Lenses

Russell Crowe Directs Himself in Poker Face

Wed, 11/30/2022 - 10:52 -- Nick Dager

For award-winning cinematographer Aaron McLisky, ACS, and for Academy Award winning director, co-writer, and leading actor Russell Crowe, shooting the psychological thriller Poker Face came down to two things: achieving a modern look that maintained a painterly quality as well as choosing the right aspect ratio to capture the ensemble cast in a single frame. One other challenge on the set was having a director who was also the leading actor.

Competing with Big Budget Films

Wed, 09/14/2022 - 12:42 -- Nick Dager

Low budget films with a captivating story and compelling cinematography can compete with films budgeted in the hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s a lesson proven by the Netflix independent feature Purple Hearts from director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and cinematographer Matt Sakatani Roe. Purple Hearts became number seven in Netflix’s Most Popular Films List just 28 days after its release on July 29 with 220.6 million hours watched. It also became the number one film on Netflix in the UK within one week of its premiere.

HollyShorts Now Sponsored by Zeiss Cinematography

Mon, 08/15/2022 - 09:21 -- Nick Dager

For the eighteenth year, HollyShorts is presenting its Academy qualifying short film festival in person at TCL Chinese Theaters, Japan House Hollywood, and streaming on Bitpix TV. The festival is underway and runs through August 20. For the first time, Zeiss cinematography is pleased to sponsor the new HollyShorts Zeiss Achievement in Cinematography Award and participate in other festival events.

Filming The Rescue

Mon, 08/08/2022 - 14:24 -- Nick Dager

Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's film, The Rescue tells the story of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in which twelve boys from the Wild Boars Football club and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave complex in Thailand. Documenting the huge risks taken by a team of specialist divers during the rescue, the production combines documentary footage with painstaking dramatic reconstructions shot by top underwater cinematographer Ian Seabrook.

Creating a Real World for Star Trek

Mon, 05/16/2022 - 12:06 -- Nick Dager

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is spin-off from Star Trek: Discovery and a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS. Enterprise. Cinematographer Glen Keenan, CSC, wanted to give the show the most organic, non-studio look to convince the audience they were seeing a real location.

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