Lenses

Shooting on Short Notice

Mon, 09/09/2019 - 12:07 -- Nick Dager

The Long Walk is the third feature film by director Mattie Do (Chanthaly, Dearest Sister), who was raised in Los Angeles but relocated to Laos to become the country’s first, and only, female filmmaker. In an interview in Women and Hollywood, Do described her genre-bending film as “an unconventional time-travel thriller set in a forgotten rural village in Laos, about the ethos of a man, plagued by regret and loneliness, and his downward spiral into becoming a serial killer. He also has a very complicit ghostly friend.” Cinematographer Matthew Macar shot the low-budget feature over 32 days in Vientiane, Laos with very little prep time.

New Showtime Series Gets Softer Look

Tue, 08/27/2019 - 13:06 -- Nick Dager

The goal of the filmmakers behind the Showtime series On Becoming a God in Central Florida was to create a softer look to tell the 1992 story of Krystal Stubbs (Kirsten Dunst), a minimum-wage water park employee who lies, schemes and cons her way up the ranks of Founders American Merchandise (FAM) — the cultish, flag waving, multi-billion dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin.

Streamlining an Indie Film's Process

Mon, 08/26/2019 - 13:17 -- Nick Dager

The production of the feature film Brittany Runs a Marathon presented several challenges. The directorial debut of Paul Downs Colaizzo, the film was shot by cinematographer Séamus Tierney, who came to the project late. That was just one of the reasons he was grateful to have the Panavision family of services to back him up, including camera support and Light Iron post-production.

Addressing Yesterday’s Workflow Challenges

Wed, 07/24/2019 - 14:08 -- Sarah Priestnall

Yesterday, the new British musical comedy directed by Danny Boyle, which was released last month following its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, used as many as twelve cameras for some scenes. This presented some serious workflow challenges. To address them, cinematographer Christopher Ross BSC, who had previously worked with Boyle on the TV series Trust was joined by Mission digital imaging technician Thomas Patrick who had worked with him for the first time on Trust in 2017.

The Pefection Demanded Different Looks

Thu, 06/13/2019 - 14:14 -- Nick Dager

The Netflix Film The Perfection, which was shot by cinematographer Vanja Černjul, ASC (The Deuce, Crazy Rich Asians), directed by Richard Shepard (The Matador, Dom Hemingway, Girls), and written by Eric C. Charmelo, Nicole Snyder, and Richard Shepard, follows the story of a troubled musical prodigy who seeks out the new star pupil of her former school with shocking consequences.

Shooting The Enemy Within

Wed, 05/01/2019 - 11:49 -- Nick Dager

Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Frank Prinzi ASC chose Panasonic VariCam 4K cinema cameras to shoot The Enemy Within, a prime-time psychological thriller that recently premiered on NBC. The hour-long show follows the exploits of a former CIA operative serving a life sentence for treason who is freed by the FBI to help track down a dangerous and elusive criminal.

Recreating the Original Star Wars Look

Tue, 03/26/2019 - 13:07 -- Nick Dager

Two visual effects-heavy commercial spots for Disney highlighting the latest Star Wars toys and merchandise benefited from play to the firing of children’s imagination: Choose Your Path focuses on The Last Jedi merchandise, featuring three children playing in an attic bedroom; a boy puts down a Kylo Ren toy, which then comes to life to fight Lego starships, while two of the children duck as a ship speeds past them on the red salt flats of Crait – which then seamlessly turn back into the bedroom with a classic Star Wars wipe. Galaxy Of Adventures features the original Star Wars trilogy and Solo: A Star Wars Story, with more children playing in an attic room, interacting with the toys and merchandise in a series of tableaux reminiscent of scenes from the films.

Maintaining a Vintage Aesthetic

Wed, 03/13/2019 - 11:52 -- Nick Dager

Cinematographer Xavier Dolléans chose a Sony Venice camera paired with Cooke Panchro/i Classic lenses to shoot Seasons 3 and 4 of Skam France, the French version of the acclaimed and innovative Norwegian youth series Skam, that follows a group of teenagers through their everyday lives of school, love and leisure time. Dolléans and director David Hourrègue wanted to reflect the darker storylines in the look of the show, while maintaining a vintage aesthetic.

Mixing Realism with Comic Surrealism

Tue, 03/05/2019 - 11:50 -- Nick Dager

Based on the acclaimed Dark Horse action noir graphic novel, Polar: Came From the Cold by Victor Santos, the Netflix feature film Polar was directed by Jonas Åkerlund (Lords of Chaos) and shot by cinematographer Pär M. Ekberg with Panasonic VariCam Pure cinema cameras. Born and raised in Sweden, Ekberg got his start as a still photographer at a young age and eventually transitioned into cinematography. He has shot features, commercials and music videos for established artists such as Beyoncé, Pink, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and U2, and many others.

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