The Cinematography Podcast Episode 232: Aaron McLisky
Cinematographer Aaaron McLisky is thrilled that Talk to Me, a small Australian independent horror film, has found such a huge audience. It has become A24’s highest grossing horror movie in North America. The movie is about a group of friends who discover how to become possessed by spirits with an embalmed hand, creating a thrilling party game. The main character, Mia, has recently lost her mother, and her grief makes the idea of finding her mom on the other side both compelling and dangerous. But soon, the supernatural forces can’t be controlled any longer.
Aaron had heard rumors about the Talk to Me script and was intrigued to find out more about the project when directors Danny and Michael Philippou direct messaged him on Instagram. The twin brothers had no feature film experience, but are self-taught YouTube filmmakers. Their channel, RackaRacka is huge, and features a series of horror/comedy shorts completely shot and edited by Danny and Michael.
During the development and pre-production of Talk to Me, Aaron and the brothers discussed how they wanted the film to look cinematically and frequently workshopped and filmed sequences. Aaron always wants to elevate the story through cinematography, making sure that every frame and every camera movement speaks to a world that’s truthful to the characters. He wanted to be sure that the camera work elevated the tone of the horror movie, by showing or withholding information as needed. As a former editor, Aaron constantly thinks about editing- how certain sequences will go together and how much coverage might really be needed. Once production started, he found it exciting to be bold, keeping coverage of each scene minimal, and confident that they didn’t need more. He kept scenes lit with practical lighting and green fluorescents as much as possible, making Mia seem sickly and possessed. During the possession scenes, Aaron chose to contrast the sequences with unmotivated lighting, and as Mia’s psychological decay progresses, the film subtly becomes darker and more desaturated in the grade.
Aaron was born in Australia but lived in Indonesia for much of his childhood. He fell in love with photography there and knew he wanted to study film, so he returned to Australia. After completing his degree, he got a job at a production company as an editor, eventually moving into directing commercials and music videos, but he didn’t enjoy it. Aaron found he was always more interested in visual images as a storyteller, so he decided to start over as a cinematographer. He was fortunate enough to shoot a music video for YouTube stars, The Bondi Hipsters, who then asked him to be the cinematographer for their television series. Aaron also served as the primary cinematographer of the FX series, Mr. Inbetween.
Talk to Me is still playing in theaters and is available to purchase on VOD.
Find Aaron McLisky: Instagram: @aaronmclisky
Close Focus: The Union Solidarity Coalition has created an auction to assist crew members who are struggling during the WGA/SAG strike.
Ben’s short end: Friend Ed (Eduardo) Sánchez directed a short called El Vampiro, as part of a horror anthology called Satanic Hispanics. The anthology includes shorts by four other Latino filmmakers, including Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider!), Demián Rugna (Terrified), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell), and Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead).
Also, Blackmagic has a new camera app for the iPhone, that allows you to create a cinematic look with digital film camera controls and operating systems.
Illya’s short end: Ben Affleck spoke to Film and Digital Times about directing Air and shooting D camera for parts of it. Illya is delighted to learn that he’s a big camera and lens geek.
Listen to Ben’s new horror series Catchers, available NOW only on Audible!
Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras
Sponsored by Aputure: Aputure has bought Prolycht, and those lights will also now work seamlessly with Aputure lights. With Prolycht’s superior color science, Aputure’s lights will improve its color reproduction and accuracy. All Prolycht products are now on sale at Hot Rod Cameras.
Sponsored by Greentree Creative: If you enjoy The Cinematography Podcast and you’re interested in growing or starting your own podcast, contact Alana Kode at Greentree Creative. Greentree Creative can help you with social media marketing, strategy and planning, podcast production, and digital content creation.
LIKE AND FOLLOW US, send fan mail or suggestions! Rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
Email: editor@camnoir.com
Facebook:@cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Twitter: @ShortEndz
Podcast Credits:
Producer: Alana Kode
All web and social media content written by Alana Kode
Host and editor in Chief: Illya Friedman
Instagram: @illyafriedman @hotrodcameras
Host: Ben Rock
Twitter: @neptunesalad
Instagram: @bejamin_rock
Editor: Ben Katz
Composer: Kays Al-Atrakchi
Subscribe to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts or click on the link below to listen here
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:39 — 68.2MB)
