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The Cinematography Podcast Episode 269: Kryzsztof Trojnar



Netflix's Baby Reindeer is a dark comedic thriller that chronicles the true story of a struggling comedian, Donny (Richard Gadd) as he's stalked by a seemingly harmless woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning). As her pursuit of him escalates and becomes progressively unhinged, the audience learns more about why Donny may be so passive about stopping her advances.



Cinematographer Kryzsztof Trojnar reunited with his fellow Polish film school classmate, director Weronika Tofilska, on Baby Reindeer's first four episodes. The show's unique origin, a one-man stage play, proved a valuable resource for Kryzsztof. He immersed himself in the audio recording alongside the script, capturing the story's rhythm and intensity. “It was all about how we create that intensity, how we create the intrusion of Martha, how we show her overtures in that pub.” says Kryzsztof. “It all has to be really close and really intense that as an audience you feel that intrusion.”



Both Kryzsztof and Tofilska were inspired by Coen brothers movies and Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, admiring their treatment of character-driven narratives. Kryzsztof made sure to keep the perspective of the story firmly in Donny's first person point of view. Wide-angle lenses frequently frame him in the center, and the use of Steadicam shots keep up the frantic pace of Donny's increasing unease.



Kryzsztof and Tofilska chose lighting and a color palette they jokingly called “decomposing body” for Baby Reindeer. It creates a stylized world with a LUT heavy on earth tones of yellow, brown, and green. Against those colors, naturally lit moments and other hues stand out with a jarring vibrancy. Kryzsztof also favored unflattering, hard lighting for Donny as he feels more haunted and hunted by Martha. Martha, on the other hand, is lit in a flattering way, as she admires and flirts with Donny, making him feel adored.



Find Kryzsztof Trojnar: Instagram: @krzysztof_trojnar



Close Focus: The real-life alleged stalker in the series Baby Reindeer, Fiona Harvey, has sued Netflix for $170 million over her portrayal in the series.



Ben's short end: Ben has been trying to use Previs Pro, a program for storyboarding. He's found it frustrating and difficult to use and is seeking advice or support if you can suggest tips for using the software.



Illya's short end: BlackMagic Camera has an app for iPhone and recently came out with a version for Android. But it's not available for all Androids- only for Samsung and Google phones.



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The Cinematography Podcast Episode 268: Jonathan Freeman



Jonathan Freeman, ASC faced a unique challenge on Netflix's sci-fi series 3 Body Problem. The books, written by Cixin Liu, are extremely intellectually dense novels. Translating them into visually compelling television seemed like a daunting task. Show creators DB Weiss and David Benioff had worked with Jonathan previously on Game of Thrones, and they leaned into filmmaking that was motivated by impactful storytelling rather than just "cool shots." A key reveal moment in particular was achieved simply by pushing in on a photo of one of the characters in the first episode, revealing how the stories were interconnected.



Together, they decided on the look of the show and chose three distinct visual styles for 1960s China, modern London, and the virtual world of a videogame. The 2:3:5 aspect ratio and ARRI ALFA lenses helped differentiate these environments. The lenses were prototypes that Greig Fraser was developing on The Batman. “They had exactly all that beautiful bokeh that you would expect, but the center was optically pure,” says Jonathan. “They also had these chromatic aberrations to them. These distorted, stretchy little bits in the edges of the frame just looked funky and kind of otherworldly. I just like the idea that it could be interpreted as sort of an alien's point of view.”



Filming the virtual world within a limited physical space required innovation. Jonathan's "low-res volume" stage concept used a massive wall of SkyPanels and strategically placed lighting to create a realistic, immersive environment for actors. “Each (panel) was almost like a pixel, so we created an array of 110 feet by 45 wide wrapped around 180 degrees.” says Jonathan. “It was a very complex system, but overall the intent was to recreate these live environments the way you might be able to do in a regular volume. Then, there was the lighting on top, similar to the skylight, where we programmed animated lights to recreate sunrise, sunset, dusk, and dawn. It was quite complicated, but we were able to use a real space and transition in camera. It took a lot of minds to put it together, but I thought it was really successful.”







 



 



 



 



 



 



 



Find Jonathan Freeman



Close Focus: The Cinematography Podcast just reached 2 million downloads! The summer box office seems to have revived with Inside Out 2 and Bad Boys Ride or Die. Inside Out 2 made $155 million in its opening weekend. The Alamo Drafthouse chain was bought by Sony.



Ben's short end: Adobe is having a bad week for two different reasons. First, the Federal Trade Commission is suing them for making it difficult for people to cancel their subscriptions. Second, a href="https://petapixel.

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 267: Alan Poul



The acclaimed crime drama Tokyo Vice on Max follows American journalist, Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort.) As a reporter for a large Japanese newspaper in the 1990's, he dives into the dangerous world of the Yakuza, the Japanese organized crime syndicate. The series is based on the book and real life experiences of Jake Adelstein, who named his memoir Tokyo Vice as a wink to the 1980's show, Miami Vice. Michael Mann, creator of Miami Vice, was interested in the show and came on board to executive produce the series and to shoot the pilot.



