Episodes

Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis is best known for shooting horror films “Glass," “Split,” and “Us.” He got a foothold in filmmaking with the cult indy film “John Dies at the End.” With “It Follows,” Mike and director David Mitchell created a retro, timeless look for the movie. He also discusses the meticulous storyboard sessions directors M. Night Shyamalan and Jordan Peele both have for their films.

Ellen Kuras believes that following your gut and listening to your inner voice makes you a great filmmaker. Ellen got her start shooting documentary and indy movies such as “Swoon,” “I Shot Andy Warhol” and “Personal Velocity,” plus several films with Spike Lee including “Bamboozled” and “Summer of Sam.” She discusses working with Michel Gondry, the unique challenges of shooting “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” working with documentarian Errol Morris on “Wormwood” and shooting the Netfli...

Bill Wages' motto: complicated is easy, simple is hard. He talks about his work on the film, "The Forgiven," the TV series "Burn Notice," "Sun Records," "Into the West," and working with poet Maya Angelou on her directorial project "Down in the Delta." Bill also invented a number of groundbreaking cinematography tools: Tiffen Glimmerglass diffusion filters and two flagging devices known as WagFlags and WagBags.

Cinematographer Shana Hagan has decades of experience shooting documentaries, reality television and even scripted work on “Parks and Recreation” and “Arrested Development.” She discusses her verite approach to shooting, the DP/director relationship, and the huge style variations in documentary film. One of her earliest jobs was as an assistant editor on the documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.” Shana's current work includes the Michael Apted series “63Up” and the doc “The ...

Vanja Černjul began his career in the U.S. filming small independent films like “Wrist Cutters, A Love Story” before breaking into television, shooting the pilot for “Ugly Betty” then going on to DP the first season of “30 Rock.” He developed the realistic, naturalistic lighting looks for “Nurse Jackie” and “Orange is the New Black,” and created the grainy, gritty 70's look for HBO's “The Deuce.” Vanja's biggest project to date is “Crazy Rich Asians,” which has become the highest-grossing romant...

Academy Award winner Russell Carpenter, ASC has a huge Hollywood career that's spanned decades, though he got his start working in public television and didn't even go to film school. He discusses his early experience on films like the cult classic “The Wizard of Speed and Time,” “Cameron's Closet,” and “The Lawnmower Man,” and still enjoys shooting small films like the Indian movie “Parched.” For “Hard Target” with director John Woo, each scene was meticulously timed and shot with multiple came...

Manuel Billeter discusses his early career and getting his big break working in post production editing “Y Tu Mama También” for director Alfonso Cuarón, who encouraged him to pursue a path in cinematography. He talks about the high profile series he's worked on, such as “Law and Order,” and “Person of Interest,” how a show getting canceled or getting fired can lead to better opportunities, working in urban settings with night exteriors and the incredible energy it can generate. When creating the...

DP Matthew Clark talks to Ben about his early career, getting his big break on the NBC comedy series “30 Rock” from cinematographer Vanja Cernjul and working with the brilliant Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and Alec Baldwin. He discusses the importance of creating a look for a comedic series that keeps viewers happy and comfortable, and how to light for comedy to make it more dramatic and interesting but not distracting from the story. Matt's recent film “Late Night,” starring Emma Thompson and Mindy...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 37 Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC Talks Bad Times at the El Royale, shooting Black Mirror's “Nosedive” episode with director Joe Wright, The Avengers, Nocturnal Animals, Atonement, High Fidelity and The Greatest Showman. Mulit-Academy Award nominee Seamus McGarvey sits down with Illya for an intimate conversation about his work on High Fidelity, shooting the episode “Nosedive” for the Netflix series Black Mirror with director Joe Wright, and how much he loved workin...

In our second LIVE podcast, Checco Varese, ASC discusses his collaborations with Guillermo Del Toro on “Pacific Rim” and “The Strain,” his upcoming movie, “It: Chapter 2,” working on many TV pilots and music videos, his early days in South America as a war correspondent and much more.

Acclaimed Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen talks to Illya about working with Guillermo del Toro on The Shape of Water, Crimson Peak and Mimic. Del Toro's frequent collaborator discusses the ease of shooting digital cinema now vs. the old days of relying on a lab to process the film correctly. For the John Wick films, lens choices and tricks played a big part in how he and director Chad Stahelski accomplished a flare effect on the films. In John Wick-Chapter 3- Parabellum, Dan discusses shooti...

Swedish cinematographer Linus Sandgren talks to Illya about his extensive career working with high profile directors like Damien Chazelle on First Man and La La Land, Gus Van Sant on Promised Land, and David O. Russell on the films American Hustle and Joy. For the film First Man, Linus used 16mm, 35mm and IMAX formats to portray different looks throughout the movie. While working on Promised Land, he and director Gus Van Sant decided to use Super 35mm 1.3x anamorphic. He also discusses lighting ...

