“I Don’t Know if We Knew Exactly Where It Would Take Us”: DPs Antonio Rossi and Ben Bloodwell on Bucks County, USA
Bucks County, USA, directed and produced by Robert May (Kids for Cash) and Barry Levinson (Rain Man; Good Morning, Vietnam) follows a pair of teenage girls, best friends with opposing political views, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, one of the swingiest counties in a crucial swing state. The series, part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Episodics section, follows the political battles in the county through the perspective of its young protagonists.
Below, Bucks County, USA DPs Antonio Rossi and Ben Bloodwell talk about what drew them to such a political project, matching two different cameras in post, and overcoming the budget and timing limitations so common in documentary filmmaking.
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?
Antonio Rossi: I spoke at length with producer-director Robert May about the project. As someone who completed graduate study in anthropology, I was very intrigued by a project that wanted to spend a long period filming members of a community in conflict. People are often very set in their political beliefs and tend to live in their own echo chambers, and I was excited about listening to people on diverse points of the political spectrum give in-depth descriptions about why they think what they think.
I believe that Robert was interested in my extensive history in documentary film and my enthusiasm for the subject matter. The project was a long journey, and I don’t know if we knew exactly where it would take us, but we started off with lengthy, almost testimonial style interviews of people in the community, and Robert liked my interview lighting style. There were a couple of shoots before I joined the project, and I had worked extensively with the sound mixer, Mark Mandler, and the AC/B-cam operator Todd Leatherman, both of whom preceded me.
Ben Bloodwell: I was very fortunate to be brought on by my co-DP, Antonio Rossi. Tony and I have known each other for years, in fact we both were camera assistants to the great Maryse Alberti (Velvet Goldmine, The Wrestler, Taxi to the Dark Side) and have traded work and collaborated ever since. After my initial conversation with Robert May about the angle that the project was taking, I was sold. The political discourse in this country has gotten so toxic, I wanted to witness how average Americans, who probably consider themselves good neighbors and citizens, can be reduced to what we saw in these meetings.
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?
Antonio Rossi: I was striving to shoot a classically beautiful and elegant documentary film. As such, I used a variety of tools to make the camera mobile and stable as the scenes demanded. At times I used a Ronin RS3 if I needed a stable walk and talk. At other times, we filmed long conversations handheld, and we employed Easyrigs, Ergorigs, or CineSaddles to maintain steady compositions. In my interview style, I employed classic soft lighting techniques and placed subjects in backgrounds that were both beautifully lit and natural and everyday.
In a film like this, my goal is to present the subjects in a dignified, realistic, and non-judgmental style. I am doing classic interview lighting and also classic verité style. We really strive to be fair to the subjects and let them express their views freely.
Ben Bloodwell: I believe Tony and I share a similar respect for traditional verité camera work while embracing a more “off the shoulder” operating style that modern cameras allow for. We tried to adjust lighting and staging as little as possible, often simply turning lights off or angling for the most interesting natural light whenever possible.
Filmmaker: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether they be other films, or visual art, of photography, or something else?
Antonio Rossi: The verité on this project is inspired by classic documentary films like Harlan County, USA. The interviews are inspired by classic portraiture lighting.
Ben Bloodwell: My biggest influence in cinematography would be the DPs I assisted for over the years. Shooters like Maryse Alberti, Don Lenser, and Bob Richman had such a relaxed, elegant way of telling a story through a lens. Photographers like Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz, of course, are also huge inspirations for me.
Filmmaker: What were the biggest challenges posed by production to those goals?
Antonio Rossi: The biggest challenge for me was picking the right tool for the job in the instances we weren’t sure where a scene would go. If I know I am doing a long walk and talk, I like to use a gimbal; if it’s a more of an organic scene, I prefer being on my shoulder with the camera; but if two subjects are having a long conversation, I prefer to use an Easyrig or an Ergorig. But we didn’t always know what type of scenario would unfold at the beginning of a scene.
