit camera team.”

Rogers says he had to guide the boat operator to get the barge to sit in the right spot for the shot, “and then we had to come up with a way for the barge to be in that exact spot. We ended up driving stakes outside the camera’s field of view and then anchored the barge with ropes. We tied a third line off the back of the barge to a buoy in the lake. The final shot is awesome, gliding over the lake and then dipping under the water. And from a viewer’s standpoint, there’s no clues as to how it was accomplished.”

“What I always envisioned in my head, when we were first breaking the story in the room,” concludes Executive Producer/ Showrunner Vince Calandra, “was a show that would look like [the Oscar-winning] No Country for Old Men. And this production was blessed to have Paul Elliott. Paul’s work on

that film [as 2nd unit DP] coupled with his knowledge of the New Mexico terrain was priceless. Paul could tell you how the light would catch a certain patch of land, and a time and date, with pinpoint accuracy. He is a walking almanac of light and shadow.

And, because we had multiple directors on the show, Paul was our consistent cinematic vision. I have had the privilege of working with top-class DP’s like Yves Belanger and Richard Rutkowski, and Paul’s work on Dark Winds is worthy of reward.”

Elliott takes the praise in stride, calling Dark Winds “an amazing collaboration between all departments to achieve something that I think we can all be proud of. It was a pleasure to get our creative teeth into a project that has something to say in a unique way.”

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LOCAL 600 CREW Director of Photography Paul Elliott A-Camera Operator/Steadicam Twojay Dhillon, SOC A-Camera/Steadicam 1st AC Liza Bambenek A-Camera 2nd AC Katy Jones B-Camera Operator George Stephenson, SOC B-Camera 1st AC Cheri Barnard B-Camera 2nd AC Jazmin Harvey Utility Emilio Cherino Loader Keshia Murdoch Still Photographer Michael Moriatis DRONE TEAM Drone Pilot Spencer Valdez Drone Camera Operator Jason Schultz 48

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FEATURE 50

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BETTER CALL SAUL

Photo by Greg Lewis/ S6

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C Photo by Greg Lewis / S5

who you gonna

BREAKING BAD CREATOR VINCE GILLIGAN PLANNED A SPIN-OFF FOR SAUL GOODMAN EARLY IN THE ORIGIN SHOW’S PRODUCTION; SIX SEASONS LATER, BETTER CALL SAUL WRAPS AN EMMY-NOMINATED STORY ARC THAT RAN LONGER THAN ITS INSPIRATION’S.

BY JON SILBERG PHOTOS BY URSULA COYOTE / GREG LEWIS / MICHELE K. SHORT / NICOLE WILDER / AMC

CALL?

A

s TV legend tells it, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould were so enamored with con-artist-turned-criminal-defense-attorney Jimmy McGill (aka Saul Goodman) during the first few seasons of Breaking Bad, they were already envisioning a spin-off for the character (played by Bob Odenkirk) down the road. Set as a prequel to the events in Breaking Bad, in the early 2000s in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Better Call Saul introduces McGill as a financially strapped young lawyer who lives in the back room of a nail salon that also doubles as his office, and whose take-anything caseload includes court-appointed public-defender work.

Jimmy’s romantic interest is a former colleague (Rhea Seehorn) who is an attorney at Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), a law firm co-owned by Jimmy’s brother, Chuck (Michael McKean) and Chuck’s law partner, Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian).

When retired police officer Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), who provides security for drug dealer Nacho Varga (Michael Mando) to support his granddaughter and widowed mother, hires Jimmy for legal representation, the young attorney is plunged into the criminal world that will come to define his life. Add in Breaking Bad regulars like drug lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) and the violent Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) and his family, and the foundation of Saul Goodman’s existence comes into view.

As he did nearly 10 years ago when Breaking Bad concluded its Emmy-laden run [ICG Magazine January 2013], ICG freelance writer Jon Silberg caught up with the creative principals behind Better Call Saul to hear about the evolution of the New Mexico-based drama and how the final season concludes a narrative arc that critics and fans all agree comprises some of the best television ever produced.

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Photo by Ursula Coyote / S2

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Photo by Michele K. Short / S3

SHADY ROOTS ICG Magazine: You’ve described Breaking Bad as taking Mr. Chips and turning him into Scarface. Was there a similar starting point for Better Call Saul? Co-Creator Vince Gilligan: We never had an elevator pitch that pithy. Peter Gould created the character Saul Goodman way back in Season 2 of Breaking Bad, and he and I co-created Better Call Saul. I admit we sold the show before we knew what it was going to be. After we signed on the dotted line, we asked ourselves: “What exactly is this show going to be, and what will it look like?” By the way, I wouldn’t recommend folks do it that way. [Laughs.]

But you had an origin story for Saul Goodman while making Breaking Bad, right? VG: We knew that Saul Goodman was the invention of a man named James McGill.

Peter came up with the perfect question to frame storytelling: What is the problem that becoming Saul Goodman solves? Why would you do something as desperate as turn into this emotionally calcified character, this law clown, this morally bankrupt caricature of an

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actual lawyer? Once we had that, we thought this one’s going to be easy compared to Breaking Bad because we know where this guy is headed. But what we didn’t realize is just because you know where someone is headed, you might not have a clue as to the exact twists and turns it’ll take to get him there.

In a way, this show turned out to be harder.

Not to mention we had all these characters we couldn’t kill off because they’re part of Breaking Bad. What about choosing the cinematographer and other department heads? VG: It’s easy when you hire talented, artistic people whom you trust. And it’s not just about being an artful DP or having a great eye. I look to hire people who are natural storytellers. Marshall Adams fits that bill, as did Arthur Albert, who did the early seasons. And when Paul [Donachie] started on the show after Marshall hired him as his A-Camera operator, I knew from our first times working together that he was a storyteller, too.

LOOK AT ME NOW

How has the look evolved throughout the series? Co-Creator Peter Gould: When we first started the show, I put together a slideshow of stills from movies to discuss. We sat together with Arthur Albert and our two camera operators and just talked about these pictures. I would talk about why this caught my eye or why I thought this was interesting.

It was never, “Let’s copy this.” But it helps sometimes to get inspiration and we’re film buffs. The Conformist was one we looked at and Erin Brockovich was another. And we also looked at a separate set of pictures for the black and white work on the show.

Not so much that first season, but later on when the black-and-white became more of a part of the show. I had stills from The Sweet Smell of Success and Rumble Fish, which were particularly interesting to me personally. That [slide show] had all the department heads and the directors who were available. I did teach at USC, but these weren’t lectures or anything so much as a way of helping us open our minds to different possibilities.

Chief Lighting Technician Steve Litecky: Arthur Albert shot the first two seasons, and his lighting was a bit more general, meaning softer light. When Marshall came in on Season 3, he was a bit more specific about his lighting, meaning there might have been more instruments used, but it wasn’t to make the scenes brighter. Marshall wanted to impact specific areas of the frame.

PG: Arthur had a different approach than Marshall, who had a different approach than Paul, in this final season. Arthur is a wonderful talent, and he left to do something else that he wanted to do. We were very sorry to see him go, but Marshall has been an incredible collaborator, as has Paul, this season.

Director of Photography Marshall Adams: I had come in at the end of Season 4 on Breaking Bad to do some pickups for them, so I knew the world this story took place in. When they offered me the [DP] job, I had lunch with [Producer] Melissa Bernstein, Peter Gould, and Vince Gilligan, and they were very clear that they wanted me to attack it with my visual sense, and also to take risks. They said that they would rather end up having to go back and reshoot than feel like we left something on the floor. I’d never heard that before, ever.

VG: I had the confidence to tell Marshall to swing for the fences, just as long as you’re telling the story that we’re trying to tell together.

Photos by Ursula Coyote / S1

MA: Steve’s got a fantastic crew. His rigging gaffer and best boy are both incredibly thorough. They even carry fake rocks around

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photos by Ursula Coyote Season 2

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photos by Michele K. Short Season 3

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to cover up distribution boxes in the desert!

They’re always thinking ahead. Steve and I both came up using big Mole Richardson incandescent units, so that’s naturally where our brains would go for big sources at first.

But many of the LED’s became both more viable and reliable during this series, and they made more sense because we didn’t have to deal with the heat and could just dial in the color.

SL: When we started the series, we were still using space lights to light the general outside areas for daytime work. In the stages, we were still using 6K space lights – tungsten lights – and we’d gel them for whatever look or color temperature that [was called for]. But then ARRI brought out their LED SkyPanel line – the S60, the S120, and the S360s – the big ones – and we changed to the LED’s.

MA: There is a little company called Aputure that makes some beautiful LED units. One of them, the Nova, we used like crazy. They became our workhorses.

SL: For night exteriors, we’d supplement bigger units with small sodium-vapor lights, like the kind you get at Home Depot, to match the streetlights. Through the years, from season to season, the City of Albuquerque started to replace many of the sodium-vapor streetlights with LED’s that read blue as opposed to warm. So, any

time we were in that kind of situation, we still tried to create the look of sodium vapor because those new LED’s weren’t around when this series takes place.

You’ve used multiple camera platforms throughout the show, correct? MA: Albert used RED – the Dragon and another sensor I believe – through Season 4. Then, before Season 5, I shot the [Breaking Bad] feature, El Camino, on the ALEXA 65. For seasons five and six of Saul, we switched over to the ALEXA LF. We also used the Panasonic VariCam for some night exteriors. That started when we had more night exteriors in episodes 301 and 302 than they had in the entire history of the show previously. I pitched using the VariCam for some of those so that we could not only get a realistic feel but also shoot in a much lower light by using the 5000 ISO. SL: We used the VariCam for very big night scenes. A lot of times it was too sensitive, and we found that we had to control the light more than we’d expected when we were shooting at [EI] 5000. Which sounds crazy, I know! In faraway areas, it was fantastic. You would get city lights and the atmosphere over Albuquerque, which would be kind of dusty because we have a lot of wind here. It was pretty spectacular. I also remember an auto shop nighttime scene where we started to find out that lights from a parking lot many hundreds of yards away

were casting enough light at our location to cause multiple shadows. Normally, if there were lights nearby, we would control them by turning them off so they wouldn’t interfere.

We were surprised that lights from hundreds of yards away would cause these shadows. So, we had to block them off.

MA: Once we started using the ALEXA LF, we found that we could come close to that sensitivity. Not 5000, but there’s still so much [shadow detail] that we stopped changing cameras just for night scenes. We also used various little Blackmagic cameras in places we couldn’t get the LF into, like behind a car’s gas pedal or in a refrigerator.

This show is known for its unusual camera placements. PG: Some are things that we have hashed out in the writer’s room: For instance, a teaser this season begins with ties falling through the air into a box in slow motion. And then there are the shots that are discovered by the person directing the episode or by Marshall or Paul or one of their operators. And those can be just as exciting and just as striking. For the teaser for Season 6, Episode 1, I wrote that there was a cutout of Saul Goodman that gets carried through a house. I suggested all these things, like a camera attached to his feet so you see the world wheeling around as the standee is moved. But when Michael and Marshall went to the location, they realized it had an indoor swimming pool. So, they came up with this brilliant idea of having the standee floating face-down in the pool à la Sunset Blvd. It’s so much better than what I wrote! That’s just one of the hundreds of examples throughout the series.

VG: We had a lot of refrigerator shots back in the days of Breaking Bad, and we continued that. Cameras were starting to get smaller.

And now we’ve got all these great Blackmagic cameras and GoPros, which are just tiny. It’s fun to find interesting spots to put them.

But it’s also easy to take that stuff too far.

Drones are another thing. What an amazing invention! They’re like a delicious hot fudge sauce. If you go batshit nuts and pour a gallon on your sundae, it ruins it. If Peter or I am in the editing room and a shot just says, “Hey, look at me!” without helping tell the story, we won’t use it. But that doesn’t happen very often because we hire very smart directors and crew, who, as I say, are storytellers first.

Photos by Greg Lewis / S5

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photos by Nicole Wilder Season 4

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THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT

Let’s talk about shooting in and around Albuquerque and some of the challenging set pieces in this show. VG: Honestly, I didn’t know anything about New Mexico until Breaking Bad. Of course, we appreciated that the state had instituted this tax rebate and that it worked! I wish other states would take note. So, at first, it was strictly about dollars and cents. But we stayed there because it’s a great place to shoot. The people are great. The crew base there has evolved and built up into one of the very best in the world. The Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul crew is the best I’ve ever worked with. Period.

