Cinematography Podcast - Cam Noir
Art, Business, Craft and Philosophy of the Moving Image
Latest Episodes
James Laxton, ASC is the Academy Award nominated cinematographer of Moonlight. His latest project is Season 2 of Beef, the acclaimed Netflix series created by Lee Sung Jin. This season explores themes of love, class, and generational cycles.
Key Podcast Highlights:
-How James and Lee built a color palette of spring, summer, autumn, and winter that stays continuous through lighting, costume, and production design to give each couple their own visual world.
-Why shooting on the large-format ARRI 265 was a thematic decision, presenting characters as larger than life symbols of forces far bigger than themselves.
-How light and framing portray the power dynamics, from a harsh, undiffused backlit golf course confrontation to wide symmetrical frames of opulence that trap characters inside the class structures surrounding them.
-How James and Lee established a shared visual language, honoring the DNA of Season 1 while pushing the show somewhere entirely new.
Find James Laxton: http://jameslaxton.com/
Instagram: @mrjameslaxton
See Beef s. 2 on Netflix
Hear our previous episode with James Laxton on Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk: https://www.camnoir.com/ep63/
SHOW RUNDOWN:
02:09 Close Focus
14:17-55:08 James Laxton interview
55:54 Short ends
01:07:09 Wrap up/Credits
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
The post James Laxton, ASC Frames Class and Generation Gaps in Beef 2 first appeared on Cam Noir.
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
The post Evoking dread in Something Very Bad is Going to Happen first appeared on Cam Noir.
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
The post Lawrence Sher ASC: filming Apex in the Australian wilderness first appeared on Cam Noir.
Margo's Got Money Troubles DP Tari Segal, ASC approached the show with spontaneity, intimacy, and a creative way to bring static backdrops to life. Margo's Got Money Troubles follows a young woman navigating an unexpected pregnancy, a complicated family, and some very creative ways to pay the bills. It’s one of the most visually inventive comedies currently streaming. Tari shot four of the show's episodes.
Key Podcast Highlights:
-How Tari and the team built a shooting style rooted in spontaneity that allowed the actors freedom of movement on set.
-Using actual licensed music piped into the crew's headset and actors earpiece so the camera could keep tempo with the final cut.
-Developing the visual language of the show, sometimes shifting from handheld, Steadicam, and studio modes {X} in the same scene.
-Shooting the entire Vegas episode in just three days, and the practical tricks Tari used to make four-walled L.A. sets read convincingly as Las Vegas.
Find Tari Segal: https://www.tarisegal.com/
Instagram @tarissegal
SHOW RUNDOWN:
02:22 Close Focus
11:34-01:00:43 Tari Segal interview
01:01:17 Short ends
01:09:22 Wrap up/Credits
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
The post Tari Segal, ASC: visual magic in Margo’s Got Money Troubles first appeared on Cam Noir.
DP Greta Zozula remakes the world of Gilead in The Testaments, a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. She chose a very specific color palette and brighter look to show the optimism for the young women at the school for future wives. Flashbacks to the world of Toronto are sharper, grittier and more realistic.
Key Podcast Highlights:
-How Greta kept the same camera and lenses consistent from The Handmaid’s Tale into The Testaments, while brightening and widening the look for the optimistic young women of Gilead.
-Establishing the aesthetic of The Testaments with a color palette of plums, pinks and greens rather than higher contrast reds and blacks. Greta also used different lenses and framing to separate Agnes’s world and Daisy’s world in Toronto.
-Using miniatures and a probe lens for the opening sequence of the show as the camera takes us through Agnes’s dollhouse.
Find Greta Zozula: https://www.gretazozula.com/
Instagram: @gzoz
Show Rundown:
02:17 Close Focus
09:22-48:35 Greta Zozula interview
50:05 Short ends
53:53 Wrap up/Credits
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
The post DP Greta Zozula on the look of The Testaments first appeared on Cam Noir.
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
The post The scrappy, indie production of Hunting Matthew Nichols first appeared on Cam Noir.
The Cinematography Podcast Episode 353: Isaac Bauman
Cinematographer Isaac Bauman captured the visual identities of two different horror movies in They Will Kill You and Faces of Death. Both films are currently in theaters. Bauman discusses the intricate technical gymnastics required to give each film a distinct, cinematic feel.
Key Podcast Highlights:
-Carefully developing the look of They Will Kill You and Faces of Death with each film’s director.
-Solving big lighting challenges for They Will Kill You's climax, using a massive 18K light that had to be repeatedly moved.
-Working with practical puppeteering effects for the crawling eyeball in They Will Kill You, which gave the scene a higher sense of realism.
-Shooting on 35mm film for Faces of Death and intentionally reducing the camera’s visual capabilities. Isaac used wider lenses, stopped down, and embraced darkness to enhance the gritty, filmic quality of older movies.
Find Isaac Bauman: Instagram @isaacbauman
See They Will Kill You and Faces of Death in theaters.
Hear our previous interview with Isaac Bauman: https://www.camnoir.com/ep242/
Show Rundown:
02:12 Close Focus
10:28-01:00:24 Isaac Bauman interview
01:00:45 Short ends
01:07:34 Wrap up/Credits
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
The post Two horror films, one DP: They Will Kill You, Faces of Death first appeared on Cam Noir.
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
The post Ted Hope, Hope For Film: the rebirth of independent cinema first appeared on Cam Noir.
The Cinematography Podcast Episode 351: Marshall Adams, ASC and Paul Donachie
Pluribus DPs Marshall Adams and Paul Donachie share a visual shorthand, love of wide shots, and creative freedom to craft inventive techniques using LED panels.
Key Podcast Highlights:
-Marshall and Paul’s collaboration as DPs, and how their shared aesthetic vision strengthens the show.
-Getting absolute top-down permission from producer/director Vince Gilligan to take creative risks.
-The importance of prep, rehearsal and flexibility in planning intriguing shots.
-Focusing on finding visual effects in camera instead of relying on VFX, such as the LED rig Marshall built for the truck oner in the pilot episode.
Find Marshall Adams, ASC: Instagram @smadadp
See Pluribus on Apple TV
Show Rundown:
02:22 Close Focus
11:46-46:45 Marshall Adams and Paul Donachie interview
47:22 Short ends
55:47 Wrap up/Credits
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
The post Two DPs, one vision: creating the look of Pluribus first appeared on Cam Noir.
The Cinematography Podcast Episode 350: Lawrence Sher, ASC
DP Lawrence Sher felt creatively challenged on The Bride! The "everything burger" movie combines many film techniques and influences, 1930's and contemporary lighting, contemporary actors dropped into archival movie footage, and practical makeup effects.
Key Podcast Highlights:
-Creating a stylized movie with director Maggie Gyllenhaal using multiple techniques and film influences
-Honoring 1930’s filmmaking with longer lenses, and using real archival footage for the “movie within a movie” sequences.
-The challenge of lighting and filming practical makeup effects on actors Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley
-Finding creative inspiration in projects that excite and scare him
Find Lawrence Sher: https://www.lawrencesher.com/
Instagram @lawrencesherdp
See The Bride! in theaters
Check out Shotdeck: https://shotdeck.com/
Hear our previous episodes with Lawrence Sher: https://www.camnoir.com/ep293/
https://www.camnoir.com/ep56/
Show Rundown:
01:38 Close Focus
09:43-50:05 Lawrence Sher interview
50:21 Short ends
57:08 Wrap up/Credits
The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
The post Lawrence Sher, ASC reimagines Frankenstein for The Bride! first appeared on Cam Noir.