
“Merging Aesthetic Elements and Practical Considerations”: DP Patrick Jones on By Design

By Design, the latest film by Amanda Kramer (Please Baby Please, Ladyworld) has an instantly memorable logline: “A woman swaps bodies with a chair, and everyone likes her better as a chair.” The film will premiere as part of the NEXT section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
Collaborating for the seventh time with Kramer is cinematographer Patrick Jones. Below, Jones talks about how he attains the distinct aesthetics that mark Kramer’s films.
See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here.
Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job?
Jones: This is my fifth feature with director Amanda Kramer. We first met seven years ago when she was making her debut feature, which we worked on together. Since then, she’s continued to invite me back for each new project—a career dream come true, and a lifelong friendship I deeply cherish.
Filmmaker: What were your artistic goals on this film, and how did you realize them? How did you want your cinematography to enhance the film’s storytelling and treatment of its characters?
Jones: Our previous two films had equally ambitious and distinct artistic goals. Please Baby Please is an imaginative 1950s story captured through a single roaming camera perspective with Panavision Anamorphics, bathed in vibrant streetlights and saturated moonlight. Give Me Pity, on the other hand, was shot like a 1980s multi-cam TV special, spiraling into a disturbed, scratched VHS copy of a copy. When we began discussing By Design, Amanda and I approached the look and style simultaneously, merging aesthetic elements and practical considerations. We decided to shoot with two cameras, predominantly using zooms—primarily for speed and logistical efficiency, but to do it in a way that maintained a singular perspective, with unique shots and deliberate framing. This gave us the flexibility to adapt as Amanda worked with the actors and dancers to refine their performances. The film has two parallel storylines, so the lighting and set design were tailored to reflect the distinct choices for each narrative.
Filmmaker: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether they be other films, or visual art, of photography, or something else?
Jones: Amanda and her editor, Ben Shearn, curated a selection of films and TV shows from the ’80s and ’90s, which we discussed with production designer Grace Surnow. Together, we identified the key elements we wanted to incorporate into the film. I drew inspiration from the dramatic lighting of American Gigolo and American Psycho, blending it with the pastel softness of Golden Eighties and The Last Romance, amongst many others. I also became obsessed with the look of early Ikea catalogues, since ultimately it is a film about a chair.
Filmmaker: What were the biggest challenges posed by production to those goals?
Jones: A 15-day schedule with no overtime or pickups! Amanda doesn’t like to belabor the actors or the performances, so we aim to minimize takes and setups. It’s always that balancing act between the pressure of time and the desire to make every image unique. We don’t just rush through things to get it in the can; instead, we turn limitations and challenges into opportunities, making smart choices that help us work within the constraints while still preserving the film’s aesthetic.
Filmmaker: What camera did you shoot on? Why did you choose the camera that you did? What lenses did you use?
Jones: We shot on two Sony Venice 1 in 4K 17:9, paired with tuned Panavision 11:1 zooms, and used a Portrait lens for specialty shots. The Venice is excellent at handling higher ISOs, allowing me to light at lower levels. The zooms gave us the flexibility to move quickly and capture any shot at any time. Guy McVicker at Panavision customized the zooms to produce a unique look, enhancing the veiling glare and spherical aberration, which we then pushed even further in the color grade with Alan Louis Gordon at Picture Shop.
Filmmaker: Describe your approach to lighting.
Jones: The film is split into two storylines, so for Camille’s side, the lighting is softer, more pastel and more even. For Olivier’s side, the lighting is vibrant, with harder lines, more front lighting and greater contrast. We return to many of the same rooms throughout the film, so evolving the look from scene to scene to evoke different moods was a fun challenge.
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to realize and why? And how did you do it?
Jones: I think the scene where the designer and the magazine team visit Olivier stands out as a busy day. There were many new actors that day, a lot of dialogue, some action, and even a “stunt”—all within a tight timeframe. We chose a bold color palette for the scene, which instantly set a mood distinct from the other scenes on the set. From there, I was able to work quickly knowing the scene would have its own place in the film. Amanda is excellent at letting things unfold off-camera, trusting that we can suggest what’s happening without showing everything and designing single shots that carry the weight of the scene.
Filmmaker: Finally, describe the finishing of the film. How much of your look was “baked in” versus realized in the DI?
Jones: We didn’t have a DIT on this film, so I monitored the footage through a standard Rec. 709 conversion and let the Venice handle the dailies as a proxy recording in-camera. This allowed me to focus purely on the lighting on set, knowing we’d refine everything in post. Alan first came in with a texture pass to age the film, giving it a unique look using grain, halation and softness tools. Then, he did a color pass to add a level of precision I didn’t have on set, helping the film land in a place that felt cohesive and deliberate.
TECH BOX
Film Title: By Design
Camera: Sony Venice 1
Lenses: Panavision 11:1 Zoom, Primo Primes, PV Portrait Lens
Lighting: Nanlux, Vortex, Aputure, Arri, Astera
Color Grading: Alan Louis Gordon at PictureShop on a Baselight