MA: It’s a cinematographer’s dream in many ways because you get these wide exterior looks that you don’t necessarily have in places like L.A. The skies are incredible.

Those big storm clouds off in the distance, it’s gorgeous. And the sunsets are amazing as well. It’s kind of hard to screw up the look when you’re shooting in New Mexico. As for challenging set pieces, this Season [6], Episode 3, we did a chase scene inside an oil tanker. The character of Nacho is running through this old tanker full of oil and hiding by submerging himself underneath the oil. It was very elaborate.

Season 6 Production Designer Denise Pizzini: For that scene, we first did a mockup because it’s like: How are we going to shoot this? And how does Marshall or Paul light it, because you’re inside this oil tanker? So, we went and chose spots where Nacho looks out, choosing rusted kinds of areas where we could perforate the metal so you could have light come through and you could see through the openings. We rented a water tanker for the exterior that was out in the field, and then we created the interior on stage, which was metal and pretty much a big tanker in itself so the camera crew could get on top of it and get lights shining into it.

SFX Coordinator Werner Hahnlein: For the oil, we used Blair Adhesives in Santa Fe

Springs. They make goop, slime, whatever you need for everybody in the industry. They’ll mix all kinds of solutions and make as much as you need. They can make oil; they can make dirty oil. They can make bubblegum.

They can make anything you want that’s totally inert and totally safe. And they’ll make as many thousands of gallons as you need!

We got sample buckets of five gallons apiece of different viscosities of this fake oil. It had to be fairly thick. Once you see Nacho go under the oil, you notice how quickly it gets smooth again. It isn’t like water rippling. It just swallowed him up and became nice and smooth again. We had about 1500 gallons.

SL: The lighting inside had to match what we were shooting during the daytime. So, we had big beams of light in the stage coming down through the top of the tanker, through the holes. The light had to have the same angle as the time of day that we shot the exteriors on location. So, Marshall did mockups on his computer to give us an idea of where the light should be hung. It was very specific. Then the grip crew put trusses above the tank in the studio, so each light had its own chain motor to move the light around. The lighting crew put up incandescent, Mole Richardson equivalents of xenon lights, to shine through.

WH: Michael Mando [Nacho Varga] and Stunt Coordinator Al Goto and the double got in there and went underneath and came back up to demonstrate for safety. The stunt double was going to go under the oil, but Michael was standing there, and he goes, “Let me try that!”

And he climbed right in. We had a shower set up right off the set, so he could clean up before he goes to his trailer and destroys it with this black stuff. We also heated the oil over the weekend, running hot water lines through the oil. If you spend any time in a pool or something, it can just suck the heat right out of you.

There’s a shot in Season 5 that’s a close-up of ants on an ice cream cone. It feels like

a classic Better Call Saul type of shot. Can you describe its creation? MA: I was very pleased with that one. They built this piece of sidewalk for us on stage, and Paul shot the sequence. We were using a motorized slider that we had for time-lapse shots to make the moves. So, it’s like a crane shot over these ants. We did a bunch of R&D for the shot. We found a lens, the Probe lens from Panavision, and I thought it played beautifully.

B-Camera Operator Matt Credle: The tough part about that shot was that the Probe lens was almost level with the sidewalk. We started very macro on the ants and did this gigantic pull-back to reveal the whole cone and the car driving away. The toughest part I think was on [B-Camera dolly grip] Eli Schneider. We were on the end of a crane for that one, and his touch had to be so light because we were so macro on those ants. I just had to keep it in frame, but he had to make the move extremely smooth. We could see his pulse!

Seasons 1-5 A- Camera Operator/Season 6 Director of Photography Paul Donachie: When you talk about interesting Better Call Saul shots, we have a sequence in Season 6, Episode 8 entirely lit by muzzle flash from guns. We’d set up ways of synchronizing lights with gunshots using sound to trigger lights, using flashbulbs. Vince was directing and he wanted it dark! So, we decided to shoot some of the shots with only the “bullets” lighting the scene. They were blanks, of course, but with oversized loads. And, as we always do where guns are involved, we worked with the armorer, who determined a safe distance that the stunt doubles could be.

And they weren’t physically aiming at each other. They practiced and got everything right. Then we shot it like that just using the loads from the weapons. We used the ARRI LF at normal speed but with the widest possible shutter angle, which obviously gave it more exposure. You literally can’t see anything unless there’s a bullet firing. It worked great!

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SAFETY X 100

The horrific incident on the New Mexico indie film Rust occurred while you were shooting Season 6. Both this show and Breaking Bad have always stressed the importance of safety protocols. Did everyone feel safe despite all the violence portrayed in this series? MA: If the producers are on board and concerned about everybody’s safety, then everybody is. That’s the way it was the whole time I worked on the show.

PD: Safety was always paramount.

Everything was done very professionally by the production team, Sony Pictures, and the whole production department.

WH: What we always do before anything that may involve possible danger is to have a safety meeting. How far is the fire going to spread?

Where does the guy with the extinguisher need to be standing? How do we protect the camera and camera crew? Will we use Lexan or Plexiglas to protect the camera operator? If the crew is anywhere near a fire, they will be wearing fire suits. The safety meeting is pretty much the most important thing we do. We are never going to do anything that’s not safe.

How about specific stunt work? WH: With car stunts, we always have a lot of prep time, so when you hit a car with another car, it kind of bounces off and doesn’t look so bad. The way we do that is to cut out all the steel we can, so it looks like a higher-speed impact than it is. Say there’s a fender on the side of the car. You cut out everything that’s inside that fender, and then you open the back door and you’ll cut out all the frame around the back door so there’s not that structure in there anymore. At the same time, we’ll always make it safe for the driver. If there’s a stunt guy driving, we might put a small roll cage around the seat or under his feet, so something doesn’t come underneath and hit him. We generally make sure the car is tied to the ground. We’ll put a three-foot spike in the ground and put a cable on that thing and you tie the cable to the car so it can move, but if it goes too far, it’s going to swing. It’s not going to just keep going and roll out into the street or hit a camera or something like that. Safety is everyone and everything working together, all the time, every day.

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Final thoughts on the show wrapping up?

PG: I’m not alone in saying this show had the greatest crew I’ve ever worked with; with the best attitude, and the greatest attention to detail I’ve personally ever seen. I can tell you as a writer, one of the things that warmed my heart is everybody would read the script and they had opinions about the characters, which showed how much they cared about the show. It’s the most flattering thing in the world – you walk onto a set and people who don’t have [reading the script] as part of their job descriptions are talking about the characters and what’s coming up, and they’re asking questions about what scenes mean. One of the saddest things for me in ending the series is that we’re allowing this incredible group of people to go to the four winds. I’ve had the time of my life working in New Mexico and I think I speak for Vince too when I say we’re both eager to work with the same people again. Preferably that would be in New Mexico, but it could be anywhere a project might take us.

“ SAFETY IS EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING WORKING TOGETHER, ALL THE TIME, EVERY DAY.” SFX COORDINATOR WERNER HAHNLEIN

Photo by Greg Lewis / S6

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photos by Greg Lewis Season 6

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LOCAL 600 CREW SEASON 6 Directors of Photography Marshall Adams, ASC (odds) Paul Donachie (evens) A-Camera Operator Matt Credle A-Camera 1st AC Chris Norris A-Camera 2nd ACs Cherilyn Barnard (601-608) Julian Quiambao (608-613) B-Camera Operators Jordan Slovin (601-608, 613) Wally Sweeterman (609-612) B-Camera 1st AC Rob Salviotti B-Camera 2nd AC Dorian Blanco Camera Utility Jesse Heidenfeld (601-608) Digital Loader Diana De Aguinaga Digital Utilities Julian Quiambao (601-608) Kate Denman (608-613) Still Photographer Greg Lewis

Photo by Lewis Jacobs / Season 1 AUGUST 2022

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OBI-WAN KENOBI

FEATURE

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THE SPIN-OFF SERIES STAR WARS FANS WANTED HAS FINALLY ARRIVED, AS OBI-WAN KENOBI AND ANAKIN SKYWALKER RENEW THE BATTLE BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARKNESS.

BY DAVID GEFFNER PHOTOS BY MATT KENNEDY / DISNEY+ FRAMEGRABS COURTESY OF DISNEY+

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W hen we last saw Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi knight destined to “bring balance to The Force,” he had pledged his loyalty to the mysterious Sith lord, Darth Sidious (aka Supreme Chancellor Palpatine) and embraced the Dark Side. Having wiped out scores of young knights at the Jedi Temple, Anakin heads for the planet Mustafar to kill the remaining separatist leaders disloyal to Palpatine and his newly enshrined Galactic Empire.

Also headed to Mustafar is Anakin’s pregnant wife, Padmé, who refuses to believe her husband has embraced the Dark Side. But when Anakin sees his Jedi mentor, ObiWan Kenobi, with Padmé, he’s enraged with fear and jealousy and chokes his wife into unconsciousness.

Thus begins one of the most epic lightsaber battles in all the Star Wars canon, as master and teacher duel near the banks of a lava river. The climax has Obi-Wan severing his student’s legs and

his one organic arm, then watching as Anakin (now known by his Sith apprentice name of Darth Vader) is consumed by flames.

The third of the Star Wars “prequel” films, Revenge of the Sith concludes with Obi-Wan watching over Padmé as she gives birth to twins (before dying in childbirth, just as her husband envisioned).

Obi-Wan takes the boy, Luke, to the desert planet Tatooine, to be raised in isolation by a farming couple, while Leia is raised as a princess on the lush planet of Alderaan. As for Anakin Skywalker, arguably the most pivotal character in the entire Star Wars franchise, he is rescued and reconstructed by Palpatine, who provides the black mask and helmet (to cover his burnt face) that marks Anakin’s final transformation into Vader. Our last glimpse of “the chosen one” is him watching over the construction of the Death Star that will terrorize the galaxy for years to come.

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ABOVE/OPPOSITE: ALTHOUGH DP CHUNG-HOON CHUNG DIDN'T HAVE ANY STAR WARS BACKGROUND, HE SAYS “THE STORY OF OBI-WAN IS ABOUT PEOPLE LIVING IN ISOLATION AND LONELINESS. AND I THINK MY PAST WORK [WHICH INCLUDES FILM FESTIVAL HITS LIKE LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, STOKER AND OLDBOY] CONNECTS WITH THOSE IDEAS."

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“I didn’t know very much about Star Wars and had never worked in the [LED] Volume,” shares Chung-hoon Chung, the South Koreanborn director of photography who was chosen

by Executive Producer/Director Deborah Chow to help visualize the newest Disney+ Star Wars spin-off series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Speaking through an interpreter, Chung adds that “the story of Obi-Wan is about two people living in isolation and loneliness. And I think my past work [which includes film festival hits like Last Night in Soho, Stoker and Oldboy] connects with those ideas. Most importantly, because I did not have a strong stereotype of or opinion towards Star Wars, it helped in Deb choosing me to DP.” Chow, whose background includes winning Best Canadian First Feature at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival for The High Cost of Living as well as directing two episodes of Disney’s first Star Wars spin-off series, The Mandalorian [ICG Magazine, The Mandalorian February/March 2020], was a fan of Chung’s work, both in Korea and the U.S. “Chung has an incredibly original and instinctive visual eye,” Chow describes. “He’s a fantastic collaborator and a genuinely weird and wonderful guy! Because I had just finished working on The Mandalorian, I was able to bring much of that experience to ObiWan. And given that it was a limited series that focused on telling one overarching story, I was grateful to be able to direct the whole show, as it facilitated a continuity for tone and performance.”

Design-wise, that continuity was tied to the tortured history between Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen). Longtime ILM/Star Wars Production Designer Doug Chiang (who worked on the prequel films, The Phantom

Menace and Attack of the Clones, as well as The Force Awakens, Rogue One, Solo, The Rise of Skywalker, and The Mandalorian) says he and George Lucas established a timeline way back on Phantom Menace that ultimately helped to inform the look of this new series.

