Cinematographers
Interviews - Cinematographers
-
“I Don’t Covet Shots, I Covet the Film”: DP Matthew Libatique on Highest 2 Lowest
In November of 2023, always-busy cinematographer Matthew Libatique embarked on a particularly prolific period that saw the three-time Oscar nominee lens a trio of films nearly back-to back. That grueling feat was predicated on the fact that a triumvirate of Libatique’s most frequent collaborators came calling: Spike Lee with Highest 2 Lowest (briefly in theaters, now on Apple TV+), Darren Aronofsky with Caught Stealing (now in theaters) and Bradley Cooper with Is This Thing On? (scheduled for release at the end of the year, premiering shortly at NYFF). “It wasn’t lost on me how rare of an opportunity it was […]
-
“Stunt-Vis was Never a Restriction”: DP Callan Green on Nobody 2
In Nobody, a government assassin turned middle-aged family man (Bob Odenkirk) breaks out of his humdrum suburban existence by instigating an escalating feud with the Russian mob. In the film’s sequel, out in theaters, a burnt-out Odenkirk now needs a break from his return to espionage. So, he packs up the family and heads to Plummerville, a run-down water park where he spent one of his happiest childhood summers. Action maestro Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) takes the directorial reigns for the follow-up, with New Zealand cinematographer Callan Green behind the camera. Green spoke to Filmmaker about the […]
-
In Memoriam, An Interview with the Late Documentary Filmmaker Joel DeMott and her partner, Jeff Kreines
In my recent Filmmaker conversation with Julia Loktev about the making of her monumental documentary, My Undesirable Friends, I cited the work of the late documentary filmmaker Joel DeMott, because I believe there is a straight line between DeMott’s approach in the late 1970s to shooting vérité documentary using shoulder-mounted 16mm cameras and Loktev’s latter-day methods using iPhones. DeMott, who died in June, has been eulogized in obits in Documentary and The New York Times, so no need to recap her venturesome life and career here. Instead, my way of paying homage to the contributions of DeMott and her partner […]
-
DP Larkin Seiple on Shooting his First Horror Film, Weapons
When cinematographer Larkin Seiple finished the Apple+ feature Wolfs, he was set on taking a well-deserved break. It was going to take a special project to coax him back behind the camera before he’d decompressed, especially for a project outside his home base in L.A. Then the script for Weapons arrived the day after wrap. “I read the script in like an hour and I was like, ‘Shit. It’s really good. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to shoot something like this again,’” said Seiple. Unfolding in overlapping chapters, writer-director Zach Cregger’s follow-up to Barbarian follows a […]
-
“With a Director, I Ask Myself, Is This a Person I Would Like to Travel With?”: Realm of Satan Director Scott Cummings Interviews D.P. Gerard Kerkletz
In 2019, I began production on my debut feature Realm of Satan, only for the world to shut down as COVID-19 brought filming to a halt after just a few days. It wasn’t until 2022 that we were able to resume. Despite this catastrophic challenge, two people never wavered in their commitment and belief in me and the film: producer Caitlin Mae Burke and Austrian cinematographer Gerald Kerkletz. Because of them, we were able to resume filming in 2022, and I’m thrilled that Realm of Satan will have its NYC theatrical run next week at Nitehawk. Realm of Satan is […]
-
“You Go to L.A. and Then You Start Working with Roger Corman”: DP Paul Elliott on Duster, Ken Russell and Roger Deakins
In Duster, an impossibly cool wheelman (Josh Holloway) and a rookie FBI agent (Rachel Hilson) join forces to take down a crime boss (Keith David) in 1970s Phoenix. If any of the creative forces behind the HBO series ever wondered if they were properly capturing the vibe of 1970s pulp, all they had to do was turn to cinematographer Paul Elliott for confirmation. Though born and raised in London, Elliott arrived in the States at the end of the 1970s and began working at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures as a camera assistant. He crossed paths with cult B-movie figures […]
-
“[You] Build a Movie Like You Build a Fire”: Lost Highway DP Peter Deming on Restorations, Lighting and Working with David Lynch
With all three seasons of Twin Peaks having arrived on MUBI today and two sold-out 35mm screenings of Lost Highway(1997), presented by cinematographer Peter Deming, having taken place at Film at Lincoln Center last night, it’s clear that David Lynch’s 1990s output remains firmly top of mind for cinephiles at home and in theaters. With Lynch’s death (the subject of countless memorials and personal tributes) and it now having been 35 years since Twin Peaks debuted on ABC and captivated America and beyond, 2025 has provided, month-by-month, reasons to commemorate the Lynchian touch (Attn: repertory theaters: Wild at Heart turns […]
-
Space in 40mm: DP Christophe Nuyens on Andor Season Two
When it comes to streaming series, it’s better to have too little of a great show than too much. With a finite amount of time to work with before the events of Andor collide with their preordained conclusion in Rogue One, the Disney Plus prequel series opted not to spin its wheels for a superfluous three or four extra seasons like so many shows that lurch onward past what should be their expiration date. The second and final season of Andor picks up a year after season one, with each three-episode block then jumping another year into the future as […]
-
Practical Magic: DP Aaron McLisky on Bring Her Back
In A24’s Bring Her Back, a grieving mother (Sally Hawkins) takes a pair of orphaned siblings into her secluded home with nefarious ulterior motives. It’s another slice of southern Australian horror steeped in trauma and grief from Talk to Me twins Mark and Danny Philippou, infused with ample gore and unsettling dental carnage. The brothers’ sophomore directorial effort reteams them with Talk to Me cinematographer Aaron McLisky, who spoke to Filmmaker about their latest venture on the eve of its theatrical release. Filmmaker: I saw Talk to Me in the theater when it came out and loved it, but I didn’t know anything […]
-
“Not Everything Could Have Been IMAX”: DP Andrew Droz Palermo on Thunderbolts*
In the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry Thunderbolts*, a reluctant squad of antiheroes team up to save New York City. Behind the scenes, another superteam comprised of A24 alumni joined forces. As this trailer breaks down, Thunderbolts* is brought to you by “the writers and director of Beef, the cinematographer of The Green Knight, the production designer of Hereditary, the editor of Minari and the composers of Everything Everywhere All at Once.” That Green Knight cinematographer would be Andrew Droz Palermo, whose resume includes work for both Marvel (the Disney+ series Moon Knight) and A24 (David Lowery’s A Ghost Story and […]
