Tag: Podcast

Movies We Like: Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth on Blade Runner

A Legacy of Light and Shadow

Andy Nelson and Pete Wright
October 27, 2025
Movies We Like (TruStory FM)

Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth joins Movies We Like hosts Andy Nelson and Pete Wright to explore Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking 1982 film Blade Runner. As the son of the film’s original cinematographer, Jordan Cronenweth, Jeff brings a unique perspective on both the technical achievements and lasting influence of this sci-fi noir masterpiece. With his recent work on Tron: Ares hitting theaters, Cronenweth reflects on how Blade Runner continues to inspire filmmakers and cinematographers four decades later.

From early experiences on film sets with his father to becoming David Fincher’s go-to cinematographer on films like Fight Club, The Social Network, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Cronenweth has built a career focused on visual storytelling that serves character and narrative. He describes his approach as seeking human stories within any genre, whether period drama or science fiction. His transition from film to digital cinematography reflects broader industry changes, while maintaining his commitment to thoughtful, story-driven imagery.

The conversation explores how Blade Runner created its influential neo-noir aesthetic with remarkably limited technical resources, including just three xenon lights for its iconic beam effects and borrowed neon lights from Francis Ford Coppola’s One from the Heart set. Cronenweth shares insights into the film’s production challenges and creative solutions, from practical lighting techniques to Ridley Scott’s visionary production design. The discussion examines how the film balances its high-concept science fiction premise with intimate character moments, creating a template for genre storytelling that continues to resonate. Cronenweth also offers a perspective on the various cuts of the film and its 2017 sequel.

Through this engaging conversation, Cronenweth illuminates not just the technical mastery behind Blade Runner, but its enduring impact on cinema. His unique connection to the film through his father, combined with his own distinguished career, offers viewers fresh insights into this landmark work of science fiction and its continuing influence on visual storytelling.

Listen to the podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube (Audio Only)

“Fight Club” Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth ASC on his Career, Working with David Fincher, Shooting “Tron: Ares,” & More

Jordan and Jeff Cronenweth on the set of Francis Ford Coppola‘s Gardens of Stone

Mike Valinsky
October 25, 2025
The Making Of

In this episode, we welcome two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC. Jeff has shot films including Fight Club, One Hour Photo, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hitchcock, Gone Girl, Being the Ricardos, and Tron: Ares. In our chat, Jeff shares his origin story, experiences working with David Fincher — and all about his latest movie, Tron: Ares. He also offers extensive insights and recommendations for today’s cinematographers and filmmakers.

Listen to the podcast:

The Making Of (Substack)
Apple Podcasts
Spotify

Follow The Making Of: Instagram, Ex-Twitter

Follow Mike Valinsky: Instagram, Ex-Twitter

When the Movie Looks Insane: Jeff Cronenweth, ASC

Patrick Tomasso
October 19, 2025
patrick 2masso (YouTube)

Go behind the visuals of TRON: ARES with cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, ASC – the mind behind the camera for films like The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl. We talk about the look of the new TRON film, his collaboration with director Joachim Rønning, shooting digitally on RED cameras, and how his decades-long partnership with David Fincher shaped his approach to modern cinematography.

If you’re into camera tech, lighting, or just want to know why TRON: ARES looks so good, this one’s for you.

Special thanks to RED Digital Cinema for setting this up.

Follow Patrick Tomasso on:

YouTube 1, YouTube 2, Instagram, Threads, X, TikTok, Letterboxd, LinkedIn

The Church of Tarantino Podcast: The Tarantino Interview

Reverend Scott K
August 15, 2025
The Church of Tarantino

The Church of Tarantino is a podcast channel with weekly shows dedicated to discussing every and anything related to the films of Quentin Tarantino. One of our 4 unique monthly series drop an episode every Friday. Ranking Tarantino (1st Friday of the month), The Bible Study (2nd Friday of the month), Inglourious Blue Balls (3rd Friday of the month) & Tarantinoesque Film Review (4th Friday of the month). Whether we’re ranking various aspects of his films, dissecting his scenes, discussing all the projects he’s announced, or reviewing films that are like his, there’s something for every QT fan.

For this episode, join the Reverend inside Pam’s Coffy, for his first ever sit down with Mr. Quentin Tarantino, as they discuss the cancellation of The Movie Critic, the origin of The Adventures of Cliff Booth, why he handed it to Brad Pitt and David Fincher, his “favorite director”, what his next project is going to be, why Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is still unavailable to the public, the brilliance of the late great Michael Madsen and so much more, including the question he’s been dying to ask for over 2 and a half years: “What ever happened to the Untitled TV Series?” This is a must-listen for true Tarantino fans.

Listen to the podcast and read excerpts from the transcript

Frame & Reference Podcast Extras: David Fincher’s Directors of Photography

Kenny McMillan
August 12, 2025
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.

This is a compilation of selections from past interviews with David Fincher‘s Directors of Photography, discussing their experiences working with him: Erik Messerschmidt, ASC (2022), Erik Messerschmidt, ASC (2024), Eigil Bryld (2023), Tim Ives, ASC (2021), Igor Martinovic and Vanja Černjul (2024), Jeff Cronenweth, ASC (2022).

Listen to the podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Support and follow the podcast: Patreon
Follow Frame & Reference: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram
Follow OWL BOT: Instagram
Follow Kenny McMillan: Instagram

Fireside Chat with Tim Miller, Director of Deadpool and Creator of LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS

Miles Perkins, Industry Manager, Epic Games
July 28, 2025
Unreal Engine

Join Tim Miller, co-founder of Blur Studio and winner of multiple Emmy Awards, for a candid chat on his origins as an animator and visual effects artist, his “story first” philosophy, and his views on creativity. Tim’s curiosity and drive has led him to branch out from traditional visual effects to direct live-action features and explore real-time animation with Blur’s Secret Level series and the LOVE DEATH & ROBOTS anthology series.