“This series allowed us to validate that timeline,” Chiang explains from his base at Lucasfilm. “Things like the flashback scenes in the Jedi Temple [Episode 5] were pulled right from the prequel aesthetic. Even though we’re seeing different rooms than the prequel, we wanted to remind audiences of that same architecture. We also had a great opportunity to design spaceships that could bridge the prequel era with the original trilogy, since this series occurs right in the middle of the two.

The same went for lighting in sets like the Inquisitorius [Episode 4]. It was important not to make those references arbitrary, so viewers could place this new world of Obi-Wan within the larger Star Wars context.”

A different tack was taken by Chow and Chung, along with key Guild crewmembers like Chris Moseley (A-Camera Operator) and Chris Herr (B-Camera/Ronin Operator), when it came to mirroring Star Wars’ classic approach to framing and camera movement. Chow says it’s mostly just in the pilot episode where the older influence is felt. “The shooting style [in Episode 1] is quiet, with wide shots and slow camera movements,” she shares. “All of that is designed to support Obi-Wan’s isolation and solitude.”

True enough. Ewan McGregor’s first appearance is as the haggard “Ben” Kenobi.

Now, ten years after the events in Revenge of the Sith, Ben’s harvesting sand whale meat on Tatooine and is a shell of his former self. His nights are spent in a dark, cave-like abode, restlessly dreaming of his former Padawan.

When another Jedi (running from an Imperial Inquisitor) arrives with his old lightsaber, Ben urges him to give up the fight and stay hidden.

“The time of the Jedi is over,” he quietly insists.

The introduction of Ben at the sand whale farm, like most of Obi-Wan Kenobi (and its precursors, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett), was shot inside “The Volume” – a large warehouse in Manhattan Beach, CA, where an Industrial Light & Magic support team (using the company’s proprietary StageCraft system) was able to manipulate pre-conceived content on an array of massive LED screens. Chung, who had never worked in The Volume, says for the whale farm scene (also the first day of production), he ordered eight 18K HMI’s. “Using hard light for a day exterior was what everyone said not to do in The Volume!” he laughs. “But if I don’t follow my instincts, then I don’t feel useful as a DP. So, little by little I started trying things that were not supposed to work in The Volume. I did end up using four of the eight 18K HMI’s at once for the whale farm, and it turned out great.”

Chiang says the sand whale scene was extremely challenging from a design perspective.

“Trying to imply direct sunlight, with hard shadows and bright luminescence, in The Volume is difficult,” he explains, “as was creating the majestic scope Deborah wanted to capture the scene in-camera. One way to mitigate the day exterior problem was to imply texture through sand and atmosphere, and play the actors in shadow, behind the sand whale, so the backgrounds could go bright. To get the scope of this enormous creature, you need a 360 virtual environment where the camera can pan fully around. Normally we’d do that as a full [CG] set extension. But with this scene, we wanted to see how far we could push

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FOR EPISODE 1'S MASSIVE SAND WHALE FARM SCENE, CHUNG-HOON CHUNG SAYS "USING HARD LIGHT FOR A DAY EXTERIOR WAS WHAT EVERYONE SAID NOT AUGUST 2022 85 TO DO IN THE VOLUME! BUT IF I DON’T FOLLOW MY INSTINCTS, THEN I DON’T FEEL USEFUL AS A DP. "

LEFT/PAGES 87/88/89: PRODUCTION DESIGNER DOUG CHIANG DETAILED THREE KEY DESIGN ASPECTS IN THE DAIYU VOLUME SET. “USING THE RICH JADE GREEN AND MAROON COLOR PALETTE, WHICH REFERENCES THE WET NEON LOOK OF BLADE RUNNER, WAS A GREAT APPROACH. AS WERE THE HANGING LANTERNS, WHICH ARE SO BESPOKE FOR HONG KONG," CHAING SHARES. "VERTICAL NEON SIGNS WERE NOT SOMETHING WE HAD TRIED IN THE VOLUME, AND I THOUGHT THEY ADDED SO MUCH TO THE OVERALL LIGHTING AND TEXTURE.”

The Volume, in terms of technology, resolution and what the camera could see.”

B-Camera/Ronin Operator Herr, also a Volume newbie, was impressed by how seamlessly the technology blended physical foreground sets with LED background content.

“When we start the crane move for that opening wide shot of the sand whale farm,” Herr recounts, “we’re actually above The Volume, and every panel is in use, rendering out the full 6K image. Half the frame is the stage, with the perms and all the cables and wiring, and Ewan and the cast are in the physical set below. As the camera moves down and in, it is amazing to see the LED panels, even at such an extreme angle, correct the perspective. It looks completely natural through the viewfinder, but not so much when you step away from the camera.” Herr says one key to working in The Volume is understanding the frustum, “which is the field of view of the camera as it intersects the LED panels,” he adds. “You can pan as fast as you want, but if you move too fast, there can be a lag, as the render is a few frames behind.

It’s not usually noticeable unless you have straight lines running from the physical set into the virtual set, as with the loading bay of the Inquisitorius.”

Aside from using ¾ hard light, Chung skirted other Volume rules, like framing wide for a low angle, employing multiple cameras, and making extensive use of handheld, the last of which becomes a key visual signature throughout. Some scenes, like the urban night exteriors on Daiyu in Episode 2, feel tailor-made for The Volume. Convinced by his old friend (and Leia’s adopted father) Bail Organa to retrieve the young princess, who has been kidnapped from Alderaan, Obi-Wan chases Leia through Daiyu’s streets. While the bright, wet, neon look may conjure up Blade Runner or The Dark Knight to Western eyes, Chung says he drew heavily from his Korean culture.

“It’s common in Asian cities to see these

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neon lights running deep into the background and reflections from the wet streets,” he offers. “So, every time Deb or Doug [Chiang] or [Production Designer Todd Cherniawsky] talked about wanting this location to be Hong Kong at night, it was natural and real for me.”

Chiang credits Chow with being eager to lean into three key design aspects in the Daiyu Volume set. “Using the rich jade green and maroon color palette, which references the wet neon look of Blade Runner, with a twist, was a great approach,” Chiang recounts. “As were the hanging lanterns seen throughout, which are so bespoke for Hong Kong. Vertical neon signs were not something we had tried in The Volume before, and I thought they added so much to the overall lighting and texture.”

A fast and frenetic low-angle follow/POV of Leia running through Daiyu was done

by A-Camera Operator Moseley, working remotely on the ALEXA Mini LF (which was stabilized by the Ronin and mounted on an RC car). Guild member Zack Haskell was the RC car utility, along with Corey Gineris (driver) and Travis Samson (technician). The set was built in an S pattern to maximize the car’s movement through The Volume. Using an image from a reference camera mounted to the car, along with the image from the Ronin, they hit gaps the platform could travel through.

Moseley, who more recently day-played on Season 3 of The Mandalorian, had also not worked in The Volume before Obi-Wan. He says that “Chung’s style included much more movement [and handheld] than the classic Western/Samurai look the [Star Wars] films are known for,” Moseley shares. “I think the fact that Chris [Herr] and I had a history of dual operating – me on the MIMIC and he on the gimbal – helped a lot on this show, as the preference to give scenes a rougher, handheld look [with the MIMIC], even with the crane shots, grew with each episode. It really came together in the fight scenes between Vader and Obi-Wan; by Episode 6, Chris [Herr] was doing traditional handheld close to the actors.”

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As Moseley points out, the balancing act between light and dark at the heart of ObiWan Kenobi is best expressed in two major fight scenes, the first in Episode 3 when Vader, with the help of his key Imperial Inquisitor, Reva (Moses Ingram), tracks Obi-Wan to the mining system planet of Mapuzo. Chow says the scene of Vader walking at night through Mapuzo’s village, which was shot in a built set near a gravel quarry in Sun Valley, CA, before meeting Obi-Wan, is one of her favorites.

“Lighting, performance, narrative impact – so many aspects came together in that lead-up to them meeting again after so long,” she shares.

In fact, Obi-Wan is close by, hidden in a Jedi safe house to which an Imperial Officer/ Jedi spy named Tala Durith (Indira Varma) has brought him and Leia, before attempting an escape via transport plane. As the two men use the Force to sense each other’s presence, Obi-Wan urges Tala to take Leia to the plane, leaving himself as fodder for Vader. They meet outside the village [shot in the actual gravel quarry, where OSHA requirements meant everyone in hardhats] in what Chow describes as a violent reunion seen mainly through Obi-Wan’s eyes. “We wanted to amplify his feelings at seeing the monster that Anakin had become, for the first time,” she explains.

“So, the camerawork was designed to reflect Vader’s power and control, versus Obi-Wan’s physical and psychological turmoil.”

Chung says his original concept for the face-off was “complete darkness, with only the appearance of Vader’s [red] lightsaber to tell you where the characters are. With the flame bars on the set and VFX fire added in post, it turned out a bit brighter than I envisioned.”

The battle culminates in Vader lifting ObiWan high in the air via the Force, before dragging him down to the ground and through a gauntlet of flames. He wants to inflict as much physical suffering on his master as he suffered back at Mustafar’s lava river. “I always prefer real fire, as it looks more natural than CG,” Chung continues. “In general, we wanted to capture as much as possible in camera. For example, we would feature the light from the flame bars on reflective surfaces like Vader’s helmet.”

As Chow noted about the camerawork reflecting Vader’s dominance, much of the firefilled battle was dual-operated, with Moseley on the MIMIC and Herr on the Ronin. The amount of practical effects Chung and Chow used enhanced Herr’s ability to connect with the narrative. “It’s the first time we see ObiWan using his lightsaber,” Herr describes.

“As Deb wanted his POV with the saber, I got to channel my inner Obi-Wan, swinging it through the frame a few times, in a career-type moment,” he smiles.

Herr says the sabers were polycarbonate rods with strips of LiteRibbon “that could be animated by the DMX board operator to run up and down its length,” he details. “They also

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CHUNG (LEFT) SAYS CHOW'S (RIGHT) BIGGEST STRENGTH AS A DIRECTOR WAS HER TOTAL GRASP OF STORY. "THE VISUALS AND THE STORY CANNOT BE SEPARATED," HE EXPLAINS. "DEBORAH LED OUR TEAM WITH STRENGTH AND KINDNESS. SHE WAS OBI-WAN AND DARTH VADER PUT TOGETHER!”

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had half-length sabers to let the actors follow through with the motion [and some of the light], depending on our lensing and how close they were to the camera.”

Credit goes to Herr’s first-time use of the GLINK vest [from Flowcine] which, he says, combined the best of Steadicam and gimbal rigs. “Supporting from below the camera, the GLINK provided the physical profile and ‘float’ of a Steadicam,” Herr explains, “which was key for moving through tight spaces with low overhead clearance, while rigs like the Antigravity got us low to the ground.” With Moseley on the MIMIC, Herr was able to “stick with Vader and Obi-Wan” throughout the fight scenes. “Changing height was also important,” Herr adds, “as Vader is much taller than ObiWan, and you had to be able to see down and through his saber. Being able to boom up to seven feet or come down to four feet was another key part of the gimbal coverage.”

Herr says he had reservations as to how they could make the [DJI Ronin 2 and Force Pro] gimbals work for more than just specialty shots in The Volume. Aside from the usual complement of remote tools for the AC – Preston Light Ranger and Fiz (focus, iris, zoom) systems – “there’s a lot of other things you have to fly to support the Ronin in The Volume,” he notes. “Like figuring out where to position each leg of the [tracking device] so it didn’t impede the gimbal or get into the shot.

Normally we were tethered to provide a data stream for all the accelerometers and tracking information. But there were times, like the fight scene in Episode 6, where we were able to pull that cable off completely.”

For this final battle, located on a craggy unnamed planet (maybe in the Malachor V system), Chow describes Obi-Wan and Vader as being “equally matched, so the power balance continually shifts throughout the fight,” she notes, “with neither able to get the metaphorical high ground, until the moment of Vader’s cracked mask changes everything.”

Chung, who calls the scene his favorite in the show, says there was much discussion about how it could work, “and how the set design could support the emotional journey of these characters,” he describes. “They move through different landscapes, and the high vertical of the rock towers reinforces this feeling of solitude. There are some very wide shots in the scene that were made even wider [by VFX] than what we framed on the day. I like them very much, as they also highlight the loneliness of these two men. Our two Chris operators [laughs] did amazing work with the gimbal and crane for that scene. I also did some close-in operating as it was easier for me to find the emotion for Vader – before his helmet comes off – than to explain exactly

what I was looking for.”

