Amplifying voices Ayana Baraka teamed up with director Beth Aala to peel back the curtain on Alicia Keys’ She Is The Music (SITM) songwriting camp. “When I heard about documenting the camp and SITM’s mission, I knew I wanted to be involved.” Founded by Alicia Keys, SITM is an organisation determined to increase equality, inclusivity … Read more
HITTING THE SPOT For the pacey pitch-side sequences in French sports biopic Marinette cinematographer Xavier Dolléans AFC looked to a robotic dolly system to help him keep up with the action. Marinette is actually the first biopic about a female sports player in France. It features Marinette Pichon, a now-retired French footballer, and her life … Read more
TEAM SPIRIT As another chapter of fish-out-of-water football comedy Ted Lasso comes to a close, cinematographers David Rom and Vanessa Whyte reveal how they lensed some of season three’s most iconic sequences. An innovative approach was required by David Rom to create a sewer in a Victorian arch in East London. Ted Lasso and its … Read more
GAME ON Last year, Rick Joaquim SASC shot his most unusual project to date – Cuttlefish, a live-action video game from Flavourworks complete with over 140 interactive VFX sequences. He delves into the challenges of the choose-your-own-adventure narrative, sharing the tricks and techniques that helped make the visuals shine. I took on Cuttlefish firstly because … Read more
THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED Delve into the artistry and technical mastery that brought to life RRR‘s most memorable sequence – the fiery encounter between the two protagonists – through the innovative use of miniatures and fiery lighting effects from K.K. Senthil Kumar ISC and his team. In RRR, the story of two of India’s … Read more
POP-MOTION Shot in just six days by a small crew dedicated to their craft, the music video accompanying Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” is still admired as a shining example of stop-motion success. 37 years after the video’s release, two members of the team reflect on the boundary-pushing process of discovery and invention. Having garnered an abundance … Read more
From stadium to screen Adopting a cinematic approach when lensing Coldplay’s concert film, director Paul Dugdale and cinematographer Brett Turnbull captured the band’s vibrant performance and production, alongside the atmosphere in the stadium and connection between artists and audience. One of the first concert films cinematographer Brett Turnbull and director Paul Dugdale collaborated on was … Read more
FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT Jess Hall ASC BSC reflects on how cinematographers can bring their own life experiences to their lensing for truly authentic storytelling. Spring 2014, Highgate, London. I prepare to bury my father amongst some of his closest friends and fellow intellectuals at Highgate Cemetery. The soft spring sunlight enters the southern aspect … Read more
Putting the spotlight on Salford University’s film production courses, which offer the increasingly rare opportunity for undergraduate students to get to grips with analogue capture. It’s a rainy midweek morning at Salford Quays, and I’m going back to school. To quote the late, great Conrad Hall ASC, “You are always a student, never a master,” … Read more
MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN To help Wedding Season’s viewers navigate the show’s non-linear timelines, choosing the right glass for the challenge was pivotal for cinematographer Adam Etherington BSC. Wedding Season is a high-octane comedy with a rip-roaring narrative that accelerates straight out of the blocks. It was a show I felt we could do something … Read more
Shooting fast and hitting hard Cinematographer Simon Rowling reveals how he shot action and dialogue scenes in a limited timeframe for rip-roaring thriller One Ranger. I have always been keen to work with Jesse Johnson for many years, having seen his work in the thriller/action genre. In February 2022 he got in touch with me … Read more
RIGHT ROYAL DRAMA A timely shift in focus from the Royal Family takes Netflix’s The Crown from English to Egyptian soil to follow the Al-Fayed family in season five’s “Mou Mou”. The series’ seasoned cinematographer, Adriano Goldman ASC BSC ABC, reveals how he used colour to shape the contrasting storylines in his lensing. It’s not … Read more
ECHOES OF EKTACHROME Arctic Monkeys’ staying power at the forefront of British music culture has been primarily due to the band’s constantly evolving sound. Never afraid to experiment with new instruments or lyrical stylings, the quartet have pushed boundaries ever since they exploded onto the scene in the early noughties. For their latest album, The … Read more
THE SHOW MUST GO ON Shooting in the precious setting of London’s Freemasons’ Hall added an extra layer of complexity for See How They Run’s cinematographer Jamie D. Ramsay SASC and gaffer Carolina Schmidtholstein. The duo discusses the intricacies of lighting the historic venue while juggling capturing an ensemble cast. It’s 1950s’ London and we … Read more
ORCS BY FIRELIGHT An enormous lighting setup was required when Alex Disenhof ASC lensed the orc nighttime invasion of a village in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. I remember the moment when I was in high school, sitting in a theatre watching The Return of the King and I said, ‘I have to figure … Read more
PLAYING WITH FIRE Time was of the essence for Will Baldy when lighting a fast-evolving tavern set on The Sandman. He explains the tricks and techniques used to capture the changing light over the centuries. On the surface, The Sandman is adapted from the eponymous DC Comics series written by Neil Gaiman. As you’ll learn … Read more
GRANULARITY OF TIME Ula Pontikos BSC’s work on “Nowhen” – the opening episode of season two of Russian Doll, the series merging death, rebirth, past trauma, and time travel – saw her receive an Emmy nomination. The cinematographer talks us through one of her favourite sequences from the second series which follows protagonist Nadia’s DMT … Read more
Timeline of Emotions Racking up almost 46 million YouTube views in less than a month, Adele’s “Oh My God” music video – lensed by Roman Vasyanov ASC RGC and directed by Sam Brown – captivated audiences with its distinctive and stylish approach. As the camera makes a seamless journey through a seemingly infinite sound stage, … Read more
The opening scene of The Godfather is a zoom that lasts almost three minutes. Some feel that this is the most important scene in the most important movie. This was shot with a computer-controlled zoom lens built over fifty years ago. Despite the enormous technical advances since then, this scene could not be captured using … Read more
EXPLORING NEW DIMENSIONS Erik Alexander Wilson BSC details how he captured elements of four-part series Landscapers, adopting a new “Portrait Anamorphic” mode approach which saw him shoot with 2x anamorphic lenses for a 16:9 delivery. Whilst trying out ideas to find a look for the series Landscapers, I was wondering what would happen if I … Read more