EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING Oscar-winning DP Erik Messerschmidt ASC re-teams with David Fincher for a live-action comic book adaptation that required a meticulous approach to its cinematography. When Erik Messerschmidt ASC got the call from David Fincher to work on his new film The Killer, it was an offer that arrived almost as stealthily as … Read more
The Killer is David Fincher’s latest action/thriller movie based on the French graphic novel series of the same name, by Alexis Matz Nolent. Starring Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, the film follows an assassin who gets embroiled in an international manhunt after a hit goes wrong. The movie, which made its premiere at the 80th annual Venice Film … Read more
MASTER CRAFTSMAN Few contemporary cinematographers boast as starry a CV as Darius Khondji ASC AFC. The French-Iranian DP revisits his remarkable career, revealing the collaborations with directors that made lasting impressions on him. Away from set, Darius Khondji ASC AFC constantly takes pictures on his iPhone. He calls them sketches. “I’m always thinking about scenes … Read more
FILTERED IMAGES DPs past and present discuss their favourite filters and consider the place of physical filtration in a digital world. “It’s still a question I ask myself every time I put [a filter] in front of the camera: is this something best done in post or is it best done now?” Alex Metcalfe has … Read more
And happy new year to you too, dear reader! We pick up kinda where we left off with 2021: Pandemic surges, already-tenuous societal lattice-work on both sides of the Atlantic increasingly rattled, and the surreal becoming more steadily commonplace. In that spirit then, we open this year’s column with a kind of meta reflection on … Read more
Jesse Korosi, the incisive and engaging host of Through the Frame, goes behind the scenes with Hameed Shaukat and Jenna Stevenson, co-executive producer and post supervisor on Netflix’s Jupiter’s Legacy. If you have ever wondered what it means to be a post producer or post supervisor on a high end scripted episodic tv show, here’s … Read more
A new film season at HOME will celebrate the act of making films, from the power struggles and self-doubt via dark secrets and chaos to artistic triumph. The Reverse Gaze: Filmmaking on Screen will feature 13 titles from directors including Wim Wenders, Atom Egoyan, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Michael Powell and Eleanor Coppola. Jason Wood, HOME’s … Read more
MASTERCLASS IN MONOCHROME Black-and-white biopic Mank sees another successful collaboration between cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt ASC and director David Fincher as they craft an authentic portrayal of Hollywood’s golden age and explore the turbulent development of the script for Citizen Kane. “This was not an offer I had to consider; the answer was an immediate yes,” … Read more
Vanishing Act Jeff Cronenweth ASC / Gone Girl Vanishing Act Jeff Cronenweth ASC / Gone Girl With the symbiotic relationship between cinematographer and director that oozes off the screen during David Fincher productions, you’d think that Jeff Cronenweth ASC had shot all of the acclaimed director’s movies. However, it seems that about half a body … Read more
Ivy League Isolation Jeff Cronenweth ASC / The Social Network Ivy League Isolation Jeff Cronenweth ASC / The Social Network This year marks the 25th anniversary of the ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards. Jeff Cronenweth ASC followed in his father’s footsteps by earning ASC Outstanding Achievement Award and Oscar nominations for The Social Network, as did … Read more