Herr says shooting the Episode 6 fight scene was like preparing for a five-day CrossFit event. “I had never moved as fast with a camera before,” he smiles. “But if you’re an operator who shoots fight scenes, then there is a certain level of endurance that’s expected, not unlike a stunt person. Our dolly grips, Willie Blue and Nate Childe, made sure I didn’t have to hold the camera longer than necessary, which helped keep me going for those five days. They’d take the weight while we slated the shot, and I’d pick up the camera just before ‘action.’ Most of the fights were shot holding the spider grips in ‘gunner mode,’ which got heavy.”

Moseley says The Volume allowed for “an interesting use of vertical camera work, both on the crane and from the floor,” he shares.

“Looking up at the ceiling in The Volume, with your naked eye, vertical structures, like the rock spires [in the Episode 6 fight scene] or the buildings in Daiyu, appear crooked and distorted. But looking through the camera as you tilt up, those verticals start erecting in proper perspective. It’s incredible how all the witness cameras track the production camera and everything magically falls into place.”

Chiang notes that the final Vader-ObiWan battle, aka “the barren moon sequence,” needed to be in a landscape worthy of the confrontation. “Deborah kept pointing out that this should look like a western, with two gunfighters dueling it out in an exotic environment,” Chiang describes. “And because the environment had to reflect the scene’s emotional arcs, we wanted it sharp and jagged, with these rock spires that make everything feel threatening. Although it’s subtle, it’s the best kind of production design, as it wholly supports the narrative without calling too much attention to itself.”

Because the barren moon was shot at the end of the schedule, when build time and budget were challenged, much of it landed in virtual space. Five different Volume loads, each roughly 80 feet across, were loaded sequentially to represent the changing landscapes. Parts of the scene featured a raised floor, which would take longer to build. The pit into which ObiWan falls was a physical set, along with the platform on which Vader stands to create the down-angle reverse. Mainly, the battle had to rely on a specific sequence through which the characters fight – flat open plains, increasingly rocky spires, ravine and pit.

“Because the Volume backgrounds were so abstract,” Chiang continues, “Deborah and Chung felt strongly that whichever direction the camera was pointed, we should be able to distinguish that – versus the reverse – and we did that through color. One version was greenish, the other warmer. What we discovered was that it was too obvious in the switch from green to red, and we had to bridge

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the two colors more gently. What I love about that sequence is that it’s something we’ve never seen before, and the large scope allowed Chung and Deborah to frame up some epic shots.”

When it came to lensing, Chung says the requirement to get close to actors in The Volume meant using a shallow depth of field.

“I always have an issue with close-focus in anamorphic,” he describes. “But when I found this prototype lens from Ukraine [the Apollo, made by Xelmus] where I could move in very close, I tried it. The lens options with largesensor cameras are limited. But these Apollo lenses, which ranged from 28 millimeters to 135-millimeter primes, worked great with the [Mini LF sensor]. We also had some Cooke anamorphics and Tribe Blackwing7 spherical primes, which we used for very wide perspective shots where the anamorphics would ‘bend’ and lose sharpness going wide.”

A visual theme that runs throughout Episode 5, conceived by Chow and reinforced

by Chung and his team, offers a powerful metaphor for the entire series: the duality of good and evil. The light and dark within the Force (and how one cannot exist without the other) are represented by Anakin and ObiWan’s mutual obsession. It’s also visualized in Reva’s single-mindedness in delivering ObiWan to Vader, which, as we find out in Episode 5, is motivated solely by her desire to avenge

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Vader for his decimation of her family when Reva was a youngling.

“The use of matching close-ups,” Chung recounts, “which we see throughout ObiWan’s flashback of training with a younger Anakin, was Deborah’s idea, and I thought they were great. I played with different sizing and movement until we had exactly what Deb wanted.” The training scenes, set inside the Jedi Temple on Coruscant sometime before Attack of the Clones (per Anakin’s Padawan braid), are the first time we see Hayden Christensen without his Vader mask. The scenes show Anakin’s maniacal intent on beating his master, even to his detriment.

They’re juxtaposed with similar matching

close-ups during a key scene in which Reva finally gets her chance to kill Vader. (She fails, of course.) Vader flashes back to his destruction of Reva’s family, seeing her as the youngling whose life he spared.

Chow says, “there were such strong emotional and psychological connections between the two relationships – with both Obi-Wan and Reva struggling with the trauma of Anakin/Darth Vader – that it seemed natural to draw a visual correlation between them.”

Herr puts the training scenes among his favorites. “Those were an example of purposefully emulating the prequels [in the camerawork],” he recalls, “as those types of scenes were not handheld. I was on the Ronin

but in a more traditional manner. I was also having to move very fast in space, as in the shot where the lightsabers clash and we had to quickly back into a wide two-shot. The built floors in The Volume, which were very slick, looked great for the reflections of the city, but they forced me to find some tackiness just to stay upright!” [Laughs.] “There’s a great photo of our first AD [Katterli Frauenfelder] rubbing surf wax on my shoes while I’ve got the rig on.”

Chiang explains that the floor, some columns, and the doorway were all physical builds, with the rest of the oval space, backed by a large window of Coruscant, being Volume content. “When we were working on the

prequels, those sets [inside the Jedi Temple] were so abstract,” he explains. “And they were so large, we could only build so much.”

The designer adds, “It’s always hard for the DP’s and operators to compose a frame when it’s all green screen with just a pillar in front. The advantage of The Volume is that it’s now all there. We try for such high fidelity that it can all be achieved in-camera as final shots. The scenes that may not work because we’re carrying the depth of field all the way to the content, we can digitally augment, after the fact. More than eighty percent of those training flashbacks were captured in-camera, so it was a perfect use of The Volume. You get all the interactive lighting with the reflections

on the floor, the grandeur and scope of the city outside, and the actors being able to live within a recognizable environment. It takes the power of lighting and composition away from the compositor and back to the DP.” Chung is of a similar mind, describing how he was able to use The Volume panel as a soft, changeable, and controllable light source. “The LED’s in The Volume are not an exact match for the LED’s we typically use, like the ARRI SkyPanels, for example,” he states. “The LED in The Volume is not a pure white, so it’s hard to match exactly with an outside LED source. What is great is that the panels are so large I could use them as bounce or soft fill. I would walk around The Volume and ask the ILM [StageCraft support team] to add white here, or some gray over there, and they would dial it up. It was sort of amazing.”

Also amazing was the relationship Chung had with his director, a rare luxury in series television to have the same creative partner on every episode. “This may seem obvious,” Chung smiles, “but, for me, Deborah’s biggest strength was how thoroughly she knew the story. Her vision for the series – from costumes to character arc – was so complete, she knew exactly what to bring out from each actor. Why that’s so important to me as a DP is that the visuals and the story cannot be separated.

Deborah led our team with strength and kindness,” he concludes. “She was Obi-Wan and Darth Vader put together!”

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LOCAL 600 CREW MAIN UNIT Director of Photography Chung-hoon Chung A-Camera Operator Chris Moseley A-Camera 1st AC Matt Stenerson A-Camera 2nd AC Joey O’Donnell B-Camera Operator Chris Herr B-Camera 1st AC Chris Toll B-Camera 2nd AC Danny Park C-Camera Operator John Paul Meyer C-Camera 1st AC Adam Kirschhoffer C-Camera 2nd AC Kevin Miles DIT Joshua Gollish Loader Matthew Ewing Digital Utility Karla Mendoza HWCPR Trainee/Camera Kalen Jackson Ronin Tech Patrick Moynahan Matrix Techs George Dana Dustin Evans Unit Publicist Gregg Brilliant Still Photographer Matt Kennedy

2ND UNIT Director of Photography Paul Hughen, ASC A-Camera Operator Kimo Proudfoot A-Camera 1st AC Brad Peterman A-Camera 2nd AC Brendan Devanie B-Camera Operator Richard Masino B-Camera 1st AC Todd Avery B-Camera 2nd AC Ryan Creasy DIT Luis Hernandez Loader Kyle Jacobs Digital Utility Victoria Betancourt

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CaST OF

THE SITCOM LOOMS LARGE IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION, WITH GUILD CREWS AIMING THEIR MULTIPLE CAMERAS EVERYWHERE FROM THE TROPICANA TO CENTRAL PERK. BY PAULINE ROGERS

CHARaCTERS

COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES / CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE

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“Lucy, you got some ’splainin’ to do!”

It was a famous catchphrase from the show that started it all – and a perfect way to introduce this journey into the history of sitcoms for our August TV issue, as seen through the eyes of Local 600 members who helped the genre evolve.

Our “splainin’” begins in 1951, when a CBS vice president named Harry Ackerman, a writer/ producer named Jess Oppenheimer and a fiery red-headed comedian and her hot-tempered Cuban husband all teamed up with an Oscarwinning film cinematographer named Karl Freund, ASC, to bring a radio comedy to the nascent media of television and, in the process, create a new form of visual entertainment that came to be known as the situation comedy.

I Love Lucy began when Ackerman acquired a book called Mr. and Mrs. Cugat: The Record of a Happy Marriage, which, under the direction of Oppenheimer, morphed into My Favorite Husband on the radio. Then, after seeing the physical comedy Lucille Ball brought to the radio play, the team took a giant leap off the diving board to create a new TV comedy. In the book Laughs, Luck…and Lucy, the evolution of the show comes to life thanks to Oppenheimer’s son, Gregg.

“We faced tremendous challenges,” recalls Jess Oppenheimer in the book. “In live TV, the director was only concerned with the output of one camera – the one being sent out over the air. The product of the other two cameras, as they moved freely about the room, never would see the light of day outside the control room.”

So how to transpose that into a weekly comedy show? They could use a device that turned off two of the cameras and left one running that the director selected. But the mechanism simply forced each camera to be one or two sprockets out of sync. Three cameras running all the time meant lighting had to be perfect – each actor and set lit so uniformly that they would be able to cut from one camera to another without any noticeable change.

The man who ultimately solved the problem was Freund. “Karl, despite his film background, was the first to point out that the lighting had to be flat rather than beautifully molded for one point of view at a time, as in feature production,” Oppenheimer explained. Lighting from the floor wouldn’t work with the cameras. Even lights hanging down.

“Another problem occurred when our director took his side cameras and put them in where he got just the shot he wanted,” Oppenheimer continued. “This left the audience looking at the cameramen’s backs and nothing else. So, we had Karl put longer lenses on the side cameras and move them back to allow space between them for the audience to see.”

Freund developed a lighting system from above with Seniors and converted Pans with spun-glass diffusers, and light and power off the floor. Occasionally he’d have some portable fill mounted just above the matte box on each camera. Freund’s genius was that he knew comedy required high key, and he was aware that the tube in each television station’s film image pick-up system added contrast, exaggerating everything in transmission. “Fine medium” was the byword. A partial solution was to paint in various shades of gray – props, wardrobe, even newspapers – had to be tinted gray.

On September 8, 1951, Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her was captured on film, on stage, with four cameras and a live audience. Oppenheimer recalled how “Desi [Arnaz] wanted to shoot the show like a stage play, straight through, with no intermission except for the middle commercial break," Oppenheimer details in his son's book. "But each Mitchell camera would hold only ten minutes of film, which meant we had to have a fourth camera (complete with a camera operator, dolly grip, and camera assistant) to fill in while the other cameras reloaded. This resulted in an over-crowded stage, not to mention a lot of extra expense. Worse still, it left no time for normal costume changes.” So, Arnaz simply talked to the audience between setups, much like he did as a pre-show warm-up, and he performed a few songs.

But there was also the problem of editing 7500 feet of 35mm film per show. It took too long to view each camera’s shots. So, a special multiheaded Moviola machine was built with three screens, which could run the soundtrack and film from all three cameras at the same time. The result of I Love Lucy's innovative production approach was a a mega-hit, establishing a standard that continues to entertain audiences some 60 years after its debut.

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“ The result of I Love Lucy's innovative production approach was a megahit, establishing a standard that continues to entertain audiences some 60 years after its debut.”

