News

Amazon’s Them Cinematography (with Checco Varese ASC)

April 14, 2021

Horror cinematographer mastermind Checco Varese ASC teaches us how he filmed trauma and fear for Amazon Studios’ THEM. Checco explains his approach to the series’ gorgeous cinematography and his philosophy as a filmmaker.

“Cherry” DP Newton Thomas Sigel on the Russo Brothers First Post-Avengers Film

March 9, 2021

Joe and Anthony Russo’s latest project is a far cry from Avengers. The hopes and dreams of the titular hero of Cherry (premiering on Apple TV+ on March 12), played by Tom Holland, are earth-bound, centered around getting high, getting money, or getting clean. In the film’s first chapter (there are six in total, each introduced by a blood-red title page), Cherry is at his worst—strung out, mid-robbery, breaking the fourth wall to let us know his life is a mess. He finishes his heist, the scene around him fades to black, and we skip backward to 2007 when Cherry is a nerdy, fresh-faced student crushing on Emily (Ciara Bravo) in a shared college seminar. As the chapters unfold over the next dozen years, Cherry and Emily’s story reveals how seemingly minor life events can set off a domino effect leading to raging opioid addiction.

The Real Reason Cherry Looks So Different In The Basic Training Scenes - Exclusive

March 4, 2021

The 2021 film Cherry, which explores its title character's descent into opioid addiction after serving in the Iraq War and is based on Nico Walker's 2018 novel of the same name, has plenty of big names on its creative roster. It stars Tom Holland, best known for playing Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it's directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who recently brought home the biggest multi-film arc in cinematic history with Avengers: Endgame.

Artist Profile: A Deep Dive into the Hair and Make-Up of Mulan with Designer Denise Kum

March 5, 2021

When Filmmaker Niki Caro (Whale Rider) took on her most ambitious project, attempting to bring Disney’s beloved animated film Mulan into a live action setting, she called upon one of her longest collaborators, Hair, Make-Up and Prosthetic Designer Denise Kum, who had worked with Caro going back to their student film days.

Interview: Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel Discusses ‘Da 5 Bloods’

March 4, 2021

Not many cinematographers have as diverse a filmography as Newton Thomas Sigel. On top of Spike Lee‘s Da 5 Bloods, we also have the just released Cherry, not to mention Three Kings, The Usual Suspects, and X2: X-Men United. Then, there’s Drive, which features some of the most iconic cinematography of the last decade or so. However, Sigel has somehow never been nominated for an Academy Award. His Oscar prospects have never been better though, as Da 5 Bloods has him on the cusp of his first nod. While voters prepare to cast their ballots, I got to speak to Sigel about shooting Lee’s latest movie. We bring you that conversation today.

‘We treated that mice sequence as though this was Gollum’

March 5, 2021

How Temprimental delivered the zany VFX for the zany ‘Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar’.

You might not think of director Josh Greenbaum’s Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, created by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, as a big visual effects film. But the comedy actually has more than 500 VFX shots, and some of those are pretty crazy, especially the ones involving a band of mice and wave-surfing turtles.

“Snowfall” DP Tommy Maddox-Upshaw on Transforming Memory Into Light & Optics

March 2, 2021

Season 4 of the FX drama Snowfall opens on antihero Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) imploring CIA agent Teddy (Carter Hudson) to help him keep local gang rivalries in check. Tensions are getting out of hand in mid-1980s Los Angeles, even if Franklin, erudite and unassuming, appears as on top of his own drug-related dealings as ever. Far and near, the show’s other characters are going through upheavals of their own.

Interview: Phedon Papamichael Talks Cinematography and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

March 1, 2021

You often see a truly great cinematographer return to work numerous times with certain filmmakers. It’s actually rare to see a DP who always works with different directors. So, it’s not surprising that Phedon Papamichael has consistent fans in storytellers like James Mangold and Alexander Payne. He has a flexible visual language that allows him to shoot literally any subject matter. Of course, that’s undoubtedly part of what made him such an attractive hire for Aaron Sorkin when he made The Trial of the Chicago 7. Last week, I was lucky enough to get on the phone with Papamichael for nearly a half hour to talk cinematography, his work with Mangold, Payne, and Sorkin, as well as plenty more.

Insights Into The Lensing of "Mank," "The Prom," "Malcolm & Marie"

February 26, 2021

Cinematographers Erik Messerschmidt, Matthew Libatique, Marcell Rév discuss respective films, collaborating with directors David Fincher, Ryan Murphy, Sam Levinson.

‘The Vigil’: How Cinematographer Zach Kuperstein Framed Iconic Moments Of Jewish Terror

March 2, 2021

The Exorcist has its head-turning moment, The Omen has David Warner’s decapitation, and Rosemary’s Baby has the bassinet sequence.
There’s no shortage of iconic moments in horror films inspired by Christianity, but a new age is dawning: the age of Jewish terror. As I plainly stated in a recent article, Keith Thomas’s The Vigil is the first great horror project that draws from Judaism’s 5,000-year-old culture without the end result feeling gimmicky or exploitative.

'Search Party' DP Jonathan Furmanski Discusses the Art Of Lensing Comedy

February 2, 2021

Jonathan Furmanski shoots the popular series Search Party, but his background in docs helped him hone his craft.
Nestled among Furmanski's advice is another particularly useful tidbit: be someone people want to work with again.

‘Cherry’ Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel on the Film’s Ambitious Visual Approach and the Russo Brothers

February 26, 2021

What do you do when you’ve just made two of the most complicated, highest grossing films in history? If you’re the Russo Brothers, you tackle a small-scale addiction drama with an ambitious visual approach. That’s Cherry, the new film from directors Joe and Anthony Russo that stars Tom Holland and charts a young Iraq War veteran’s journey through addiction and crime. The film is divided into distinct chapters, each with a different tone and visual approach. One chapter is a love story, and is almost glowing with romance and passion; another chapter is set during the Iraq War and feels like a war film; and yet another follows Holland’s character into the dark desperation of addiction with the patina of a straight-up horror movie.

Cherry’ Cinematographer Breaks Down the Distinctive Chapters of the Tom Holland Film

February 26, 2021

In Apple TV Plus’ new drama “Cherry,” Tom Holland’s life is spiraling out of control. Holland plays Cherry, a war veteran who suffers from PTSD and descends into an opioid addiction. He also falls in love with Emily, played by Ciara Bravo.
Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, who also shot “Da 5 Bloods,” explains the film “has very distinct chapters. Each one of those chapters has its vocabulary,” and Sigel relied on different lenses to create that look.

Oscar Cinematography Survey: Here Are the Cameras and Lenses Used to Shoot 32 Awards Contenders

February 24, 2021

IndieWire reached out to the cinematographers whose films are in awards contention and among the most critically acclaimed films of the year to find out which cameras and lenses they used and, more importantly, why these were the right tools to create the visual language of their respective films.

The Trial of The Chicago 7 Cinematography (with Phedon Papamichael ASC)

February 23, 2021

Aaron Sorkin’s Golden Globe-nominated film THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 perfectly balances incredible visuals with stunning performances. Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael ASC comes on to discuss working with Sorkin and the importance daylight plays when filming the courtroom scenes.

Phedon and Go Creative Show host, Ben Consoli, discuss how the visual approach contrasts between the courtroom and riots, his obsession with motivated camera movement, filming with up to 3 cameras at once on a tight schedule, and more!