Writer, Director, Producer, Lije Sarki talks to Illya about his latest project, Concrete Kids. The movie follows two nine year old boys on one adventurous night in Los Angeles. Lije discusses wearing many hats as the writer, director, and producer of the project, willing a project like this into being and aesthetic choices that served the production . Concrete Kids was shot in 17 nights with a budget of only $25K. Lije talks about the challenge of the search for the two young leads, shooting wit...

Episode 4 of The Cinematography Podcast's Sundance 2019 Special - Midnight Movies, horror and occult! In our FINAL episode covering the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. We talk to 3 filmmaker and discus their features. The first is Hail Satan? is at its heart an examination of the right to religious freedom. Next is “Little Monsters” writer-director Abe Forsythe sat down with Illya to talk about his zombie-romantic comedy-buddy-horror movie. The film stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o. Finall...

Episode 3 of The Cinematography Podcast's Sundance 2019 Special - DRAMA, as in DRAMAtic films. Ben and Illya discuss some of the dramatic films and documentaries at this year's Sundance Film Festival for The Cinematography Podcast.

In The Cinematography Podcast's second of four episodes, The Cinematography Podcast's Sundance 2019 Special, Illya and Ben discuss the “Comingof Age” film- a perennial topic at film festivals.

In The Cinematography Podcast's first of four episodes, Illya and Ben discuss the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. We had the opportunity to interview several of the most buzzed about filmmakers while in Park City. This episode covers some of our personal favorites of the festival.

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 33 - Matthew Libatique, ASC The filmography of two time Academy Award nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC is filled with fantastic looking movies. Including films such as the recent smash hit, A Star is Born, indie festival darling, Pi, Marvel franchise films like Iron Man, as well as commercial and critically successful films like Black Swan. In this interview, Illya Friedman sits down with Matty to discuss his career behind the camera and his col...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 32 - Robbie Ryan, BSC, ISC “Cinematographer's cinematographer" Robbie Ryan, BSC, ISC discusses his Academy Award nominated work on “The Favourite.” He breaks down using natural light to compose shots and the love of making shorts. Find Robbie Ryan on IMDBBen's Short End is Blackmagic Design DaVinci ResolveIllya's Short End is Too Funny To Fail: The Life and Death of The Dana Carvey Show, a documentary onHuluPodcast Credits:Editor in Chief: Illya FriedmanHost: B...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 31 - Barry Alexander Brown Spike Lee has relied on editor Barry Alexander Brown for the past 3 decades. His latest effort, BlacKkKlansman, earned an Academy Award nomination, his 2nd nomination after receiving one in 1980 for Best Documentary Feature. Barry joined Illya for a conversation about Klansman, collaborating with Spike Lee and how his team and the work has changed over the years. Check OutBarry Alexander Brown - IMDB Illya's Short End is the 2019 Sund...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 30 - Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC Over the past 5 decades, Newton Thomas Sigel has amassed an amazing filmography. His work as a cinematographer is a veritable who's who of famous auteurs. In this feature interview co-hosts Ben Rock and Illya Friedman dive into the craft behind such famous films as The Usual Suspects, 3 Kings, Drive, X-Men, Bohemian Rhapsody and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Check OutNewton Thomas Sigel - IMDBNewton Thomas Sigel - Instagram Illy...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 29 - Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC Vitorrio Storaro, ASC, AIC is an Italian cinematographer widely recognized for his work on numerous classic films including The Conformist, Apocalypse Now, and The Last Emperor. In the course of over fifty years, he has collaborated with directors like Bernardo Bertolucci, Francis Ford Coppola, Warren Beatty, and Woody Allen. He has received three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, a BAFTA Film Award for Best Cinematography,...

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 28 - Leonard Maltin Legendary film critic Leonard Maltin began writing about movies at the age of 13. He talks about his enduring love of movies, his experience writing and interviewing cinematography icons for his book The Art of the Cinematographer, his love of Disney films, how certain films endure over time, film genre oversaturation and sequels, film criticism today, and much more. Check OutLeonard Maltin - Offical Website Podcast: Maltin on Movies Twitter...

The Cinematography Podcast Holiday Special 2018 with Alonso Duralde Alonso Duralde, film critic and author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, discusses great (and not so great) Christmas movies to watch. Hosts Illya Friedman and a reluctant Ben Rock sit down with film critic and Christmas movie expert Alonso Duralde. Alonso shares his extensive knowledge of holiday films from his book, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas. Ben insists his movie, Alien Raiders, falls into the Christmas ...