Rack Focus

Alice Brooks, ASC is a cinematographer who has photographed award-winning feature films, television shows and commercials and her next feature project is Director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the hit musical WICKED. Brooks has worked with Chu on several of her last projects. She recently photographed tick tick…BOOM! for Netflix and Imagine Entertainment, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and produced by Ron Howard. tick tick...BOOM! It Premiered at AFI Fest on Nov. 10, then debuts in theaters for a limited run before heading to Netflix. Her other recent work includes the 2021 summer release of Miranda’s IN THE HEIGHTS for Warner Bros. also directed by Chu. The film’s cinematography received widespread critical acclaim. Brooks also lensed HOME BEFORE DARK (pilot and season one) for Apple TV+, Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, produced by Dana Fox, Dara Resnik and Joy Gorman.

Newton Thomas Sigel is an accomplished Hollywood Cinematographer who has been at it for 40 years. Getting his start with Haskell Wexler on documentaries, shifting to Second Unit work with Oliver Stone, and then transitioning into DP work on a plethora of feature films after that. Some of his films include The Usual Suspects, Bohemian Rhapsody, Drive, Extraction, Da 5 Bloods, a slew of the X-Men films with Brian Singer, Valkyrie, Cherry, Fallen, and many more.

In more than 30 years behind the camera, Craig Wrobleski csc has had the opportunity to photograph projects of most every description. After getting his start as a cinematographer shooting documentaries, sports and corporate films, Craig transitioned into music video and commercial work before taking on Second Unit Director of Photography duties on features and television movies. The next step in his evolution was to take on the main unit Directory of Photography role on features, TV movies and, most recently, television series. Craig’s credits include two seasons of the acclaimed FX series Fargo, Season One of Legion for FX, the 10 part event series of The X-Files, the Twilight Zone limited series, two seasons of the hit Netflix series Umbrella Academy and the groundbreaking Amazon series Tales From the Loop. His feature film credits include In the Tall Grass for Netflix - based on a Stephen King short story. Craig is the recipient of two CSC Awards in addition to his 16 Alberta Film and Television Award wins and has also been nominated four times at the CSC Awards and his Blurryman episode of Twilight Zone received and ASC Award nomination in 2020.

Paul Leonard-Morgan’s unique cinematic style of fusing orchestra with electronica has put him in high demand as a film composer, a producer and arranger for bands, and has led him to win a BAFTA award, and receive Emmy & Ivor Novello nominations. In this continuation of the first part of the interview we delve deep into the world of our new favorite show, Amazon's Tales From The Loop and Paul's work with Phillip Glass on the series.

Paul Leonard-Morgan’s unique cinematic style of fusing orchestra with electronica has put him in high demand as a film composer, a producer and arranger for bands, and has led him to win a BAFTA award, and receive Emmy & Ivor Novello nominations. We reached out to Paul because of two different films. One documentary thriller called Last Breath and the Amazon hit series Tales From The Loop. Along the way we talk about all things composing. Paul's credits are far too numerous to list in totality but here's a summary. Here's worked with bands like Belle and Sebastian, Snow Patrol, Mogwai, and No Doubt. He's composed for film including Limitless, Dredd, 3 projects with Errol Morris including Wormwood, American Dharma, and The B-Side, Walking With Dinosaurs, etc. Video games including Warhammer 40,000 and the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 and is currently composing his first classical commission, a celtic concerto for Inter-Celtic Festival in Lorient.

In this episode of Rack Focus we're talking with Justine Seymour who was the Costume Designer of Netflix's hit show Unorthodox. She has also recently worked on Netflix's Messiah and Apple's upcoming show The Mosquito Coast. Unorthodox was already a huge success, but now it's also been nominated for 8 Emmys, including Costume Design. It's time to Rack Focus and learn about costume design!!!

A deep sea diver is stranded on the seabed with 5 minutes of oxygen and no hope of rescue. With access to amazing archive this is the story of one man's impossible fight for survival. We thought this amazing story was one of the best documentaries of the year and we were excited to talk shop with the Directors Richard Da Costa and Alex Parkinson.

