Panavision

Making The Fire Inside

Mon, 01/20/2025 - 09:38 -- Nick Dager

Watching The Fire Inside, the directorial debut of Mudbound’s Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison, ASC, you may feel like you’re leafing through a family photo album of a hometown hero who went on to shake the world. For their film, Morrison and director of photography Rina Yang, BSC have crafted a look that is both down-to-earth yet also larger-than-life. Each scene strives to capture the intimacy of a snapshot while simultaneously amplifying the mythology of a young woman who overcomes all obstacles to make history at the Olympics. The movie is based on the documentary T-Rex, which tells the real-life story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed in The Fire Inside by Ryan Destiny), a young Black boxer from Flint, Michigan, who fought her way to winning consecutive gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Numerous boxing matches give the film its kinetic energy, but at its heart, the movie is about family. Despite shooting primarily in Toronto, Morrison desired that Shields’ hometown of Flint be genuinely portrayed on the screen and personally led the second unit — dubbed the “Flint Unit” in the credits — to capture the city that in 2014 was plagued by a water crisis when lead and bacteria contaminated its water supply. Claressa’s rise to Olympic glory during this fractious time demonstrates the human potential to ascend difficult conditions and inspire everyone around her. Here is a conversation with the makers of The Fire Inside.

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Creating the Look of A Family Affair

Mon, 11/11/2024 - 08:49 -- Nick Dager

“This story highlights main characters from three different generations,” says director Richard Lagravenese of his new feature A Family Affair. Now streaming on Netflix, the movie follows Zara Ford (played by Joey King), who works thanklessly as the assistant to self-absorbed movie star Chris Cole (Zac Efron) — who, in turn, ends up falling for Zara’s widowed mother, Brooke Harwood (Nicole Kidman), with comic consequences for all.

Creating the Palette of Palm Royale

Mon, 05/27/2024 - 10:27 -- Nick Dager

Created by showrunner Abe Sylvia, the Apple TV+ comedic drama Palm Royale navigates the tale of one woman's ambitious journey to make it among the upper crust, through extravagant settings that evoke the golden era of Life magazine. Cinematographer David Lanzenberg was behind the camera for the first two episodes, working with director Tate Taylor, and then passed the baton to fellow director of photography Todd McMullen, who shot the remaining eight episodes. With support from Panavision Woodland Hills, the cinematographers opted to pair Panaspeed large-format spherical primes with the Millennium DXL2 camera. Here, the collaborators highlight how the series’ visual language was distinctly enhanced by the choices made by the art, wardrobe, and hair & make-up departments.

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A Spirit Between Worlds

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:50 -- Nick Dager

Directed by Héléna Klotz, La Vénus d'argent (aka Spirit of Ecstasy) tells the story of Jeanne Francoeur (played by Claire Pommet), a young woman striving to escape the circumstances of her birth by morphing into a silent predator in the world of investment banking. Working with Panavision Paris, cinematographer Victor Seguin, AFC employed PVintage and Primo 70 lenses and a Panavised Sony Venice camera to help visualize Jeanne’s contrasting environments. Here, Seguin shares his experiences collaborating with Klotz and finding a unique look for each of Jeanne's worlds.

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The Authentic Artificiality of Barbie

Mon, 11/27/2023 - 09:50 -- Nick Dager

To make a movie based on one of world’s most famous toy brands is to venture into a particularly public arena, where everyone has at least a passing familiarity and expects a certain recognizability. In bringing Barbie to the big screen, director Greta Gerwig and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC therefore had to find the right balance between the authentic and the inventive. Working with an inspired script by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, larger-than-life production design by Sarah Greenwood, and Panavision System 65 large-format spherical optics, Prieto helped realize a world that’s been welcomed by fans and newcomers alike, inviting one and all to participate in the fun and share in the joy. Gerwig has called the look of the film “authentic artificiality.” Here, Pietro speaks about his experiences in Barbieland and beyond.

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Filming Winning Time: A Conversation

Wed, 09/06/2023 - 16:02 -- Nick Dager

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is back for its second season on HBO, pushing deeper into the 1980s as it continues to recount the on- and off-court stories surrounding the Showtime era of the Los Angeles Lakers. After sharing cinematography duties with Mihai Malaimare Jr. on Season 1, Todd Banhazl, ASC returned for Season 2, now joined by fellow cinematographers John Matysiak, Ricardo Diaz and Darran Tiernan, ISC.

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Seeing Red

Mon, 05/22/2023 - 10:49 -- Nick Dager

Director David Cronenberg’s 1988 horror film Dead Ringers, about twin OBGYNs whose penchant for tricking others threatens to shatter their own psyches, has received a sibling of its own with the six-episode Amazon miniseries of the same name. Starring Rachel Weisz as twins Beverly and Elliot Mantle, the show tracks a similar descent into madness, but one that’s carefully distinguished as a complement to its predecessor. All throughout the series, the color red plays a key role.

Through Her Lens: A Conversation

Tue, 07/28/2020 - 11:57 -- Nick Dager

On July 14, Made In Her Image, Panavision, Light Iron and Lee Filters presented the virtual roundtable discussion “Through Her Lens: Creating a Truly Inclusive Film Industry.” Moderated by Made In Her Image founder Malakai and featuring cinematographers Mia Cioffi Henry, Melinda James, Kira Kelly, Cybel Martin, Keitumetse Mokhonwana and Sade Ndya, the conversation addressed inequities within the motion-picture industry through the lens of women of color behind the camera.

Shooting for the (Very) Small Screen

Wed, 04/15/2020 - 10:27 -- Nick Dager

Short-form streaming-video platform Quibi provides premium content specifically designed for consumption on a mobile device. This presented the production of its first scripted show, Dummy, with a unique set of creative and workflow issues. In addition to the standard 16:9 aspect ratio, director of photography Catherine Goldschmidt had to create visuals for a vertically oriented 9:16 presentation.

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