Tag: Cinematography

Alan Pakula: Going for Truth

Quixotic Endeavors
April 7, 2023

Alan Pakula: Going for Truth encompasses the personal and professional life of Alan J. Pakula, a lauded filmmaker and extremely private man, who was unflinching in his commitment to bringing some of the most memorable movies of the last half of the 20th century to the big screen. Select cast members from his wide-ranging filmography including To Kill A Mockingbird, Klute, The Parallax View, All the President’s Men, Sophie’s Choice, Presumed Innocent, and The Pelican Brief bring Pakula to life once more; while family and friends share their memories of knowing him as an artist, a husband, and a stepfather.

“As a storyteller, Pakula always put the substance of the story ahead of his own personal style for how the story should be told. His true signature was his anonymity. This led to his responsibility for the indelible classics he created, yet he hasn’t had the proper spotlight for his efforts until now.”

Featuring: Alan Alda, Jane Alexander, Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, Carl Bernstein, Jeff Bridges, Tom Brokaw, James L. Brooks, Dick Cavett, Brian Dennehy, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, Tony Goldwyn, Dustin Hoffman, Annette Insdorf, Kevin Kline, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Matthew Modine, Alan J. Pakula, Austin Pendleton, Christopher Plummer, André Previn, Robert Redford, Steven Soderbergh, Meryl Streep, Bob Woodward.

Music by Earl Rose.

Written, Produced, and Directed by Matthew Miele.

Runtime: 1h 38min

Watch the trailer

Streaming on:

Amazon Prime Video
Google Play
Apple TV
YouTube

37th ASC Awards Nominee Interviews: Anastas Michos, ASC, GSC

The American Society of Cinematographers / American Cinematographer
March 2, 2023

Cinematographer Anastas Michos, ASC, GSC speaks with American Cinematographer‘s Tara Jenkins about his nominated work on Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities – “The Autopsy” (Netflix).

Michos is nominated in the Pilot, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made For Television category (Category sponsored by ARRI).

Coca-Cola – “Blade Roller” (1993)

In 2021 AD, the futuristic megalopolis of ZERO-CITY is under martial law. When the authorities try to enforce a curfew, a gang of renegade “Blade Rollers” defy it rollerblading daredevil-style through the deserted rain-slicked streets.

For this stylistic homage to Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982), director David Fincher recruited the cinematographer of the classic film, Jordan Cronenweth, ASC, one of his all-time heroes.

It was also the first collaboration between Fincher and Producer Ceán Chaffin.

Watch all the versions of the commercial and read The Fincher Analyst dossier:

1993. Coca-Cola – Blade Roller

Microsalón AEC: Erik Messerschmidt, ASC

Fotografía de Suwon Lee. Gentileza de AEC.

José Val Bal, AEC
26 noviembre, 2022
Microsalón AEC

El director de fotografía Erik Messerschmidt, ASC, habla sobre su trabajo en Devotion (J. D. Dillard, 2022), Mank (2020), y la serie de TV Mindhunter (2017, 2019).

Entrevista en inglés con interpretación simultanea al español.

Director of Photography Erik Messerschmidt, ASC, talks about his work on Devotion (J. D. Dillard, 2022), Mank (2020), and the TV series Mindhunter (2017, 2019).

Interview in English with simultaneous interpretation to Spanish.

RED Stage 4 Sessions: Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, and Steven Meizler

Jarred Land and Naida Albright
January 13, 2023
RED Digital Cinema

Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, and Steven Meizler, two cinematography legends, sit down with RED‘s Jarred Land and Naida Albright. They discuss the challenges and triumphs of shooting projects like Che and The Social Network during the early years of RED and how those experiences and their continued relationship with the brand have forged a symbiotic relationship that has helped their art and more importantly, helped to push RED’s technology forward to meet their high standards.

Two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, is known for his role as the director of photography on Fight Club, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl.

Emmy-award winner Steven Meizler‘s films include Che, The Minority Report, The Queen’s Gambit, The OA, Godless, and the upcoming American political drama series The White House Plumbers.

Connect with RED Digital Cinema: website, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Entrevista a Erik Messerschmidt ASC

Julio Gómez
Diciembre 30, 2022
Camera & Light

Durante el MicroSalón Madrid 2022 tuvimos la oportunidad de charlar con el invitado especial de la AEC, el director de fotografía Erik Messerschmidt ASC.

Os ofrecemos la conversación que mantuvo con Julio Gómez (al que hemos cortado porque no le pusimos micro) sobre sus trabajos con David Fincher (“Mank“, “Mindhunter“) y también trabajaos recientes en colaboración con Dana Gonzáles, como “Fargo” o “Legión“.

Entrevista filmada y montada por Juan Esparza Cevallos para Camera & Light.

Frame & Reference Podcast: “Devotion” DP Erik Messerschmidt, ASC

Kenny McMillan
December 8, 2022
Frame & Reference

Frame & Reference is a conversation between Cinematographers hosted by Kenny McMillan. Each episode dives into the respective DP’s current and past work, as well as what influences and inspires them. These discussions are an entertaining and informative look into the world of making films through the lens of the people who shoot them.