Producer and director Alan Poul joined the Tokyo Vice team later into the development process. “I was aware of Tokyo Vice because of course I had read Jake's book when it came out,” says Alan. With a college degree in Japanese literature and a background in Japanese cinema and theater, Alan began his film career in Japan when director Paul Schrader hired him as an associate producer on Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. The movie Black Rain, directed by Ridley Scott, quickly followed for him, but Alan didn't want to become known as “the Japan guy” in Hollywood. He built his career producing episodic television for shows like Tales of the City, My So-Called Life, Six Feet Under, and The Newsroom. But Tokyo Vice creator J.T. Rogers knew they needed someone with experience in Japanese production, language and episodic television, so Alan was asked to join the project. “It represented a kind of full circle closure/homecoming,” says Alan, about going back to produce in Japan. “It doesn't happen very often in one's career and so it became an extraordinarily fulfilling experience for me.”



The first season of Tokyo Vice began location scouting in 2019 and shooting began in March 2020- for only 6 days before the pandemic shut everything down. Production resumed in October 2020, and the team had to shoot the entire first season under strict Japanese quarantine and COVID testing rules. As a result, Season One uses tighter shots and fewer locations, with more closeups on Jake and the other characters who shape the story. By Season Two, Alan was excited that they were able to expand the visual range of the show, shooting more of Tokyo and the surrounding area. Alan had the opportunity to direct episodes one and two of the second season. “When I am directing, it is always an incredible joy. At least during those 12 hours I try to let go of all the other hats that I have to wear and just wear the hat that allows me to focus 100% on what is taking place in front of the camera.”



Though Tokyo Vice has completed its series run on Max, Alan and creator J.T. Rogers are optimistic about the show's future on another platform.



Find Alan Poul: Instagram @alanpoul



Close Focus: The challenge to make an AI version of The Cinematography Podcast made by friends of the show, Andy Lemon and Charles Papert.



Ben's short end: There's three new show business documentaries that are definite nostalgia pieces for Gen X. Remembering Gene Wilder and Jim Henson: Idea Man are both ...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 266: Jonathan van Tulleken and Christopher Ross



The FX miniseries Shōgun takes viewers on a journey filled with action and adventure through historically accurate 1600's Edo-era Japan. Englishman John Blackthorne arrives on a Dutch trading ship after a rough voyage, interested in beginning trade with the Japanese. The country is governed by five regents locked in a power struggle, and the ruler Toranaga thinks the Englishman might be useful to him.



Director Jonathan van Tulleken and cinematographer Christopher Ross worked on episodes one and two together, establishing the look of the series. They have a deep understanding of each other's creative vision, collaborating on several TV shows over the years. For Shōgun, Jonathan and Chris created a visual experience that honors both the grandeur of feudal Japan and the disorientation of a foreign visitor like the “anjin,” John Blackthorne. The two met and created a look book and sizzle reel to present to FX. Jonathan drew inspiration from movies such as The Revenant and Apocalypse Now. Chris was influenced by classic Japanese films Ran, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Akira Kirosawa's jidaigeki (historical drama) films. Most importantly, they wanted the show to be bold and stand out with a cinematic look and genuine artistic intention behind it. Chris chose anamorphic lenses and wider aspect ratios for the first two episodes, playing with the point of view of the outsider's subjectivity and disorientation. The choice of anamorphic lenses, which create a lot of background blur but keeps the character in crisp focus, may have seemed controversial, but has become more widely used on today's television shows. (Read this article from The Ringer to learn more.)



Shōgun was shot in British Columbia during the winter, with the wild ocean shores of Canada and carefully designed soundstages standing in for Japan. Jonathan, Chris and the production team chose a lighting and color palette of browns and greens for the warring factions. Opulent costumes, warmer lights and colors represented palace life in Osaka, while in the village, the use of blues and grays reflected the harsh realities of the time period.



The dialog is almost entirely in Japanese, and Jonathan actually enjoyed directing in a language he didn't speak. “It meant that you were not giving line readings, you couldn't give line readings. You had to direct in a much more pure way, dealing with the bigger arcs of the scene, the character development, without getting into very macro stuff that isn't helpful. I think you could just feel the emotion.” Chris agrees. “What you're hoping to achieve is some sort of emotional resonance with a character that is in tune with what they're saying and synchronous with what they're saying.”



Find Jonathan Van Tulleken



Find Chris Ross: Instagram @edjibevel



Close Focus: A new streaming company, Fable, will let viewers create their own shows using AI generated animation.



Ben's short end: a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 265: Scott Ross



As a pioneer in digital visual effects, Scott Ross was instrumental in the advancement of VFX in Hollywood. He led groundbreaking work at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and co-founded Digital Domain with James Cameron and Stan Winston. Scott looks back on his career, discusses systemic problems within the VFX industry, and possible ways to fix them.