Ben Bloodwell: As in most documentaries, the biggest challenges are schedule and budget. Working with real people, especially kids (as we often were), forces you to work quickly and decisively. The lack of a script is what makes it so exciting but also what makes it challenging to get cinematic images, and the unfortunate reality is that nonfiction films have a fraction of the budget of a fiction film despite having unique logistical challenges. So, we end up often making the most of the gear and crew size we can afford rather than what we would prefer. Luckily, Robert’s team was really supportive and made sure we had everything we needed and the time we needed to make it happen.
Filmmaker: What camera did you shoot on? Why did you choose the camera that you did? What lenses did you use?
Antonio Rossi: I filmed with the Sony FX9 and FX6, usually with e-mount Sony G-Master or Sigma Art lenses. I love the flexibility those two cameras provide with native e-mount lenses. Towards the end of filming, I also incorporated a set of Venus Optics Laowa Ranger Zooms, which are a great set of lightweight cine style zoom lenses with an organic look.
Ben Bloodwell: Tony and I both used completely different camera systems for this project. Tony used Sony cameras, but I own a Canon C500ii package, which I love and have basically built out for verité operating to my exact needs. We honestly found that, with modern LOG images and good color timing, these cameras can all be made to match well within the tolerances of a documentary that takes place over such a long period of time. In fact, we occasionally were forced to mix and match Sony and Canon cameras on the same shoot due to availability issues and found they matched just fine with a bit of work in post. Not sure this is what the manufacturers would like to hear, but the reality of documentary production is often the best camera for the job is the camera you have in your hand.
Filmmaker: Describe your approach to lighting.
Antonio Rossi: I strive to employ a subtle vocabulary that reinforces that which is being communicated by the filmmaker. In a project like this, my aim is to portray the subjects elegantly and fairly.
Ben Bloodwell: My approach to lighting is naturalistic but not “Au Natural,” meaning I do actually break out lights, but I look to the architecture and natural illumination of the space as cues to the directionality and quality of light. I feel as soon as you build a light, you’re telling a story about the space and the people in it… and if that story contradicts the reality of the natural light of the space, the viewer perceives this as “lit” or, even worse, “badly lit.” As we all learn as children, if you’re going to tell a tall tale, it’s best to stick to the truth as much as possible to make it believable. So, when possible, in verité scenes especially, I’ll simply adjust the light in the room by turning off lights, diffusing windows, skirting overheads etc. If I can get away without breaking out a light, all the better for our schedule!
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to realize and why? And how did you do it?
Antonio Rossi: Towards the end of filming, we decided to bring together many of the young people we had been profiling and to have them address issues in a roundtable setting. Until then, we had been a shoot with a very small footprint, but we knew this shoot would be more ambitious and we would need a bigger crew. We decided that we wanted to be able to shoot close-ups of the twelve different participants and that we wanted to shoot in a location relevant to the community rather than a limbo black box studio type location. We employed 3 cameras with Canon 25-250mm Cine zoom lenses on a PeeWee Dolly, a Fisher 11, and a Dana Dolly. We were able to rig lightweight lights from the ceiling beyond the drop ceiling in the location, and we set up a video village in an adjacent room from which Robert May could instruct on shots and coverage. It was not a difficult scene in the grand scheme of things, but it was much larger and more ambitious than any of our other set-ups.
Filmmaker: Finally, describe the finishing of the film. How much of your look was “baked in”
versus realized in the DI?
Antonio Rossi: We strived for a neutral, non-judgmental look, so our color correction reinforced the decisions we made while shooting.
TECH BOX
Film Title: Bucks County, USA
Camera (Antonio Rossi): Sony FX9, Sony FX6
Lenses (Antonio Rossi): Sony G-Masters, Sigma Art Primes, Venus Optics Laowa Ranger Zooms
Lighting (Antonio Rossi): Litepanel Gemini, Aputure 600C, Amaran F22C and F21C, Fiilex lights, Nanlite Pavotubes
Processing: Sony S-Log 3
Color Grading: Postworks