The Cinematography Podcast

The Cinematography Podcast

Art, Business, Craft and Philosophy of the Moving Image

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Evoking dread in Something Very Bad is Going to Happen

    Krzysztof Trojnar is the cinematographer of the Netflix series, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. It’s a genuinely unsettling horror show about a woman whose anxiety about an upcoming family wedding spirals into something far darker, with Krzysztof's camera work enhancing the feeling of dread. Key Podcast Highlights: -How the visual language of the show deliberately evolves across episodes, moving from Steadicam to gimbal to handheld to body rig, mirroring the protagonist's psychological deterioration in real time. -Committing to a single lens for nearly the entire show. Krzysztof shot roughly 90% of the series on a 25mm, and he explains exactly why that choice creates presence without distortion. -Fabricating a custom 360° body camera rig from scratch, because nothing like it existed as a rental. The rig used a Steadicam vest fitted with an industrial bearing to orbit the camera around the actress in the show's harrowing final episode. Find Krzysztof Trojnar: https://krzysztoftrojnar.com/ Instagram @krzysztof_trojnar See Something Very Bad is Going to Happen on Netflix Hear our previous episode with Krzysztof Trojnar on the series Baby Reindeer: https://www.camnoir.com/ep269/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:17 Close Focus 13:35-58:31 Krzysztof Trojnar interview 59:14 Short ends 01:07:08 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

    1hr 11min
  2. 15 MAY

    Lawrence Sher ASC: filming Apex in the Australian wilderness

    Lawrence Sher, ASC, is the cinematographer of Apex, the action thriller currently sitting at number one on Netflix. Apex stars Charlize Theron as a woman hunted through the Australian wilderness by a relentless pursuer, and it's one of the most visceral and visually grounded survival thrillers in recent memory. The entire film was shot on location in the Blue Mountains of Australia. Key Podcast Highlights: -How the extreme remoteness of the locations forced a documentary-inspired toolkit, including the Sony Venice bodies packed into backpacks, lightweight lenses, very few lights and a skilled drone pilot. -Building a visual philosophy around what you can't control. Lawrence embraced shifting sunlight, unpredictable weather, and inaccessible terrain as creative assets rather than obstacles. -Using a "documentary grammar" framework to justify camera angles and movement, drawing on the visual language of climbing films like Free Solo and The Alpinist. -How streaming has changed a cinematographer's relationship to their work. Lawrence sees Netflix's democratizing reach as a genuine second chance for films that deserve a wider audience. Find Lawrence Sher: Instagram @lawrencesherdp See APEX on Netflix Check out Shotdeck: https://shotdeck.com/ Hear our previous episodes with Lawrence Sher: https://www.camnoir.com/ep350/ https://www.camnoir.com/ep293/ https://www.camnoir.com/ep56/ SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:32 Close Focus 13:01-56:48 Lawrence Sher interview 57:13 Short ends 01:07:44 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

    1hr 11min
  3. 24 APR

    The scrappy, indie production of Hunting Matthew Nichols

    Hunting Matthew Nichols is an indie horror film that’s shot as a mockumentary/found-footage movie about a documentary filmmaker investigating her brother's disappearance 20 years earlier on Vancouver Island. Writer/producer Sean Harris Oliver and DP Justin Sebastian shot the horror film in 12 days, then independently released it into theaters. Key Podcast Highlights: -How cinematographer Justin Sebastian used Sony FX9 cameras on autofocus, shot archival footage scenes on period-correct cameras, and then physically digitized the tapes for documentary authenticity. -Keeping the camera crew small and the lighting natural, so that the film’s characters could realistically pull off the documentary. -Detailed scriptwriting by Sean Harris Oliver, such as specifying who holds the camera in each scene. Sean scripted the film with cleaner, more deliberate camerawork that degrades into chaotic, survival-mode footage as events progress. -How the team pushed hard for theatrical release against distributor pressure to go straight to streaming. They self-funded distribution and budgeted for marketing from the very beginning. Find where to watch Hunting Matthew Nichols in theaters and play the interactive game on the website: https://www.huntingmatthewnichols.com/ Find Sean Harris-Oliver: https://www.seanharrisoliver.com/ Instagram: @SeanHarrisOliver Find Justin Sebastian: https://www.justinsimonsebastian.com/ Instagram: @JustinSebastianDP Listen to our episode with producer Ted Hope, who discusses similar approaches indie filmmakers can take to understand and control the entire filmmaking process from budget to shoot to distribution: https://www.camnoir.com/ep352/ Show Rundown: 02:45 Close Focus 13:04-01:02:59 Sean Harris Oliver and Justin Sebastian interview 01:03:19 Short ends 01:12:42 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

    1hr 11min
  4. 11 APR

    Ted Hope, Hope For Film: the rebirth of independent cinema

    The Cinematography Podcast Episode 352: Ted Hope Producer Ted Hope has worked in the film business for over 40 years, producing dozens of features with several Academy Awards nominations and wins. After leaving Amazon Studios in 2020, Hope went back to his roots as an independent producer and began writing his Substack blog, Hope For Film. He argues that the independent film ecosystem as we know it has reached its final days. However, far from being a tragedy, Ted definitely has hope for film. He sees what's happening in the industry today as a necessary seismic shift. Hope has a vision for a more “punk rock” future of cinema, with a decentralized, artist-owned future that prioritizes "freak flags" and human empathy over corporate consolidation. Key Podcast Highlights: -How filmmakers should stop trying to emulate "mini-Hollywood" productions and embrace a DIY, experimental approach with room to fail. -How the streaming era has killed the anticipatory joy of seeing a film when it’s simply dropped on a homepage, making it harder for the longer-term cultural engagement that helped independent films thrive. -Why ownership is the new path forward, paired with self-financing and total IP control. -Film’s best defense against AI is embracing cinema that mimics life and human complexity, with scripts that contain ambiguity rather than payoffs. -Why filmmakers must understand and control the entire filmmaking process, from budget and shoot to distribution. **A special note to our listeners: We have an exclusive discount link to subscribe to Ted Hope’s substack, Hope For Film! Get 50% a 1 year subscription at https://tedhope.substack.com/cinepod. This offer does expire on April 20 (4/20) at 4:20 PM PT. Yep, that’s on 4-20 at 4:20. Don’t miss out!** You can also find the discount link in our shownotes for this episode at www.camnoir.com Show Rundown: 03:07 Close Focus 06:44-01:13:14 Ted Hope interview 01:14:04 Short ends 01:25:42 Wrap up/Credits The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

    1hr 11min

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Art, Business, Craft and Philosophy of the Moving Image

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