Awards Chatter Podcast: Jesse Eisenberg on “A Real Pain,” Acting vs. Writing, and “The Social Network”

The Oscar-nominated writer (he’s a finalist for his semi-autobiographical original screenplay about a transformative trip to Poland) and actor (2010’s The Social Network) talks to THR about his life and career.

Scott Feinberg
January 28, 2025
The Hollywood Reporter

Jesse Eisenberg is the guest on the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporters Awards Chatter podcast. The 41-year-old actor, writer and director is best known for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s 2010 masterpiece The Social Network. Fourteen years after receiving an best actor Oscar nomination for that performance, the former child actor is an Oscar nominee again, this time for the original screenplay that he wrote for a 2024 film that he also directed and stars in, A Real Pain.

The semi-autobiographical drama is about two very different cousins — one “successful” but anxious, played by him, the other struggling but charming, played by Kieran Culkin — who travel together to Poland to pay tribute to their beloved late grandmother. It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where Eisenberg was recognized with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, and at which its U.S. distribution rights were acquired for $10 million by Searchlight, which released it on Nov. 1, 2024. It has since garnered rave reviews — it’s at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes — and has grossed $16.4 million worldwide.

Over the course of a conversation at the Los Angeles offices of The Hollywood Reporter, Eisenberg reflected on how a shy and socially-awkward kid wound up on the stage and the screen in the first place, in films such as 2002’s Roger Dodger, 2005’s The Squid and the Whale and 2009’s Adventureland; what led him to begin writing, even as his acting career took off thanks to the commercial success of 2009’s Zombieland and 2010’s The Social Network, and why he shifted from penning scripts in the mold of Adam Sandler comedies to more personal material; how A Real Pain — the second feature that he wrote and directed, after 2022’s When You Finish Saving the World — essentially brings together ideas he first explored in other pieces that he wrote years ago; plus much more.

Listen to the podcast

VFX Notes: Fight Club 25th Anniversary. CGI, photogrammetry, fat suits and soap

Hugo Guerra & Ian Failes
October 15, 2022
Hugo’s Desk / befores & afters

David Fincher’s glorious, mysterious, spectacular Fight Club has just turned 25! A new VFX Notes episode with Hugo Guerra and Ian Failes looks back at the film, and breaks down the incredible, invisible visual effects work.

We dive deep into the photogrammetry side of things from BUF, and look at the variety of work from Digital Domain, the penguin from Blue Sky (!), plus VFX from other vendors. It was an extraordinary achievement from visual effects designer Kevin Tod Haug to oversee this work.

Check out the video below which includes a whole range of behind the scenes and VFX breakdowns.

Chapters:
00:00:00: Intro
00:00:40: A word from our sponsors
00:01:50: The podcast begins
00:04:52: Our first viewing of FIGHT CLUB
00:11:56: The DVD is like film school
00:28:47: Jeff Cronenweth and the visual style
00:37:23: The manny takes of Fincher
00:41:27: Kevin Tod Haug’s amazing work
00:43:20: It would be nominated if it was today
00:45:24: Shaders and radiosity
00:48:03: Photogrammetry and BUF
00:53:07: Previz
00:57:08: The virtual camera moves like the kitchen scenes
01:00:45: BUF VFX and the sex shots
01:06:19: The age of CG tests
01:09:48: The plane crash
01:13:48: High rise collapse
01:21:49: Having fewer artists for a longer time
01:23:49: Peter Ramnsey’s animatics
01:24:23: The cave animal
01:27:08: One of the first behind the scenes featuring HDR spheres and grey balls
01:31:03: The Titanic breath leftovers
01:33:15: The gunshot
01:37:14: The Furni shot
01:39:44: The opening credits
01:45:43: Meat Loaf’s Fat Suit
01:50:00: Members and Patreon credits

Watch the “age-restricted” Fight Club VFX breakdown by BUF:
YouTube
BUF.com

Frame & Reference Podcast: “Jim Henson: Idea Man” DPs Igor Martinovic and Vanja Černjul

Kenny McMillan
August 22, 2024
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.

Igor Martinovic (Man on Wire, House of Cards: S02, The Night Of) and Vanja Černjul (Orange Is the New Black: S01, Marco Polo, Crazy Rich Asians), who grew up together in Croatia, talk about their experiences working with David Fincher in House of Cards: S02 (Igor), shooting a big production like House of the Dragon (Vanja), and making together the documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man directed by Ron Howard.

Listen to the podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Support and follow the podcast: Patreon
Follow Frame & Reference: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram
Follow OWL BOT: Instagram
Follow Kenny McMillan: Instagram

Lex Fridman Podcast: Kevin Spacey, Power, Controversy, Betrayal, Truth & Love in Film and Life

Lex Friedman
June 5, 2024
Lex Friedman Podcast

Kevin Spacey is a two-time Oscar-winning actor, who starred in Se7en, The Usual Suspects, American Beauty, and House of Cards, creating haunting performances of characters who often embody the dark side of human nature.

OUTLINE:

0:00:00 – Introduction
0:02:44 – Seven
0:06:24 – David Fincher
0:14:16 – Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman
0:19:46 – Acting
0:28:10 – Improve
0:36:54 – Al Pacino
0:40:38 – Jack Lemmon
0:49:55 – American Beauty
1:10:04 – Mortality
1:12:52 – Allegations
1:30:50 – House of Cards
1:49:25 – Jack Nicholson
1:52:27 – Mike Nichols
1:58:01 – Christopher Walken
2:05:08 – Father
2:14:00 – Future

Listen to the podcast:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify

Read the transcript