After its first successful season the creative team behind the hit HBO series Insecure decided they wanted the show to have a more cinematic look. For that they turned to cinematographer Ava Berkofsky whose efforts have already earned her a primetime Emmy nomination in the category outstanding cinematography for a single-camera series.
Instrument of War is a period piece based on the true story of Clair Cline, a US Army Air Forces pilot shot down over occupied Holland during World War II and held at the German Stalag Luft 1 POW camp, and The Prison Camp Violin he made from materials found in the camp and by trading Red Cross cigarettes for a bow. “We shot in Lithuania for the authenticity of the architecture, and built the POW camp around existing buildings to enhance the film’s production value,” said cinematographer Wes Johnson. With the authentic look of their sets, and a strong U.S. dollar, Instrument of War looks like it was shot for several times its actual production cost.