The next most significant change in multi-camera comedy came in the 1970s, with shows like Good Times, The Jeffersons, Taxi, Mork & Mindy, and Happy Days/Laverne & Shirley. Emmy-winning Director of Photography Donald A. Morgan, ASC, was part of a revolution that changed the way multi-camera was lit.

On his first shows, Good Times and The Jeffersons, Morgan (who was also the first Black cinematographer on the first Black-themed TV comedy) worked with the same multi-camera setup but added an “X” camera for more coverage in a shorter period of time.

“The look, to me, was more important,” Morgan recalls. “As I look back at some of my first shows, I’ll notice more shadows on the back wall. Light travels in a straight line. That being said, we hung the lights low in the front so the booms would travel over the top of them. In theory, that works. But in a 25–30-foot set, you have seven key lights drop down to just above six feet, so when you walk from one to another, you’re walking into eye-lights. The cameras needed, at that time, to be very bright – two hundred foot-candles.

So, you’re looking at the quality, and these keys were 10-12 feet away with multiple shadows.”

Morgan found the answer to his problem in the swing sets.

“When you are focusing your lighting on set,” he

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continues, “you don’t bring the fill light up right in the beginning. So, I would take out the front light and focus the back cross light in the process, so everyone’s lit and there is a dark side, which became interesting. We started to use 4K soft lights for fill, then brought in egg crates, not using cutters. You still had to deal with the booms and boom shadows – and where to throw the boom shadow – tricks came into play.”

Morgan was the first to experiment with lighting on dark skin tones with these two shows. “We had mixed couples in The Jeffersons,” he recalls. “You couldn’t practice warmer gels on those characters because you would see the warmer colors on your lighter skinned actors. Not attractive.”

Other shows were making little changes, depending on the production’s willingness to stretch the mold. Cinematographer Michael Hofstein, then a camera assistant, recalls his move from Taxi to Mork and Mindy. “It was a well-organized Garry Marshall show, well written with a great cast. The stage was suited for the Mitchell BNCR with Canon zoom lenses,” he recalls. “Collimation of the lens was tricky, and so was the J4 zoom control.”

“It was my first long-term operating gig,” shares cinematographer Wayne Kennan, ASC. “Gene Jackson was my AC, and we were the fourth camera, brought

in to capture Robin’s improv” – ten minutes where production virtually let Robin Williams be crazy Robin Williams. “We had Mitchell BNCR’s, though not a true reflex finder, a pellicle beam splitter [courtesy of Paramount’s camera department], so you didn’t see the flicker of a rotating mirror,” Kennan adds. “They were so quiet, I had to look at the shutter adjustment on the back of the camera to be sure we were turning!

The wing cameras, A and X, were equipped with Angénieux 25-250 zooms. Zoom lens technology was still evolving, and the image began to soften beyond 200 millimeters. The center cameras were using Cooke 20-100 zooms.”

Kennan, who moved up to DP in the 1980s, calls it a perfect training ground. “Thanks to George LaFountaine [ASC]. During his last season on Newhart, he taught me the multi-cam lighting technique and handed me the show. Bob Newhart was adamant that the audience see the whole show from their seats – no video assist on our BNC’s. ‘It’s not as funny the second time,’ he would say.”

Moving into the 1990s, Kennan worked on one of the most popular comedies of all time, Seinfeld. “It was a little more contrasty,” he shares. “If Jerry was talking to someone at the couch, it couldn’t be flat, so we had a little modeling on the faces – directional but

ABOVE/MIDDLE: DONALD A. MORGAN, ASC, WAS THE FIRST SITCOM DP TO EXPERIMENT WITH LIGHTING ON DARK SKIN TONES IN GOOD TIMES AND THE JEFFERSONS. “WE HAD MIXED COUPLES,” HE RECALLS. “YOU COULDN’T PRACTICE WARMER GELS ON THOSE CHARACTERS BECAUSE YOU WOULD SEE THE WARMER COLORS ON YOUR LIGHTER SKINNED ACTORS.” PAGE 102/BOTTOM THIS PAGE: MICHAEL HOFSTEING, WHO WAS A CAMERA ASSISTANT ON MORK & MINDY, SAYS, "THE STAGE WAS SUITED FOR THE MITCHELL BNCR WITH THE CANON ZOOMS. OF COURSE, COLLIMATION OF THE LENSES WERE TRICKY AND SO WAS THE J4 ZOOM CONTROL."

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ABOVE/BELOW: WAYNE KENNAN, ASC, SAYS AGFA FILM "HAD THE RIGHT COLOR TONE" DURING HIS TIME ON SEINFELD. "JERRY LIVES IN THIS AREA OF GRAYS," HE RECOUNTS. "WE RAISED THE BLACK, SO IT WAS NO LONGER BLACK AND WHITE, THEN CRUSHED THE BLACKS TO STRETCH THE GAMMA IN THE CENTER.”

projecting shadows away. Another rule – turn off any light that isn’t lighting someone. We lived or died with front bounce.”

Seinfeld was shot on Agfa film stock, which Kennan says worked for that show. “The Agfa had the right color tone, a little blue. Jerry lives in this area of grays – the film, rated at 500 [400 film], where we raised the black, so it was no longer black and white, then crushed the blacks to stretch the gamma in the center.”

Two other landmark shows in the generational story of multi-cam comedy were Murphy Brown and Growing Pains. Director of Photography Gil Hubbs, ASC, credits the entire production staff for creating the look and feel of the former. “George Spiro Dibie [ASC] did the pilot for Murphy Brown, and then I took over on the series,” Hubbs recalls. “Candice Bergen was a movie star doing a sitcom. We had Bill Hargate as her costume designer and wonderful scripts by Diane English and the full support of Warner Bros. Art and construction were guided by production designer Roy Christopher, so every department head knew exactly what they were doing.”

Hubbs describes Murphy Brown as “actors doing

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a play with an audience, where everything is off the floor,” he continues. “All keys were back crosses.

We always found a balance, with fill low enough that we didn’t see the mic shadow but high enough to be out of the picture. We had a soft, pleasing cut-off on the back walls. Candice is so beautiful that we could throw light behind her, but if a key light was straight down, we had to fill it.”

The series started with Panavision PSR’s and moved to Panaflex. With the film-to-tape transfer, Hubbs recalls going to FotoKem to set the look of the scene. He’d roll down to B until the wider shot of Bergen – and define how he wanted her to look. “Then, we’d match the four cameras and move on. There was no scene-to-scene color correction after the one-light dailies,” he shares.

It was around this time that ICG President Emeritus Dibie, [ICG Magazine.com April 2022], quite literally took over the multi-camera world at Warner Bros., teaching operators how to work the cameras and expanding lighting workshops through the Guild, not just for sit-coms but for other formats as well. There isn’t a DP or operator around at that time who doesn’t credit Dibie for his generous wisdom and sharing.

Tom Eckelberry began his journey toward becoming a director of photography while working

as an operator on Growing Pains. He recalls how “we loved it when someone asked George what the little light was on the GP-DTF Bosch [moving to CCD’s in the last few seasons] cameras. He’d call it the ‘Dibie Light’ [a newer version of what Freund did on Lucy].

The cameras were lighter and could go handheld easier. They weren’t true studio – but with shows beginning to go outside, they could be taken off the ped within minutes.”

Gregg Heschong, ASC’s, first multi-camera DP show was The Tracey Ullman Show. “Under the direction of James L. Brooks, it was like a pilot every week,” he recounts. “We had a terrific opportunity to experiment with all manner of lighting designs and camera platforms.” And it was here that Heschong began inventing new lighting techniques to enhance multi-camera. “HeschCones [polarized key sources with and without the HeschCone boxes], gel packages for different skin tones and my expanding use of Leko units borrowed from the theater,” he remembers. “We were proving that you didn’t have to use studio lights for multi-camera. We would light and cue units with the development of modern dimmer boards and DMX controls, theatrical techniques.”

Heschong photographed another groundbreaking sitcom, the Universal/NBC multiple camera

OPPOSITE PAGE/ABOVE LEFT: GEORGE SPIRO DIBIE, ASC, WHOSE WORK ON THE MURPHY BROWN PILOT, AND AS SERIES DP FOR GROWING PAINS, AMONG OTHER SHOWS, FOREVER CHANGED THE MULTI-CAM GENRE. "WE LOVED IT WHEN SOMEONE ASKED GEORGE WHAT THE LITTLE LIGHT WAS CALLED ON THE BOSCH CAMERAS," RECALLS DP TOM ECKELBERRY, WHO WORKED AS A OPERATOR ON GROWING PAINS. "GEORGE REPLIED: 'THE DIBIE LIGHT!'" TOP RIGHT: STEVE SILVER, ASC, WITH TWO AND A HALF MEN DIRECTOR JAMES WIDDOE, SAYS 3/4 CROSS-KEY LIGHTING DOESN'T RULE SITCOMS ANYMORE. “I ALWAYS LOOK TO USE MORE SOPHISTICATED – AND UNTRADITIONAL SITCOM LIGHTING – TO ACHIEVE A MORE FILMIC LOOK," SILVER SHARES. "I WILL HIDE KINO FLO’S OFF CAMERA AND PUT LIGHTING UNITS ON THE FLOOR THROUGH DOORWAYS." PHOTO BY ROBERT VOETS/WARNER BROS. BOTTOM LEFT: GARY BAUM, ASC, RECREATED THE ORIGINAL I LOVE LUCY LIVING ROOM SET FOR AN EPISODE OF WILL & GRACE, ALBEIT WITH SUPER-FAST MODERN DIGITAL CAMERAS AND BOTH INCANDESCENT AND LED LIGHTING. PHOTO

BY TINA THORPE / NBCUNIVERSAL.

comedy Abby’s, shot on a set constructed on a hill high above the Universal backlot, with a live audience.

Working closely with the art and set dressing departments, numerous practical lights were designed or modified to serve as key sources for different playing areas. “With no grid above or stage walls,” Heschong recounts, “off-camera rigging supported two dimmable overhead balloons, Leko instruments and adapted HeschCones provided fill to supplement the on camera practical sources.”

The four Panavised F55s for the outdoor set were mounted on traditional dollies with operators and assistants to handle the lower foot-candle levels. “One or two Technocranes were employed for opening and closing shots or scene breaks, “Heschong continues.

“Everyone embraced this ‘found art’ approach to the look for the show, which was dictated first by story, then location and finally presentation. It was a traditional situation comedy format, with a live audience, but in an entirely outdoor setting, a first for half-hour multiple camera production.”

Another show that bridged the 80s and 90s innovations in multi-camera comedy was Will & Grace.

Helmed by Gary Baum, ASC [ICG Magazine June/July 2018], “the original was shot on film,” Baum states.

“Eastman 5294, rated at ASA 400 with Panaflex

cameras and four 11-to-one zooms. We had to key at approximately 25 foot-candles to keep a 3.2 stop, using 5K Juniors for cross back key and augmenting with 1K Babies and 2K Juniors.” Twelve years later, when Will & Grace returned to primetime TV, Baum used Sony F55 cameras rated at 1200 ASA, with the same lenses, so it was the same general look but updated with incandescent and LED lighting.

George Mooradian, ASC, who jumped into multicamera around the same time as Baum, says “the learning curve began on According to Jim. I didn’t have anything to draw on, as I didn’t know the genre.

I brought colors to help me separate the actors and sets. I brought more lights to the floor to feel a more source-direct light. I spiced up the exteriors with hotter shafts of light coming through the windows and doors to give a more believable feel.

“Nights had less fill,” he continues. “I had darker B and C cameras, which are the master and transitional shots, and lit more to the A and X cameras, knowing that is where most of the story takes place. In the CU’s and overs, for all the punch lines: that’s where I determined my fill light.”

Camera-wise, Mooradian says he began with Sony F-900's. “Even though it was HD, the latitude, contrast, and color matrix were limited to what I was

used to on film. But I had a lot of control on stage, so that helped me with the narrow ratios. My normal, bolder looks reigned until better cameras came along.”

Steve Silver, ASC, took the sitcom plunge with Two and a Half Men. He says that while three-quarter cross key lighting used to drive the multi-camera format, for him that’s no longer the case. “Shots began to be driven more by environments and where the writers placed their stories,” Silver shares. “For example, I always look to use more sophisticated – and untraditional sitcom lighting – to achieve a more filmic look. I will hide Kino Flo’s off camera and put lighting units on the floor through doorways. Then, on cue, we will float out a light as the camera takes that space in the doorway for a shot. Three-quarter cross key light is always something I try to hedge away from.”