Director/Producer An Tran’s feature documentary debut Moving Pictures: Filmmakers and the Art of Cinematography premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this year. Including insights from award-winning directors Ang Lee, Francis Ford Coppola, Wim Wenders, Reed Morano and Ellen Kuras, this documentary takes viewers on a rare journey exploring the artists behind the world’s cinematic treasures. Moving Pictures includes intimate conversations with celebrated cinematographers like Roger Deakins ASC BSC, Vittorio Storaro ASC AIC, Rachel Morrison ASC, Christopher Doyle HKSC, Rodrigo Prieto ASC AMC, Matthew Libatique ASC, Mahmoud Kalari and more. These passionate craftspeople reveal their early influences and careers, what moves and motivates them, plus the magic of legendary partnerships with directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Abbas Kirostami, Xia Fang, Stanley Kubrick and more. Produced by ARRI, the documentary was a major undertaking – production spanned multiple continents, crews and languages. Joining the effort were also Director/Executive producer Henning Radlein and Director/Supervising Editor Sophie Kill. Cinematographer Tom Fahrmann, bvk developed the black-and-white visual design and lighting approach for the interviews. For Tran, her goal was to bring out the personality of each interview subject, along with showcasing a diverse array of filmmakers from different backgrounds and generations. “We know these filmmakers and work; being able to share their unique experiences will inspire current film lovers and the storytellers of tomorrow.

Acclaimed cinematographer Checco Varese, ASC’s recently released feature It: Chapter Two is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. It: Chapter Two, (from Warner Brothers and New Line) hits theaters Sep. 6. It is the eagerly-awaited sequel to It – director Andy Muschietti’s blockbuster adaptation of author Stephen King’s classic horror masterpiece by the same name. Within hours of its debut, It: Chapter Two’s trailer, alone, generated millions of views and sent fans and social media into a frenzy. Stephen King himself took to Twitter to praise the film. The saga’s latest chapter finds the self-proclaimed ‘Losers’ Club’ returning to their hometown of Derry, Maine after 27 years to defeat Pennywise – the shape-shifting, dancing demonic clown portrayed in terrifying fashion by Bill Skarsgård. All grown up and ready for serious battle, the all-star cast also features Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Isaiah Mustafa, and Bill Hader. For Muschietti, who stepped back into the director’s role, tapping veteran cinematographer Checco Varese to shoot the sequel was a natural choice. “Checco and I go back a long time. We made commercials together a decade ago in Spain, as well as a little short film, and a pilot, too. Our communication has always been great, not only because of the shorthand coming from our cultural background and language, (I was born and raised in Argentina, while he is Peruvian but lived in Buenos Aires for years) but also because we speak a similar visual language. Just a few words were enough to express my vision of this film to him, and immediately an effervescent creative dialogue began. For a cinematographer, working with a director who is very visual can be a blessing or a curse. That’s why Checco is such a trooper. His patience is monumental, and his support unconditional,” compliments the director. He also cites Varese’s background as a war camera person as a huge asset, “That might explain his versatility and ability to adapt to the circumstances. In production, you have to change horses many times as you’re crossing the river, and when that happens, you want someone like Checco on your side, always supportive, loyal, and ready to share his visual creativity.” In addition to his collaborations with Muschietti, Varese has also partnered on several features with director Patricia Riggen including, Miracles From Heaven, Under the Same Moon, and the The 33, which starred Antonio Banderas and Juliette Binoche and is based on the real-life story of 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine. Varese also enjoys a reputation for being the unofficial ‘pilot guy,’ lensing more than two dozen season starters – nineteen of which have been picked up for series including, True Blood; The Strain; The Returned; The Fosters; Colony; and The Defenders. He once again partnered with Riggen for the CBS’s pilot, Surveillance. His other credits include several episode of the first season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan for Amazon, and the sci-fi thriller Replicas featuring Keanu Reeves and Thomas Middleditch.

