Not content to merely coast on the merits of its clever conceit—namely a surgery that splits one’s consciousness between work and home—the first season of Severance ferociously pulled on the threads of that idea, unraveling as a twisty, existentially nightmarish, and often darkly funny reflection of our own fractured society. In the year since its … Continue reading SEVERANCE – Research and Development
Over the years, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has been no stranger to elaborate oners, but even so, one shot in Mrs. Maisel’s season finale stands apart from the rest. In a single take, the camera follows the action over a balcony, through a railing, backwards down a set of stairs, and out onto the set … Continue reading THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL – One Marvelous Shot
When the first John Wick film arrived in theaters in 2014, it ushered in a new style of action movie, one that allowed the action choreography to play out in long, smooth, unbroken shots in contrast with the handheld shake and rapid-fire editing that defined the decade of action movies prior. Over nine years and … Continue reading JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 – Planning and Improvisation
For his first leading role in a television series, Jeff Bridges stars as a man named —as far as we know—Dan Chase, a former covert operative for the CIA who has spent years living off the grid, hiding himself and his daughter from the fallout of a 30-year-old job gone wrong. Coming on the heels … Continue reading THE OLD MAN – Not Moving the Camera
During the Society of Camera Operator’s Lifetime Achievement Awards this February, three operators were recognized as Camera Operators of the Year. Daniel Bishop SOC | ASSOC BSC | ACO was recognized in the Film category for his work on All Quiet on the Western Front, and the operating team of Dave Chameides, SOC, and Cristian … Continue reading Camera Operator of the Year Roundtable
When it opened in theaters in March of 2022, Everything Everywhere All at Once became a surprise smash hit and an immediate sensation, garnering rave reviews and earning more than $100 million off an estimated budget of only $15 million. Now, nearly a year later, the film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel … Continue reading EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE – Making the Most Out of a Little
From Close Encounters of the Third Kind to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the story of Steven Spielberg’s childhood and family life has existed in the margins of some of the director’s most famous works, but now after a filmmaking career that has spanned five decades, that story comes to the fore in The Fabelmans. In this … Continue reading THE FABELMANS – Thinking Through the Lens
BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths follows journalist and documentarian Silverio Gama as he reflects on his life, his work, and his own cultural identity through a series of surrealistic moments that blur the lines between what is real and what is imagined. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu from a screenplay by Iñárritu … Continue reading SOC Creative Spotlight – BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS
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
David Daut 