Silver cites his work on Two and a Half Men as an example of how much sitcom lighting has evolved.

“I lived in Charlie’s beach area, so I understood the palette and mood,” he continues. “When we shot out on the ‘deck,’ I would bounce blue light upwards during high tide or change to a warm light from the imaginary beach if the sounds of people were coming from the beach below. I lit the day scenes staged in front of a 70-foot digital backdrop of Malibu. I shot a 10-inch by 12-inch negative from behind, with Mole Skypans

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THREE-TIME EMMY NOMINEE PATTI LEE, ASC, ON THE SET OF BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA, SAYS TODAY'S COMEDY SHOWS “ARE CONSTANTLY PUSHING THE ENVELOPE. THE IDEA OF A PROSCENIUM HAS CHANGED, AND THE SETS ARE GETTING BUILT WITH MORE DEPTH AND MORE VANTAGE POINTS. THE HARDEST PART IS KEEPING THE CAMERAS FROM SEEING EACH OTHER." PHOTO BY MICHAEL YARISH / CBS TELEVISION.

into the blue sky and 19 motorized Source Fours into the water. Each of the Source Fours were loaded with metal film loops and full CTB gel to create motion in the water portion of the backdrop. I overlapped the 19 units slightly to create one large continuous movement into the water.”

As Silver notes, multi-camera comedies had come a long way. Soon more cinematographers, such as Paul Maibaum, ASC, moved into this newer version of sitcom production. Maibaum’s first show was Run of the House, where he remembers that “when the pilot was picked up, I reached out to Gil Hubbs and his Murphy Brown style, and he said he treated every set/ situation like he was lighting people on a couch. That’s a smart approach as there is almost always a couch center stage in a sitcom set! And in their positions on the couch, whether standing or sitting, there’s often little movement, and the actors’ feet tend to remain on their marks. Gil’s point was that no matter where the scene plays – at the dining room table, in a bed, or at a kitchen island – the blocking and relative positions of the performers tend to be the same. So set up your back cross key lights and your front fill, and you’re good to go.”

As sitcoms hit the half-century mark and beyond, it’s clear how much has changed and how much has stayed the same. Don A. Morgan’s work on Netflix’s The Ranch is a good example. As is the work by Patti Lee, ASC [ICG Magazine.com September 2020], the only current female multi-camera cinematographer, who began on The Bernie Mac Show and is now on Bob Hearts Abishola. “Multi-camera is where people can shake things up,” Lee observes. “Keeping in mind that multi-cam is all about the audience experience, you can’t go out and make changes when an audience is watching. But you also can’t let them get bored.”

Lee, who has earned three Primetime Emmy nominations, says comedy shows today “are constantly pushing the envelope, going on locations, or shooting big exteriors inside. The idea of a proscenium has changed, and the sets are getting built with more depth and more vantage points. The

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hardest part is keeping the cameras from seeing each other.

“Multi-camera is still a vibrant form,” she continues. “It’s an exciting time to see where we can go – and what’s in the future for a platform that has such a history behind it.”

Director of Photography Bill Berner (Are We There Yet? and Kevin Can Wait), an authoritative voice on the genre, observes that “on into the 1970s, the sitcom was a three-camera format. When video cameras were used, the cameras were mounted on pedestals with fluid heads. In true television broadcast fashion, the operators framed, focused, zoomed, and performed all of their own trucking moves and height adjustments, with no focus puller or dolly grip. There are two versions of how the ‘fourth’ camera came into play. One was that Garry Marshall added a camera to have on Robin Williams at all times for Mork & Mindy.

The other is that James Burrows called for an extra camera on Cheers. Either way, four cameras became ubiquitous and were picked up by every show.”

Berner says another change occurred when shows moved back to film in the 1990s with the return of dolly, dolly grip, 1st AC, and gear head – sometimes combined with other cameras on pedestals. “Often the two center cameras were on dollies with gear heads necessitating the grip and focus puller,” he continues. “Pity the poor operators of the pedestal-mounted wing cameras, who were plunged into the world of 35mm film, with its reduced depth of field. They had to perform their own moves and focus by themselves while working at longer focal lengths than the center-mounted cameras that had focus pullers.”

The release of the Sony HDW F900R HD (around 2000) swung the needle back to video acquisition.

The camera was still a 2/3-in. chip, like the previous generation of SD cameras, and offered 24-frame recording, as every show wanted to get as close to a film look as possible. “I believe George Lopez [shot

by Peter Smokler] was the first to use the camera,” Berner offers. Next up was the Panasonic HPX3000, which introduced file-based recording, and the Sony F55 and Panavised F55, the first HD cameras to use a Super 35mm chip.

As for lighting, Berner says the overall approach (at least on interior sets) hasn’t changed much since I Love Lucy. “We still use soft front light to avoid boom shadows on upstage walls,” Berner describes. The fixtures, of course, have evolved quite a bit, from Sky Pans with spun to rows of soft lights to bounce, and lower sources at set corners as ‘slot keys,’ with fills and eye-lights. Things moved from diffused Fresnels to softs, both Studio and Baby, to Croney cones and bounces. Keys are generally diagonal back lights so that one camera’s key light is the opposite camera’s back light.”

Over the years, Berner has employed diffused Fresnels, then softs, then soft boxes of various sorts, including SkyPanels. “I’ve even bounced xLight from time to time,” he notes. The ability to go softer and softer has been made possible by increased camera sensitivity.

What has changed, dramatically so, are contrast ratios.

“The early shows rarely had key fill ratios of less than 1:1, with very high exposure values,” Berner continues. “This was partially because of the extremely limited contrast range that cameras could reproduce, as well as the notion that comedy had to be bright.

Over time, and particularly when film was reintroduced, the contrast ratios on faces started to expand, and the foreground-background balances became more filmlike. Windows got hotter and shadows got darker. Night scenes got more source-based and began to look more like night. The dictates of time, place and mood became better represented in the lighting. Effective and creative use of color is also much more widely accepted than in the past. And the trend continues, as camera sensitivity, latitude, and colorimetry continue to get better and HDR becomes the norm."

Perhaps most importantly, Berner says, is that sitcom audiences have grown more visually sophisticated over the years, “which has allowed for more creative and dramatic lighting,” he concludes.

So, as we wrap up our overview of the multi-camera format – from the 1950s to, well, whatever happens next – what is the one constant?

Simple enough: comedy reigns supreme.

FROM THE NBC UNIVERSAL SITCOM ABBY'S (ABOVE) DP GREGG HESCHONG, ASC, (RIGHT) HAD TO LIGHT "A TRADITIONAL SITUATIONCOMEDY, WITH A LIVE AUDIENCE, IN AN ENTIRELY OUTDOOR SETTING. IT WAS A FIRST FOR HALF-HOUR MULTIPLE CAMERA PRODUCTION,” HE NOTES.

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Submit your jobs online by visiting: www.icg600.com/MY600/Report-Your-Job Any questions regarding the Production Credits should be addressed to Teresa Muñoz at teresa@icgmagazine.com 108

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First Man / Photo by Daniel McFadden

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BIG INDIE HONDO, INC. “HONDO" SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: STUART DRYBURGH OPERATORS: CHRIS HAARHOFF, ROBERT CAMPBELL ASSISTANTS: JOE MARTINEZ, JOHN OLIVERI, ADAM RUSSELL, ANDY HENSLER LOADERS: DANIEL RODRIGUEZ, ALEC FREUND STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JOJO WHILDEN

BIG INDIE SMITH, INC.

“MR. & MRS. SMITH” SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN SPRENGER OPERATORS: MICHAEL FUCHS, REBECCA RAJADNYA ASSISTANTS: CRAIG PRESSGROVE, JAMES SCHLITTENHART, MABEL SANTOS HAUGEN, KELLON INNOCENT DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CHRIS HOYLE DIGITAL UTILITY: STEPHANIE SPINDEL

LOADER: RUBEN HERRERA STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID LEE

BIG INDIE THETA, INC. “TACOMA FD" SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE GAINER OPERATORS: LAUREN GADD, RYAN CAMPBELL ASSISTANTS: KYMM SWANK, TIM UNGER, MITCH BOYCE, DUSTY SAUNDERS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL BOSMAN DIGITAL LOADER: ERIC VALENCIA-HUGHES UTILITY: JASON CHUN STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: COLLEEN HAYES

CBS

“CSI: VEGAS" SEASON 2

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN SEBALDT, ASC, FERNANDO ARGUELLES, ASC OPERATORS: JENS PIOTROWSKI, GARY TACHELL ASSISTANTS: HEATHER LEA-LEROY, NICK NEINO, NICK BIANCHI, CHAD NAGEL DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RYAN DEGRAZZIO LOADER: NAOE JARMON DIGITAL UTILITY: RAINEY ZIMMERMANN STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE

“ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT” SEASON 41 LIGHTING DESIGNER: DARREN LANGER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KURT BRAUN OPERATORS: JAMES B. PATRICK, ALLEN VOSS, ED SARTORI, BOB CAMPI, RODNEY MCMAHON, ANTHONY SALERNO JIB OPERATOR: JAIMIE CANTRELL CAMERA UTILITY: TERRY AHERN VIDEO CONTROLLERS: MIKE DOYLE, PETER STENDAL

“NCIS: LOS ANGELES" SEASON 14

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTOR HAMMER OPERATORS: TERENCE NIGHTINGALL, RICHIE HUGHES ASSISTANTS: KEITH BANKS, JIMMY FERGUSON, PETER CARONIA, JACQUELINE NIVENS, WILLIAM SCHMIDT DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RYNE NINER DIGITAL UTILITY: TAYLOR O'NEIL STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE

“THE TALK” SEASON 13

LIGHTING DIRECTOR: MARISA DAVIS PED OPERATORS: ART TAYLOR, MARK GONZALES, ED STAEBLER HANDHELD OPERATORS: RON BARNES, KEVIN MICHEL, JEFF JOHNSON JIB OPERATOR: RANDY GOMEZ HEAD UTILITY: CHARLES FERNANDEZ UTILITIES: MIKE BUSHNER, DOUG BAIN, DEAN FRIZZEL, BILL GREINER, JON ZUCCARO VIDEO CONTROLLER: RICHARD STROCK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: RON JAFFE

CMS

“A DIFFERENT MAN"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: WYATT GARFIELD OPERATOR: JOHN DAVID DEVIRGILIIS ASSISTANT: LUNA BURNS LOADER: AMANDA LETTIERI STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MATTHEW INFANTE

“I SAW THE TV GLOW"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC K. YUE OPERATOR: SACHI BAHRA ASSISTANTS: KALI RILEY, MATT CIANFRANI LOADER: EARL DAVIS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SPENCER PAZER

“MIRANDA'S VICTIM"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PIERLUIGI MALAVASI OPERATOR: KIEL EULBERG ASSISTANTS: ADAM GONZALEZ, JOSEPH ROBINSON LOADER: DANIELLE WILCOX STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: WALTER THOMSON

OPERATORS: OLIVER CARY, PYARE FORTUNATO ASSISTANTS: ROBERT MANCUSO, KEITT, JUSTIN MANCUSO, TYLER MANCUSO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MATTHEW SELKIRK LOADERS: CHRIS MENDEZ, NYLE HIGGS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BARBARA NITKE

COLTRANE PRODUCTIONS

HIGH ROLLER PRODUCTIONS, LLC

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RODNEY TAYLOR, ASC OPERATORS: ERIC SCHILLING, GARY HATFIELD ASSISTANTS: DAVID LEB, RYO KINNO, NATHAN CRUM, BENNY BAILEY STEADICAM OPERATOR: ERIC SCHILLING STEADICAM ASSISTANT: DAVID LEB LOADER: SONIA BARRIENTOS DIGITAL UTILITY: JARED WILSON

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE YEDLIN OPERATORS: DALE MYRAND, REBECCA ARNDT ASSISTANTS: TONY COAN, SUREN KARAPETYAN, DAVE ROSS, COREY LICAMELI LOADERS: BILLY HOLMAN, ANDREW HWANG STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: PHIL CARUSO