Our conversation with Ian Seabrook continues where we left off, with Deadpool 2! Underwater director of photography Ian Seabrook’s trailblazing work complements and enhances a story’s imagery to create cutting-edge visuals. Seabrook recently completed underwater unit photography on M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass; director Albert Hughes’ survival drama Alpha; and the pilot for TNT’s Snowpiercer. His previous underwater photography includes Deadpool 2 for director David Leitch; Jason Reitman’s motherhood comedy Tully, starting Charlize Theron; Walt Disney’s Pirate of the Caribbean: Dad Men All No Tales; and director Dan Israelite’s Power Rangers starring Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston.

Antoinette Messam has built an enviable career for herself in film and television. Her costumes can be seen in the Netflix original, Hold the Dark for director Jeremy Saulnier, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Riley Keogh and Jeffrey Wright, which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. For her work on the film she received a Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD) Award for Best Costume Design in Contemporary Film. She recently wrapped another Netflix original film, All Day and A Night for director Joe Robert Cole. Previously, she designed on the remake of SuperFly for Director X. Her work is also on view in 1 Night , starring Anna Camp, Justin Chatwin, Isabelle Fuhrman and Kyle Allen; Colossal , starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis; and the award-winning Creed for director Ryan Coogler, co-starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone. For television, Messam’s work includes the first season of the critically acclaimed hit series Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency , for producers Robert Cooper, David Alpert and Kim Todd,and the popular drama series The Divide , for creators Tony Goldwyn and Richard LaGravenese.

Underwater director of photography Ian Seabrook’s trailblazing work complements and enhances a story’s imagery to create cutting-edge visuals. Seabrook recently completed underwater unit photography on It Chapter 2, M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass; director Albert Hughes’ survival drama Alpha; and the pilot for TNT’s Snowpiercer. His previous underwater photography includes Deadpool 2 for director David Leitch; Jason Reitman’s motherhood comedy Tully, starting Charlize Theron; Walt Disney’s Pirate of the Caribbean: Dad Men All No Tales; and director Dan Israelite’s Power Rangers starring Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0780414/

Our chat with Toby ranges from his start in Australia, moving to LA in 2013 for his collaborations with Blumhouse Media, unintentionally becoming a Horror film Cinematographer, working on the Academy Award winning film GET OUT with Jordan Peele, and his most recent film Happy Death Day. Bio: Toby Oliver ACS is an award-winning cinematographer whose career extends from his native Australia to the United States and internationally. Named as one of Variety’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch in 2017, Oliver now resides in Los Angeles and has forged a remarkable and varied range of credits on feature films, documentaries and television. In the United States, Oliver most recently shot back-to-back films: Insidious: Chapter 4 for director Adam Robitel, which will be in cinemas Jan. 5, 2018; and writer/director Chris Landon’s comic thriller Happy Death Day for Universal, screening nationwide Oct. 13. Oliver also shot Jordan Peele’s racially-charged comedic thriller horror Get Out in, starring Allison Williams and Daniel Kaluuya. Get Out premiered at a midnight screening at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to score a rare 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, ranking #1 at the US Box Office on its opening weekend in February 2017. Loved by audiences and critics alike, Get Out has become a cultural phenomenon and to date it has earned over $200m worldwide. Previously, Oliver lensed Blumhouse Productions’ thriller The Darkness (aka 6 Miranda Drive) for director Greg Mclean, starring Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell; and in New York he shot the indie fantasy drama Wildling for Maven Pictures and director Fritz Bohm with Liv Tyler, Bel Powley and Brad Dourif. He continued his documentary cinematography work shooting the indie doc Roller Dreams in and around Los Angeles’ Venice Beach. Oliver’s work on the Australian WWI suspense war drama Beneath Hill 60 earned him his third Australian Academy nomination, and the TV movie Beaconsfield, about a pair of miners trapped over a kilometer underground in a tiny cage, won a number of awards including a Gold ACS Award and the ACS Best in Show.