Scott began his career in sound recording for television and film in the San Francisco Bay Area for a video production company, becoming president of the San Francisco office. The success of Star Wars ignited a space race for studios, and ILM became the holy grail for VFX artists. “I get a phone call from a headhunter who says, 'Hey, Lucasfilm is looking for somebody to head up production operations at Industrial Light and Magic.' And my head exploded," says Scott. "If you're going to live in San Francisco, you want to work at Lucasfilm. That's how I got hired.” At the time, ILM was creating visual effects for Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His experience in the nascent digital video industry sped up the process, and by 1989, ILM developed a technique to work in a digital medium for making special effects. While Scott was at ILM, the company won five Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects.



However, ILM's creative spirit began to wane under corporate pressure. "It turned into cubicles and whatnot," says Ross, favoring a "work hard, play hard" environment. This philosophy fueled his decision to leave and co-found Digital Domain in 1993. “When I started Digital Domain, we're going to play hard, work hard and party hard. And that's the culture that I wanted to create. I think generally we did a pretty good job of it.” Digital Domain became a leading VFX company, creating visual effects for films such as Cameron's Titanic.



The VFX industry is notoriously troubled, with visual effects houses underbidding on projects to stay competitive and creating dismal working conditions for employees. “There are certain companies that the only way that they could stay alive is by taking advantage of their employees, not paying them overtime, not having health care,” says Scott. “That really comes as a result of the way the clients, studios and the directors deal with the visual effects companies.” He blames a producer mentality that prioritizes squeezing VFX houses rather than fostering a sustainable industry. “The visual effects industry workers need advocates for themselves. Currently, they have no one fighting for them. They need an international trade association that changes the business model.” Today, effects workers continue to voice their need to form a union. The rise of AI further complicates the picture, with some fearing job replacement.



Find Scott Ross: Instagram: @scott_ross



Close Focus: The death of Rico Priem, a grip who died in a car accident after working a 14 hour shift on the set of 9-1-1.



Immaculate director Michael Mohan responded to criticism of his film looking too dark on streaming servi...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 264: Armando Salas, ASC



Netflix's gripping new series, Griselda, takes viewers deep into the world of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. But behind the drugs and violence is a masterfully crafted world, built by cinematographer Armando Salas, ASC. Armando, known for his work on Ozark, brings a unique perspective to Griselda. His approach to color throughout the series tells a story that's more about character than it is about the drug trade. “In the end, we're making a work of fiction, and we really want to connect with the audience,” says Armando. “And the things you know and hear about Griselda Blanco is, you know, she's a killer, a psychopath. There's not a lot of redeeming qualities when you're looking into the drug wars in Miami at that time.” Even through all the death and destruction in the series, director Andrés Baiz didn't want Griselda to be too dark. He still wanted to find some joy and absurdity within the story.



Armando met with director Andrés Baiz, who wanted to hire a local Los Angeles DP who also spoke Spanish, since a majority of Griselda's script is in Spanish. Growing up in Miami, Armando happened to know the story of Griselda Blanco very well. He also worked on a 2006 documentary called Cocaine Cowboys, about how Miami became the cocaine capital of the US. They did careful location scouting around LA for places that looked like Miami in the late 1970's and early 80's. Armando and Baiz wanted the show to have the right period look. “We didn't take an intellectual conceit, I wasn't only using lenses or camera technology that existed at that time. We were really more interested in finding the right feeling,” Armando explains. “And so, we looked at a lot of photography from the period, we looked at a lot of films from the period, we looked at modern films that were doing a good job of recreating the period, but we kind of landed our our own version. Again, it's really just like capturing the vibe and building the world. And so we had a very aggressive and unique approach to the LUT and the color characteristics of our negative.” The Polaroid pictures Baiz took during location scouting became a big inspiration for the color palette of the show.



Throughout the six episode series, Armando used color to help tell a compelling character story. Griselda's world is full of deep, rich colors as she's living the high life. In contrast, Armando chose a bluer, more desaturated color for scenes with June Hawkins (Juliana Aidén Martinez), the Miami PD intelligence analyst. As she breaks the case and convinces law enforcement officers to go after Griselda, she enters a world of color. “And on top of that, we unleash the camera. We go flying down the sidewalk with her from multiple angles. It's the fastest camera movements in the series. And over the course of the series, her storyline and Griselda's storyline meet, and the color, the glitz and glamour of Griselda's world has been mostly stripped out at that point. June has come into her own, and they meet in that world. The two arcs have now connected, and it's one story.”



Griselda is available on Netflix.



Hear our previous interview with Armando discussing his work on Ozark and more.



Find Armando Salas: Instagram: @cinesalas



Close Focus: Listener mail and comments.



Ben's short end: The YouTube Channel CinemaTyler takes an in-depth look at cinema's greatest movies. They recently created a 21 episode video essay about the film a h...