Lenses

Creating the Gilded Age’s Look

Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:44 -- Nick Dager

Set in in New York City in the 1880s, a period marked by the clash between old traditions and new paradigms, Julian Fellowes’ HBO original series The Gilded Age tells the story of two families from different socioeconomic backgrounds and the relationship between them as they are trying to navigate those times of immense change. The Gilded Age chronicles the wide-eyed young scion of a conservative family who moves to New York City in 1882 and finds herself in the middle of a social war between old money and new money battling to preserve, or ascend, the social hierarchy. The first episode became available for streaming in the U.S. on HBO Max last month. Vanja Cernjul, ASC, HFS was the cinematographer for the series.

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Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses
Cooke spherical S7/i lens
Panasonic Varicam Pure camera

Filming The Hand of God

Mon, 02/21/2022 - 12:31 -- Nick Dager

Award-winning writer and director Paolo Sorrentino’s latest film, The Hand of God, is the poetic story of a young man’s heartbreak and liberation in 1980s Naples, Italy. Although cinematographer Daria D’Antonio’s has worked for many years as part of Sorrentino’s camera crew, including Il Divo and Lan Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) this is her debut as director of photography for Sorrentino after learning firsthand from Sorrentino’s frequent cinematographer – and her maestro – Luca Bigazzi. One of her goals with this film, she said, was to make certain that the camera didn’t distract the audience from what was happening on screen.

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Red Monstro 8K VV sensor
Arri Signature prime lenses

Adorama Rental Now Offering Lens Repair Service

Mon, 02/14/2022 - 11:01 -- Nick Dager

Adorama Rental Company in New York is now offering professional lens repair service. ARC will be able to service non-warranty repairs, upgrades, and customization on a professional line of lenses, including Angenieux, Canon, Cooke, Sigma, and Zeiss lenses. The new lens repair lab expands Adorama’s rental services and production solutions for filmmakers, providing an inclusive customer experience with best-in-class support.

Creating a Cinematic Sense of Impending Doom

Wed, 02/09/2022 - 09:42 -- Nick Dager

The Last Thing Mary Saw – a Shudder original movie for the AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural – takes place during the winter of 1843, in which a young woman is under investigation following the mysterious death of her Calvinist family’s matriarch. Her recollection of the events sheds new light on the ageless forces behind the tragedy. Released in the U.S. on January 20 on Shudder, the film stars Rory Culkin, Stefanie Scott, and Isabelle Fuhrman, and is written and directed by Edoardo Vitaletti, making his feature length film debut. David Kruta was the cinematographer.

Shooting Night Scenes on a Tight Budget

Tue, 02/08/2022 - 10:46 -- Nick Dager

Cinematographer Sandra Valde-Hansen (The L Word: Generation Q, Now Apocalypse, White Bird in a Blizzard, Kaboom) found herself capturing scenes in diverse weather and lighting for Natalie Morales' film Plan B. This road movie, now streaming on Hulu, follows a pair of teenaged friends during a day-and-night search for emergency contraception.

Creating a Consistent Look for In From the Cold

Mon, 02/07/2022 - 10:59 -- Nick Dager

In From the Cold is Netflix’s new suspense series that follows a single mother exposed as an ex-Russian spy, who must juggle family life and unique shape-shifting skills in a battle against an insidious enemy. Cinematographer Hermes Marco, AEC, worked with a team of directors to create a stunning contrast between different cities and time frames. Showrunner Adam Glass and Marco worked very closely to define the show’s look, compiling lots of references and defining the contrasting styles to enable the directors to retain a consistent look across the series

Color’s Role in Pretty Hard Cases

Mon, 01/31/2022 - 09:51 -- Nick Dager

The CBC/IMDb TV original crime drama series Pretty Hard Cases – now in its second season – was shot in Toronto; not as the typical stand-in for New York, but for Toronto itself, as the series embraces the Canadian city and makes it a character as part of the storylines. Cinematographer Kristin Fieldhouse worked with the production design and costume teams to create a single signature look. “Color plays a big role in the look of Pretty Hard Cases,” says Fieldhouse.

Tags: 
Arri Alexa Mini camera
Cooke 5/i prime lenses
Cooke 4/i prime lenses

Macbeth, in Black and White

Mon, 01/17/2022 - 12:46 -- Nick Dager

The Tragedy of Macbeth—written four centuries ago for the stage—has been translated to the screen throughout cinema history. Replete with medieval atmosphere, witches, and murder, the iconic tale has now been retold by director Joel Coen. Working with director of photography Bruno Delbonnel ASC, AFC, Coen developed a visual approach to the bloody proceedings that emphasizes Shakespeare’s matchless language and the faces of the actors delivering it.

Tags: 
Arri Alexa LF camera
Cooke lenses

Shooting The Matrix Resurrections

Wed, 01/05/2022 - 13:24 -- Nick Dager

In the two decades since we first entered The Matrix, there’s been a quantum leap in computing and filmmaking technology. Visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski made sure she considered both those changes before going back down the rabbit hole. “There have been huge advances in computing that called for an updated visual representation of the virtual world of The Matrix,” explains Daniele Massaccesi, co-cinematographer with John Toll, ASC on The Matrix Resurrections. “Lana wanted to create a synthetic world that would be believable to humans in 2021. It is therefore photoreal and full of color.”

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Red Ranger Helium
Red Komodo

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