We continue our conversation with lauded Cinematographer Giles Nuttgens in the second part of our discussion. Ranging from the technical aspects of Anthropomorphic both historically and currently, his partnership with David Mackenzie and last year's Oscar Nominated success Hell or High Water, to the "challenge of his career" filming Semih Kaplanoğlu's black and white film epic Grain, and some recommendations of great cinematographers to study. Bio Giles Nuttgens recently completed photography on director Wash Westmoreland’s period drama Colette, starring Keira Knightley as a struggling French novelist. Previously, he lensed David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at 2016’s Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster, Nuttgens earned a 2017 BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Cinematography for his work. In 2016 Nuttgens also worked on The Fundamentals of Caring, which first screened at Sundance.The film follows Craig Roberts, Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez as a trio who connect on a life changing crosscountry journey. The last film to ever be shot on black-and-white Kodak 35mm film, Nuttgens shot Grain in Istanbul. Ironically, the movie tells the story of a seed geneticist attempting to save the last batch of genetically unmodified wheat. Nuttgens’ other feature credits also include: Young Ones and God Help the Girl, which both premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival; and The D Train (starring Jack Black and James Marsden) and What Maisie Knew (starring Julianne Moore and Alexander Skarsgard) – both shot with his long-time collaborators, the directing team Scott McGehee and David Siegel. With director Deepa Mehta, Nuttgens lensed Midnight’s Children, based on the bestselling Salman Rushdie novel. Nuttgens’ also shot Mehta’s elemental trilogy Fire, Earth and Water. Water received a 2007 Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and earned Nuttgens the 2006 GENIE Award for Best Cinematography. In 2007, Nuttgens’ “sigh-inducingly evocative” (the Telegraph) cinematography for Mister Foe earned Best Cinematography awards at the Copenhagen Film Festival and British Film Festival in Dinard, as well as a Best Cinematography nomination at the 2008 Evening Standard Awards. Nuttgens first worked with McGehee and Siegel on The Deep End, a film which earned Nuttgens the 2001 Sundance Film Festival Award for Best Cinematography and a nomination in the same category at the 2002 Independent Spirit Awards. BBC trained, Nuttgens was one of the youngest cameramen ever to be appointed to the BBC and worked on a variety of dramas, documentaries and news program. Nuttgens remembers an exceptional experience in his early career spending four months in the Brazilian jungle sleeping on the sandbanks on the side of the Araguaia River. There, he ate dried manioc flour and the red-bellied Amazonian piranha that he fished for every day. Giles is represented by DDA. CinematographyfilmdirectorThe OscarsGiles NuttgensDavid MackenzieChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesAnthromorphicBlack and WhiteHell or High WaterGrainSarejevo Film FestivalReference FIlmsTurn OverPaul RuddFundamaSelena Gomez

Lauded cinematographer Giles Nuttgens recently completed photography on director Wash Westmoreland’s period drama Colette, starring Keira Knightley as a struggling French novelist. Previously, he lensed David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at 2016’s Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster, Nuttgens earned a 2017 BAFTA Film Award nomination for Best Cinematography for his work. In 2016 Nuttgens also worked on The Fundamentals of Caring, which first screened at Sundance.The film follows Craig Roberts, Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez as a trio who connect on a life changing crosscountry journey. The last film to ever be shot on black-and-white Kodak 35mm film, Nuttgens shot Grain in Istanbul. Ironically, the movie tells the story of a seed geneticist attempting to save the last batch of genetically unmodified wheat. Nuttgens’ other feature credits also include: Young Ones and God Help the Girl, which both premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival; and The D Train (starring Jack Black and James Marsden) and What Maisie Knew (starring Julianne Moore and Alexander Skarsgard) – both shot with his long-time collaborators, the directing team Scott McGehee and David Siegel. With director Deepa Mehta, Nuttgens lensed Midnight’s Children, based on the bestselling Salman Rushdie novel. Nuttgens’ also shot Mehta’s elemental trilogy Fire, Earth and Water. Water received a 2007 Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and earned Nuttgens the 2006 GENIE Award for Best Cinematography. In 2007, Nuttgens’ “sigh-inducingly evocative” (the Telegraph) cinematography for Mister Foe earned Best Cinematography awards at the Copenhagen Film Festival and British Film Festival in Dinard, as well as a Best Cinematography nomination at the 2008 Evening Standard Awards. Nuttgens first worked with McGehee and Siegel on The Deep End, a film which earned Nuttgens the 2001 Sundance Film Festival Award for Best Cinematography and a nomination in the same category at the 2002 Independent Spirit Awards. BBC trained, Nuttgens was one of the youngest cameramen ever to be appointed to the BBC and worked on a variety of dramas, documentaries and news program. Nuttgens remembers an exceptional experience in his early career spending four months in the Brazilian jungle sleeping on the sandbanks on the side of the Araguaia River. There, he ate dried manioc flour and the red-bellied Amazonian piranha that he fished for every day. Giles Nuttgens is represented by DDA.

