March 27, 2023
Hosting the 32nd ASC Awards, Ben Mankiewicz of TCM and great fan of cinematography, set the tone and entertained the room. “I’m honored to be asked to host the ASC awards, and even more so when I learned that none of tonight’s nominees had to be replaced by Christopher Plumber. Congratulations to all of you. This is a great partnership – TCM and the ASC.” Dean Semler, ACS, ASC, who shot […]
Several themes come to mind after attending the 2018 SOC (Society of Camera Operators) Lifetime Achievement Awards, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel February 3rd. Award winners and presenters alike expressed their overwhelming passion for visual storytelling and love of the filmmaking process. They thanked mentors, supporters and collaborators – their film families, and simultaneously declared love for their own families, who have supported their dreams and careers through long hours. […]
Rachel Morrison’s cinematography in director Dee Rees’ Mudbound masterfully illustrates the story of two intertwined families, one black and one white, on a Mississippi farm in 1940s post WWII. The story follows the white McAllan family, Henry (Jason Clarke), his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan), younger brother Jamie (Garrett Hedlund), and his racist father Pappy (Jonathan Banks), as they attempt to work the barren landscape into a functioning cotton farm. The Jackson […]
Sean Baker’s The Florida Project was inspired by news articles about the affordable housing crisis – the “hidden homeless” who are living in cheap motels week to week. The film is set in Orlando, FL, the home of Disney World, which provided the visual juxtaposition of poverty and fantasy. Baker met his co-writer, Chris Bergoch, at NYU’s undergrad film school. They had been on a few projects together, including Starlet […]
Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel’s high contrast lighting and fast paced camera movement propel the story of Darkest Hour, illustrating an in depth study of Winston Churchill’s personality and character during the precarious weeks leading up to the Dunkirk evacuation during WWII. This was Delbonnel’s first time working with director Joe Wright. Wright sent the script for Darkest Hour to Delbonnel, and then met him in Paris to talk about shooting the […]
Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd teams up with Kathryn Bigelow again (The Hurt Locker) to shoot Detroit, a harrowing view into the 12th Street Riot of 1967 and the violent police raid on the Algiers Motel. Ackroyd’s tension filled style is reminiscent of American ‘Direct Cinema’ documentary filmmakers of the 1960s and 70s. The handheld movement follows the action the way one would view the events if they were actually present. The […]
Cinematographer Alexis Zabe captures a colorful innocence in director Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, which follows the summertime story of a six-year-old girl and her young mother, who live in a budget motel near Disney World. Zabe had previously worked with Baker on a short film, where the “communication worked really well.” “I really enjoy Sean’s openness. He has a really great balance between being true to his vision, and […]
Darkest Hour takes place during the four weeks leading up to the evacuation of Dunkirk, when Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) took over as Prime Minister of Britain. Sarah Greenwood (Production Designer) and Katie Spencer (Art Director) reunite with director Joe Wright to create the sets reflecting this extremely tense period in WWII history. As Greenwood points out, “We had no idea that we were so close to absolute disaster, that […]
Sam Levy’s naturalistic cinematography, in Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut of Lady Bird is meticulously crafted. The story follows the contentious relationship between Christine ‘Lady Bird,’ a high school senior played by Saoirse Ronan, and Marion, her mother, played by Laurie Metcalf. Levy and Gerwig had already worked together on Frances Ha, Maggie’s Plan and Mistress America. In fact, Gerwig mentioned the idea for Lady Bird to Levy during the wrap […]
Sam Levy’s naturalistic cinematography, in Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut of Lady Bird, is meticulously crafted. The story follows the contentious relationship between Christine ‘Lady Bird,’ a high school senior played by Saoirse Ronan, and Marion, her mother, played by Laurie Metcalf. Levy and Gerwig had already worked together on Frances Ha, Maggie’s Plan and Mistress America. In fact, Gerwig mentioned the idea for Lady Bird to Levy during the wrap […]