Created by Taylor Sheridan, writer of Sicario and Hell or High Water, Yellowstone’s story of crime, corruption, and cattle ranching has grown into a gargantuan cultural institution, earning critical praise, some of the highest cable viewership numbers of the last decade, and generating an expanding tapestry of spin-offs and tie-ins. Camera Operator had the opportunity … Continue reading YELLOWSTONE – Family on the Frontier
When the 2016 smash hit Rogue One ended with the entire principle cast being killed one-by-one, it seemed like it the book was pretty definitively closed on these characters, yet two years later Lucasfilm announced that Diego Luna would be returning to the role of Cassian Andor for a prequel series leading up to the … Continue reading ANDOR – On Location in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Seventeen years after Star Wars: Episode III hit theaters, Ewan McGregor returns to the role of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, now cut off from the Force and hiding from the Empire after the fall of the Jedi Order. An urgent message pulls him out of his exile when the young Princess Leia is kidnapped by … Continue reading OBI-WAN KENOBI – Old Ben, New Tricks
A seminal work in both literature and cinema, All Quiet on the Western Front remains a sobering portrait of both the senseless terror and the tragic waste of war. Now, nearly a century later, Edward Berger’s new telling of this story aims to remind us of these truths as the world once again finds itself … Continue reading ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Going to War
“What are we saying here?” That’s the question that motivated the camera operating team of Tim Spencer and Mike McEveety in their work on For All Mankind, for which they were nominated for Camera Operators of the Year in Television. Set in an alternate history where the Soviets beat the United States to the Moon, … Continue reading FOR ALL MANKIND – Freedom to Fail
How do you describe something that has never existed before and how do you assess the value of what it’s worth? These are the two interlocking problems one runs up against while trying to talk about Disney’s new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser immersive experience. Even that, “immersive experience”, what does that even mean? For people like myself … Continue reading STAR WARS: GALACTIC STARCRUISER – Weighing the Cost of a Miracle
During the height of Cold War paranoia, the American public heard a startling accusation: actress Lucille Ball is a member of the Communist Party. Being the Ricardos is Aaron Sorkin’s third feature as writer and director, and the film stars Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball and Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz. As much as Being the Ricardos is a … Continue reading BEING THE RICARDOS – An Exercise in Trust
In this dynamic retelling of the seminal musical West Side Story, Steven Spielberg takes us to the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the mid-20th century as young lovers Tony and María forge a romance amid a hotbed of racial and economic tension. The film stars Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Rita … Continue reading WEST SIDE STORY – Musical on a Massive Scale
At the time Disney acquired Lucasfilm in late 2012, Star Wars was in a weird spot. The most popular multi-media franchise of all time up to that point had basically ended. George Lucas had publicly committed to not doing any more films and the only outlet for new storytelling of any real legitimacy to happen … Continue reading STAR WARS REBELS Season One and How STAR WARS Was Saved
Boy, this one’s frustrating. To start, I suppose I should address the elephant in the room: I’m not going to relitigate the director situation in this piece. I have my own theories on how it all went down, but the fact is that none of us know and none of us are likely to ever … Continue reading SOLO and When Fan Service Goes Bad
David Daut 