American Cinematographer Podcasts

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill chats with Pain and Gain cinematographer Ben Seresin, ASC, BSC about working with director Michael Bay on this ambitious and kinetic film. Bay is an energetic director, as demonstrated by often shooting 60-90 setups in a single day and using over 20 different types of cameras for various effects. The end result is a film that is a bold visual statement that gives the cameras unique and innovative perspectives.

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill talks with Between Us cinematographer Nancy Schreiber, ASC and writer/director Dan Mirvish about the challenges of shooting this polished drama with a micro budget and many volunteer crew members.

American Cinematographer's Iain Stasukevich speaks with cinematographers John Toll, ASC and Frank Griebe about the Wachowski sibling's feature, Cloud Atlas; and how they collaborated on the project, from establishing the look of the film, to managing a tight and complicated production schedule, as well as staying abreast of each other's work while shooting with two directing teams in a multinational shoot.

American Cinematographer's Iain Stasukevich speaks with cinematographers John Toll, ASC and Frank Griebe about the Wachowski sibling's feature, Cloud Atlas; and how they collaborated on the project, from establishing the look of the film, to managing a tight and complicated production schedule, as well as staying abreast of each other's work while shooting with two directing teams in a multinational shoot.

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill talks with cinematographer Russell Carpenter, ASC and director Joshua Michael Stern about the film, Jobs, which explores the life and career of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Working with the budget of an independent film, they created three unique looks to capture the feel of different eras in Job's life, but were careful never to go 'over the top.' They also discuss how working fast and light, due to the budgetary constraints, provided a sense of freedom and flexibility while shooting the film.

American Cinematographer's Iain Stasukevich speaks with cinematographer Norm Li, CSC, and director Panos Cosmatos about their collaboration on Beyond the Black Rainbow, a stylish low budget sci fi thriller, they discuss the films they turned to for inspiration as well as their decision to shoot 2-perf 35mm film instead of digital or other formats.

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill talks with Shane Hurlbut, ASC about the 2012 film, Deadfall, and his choice of mixing film capture with additional DSLR cameras, the effects of combining formats on workflow, and how he selects the best equipment for each film.

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill speaks with Claudio Miranda, ASC about his work on Ang Lee's Life of Pi, discussing the unique challenges of shooting digital 3D on this film, set mostly on the open ocean — and how they kept it visually engaging. Additionally, Miranda discusses the choice of camera as well as the lighting rigs used to create a variety of moods and weather conditions on the tank where much of the film was filmed.

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill speaks with Claudio Miranda, ASC about his work on Ang Lee's Life of Pi, discussing the unique challenges of shooting digital 3D on this film, set mostly on the open ocean — and how they kept it visually engaging. Additionally, Miranda discusses the choice of camera as well as the lighting rigs used to create a variety of moods and weather conditions on the tank where much of the film was filmed.

American Cinematographer's Iain Stasukevich talks with Peter Deming, ASC about playing with and against traditional horror cliches in the Joss Whedon-produced film, Cabin in the Woods, as well as his past work with directors who explore darker themes: David Lynch, Sam Raimi and Wes Craven.

Director Mikael Salomon, ASC and cinematographer Ben Nott, ACS speak with American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill about the A&E Miniseries, Coma, including how former cinematographer Mikael Salomon approached directing, how they achieved a feature film look on a tiny budget, and how they worked with existing locations and lighting because the budget mostly precluded building sets.

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill talks with director Bart Layton and cinematographer Erik Wilson about the art of creating dramatic, cinematic reenactments in the context of a documentary as well as the challenge of working with previously shot interview footage from cinematographer Lynda Hall.

American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill talks with Frank Barrera about his collaboration with actor and first-time director Patrick Wang to create a restrained and effective look for this very low budget Indie film shot on the RED camera. They also cover their visual influences, especially how they avoid being overly melodramatic and how they were heavily influenced by Ingmar Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage" and Cassavetes "A Woman Under the Influence."

American Cinematographer's Iain Stasukevich talks with Sean Bobbitt, BSC about his work on filmmaker Steve McQueen's independent film, Shame, covering the film's visual style -- including his approach to shooting New York from a fresh perspective, director McQueen's artistic approach on this film and on Hunger, and how building trust with the crew and actors was an essential element for success, especially with the subject matter of a sex addict.

Alex Vendler talks with American Cinematographer's Jim Hemphill about shooting The Woman, an independent feature which made a splash at Sundance, They discuss getting the most out of a small budget, his choice of equipment, his creative and artistic collaboration with Lucky McKee as well their volatile Sundance screening.