“BOSCH: LEGACY" SEASON 2

CRANETOWN MEDIA, LLC

“LOST ON A MOUNTAIN IN MAINE"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: IDAN MENIN OPERATOR: DEAN EGAN ASSISTANTS: ALEX CAMERON, BRANDON EASTMAN STEADICAM OPERATOR: DEAN EGAN STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL SOFOKLES

“MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN" SEASON 2

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KENJI KATORI, STUART CAMPBELL OPERATORS: LAWRENCE KARMAN, RICH SCHUTTE ASSISTANTS: JON JUNG, BENEDICT BALDAUFF, BRIAN BRESNEHAN, KEVIN GALLOWAY CAMERA UTILITIES: KAYLA LUKITSCH, JUSTIN ILLIG LOADER: DAN SOTAK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DENNIS MONG

“THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL & HER MONSTER"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAPHNE QIN WU ASSISTANTS: EMILY HEROLD, MONICA BARRIOS-SMITH LOADER: DARELL BURKE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: KENT SMITH

GLOSS MOUNTAIN PRODUCTION, LLC

“UNTITLED PLEASE DON'T DESTROY PROJECT" DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ISIAH DONTE LEE OPERATORS: CHAD CHAMBERLAIN, CHRIS LYMBERIS ASSISTANTS: GABRIEL PFEIFFER, AUSTIN LEWIS, TRICIA COYNE, MONICA BARRIOS-SMITH CAMERA UTILITY: BEN LEMONS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ANNE MARIE FOX

GOLDCREST FEATURES, INC. “BREATHE"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FELIPE VARA DE REY OPERATORS: DAVID TAICHER, CHONG PAK ASSISTANTS: ERIK KANDEFER, MICHAEL LEONARD, NOLAN MALONEY, ASHTON HIATT

GWAVE PRODUCTIONS/DISNEY “SATURDAYS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CARLOS GONZALEZ, SVC OPERATORS: GREG MATTHEWS, BLAINE BAKER ASSISTANTS: MATT ROZEK, MATT MIELE, MATT FEASLEY, ELLA LUBIENSKI STEADICAM OPERATOR: BLAINE BAKER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TOM ZIMMERMAN LOADER: EVA JUNE DIGITAL UTILITY: LANEY NALING

HEYDAY PRODUCTIONS, LLC “THE GILDED AGE” SEASON 2

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MANUEL BILLETER, LULA CARVALHO

“POKER FACE” SEASON 1

IMPROBABLE VALENTINE, LLC

“IMPROBABLE VALENTINE” SEASON 1

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARCELL REV, CHRIS NORR OPERATORS: ARI ROBBINS, SOC, GEORGE TUR ASSISTANTS: BAYLEY SWEITZER, TSYEN SHEN, JAMES DEAN DRUMMOND, CORY MAFFUCCI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL POMORSKI LOADERS: AUDE VALLO, NAIMA NOGUERA STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: EDWARD CHEN

IT'S A LAUGH PRODUCTIONS “BUNK'D” SEASON 6

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GARY SCOTT OPERATORS: DAVE FORREST, CORY GUNTER, KEN HERFT, PETER WILSON CAMERA UTILITIES: ADAN TORRES, MEGGINS MOORE

IT'S JUST MY OPINION PICTURES PSC, INC. “BETH & DON"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF WALDRON OPERATOR: JENNIE JEDDRY ASSISTANTS: CHRISTOPHER CAFARO, CHRISTINA CARMODY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PETER SYMONOWICZ STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JEONG PARK

JAY SQUARED PRODUCTIONS, LLC

“MANIFEST” SEASON 4

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH CAWLEY OPERATORS: RYAN TOUSSIENG, DANIEL HERSEY ASSISTANTS: ANDREW PECK, WESLEY HODGES, HILARY BENAS, ANNE STRAUMAN-SCOTT LOADER: ANDREW BOYD

KOK2 THE FILM, LLC “QUEEN OF KNIVES"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SAADE MUSTAFA OPERATORS: MICHAEL BEAU GRANTLAND, BLAKE STEIGERWALD ASSISTANTS: JACOB STAHLMAN, DAN MERRILL, CHRIS PATRIKIS, VINCE DEPINTO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JUSTIN HARTOUGH LOADER: CAITLIN SCHMITZ

MESQUITE PRODUCTIONS

“THE AFTERPARTY” SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROSS RIEGE OPERATORS: GRANT ADAMS, BROOKS ROBINSON ASSISTANTS: BIANCA BAHENA, TYLER ALLISON, VANESSA WARD, ALDO PORRAS STEADICAM OPERATOR: GRANT ADAMS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN WHEELER CAMERA UTILITY: WILLIAM RANDALL STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: AARON EPSTEIN

AUGUST 2022 PRODUCTION CREDITS

111

MINSTINCT, INC.

“MOTHER'S INSTINCT"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BENOIT DELHOMME OPERATOR: MICHAEL HAUER ASSISTANTS: GRAHAM BURT, SEAN MCNAMARA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GABE KOLODNY LOADER: FAY EMMOLO-JOHNSON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JON PACK

NARROW ISLE PRODUCTIONS, LLC

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ELI ARENSON OPERATORS: BRIAN OSMOND, MICHAEL CRAVEN ASSISTANTS: AMANDA ROTZLER, DAVID WIGHTMAN, KIM HERMAN, GABE MARCHETTI CAMERA UTILITIES: MATT BERAN, RAFFAELE DILULLO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GRAHAM MASON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: AARON RICKETTS PUBLICIST: WENDI LASKI

“OUTER BANKS" SEASON 3

PACIFIC 2.1 ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC.

NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, LLC

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: GAVIN KELLY OPERATORS: ELI ARONOFF, BLAKE JOHNSON ASSISTANTS: DEAN MARTINEZ, CHRIS WIEZOREK, BRIAN GRANT, ADAM DEREZENDES DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PAUL SCHILENS LOADER: DAN BROWN

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ITAI NE'EMAN, BO WEBB OPERATORS: ALAN JACOBY, FERDINAND LE GRANGE ASSISTANTS: LARRY GIANNESCHI, WILL HAND, NICK CANNON, NICKY GIANNESCHI, ERIK OLSON STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JACKSON DAVIS

“FBI" SEASON 5

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BART TAU OPERATORS: AFTON GRANT, MICHAEL LATINO ASSISTANTS: LEE VICKERY, YURI INOUE, GEORGE LOOKSHIRE, NKEM UMENYI LOADERS: RAUL MARTINEZ, CONNOR LYNCH

“FBI: MOST WANTED" SEASON 4

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LUDOVIC LITTEE, FRANK DEMARCO, ASC OPERATORS: CHRIS SOOS, SCOTT TINSLEY ASSISTANTS: JAMES DALY, JOSHUA WATERMAN, DAN PFEIFER, JOHN CONQUY LOADERS: MATTHEW ORO, MADELEINE KING

“HARLEM” SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW EDWARDS OPERATORS: MATTHEW FLEISCHMANN, JORGE DEL TORO ASSISTANTS: MARCOS HERRERA, VANESSA VIERA, NEICY MCFADDEN, MIGUEL GONZALEZ STEADICAM OPERATOR: MATTHEW FLEISCHMANN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL ASHLEY LOADER: JERON BLACK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: EMILY ARAGONES

“LAW & ORDER" SEASON 22

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CRAIG DIBONA OPERATORS: CHRIS HAYES, TOM WILLS ASSISTANTS: ALEX WATERSTON, IAN BRACONE, DEREK DIBONA, EMILY DUMBRILL LOADERS: MAX SCHWARZ, MATT ELDRIDGE

“LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME" SEASON 3 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM DENAULT OPERATORS: JON BEATTIE, JAY SILVER ASSISTANTS: KEVIN WALTER, ALEKSANDR ALLEN, KEVIN HOWARD, KJERSTIN ROSSI LOADERS: BRANDON OSBORN, VINCE FERRARI

“LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT" SEASON 24 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FELIKS PARNELL OPERATORS: JON HERRON, CHRIS DEL SORDO ASSISTANTS: MIKE GUASPARI, CHRISTIAN CARMODY, RYAN HADDON, MARY NEARY LOADERS: LIAM GANNON, JAMES WILLIAM STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ALYSSA LONGCHAMP

NETFLIX PRODUCTIONS, LLC “BROTHERS SUN"

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KIM MILES, ASC, CSC, MYSC, ANDREW MITCHELL OPERATORS: ERIC CATELAN, MIKE VEJAR ASSISTANTS: RAY MILAZZO, KEVIN SUN, RYAN PILON, GARY JOHNSON STEADICAM OPERATOR: ERIC CATELAN DIGITAL UTILITY: DANTE TOTINO LOADER: CRISS DAVIS

112

“THE DELIVERANCE AKA THE DEMON HOUSE"

AUGUST 2022 PRODUCTION CREDITS

“WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA” SEASON 3

PICROW STREAMING, INC.

“THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL” SEASON 5

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX NEPOMNIASCHY OPERATORS: JIM MCCONKEY, NIKNAZ TAVAKOLIAN ASSISTANTS: ANTHONY CAPPELLO, ELIZABETH SINGER, JAY KIDD, BRIAN GIALLORENZO DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MALIKA FRANKLIN LOADER: BRANDON BABBIT STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: PHILIPPE ANTONELLO

REMOTE BROADCASTING, INC. “THE GOLDBERGS" SEASON 10

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON BLOUNT OPERATORS: SCOTT BROWNER, NATE HAVENS ASSISTANTS: TRACY DAVEY, GRETCHEN HATZ, GARY WEBSTER, TOMMY IZUMI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KEVIN MILLS LOADER: DILSHAN HERATH

SALT SPRING MEDIA, INC. “FAMILY"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ELISHA CHRISTIAN OPERATOR: KOREY ROBINSON ASSISTANTS: ALAN WOLFE, GREG MCMAHON DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL POMORSKI

“GIRL HAUNTS BOY"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBERT GIVENS OPERATORS: BEN SPANER, DEBORAH BROZINA ASSISTANTS: EVAN WALSH, FAE WEICHSEL, ANABEL CAICEDO, DAN FOLEY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN KERSTEN LOADER: MANUEL GUERRA STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: K.C. BAILEY, MATTHEW INFANTE, LINDA KALLERUS

“LADY IN THE LAKE AKA FLAMING” SEASON 1 DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LACHLAN MILNE OPERATORS: JULIAN DELACRUZ, WYLDA BAYRON ASSISTANTS: LIAM SINNOTT, IAN AXILROD, PAUL TILDEN, JASON HOCHREIN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LUKE TAYLOR DIGITAL UTILITY: JEFF DICKERSON LOADER: MASHA PAVLOVA STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JESSICA KOURKOUNIS

SHORTCOMINGS FILM PRODUCTION, INC. “SHORTCOMINGS"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SANTIAGO GONZALEZ OPERATORS: JOEL SAN JUAN, CAROLYN PENDER ASSISTANTS: ROB AGULO, BRENDAN RUSSELL, GIANNA LLEWELLYN, MAX BATCHELDER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KEITH PUTNAM STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JON PACK

S & K PICTURES, INC. “BLUE BEETLE"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PAWEL POGORZELSKI OPERATOR: CHRIS MCGUIRE ASSISTANTS: GREGORY IRWIN, ERIC LEFTRIDGE, JAMIE PAIR, DJ PHILLIPS CAMERA UTILITY: ASHLEY HEDGES DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TED VIOLA LOADER: JACOB WICKSTROM STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: HOPPER STONE

SONY PICTURES TELEVISION “JEOPARDY!” SEASON 36

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF ENGEL OPERATORS: DIANE L. FARRELL, SOC, MIKE TRIBBLE, JEFF SCHUSTER, L. DAVID IRETE JIB ARM OPERATOR: MARC HUNTER HEAD UTILITY: TINO MARQUEZ CAMERA UTILITY: RAY THOMPSON VIDEO CONTROLLER: JEFF MESSENGER VIDEO UTILITIES: MICHAEL CORWIN, JEFF KLIMUCK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROL KAELSON

