In 1978 in Colorado, undercover police officer Ron Stallworth successfully infiltrated the resurgent Ku Klux Klan. Unbeknownst to the KKK and Grand Wizard David Duke, Stallworth was the only African-American cop on the Colorado Springs force. This true story was ideal material for director Spike Lee, who turned it into BlacKkKlansman, starring John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace.
In advertising, image is everything. In today’s competitive commercial production world, cinematographers are always looking for an edge. The buzzword is often “cinematic,” and with the extremely high quality of television content, a spot must measure up or be lost in the shuffle. Makers of television content – both narrative projects and commercials – are turning to vintage glass and widescreen aspect ratios to lend their images the epic sweep of classic films.
Rachel Morrison, ASC earned an Oscar® nomination for her work on Mudbound, becoming the first female to be recognized in the category in the Academy’s 90-year history. The film, directed by Dee Rees, is set in rural Mississippi during World War II. It focuses on two families that are separated by society, yet united by their shared farmland.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which earned seven Oscar® nominations, reunites director Martin McDonagh and cinematographer Ben Davis, BSC. The two previously collaborated on Seven Psychopaths.
Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen went all-in on the Oscar®-nominated Molly’s Game by devising two distinct looks for director Aaron Sorkin that were used for scenes in Los Angeles and scenes in New York. The indie feature was shot mostly on sets built at Pinewood Studios in Toronto.
Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC earned his second Oscar® nomination in 2013, for Anna Karenina, in which he and director Joe Wright took an overtly theatrical approach to Tolstoy’s classic novel.
Intrigued by the possibilities of Panavision’s Millennium DXL, many talented filmmakers worldwide are choosing the camera for feature, television and commercials projects. With its unique Panavision build, DXL offers cinematographers the chance to take advantage of an 8K HDR large-format sensor, combined with Light Iron Color and an ergonomic, lightweight form factor.
Is it a heist film, a love story, a comedy, an actioner or perhaps a musical? Baby Driver is all of them, straight from the genre-bending mind of writer-director Edgar Wright. Baby-faced Baby is a crack getaway driver recruited for a job that threatens a new love. He wants out, but the heist crew isn't so accommodating. And all this plays out to the soundtrack pulsating from Baby's earbuds. The film from Sony Tristar features Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Lily James, Jon Bernthal and a Subaru.
