In the midst of the world shutting down and people being forced to isolate during the Covid-19 pandemic, The White Lotus emerged, serving as an escapist travelogue and a sardonic glimpse into the lives of the very wealthy. Now in its third season, the anthology series continues with yet another set of characters and stories, a whole … Continue reading THE WHITE LOTUS – Immersed in a Location
Each year, the Society of Camera Operators hosts its annual Lifetime Achievement Awards to honor not only some of the finest examples of camera operating in the past year, but also to shine a spotlight on individuals who have given us a career’s worth of exceptional work behind the camera. It’s a space where people … Continue reading Operating for Operators – Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards
At once a biting satire of the movie business and a love letter to the movies themselves, The Studio juggles both the Herculean effort that goes into trying to get anything made in Hollywood with the absurdity of the egos of people calling the shots. To discuss the series, Camera Operator had the opportunity to talk with both A … Continue reading THE STUDIO – Making the Camera Honest
Based on Jeff Keating’s 2020 true crime podcast, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist recounts the story of the infamous house party robbery that eclipsed Muhammad Ali’s grand return to boxing on the next morning’s front page. Camera Operator had the opportunity to speak with A camera and Steadicam operator Xavier Thompson and B camera operators Brigman … Continue reading FIGHT NIGHT: THE MILLION DOLLAR HEIST – Another Eye in the Room
Tyler Perry—who is something of an industry unto himself—has written, directed, and produced dozens of films over the past two decades. But even given his prolific output, Perry’s latest film—The Six Triple Eight—represents new territory for the filmmaker: a large-scale war picture telling the story of the only all-Black, all-women American battalion to serve overseas … Continue reading THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT – A Tale of Two Steadicams
What does it mean to see and be seen? That is the question at the heart of Nickel Boys. Not just in the nature of the film’s central creative choice to be presented entirely from a first-person perspective, but also in the story of two young Black men navigating life in the Jim Crow–era South, where … Continue reading NICKEL BOYS – SOC Creative Spotlight
After taking home five Oscars and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2000, development quickly began on a sequel to Gladiator, but after years of false starts the project appeared to be dead. Director Ridley Scott, however, refused to let the idea die, and now, 24 years after the original film’s release, Gladiator II has arrived in … Continue reading GLADIATOR II – Egoless Operating
Blending the worlds of chemistry and cooking, TV production and education, and women’s rights and civil rights, Lessons in Chemistry shows both the connections and the tensions between these things as protagonist Elizabeth Zott fights to make space for herself in a world that would prefer her to be just a pretty face. In telling this story, … Continue reading LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY – Chemistry on Set
In the year 2024, Saturday Night Live is an institution—culturally ubiquitous and perpetually known for “not being as good as it was when I was in college.” Fifty seasons on from its debut, it’s hard to imagine a time when NBC’s late night variety show was seen as such a risky gamble that the network was, in … Continue reading SATURDAY NIGHT – Organized Chaos
Despite being categorized as a “comedy series” for the purposes of awards by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, watching The Bear can often feel like having a panic attack. Between stellar performances from the series’ principal cast, bold direction, and ambitious camera work, the visceral thrill and white-knuckle terror of working in a busy kitchen … Continue reading THE BEAR – Every Second Counts
David Daut 