“OBLITERATED" SEASON 1

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ABRAHAM MARTINEZ OPERATORS: BRIAN NORDHEIM, DAVID SAMMONS, MICHAEL KALE BONSIGNORE ASSISTANTS: CHRIS NORRIS, ROB SALVIOTTI, ARTU ARIN, JULIAN QUIAMBAO, DORIAN BLANCO, JESSE HEIDENFELD, DIANA DE AGUINAGA UTILITY: KATE DENMAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAUL RIVEROS

“WHEEL OF FORTUNE” SEASON 37

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF ENGEL OPERATORS: DIANE L. FARRELL, SOC, L.DAVID IRETE, RAY GONZALES, MIKE TRIBBLE HEAD UTILITY: TINO MARQUEZ CAMERA UTILITY: RAY THOMPSON VIDEO CONTROLLER: JEFF MESSENGER VIDEO UTILITIES: MICHAEL CORWIN, JEFF KLIMUCK JIB ARM OPERATOR: STEVE SIMMONS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROL KAELSON

SOURDOUGH PRODUCTIONS, LLC “SUCCESSION" SEASON 4

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PAT CAPONE OPERATORS: GREGOR TAVENNER, ETHAN BORSUK ASSISTANTS: CORY STAMBLER, JASON BRIGNOLA, TONI SHEPPARD, LOTTE SKUTCH LOADERS: JOSH BOTE, HALLIE ARIAS

STARPIX

“UNTITLED PREGNANCY PROJECT"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFFREY KIM OPERATORS: BEKA VENEZIA, TANNER CARLSON ASSISTANTS: ALEX WORSTER, OLGA ABRAMSON, ANJELA COVIAUX, KRISTINA LALLY LOADER: MACKENZIE RAYCROFT STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: GWEN CAPISTRAN

SUMMER 1, LLC

“THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY" SEASON 2

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSEPH BRAD SMITH OPERATORS: MATT DOLL, MIKE REPETA ASSISTANTS: ALAN ALDRIDGE, SEAN YAPLE, SETH LEWIS, NICK COCUZZA STEADICAM OPERATOR: MATT DOLL STEADICAM ASSISTANT: ALAN ALDRIDGE LOADERS: JILL AUTRY, BRANDON ROBEY DIGITAL UTILITY: HAILEY NELMS STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ERIKA DOSS

THE FILM COMMUNITY, LLC

“WELCOME TO PROVIDENCE AKA A PROBLEM WITH PROVIDENCE" DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC KORETZ OPERATORS: JOHN C. LEHMAN, JOSH DWYER ASSISTANTS: ROGER SPAIN, SEAN YAPLE, PALMER ANDERSON, DARWIN BRANDIS CAMERA UTILITY: ROBIN WOOD, JILL AUTRY DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CHAD OLIVER STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: FRED NORRIS

THEORETICAL PICTURES, INC. “BARBIE" LA UNIT

BISCUIT

“DOORDASH”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: COREY WALTER ASSISTANTS: NICOLE MARTINEZ, RICHARD DABBS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NINA CHADHA RONIN TECH: NATHAN STERN

“NISSAN”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT OPERATORS: CHRIS HERR, PATRICK MOYNAHAN ASSISTANTS: LILA BYALL, BILL ROBINSON, NOAH GLAZER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: RODRIGO PRIETO, ASC, AMC OPERATORS: DANA MORRIS, ADAM AUSTIN ASSISTANTS: TREVOR LOOMIS, JOHN HOLMES, CHRIS SLOAN, BAILEY NAGY STEADICAM OPERATOR: DANA MORRIS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RYAN NGUYEN LOADER: NICOLA CARUSO DIGITAL UTILITY: MAX FREW STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DALE ROBINETTE

BODEGA STUDIOS

UNCLE GEORGE PRODUCTIONS, LLC

EAGLE ELEVEN PRODUCTIONS, INC.

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LOWELL MEYER, GABRIEL LOBOS OPERATORS: AARON KING, NICHOLAS HUYNH ASSISTANTS: ANTON MIASNIKOV, MIKE TOLAND, JAMES MCCANN, LEON SANGINITI, JR. LOADER: SEAN GALCZYK STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JESSICA KOURKOUNIS

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AVA BERKOFSKY, ASC OPERATORS: KENNY NIERNBERG, DANNY BROWN, COLBY OLIVER, CHRIS TAYLOR ASSISTANTS: FAITH BREWER, CHELI CLAYTON SAMARAS, ERIN NAIFEH, DAISY SMITH, ROBIN BURSEY STEADICAM OPERATOR: KENNY NIERNBERG STEADICAM ASSISTANT: FAITH BREWER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JUSTIN STEPTOE

“SERVANT” SEASON 4

YEAR 2 FILM PRODUCTION PR, LLC “YEAR 2"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRANDON COX OPERATOR: CHRISTIAN RAMIREZ-COLL ASSISTANTS: CARLOS GARCIA, ERNESTO GOMEZ, JORGE GARRIDO, JORGE RODRIGUEZ TRICIA COYNE, MONICA BARRIOS-SMITH STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: KENNETH REXACH

“DICK'S SPORTING GOODS”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW CHAVEZ ASSISTANTS: DANIEL WORLOCK, MICHAEL FOO, JIYOUNG PARK STEADICAM OPERATORS: GREG ARCH, JUN LI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JAKE LAGUARDIA

“BET MGM GRAND”

FRAMESTORE “JEEP”

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHIAS KOENIGSWIESER, KAI SAUL ASSISTANTS: SHAUN MAYOR, SEAN KISCH, MATT BERBANO, ARTHUR ZAJAC, DIGITAL IMAGING TECHS: JAMIE METZGER, PATRICK MCGRAW, STEVE HARNELL TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: RANDY JOHNSON TECHNOCRANE TECH: MARK DODD REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: RODNEY SANDOVAL, PETER TOMMASI

HAMMER START, LLC “HAMMER START”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TROY DICK ASSISTANT: ALAN WOLFE

COMMERCIALS ANNONYMOUS CONTENT “KNUCKLES”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JODY LEE LIPES OPERATOR: SAM ELLISON ASSISTANTS: RICK GIOIA, JORDAN LEVIE DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFF FLOHR

ASSEMBLY FILMS “2H22 UNPK”

DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: YOUSHENG TANG, ANDY LILIEN OPERATOR: ALAN MEHLBRECH ASSISTANTS: ADAM MILLER, JIEUN SHIM, TSYEN SHEN, JEFF TAYLOR, SHAUN MALKOVICH, KANSAS BALLESTEROS, LAURA ERAUD, HENRY LILIEN DIGITAL IMAGING TECHS: JOE BELACK, MATTHEW RICHARDS, HUNTER FAIRSTONE LIBRA HEAD TECH: SEAN FOLKL CRANE TECH: BRADY WESTON

LITTLE MINX

“AMAZON MUSIC"

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LOGAN TRIPLETT OPERATOR: JUN LI ASSISTANTS: JOSEPH A. SORIA, HARRY HENG, JORDAN OGLESBY STEADICAM OPERATOR: JUN LI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ZACH MARCHINSKY

“MCD COFFEE”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEANNE VIENNE ASSISTANTS: NINA CHIEN, MITCH MALPICA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GEORGE ROBERT MORSE

O POSITIVE “XFINITY”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ZOE WHITE OPERATOR: DEVON CATUCCI ASSISTANTS: KYLE SATHER, NATE MCGARIGAL, TAYLOR MYERS, SARA BOARDMAN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: THOMAS WONG

PANOPTICA

“GOOGLE TV”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN ROSARIO OPERATOR: AARON GANTT ASSISTANTS: KARIS WEST, JONATHAN MOSS, MATTHEW BOREK DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JAMIE YU

PARTIZAN ENTERTAINMENT “PRIME DAY”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ZOE SIMONE-YI OPERATOR: PATRICK MORGAN ASSISTANTS: MAX BATCHELDER, CHERYN PARK DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MARIUSZ CICHON

PRETTYBIRD

“AMAZON TNF”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOBY IRWIN ASSISTANTS: NIRANJAN MARTIN, BLAKE HOOKS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRYCE MCDONALD BTS PHOTOGRAPHER: GUNTHER CAMPINE

“VERIZON”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW J. LLOYD OPERATOR: XAVIER THOMPSON ASSISTANTS: DAVID EDSALL, JASON ALEGRE, DARRIN NIM, DIANA ULZHEIMER DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MATT SCHOUTEN

RADICAL MEDIA “HONDA”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC SCHMIDT OPERATORS: XAVIER HENSELMAN, GILBERT SALAS, JAIME MEJIA ASSISTANTS: LILA BYALL, LAURA GOLDBERG, JOHN SCIVOLETTO, ERIC MATOS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN

SEEKER PRODUCTIONS “ZARA WO/MAN FW 22”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JANUSZ KAMINSKI OPERATOR: YOUSHENG TANG ASSISTANTS: RICK GIOIA, KYLE REPKA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JEFF FLOHR LOADER: MATT MARTIN

SLIM PICTURES “GAIN”

M SS NG P ECES

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DANIEL BOMBELL ASSISTANTS: ERIC JENSCH, JESSE BARBA DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ELHANAN MATOS

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KARINA SILVA ASSISTANTS: ERICK AGUILAR, LEIGH STIEPEL DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SAM PETROV

STINK FILMS

“GOOGLE”

MJZ

“MATTRESS FIRM”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF CRONENWETH ASSISTANTS: STEVE MACDOUGALL, PAUL SANTONI, ROBBIE JULIAN, PHIL VOLKOFF STEADICAM OPERATOR: DANA MORRIS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHELE DELORIMIER

“ONSTAR SAFE SPACE”

OPERATOR: MANOLO ROJAS ASSISTANTS: IGNACIO MUSICH, DIANA ULZHEIMER STEADICAM OPERATOR: MANOLO ROJAS DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ERNESTO JOVEN TECHNOCRANE OPERATOR: NAZARIY HATAK TECHNOCRANE TECH: MARCIN CZWALGA REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: JAY SHEVECK

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SUGARSTAR FILMS

WORLD WAR SEVEN

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB HAUER OPERATOR: JUN LI ASSISTANTS: TIFFANY NATHANSON STEADICAM OPERATOR: JUN LI DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RAFFI VESCO

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“AMAZON FASHION”

“MILLER HIGH LIFE”

THE CORNER SHOP “AT&T”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KEN SENG OPERATOR: JOHN SKOTCHDOPOLE ASSISTANTS: PAUL SANTONI, NIRAN MARTIN, GREG KURTZ DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRET SUDING

THE DIRECTORS BUREAU “VISTAPRINT”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW J. LLOYD ASSISTANTS: DAVID EDSALL, EMILY GOODWIN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CHARLES ALEXANDER

TOOL OF NORTH AMERICA “SUBWAY”

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM LEE ASSISTANTS: ALEX ZOLAD, NICOLA CARUSO, STEVE BRANAGAN, NICK SERABYN DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CASEY BOHRNELL

VICTORHOUSE FILMS “FX”

ASSISTANTS: DAVE FLANIGAN, JAY ECKARDT, DOUG KOFSKY, SOREN NASH, MICHAEL LOBB, GIANNA LLEWELLYN, TREVOR WOLFSON, BRIAN LYNCH STEADICAM OPERATOR: TANNER CARLSON DIGITAL IMAGING TECHS: RYAN WINSOR, HUNTER FAIRSTONE DRONE: MICHAEL IZQUIERDO, CALEB DES COGNETS LIBRA HEAD TECH: MIKE INDURSKY OMEGA OPERATOR: QUAID CDE BACA TRINITY OPERATOR: SANTIAGO YNIGUEZ

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STOP MOTION

Ursula Coyote BETTER CALL SAUL - SEASON 2

“It’s all good, man.” Being able to shoot stills on the very first episode of Better Call Saul was nothing short of amazing. This was a natural progression for me, as I’d had the privilege of working on the duration of Breaking Bad. The photo above was from a humor-filled moment. James M. McGill (Saul) is a public defender who unsuccessfully represents three imbecilic teenagers, who get caught fornicating with a cadaver’s head at the morgue! He is arguing with the clerk because he only got paid for one teenager ($700.00) instead of all three, and the clerk would not budge. Once again Jimmy/Saul can’t win for losing, as it all goes on from there. This shot brought back so many inspiring memories that I decided to rewatch Better Call Saul from the beginning. It does not disappoint and only gets better with age.

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