In this episode, Kenny talks with cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, ASC, about the new film “Devotion.” Erik has had a very interesting career including work on series such as “Mindhunter”, “Legion”, “Fargo” and as the DP of “Mank” for which he won an Oscar.

Listen to the podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

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First behind-the-scenes look at David Fincher’s “The Killer” with Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender: Road to Le Mans. Season 4, Episode 1

November2, 2022
Porsche (YouTube)

Follow the fourth season of Michael Fassbender’s journey to compete at the world’s ultimate motorsport event in this weekly YouTube series.

Starting at minute 2:14, there is a three-minute clip of Fassbender shooting car process scenes for The Killer with Fincher and his team on Sound Stage 2 at Triscenic Production Services. Andrew Kevin Walker, the screenwriter of the film, is also visiting.

The actor discusses working on the film during the off-season of his other passion, car racing:

I had the great privilege and honor of working with David Fincher on The Killer. I have the lead role in his film. To have a small window of opportunity to go to work and then to be able to work with one of the best filmmakers out there was just a dream come true.

It felt really good to go back to work. The film that I’ve done before was just before lockdown. But that was 2019, so I was definitely ready to go back to work.

With somebody of David’s caliber, it was a very special opportunity for me: quite a few locations over a five-month period.

What was interesting for me was taking the experience from what we’re doing on track and bringing it on set, especially with somebody like David who films very precisely and everything is dealing in fractions in terms of how you deliver things and movement and exactly how the frame is occupied.

You have to step on and deliver in a period of time. And David is looking for perfection and to do that within a take, however long that take is. It might be 40 seconds. It might be six minutes long, but within that time frame, you’re looking to do everything exactly as it should be.

You’ve taken on board all the notes and there’s plenty of them to digest, but in the moment when you’re trying to deliver those notes, you’re not thinking at all.

It was a real honor. I felt like I learned a lot from him. It was a full-on shoot, very long hours sometimes six-day weeks. So there was literally not enough time for me to get into car and do any training whatsoever.

So we wrapped up the film in L.A., end of March, and I got directly on a flight the next day and then came straight to the track.

Erik Messerschmidt: “El principal enemigo de un director de fotografía es el tiempo”

Fotografía de Suwon Lee. Gentileza de AEC.

Arnau Martín Camarasa
30 noviembre, 2022
Industrias del Cine

Entrevistamos a Erik Messerschmidt, director de fotografía estadounidense, en el marco del evento MicroSalón AEC, con sede en Madrid. Messerschmidt es habitual colaborador del cineasta David Fincher y obtuvo un premio Óscar a la mejor fotografía por Mank.

Me gustaría preguntarte si consideras que el cine proviene de la fotografía, si te parece que el cine proporciona movimiento a las fotografías o si proviene de una transformación técnica más compleja.

Es una gran pregunta. Creo que el cine es storytelling extendido en el tiempo. Es esculpir en el tiempo, como decía Tarkovski. La fotografía tiene que ver con la historia de un momento singular. El cine manipula y hace progresar el tiempo. Tiene más en común con la literatura y los sueños que con la fotografía.

Lee la entrevista completa / Read the full interview in Spanish

Indie Film Hustle: Erik Messerschmidt, ASC

Lighting for David Fincher & Michael Mann

Alex Ferrari
November 29, 2022
Indie Film Hustle

Award-winning director of photography Erik Messerschmidt, ASC has a natural eye for arresting and spellbinding images, thriving in a role that allows him to combine his love of art, craft and science. Recently, he lensed Devotion for director J.D. Dillard, based on the real-life story of a Black naval officer who befriends a white naval officer during the Korean War, with both becoming heroes for their selfless acts of bravery.

He also finished shooting Michael Mann’s biographical film Ferrari, starring Adam Driver, Shailene Woodley, and Penélope Cruz, and David Fincher’s The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton.

Previously, Messerschmidt shot Fincher’s passion project Mank, chronicling the screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz’s turbulent journey to write Citizen Kane alongside Orson Welles. Messerschmidt’s meticulous and striking black and white recreation of the period’s aesthetic earned him the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, an ASC Award for Outstanding Cinematography in a Feature Film, a BSC Award for Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Release, a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Cinematography, as well as Best Cinematography award nominations from the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice, and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists.

In addition, Messerschmidt co-lensed several episodes of the HBO Max original series Raised by Wolves from producer Ridley Scott. He also shot the first and second seasons of Fincher’s hit thriller series Mindhunter for Netflix, earning a 2020 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (one-hour) for episode 206.

With a background in the fine arts world, Messerschmidt honed his skills while working with such renowned cinematographers such as Dariusz Wolski, ASC, Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, Phedon Papamichael, ASC, Claudio Miranda, ASC, and Greig Fraser, ASC. Messerschmidt now lives in Los Angeles and is a member of IATSE Local 600. He is represented by DDA.

Listen to the podcast and read the transcript