On today's show we interview Director of Photography Steven Holleran about The Land. Trailer: www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi223720473 The Land premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Executive produced by rapper NAS, the film follows four teenage boys who devote their summer to escaping the streets of Cleveland, Ohio to pursue a dream life of professional skateboarding. Holleran’s past credits include: the short film Trying Not to Explode, which took home the 2015 Nashville Film Festival Short Narrative Award; the documentary Fading into the Blue, shot over 12 months in the South Pacific; and commercials for clients including Under Armour, Nike, Android, AT&T and FIFA. Graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a MFA in Film Production, Holleran first began experimenting with cameras as a teenager shooting landscapes and short documentaries. A passionate outdoorsman, he became fascinated with the stories of great explorers like Ernest Shackleton. The notion of adventure through filmmaking ignited Holleran’s interest in the art of cinematography as a way to experience the world around him, while exploring human imagination. Based in Los Angeles, Holleran is represented by Dattner Dispoto and Associates (DDA).

HUMAN is a collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and happiness, as well as hatred and violence, HUMAN brings us face to face with the Other, making us reflect on our lives. From stories of everyday experiences to accounts of the most unbelievable lives, these poignant encounters share a rare sincerity and underline who we are – our darker side, but also what is most noble in us, and what is universal. Our Earth is shown at its most sublime through never-before-seen aerial images accompanied by soaring music, resulting in an ode to the beauty of the world, providing a moment to draw breath and for introspection.

On our first episode of Rack Focus, Josh Hayes (Executive Director, Visual Anarchy) interviews Cinematographer Rodney Taylor. Rodney Taylor, ASC is currently lensing Fox’s Shots Fired with director/executive producer Gina Prince Bythewood and executive producer Brian Grazer. Taylor’s television credits also include: season two of HBO’s Ballers starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which premieres July 17; season two and three of Getting On, the HBO medical comedy based on the British series of the same name; and season two of FX’s Married starring Judy Greer and Nat Faxon. In 2014, Taylor lensed Supremacy with director Deon Taylor, a drama starring Danny Glover, Joe Anderson and Anson Mount about a paroled white supremacist and his girlfriend who take an African American family hostage. He also lensed Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey, a documentary starring Hal Holbrook, Emile Hirsh, Sean Penn and Martin Sheen. Both films premiered at the 2014Los Angeles Film Festival. Other features Taylor shot include: Michael Kristoff’s Live at the Foxes Den, starring Jackson Rathbone; That Evening Sun, starring Mia Wasikowska and Hal Holbrook; Save Me, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival; the powerful film Swimmers, which received acclaim as an official selection of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best New American Film at the Seattle Film Festival; and Grind, where Taylor was chosen for the InternationalC inematographers Guild Film Showcase in 1999 for his work on the 35mm short film. Taylor is known for his IMAX cinematography, with films including: Wired to Win, a film about the Tour de France; the Academy Award nominated Alaska: Spirit of the Wild; and Ride Around the World, an international cowboy film. In 2003 Taylor received the Kodak Vision Award for his excellence and versatility in the IMAX format. He has photographed extensively in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Japan, Alaska, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Russia, Taiwan and France, as well as in a plethora of state-side locations from New York City to Knoxville, Tennessee.