Lenses

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.”

Tags: 
Red Ranger Helium
Red Komodo

Disney’s Spin Shot Large Format

Wed, 12/15/2021 - 10:28 -- Nick Dager

The Disney Channel’s original musical comedy movie Spin is full of the type of color palettes expected of a story that follows Rhea, an Indian American 15-year-old – played by Avantika – who discovers her artistic side through the unique world of DJ culture, and learns she has a passion for creating mixes that blend the textures of her Indian heritage and the world around her. Cinematographer Jeremy Benning CSC and director Manjari Makijany knew from the start that they wanted the film to be shot in large format.

Tags: 
Cooke S7/i Full Frame Plus Primes lenses

Creating a Majestic Look for The Water Man

Wed, 12/08/2021 - 12:08 -- Nick Dager

In some of their earliest discussions about the new film The Water Man, both director, producer, and actor David Oyelowo, and cinematographer Matt Lloyd, ASC, CSC, knew that the look of the film would need to be more majestic than a spherical lens could provide. Then, Lloyd met up with Michael Koerner of Koerner Camera of Portland, Oregon, who would provide the lenses and cameras for the project.

Tags: 
Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses

Star Trek: Discovery Shot Full Frame

Wed, 11/17/2021 - 08:46 -- Nick Dager

Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery will bring viewers further into the story than previous seasons, as lead director of photography Philip Lanyon added shooting in full frame to his creative look. Lanyon was the driving force behind using full frame for Discovery, although the decision to introduce full frame was also somewhat technically driven. “Discovery used virtual production environments in Season 4 and the large format can effectively give you softer backgrounds, which was important to control moiré and other artifacts you can get on a LED wall,” he said, “but shooting in full frame is what I wanted for the look and feel of Season 4.”

Tags: 
Cooke anamorphic/i full frame plus super flare lenses

Zeiss Cinema Lens Team Values Collaboration

Mon, 11/15/2021 - 09:27 -- Nick Dager

In an industry that relies heavily on collaboration to combine technical excellence with inspiring creativity, the last two years have been a unique challenge. The Zeiss cinema lens team, meanwhile, has worked hard to not only continue communications, but to also expand and improve its capabilities across the Americas. Whether it’s from behind masks or monitors they have been actively engaging with the filmmaking community, unveiling new technology, maintaining channels, sponsoring online events and film festivals, and producing their Studies in Cinematography series with the likes of Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, Matthew Libatique, ASC and Alice Brooks, ASC.

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