September 11, 2025

Alien: Earth director/DP Dana Gonzales reimagines a classic

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 324: Producer, Director, DP Dana Gonzales, ASC

Dana Gonzales, ASC is a producer, director, and cinematographer known for his collaborations with visionary showrunner Noah Hawley on projects like Fargo and Legion. Dana has once again partnered with Hawley to bring the iconic sci-fi horror franchise to television with FX’s Alien: Earth. Dana shares insights on his creative process, the challenges of honoring a cinematic legacy, his career path and the future of the industry.

For Dana and Hawley, tackling the Alien universe was a formidable task. “You’re taking on some strong material,” Dana explains. “The reason we’re reimagining it is because it is so popular and loved and people want to see more.” The goal wasn’t just to produce a new chapter, but to recreate the visceral feeling of the original. The team deliberately leaned into the aesthetic of the first two films, going so far as to create near-exact replicas of the original Alien spaceship Nostromo’s sets for the new Maginot spacecraft.

While the Xenomorph has become a familiar alien over nine films, Alien: Earth adds five new and dangerous creatures. The Xenomorph has its own story arc and development throughout the show. The new, eight-hour narrative format allows for a deeper exploration of the story and characters. “Not everyone has seen Alien that’s seeing Alien: Earth,” Dana notes. The goal is to to tell a story that works for both new and existing fans. “As we go down the road, things will be different, we’ll make different choices,” he adds. “But the key is to try to honor the original work. I feel like the audience depends on it. Episode 1 should feel like episode 8.”

Dana and Hawley’s deep respect for the source material extends to their technical approach. They wanted to capture the original film’s sense of existential dread, a feeling heightened by the decision to have the ship crash on Earth. This plot point dictated Dana’s plan for the camera work, with little coverage and long takes. They frequently stayed in a two-shot to maintain intimacy and tension. To further evoke the feel of the original, Alien: Earth was shot in 2.3:5 anamorphic, a first for the FX network.

Hawley directed episodes one and five, with Dana serving as cinematographer to establish the look of the show. Dana stepped into the director’s chair for episodes two, three, seven, and eight. “We can have honest conversations about what we want to do with these episodes,” Dana says. “We have a similar aesthetic.” Dana is also an executive producer on their joint projects, acting as a “creative executive producer” on set. In this role, he preps each episode, serves as the on-set decision-maker and manages second unit photography, ensuring the overall creative vision is maintained.

The trust between Dana and Hawley is a fundamental part of their collaboration. They begin by building the world, finding images and discussing the story arc. This partnership, which began on Fargo, has evolved into a creative shorthand. “Noah is the creator, he knows what he wants to do,” Dana shares. “Our shorthand, we get to what the shows will look like and feel like in a very organic way in a few conversations.” Hawley’s support allows Dana to push creative boundaries. “One of the most attractive things about this collaboration is that he’s got my back and I could push things creatively,” he says. “I try things, I throw it out there, I do whatever. And I think he comes to expect that and likes that.”

Dana first moved from cinematographer to director on the show Pretty Little Liars. As a cinematographer, he had strong ideas about camera placement and perspective, which he felt were central to storytelling. On directing, he advises, “You have to do the first one and you have to make mistakes.” Dana believes that a background as an episodic DP provides a unique advantage for directing. “As an episodic DP, you already understand working with different people, understanding time and streamlining the process. When you’re interested, and you’re in the room earlier, you can do a lot more for the show, fight for what needs to be in the show and take a position on the places where money is better spent.”

Find Dana Gonzales: https://www.danagonzales.com/
Instagram: @dana_gonzales_asc
See Alien: Earth on FX on Hulu

Hear our previous interview with Dana Gonzales: https://www.camnoir.com/ep122/

Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: https://hotrodcameras.com/
Sponsored by Laowa by Venus Optics: https://www.venuslens.net/

The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social

By Illya Friedman

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In Cinematography Podcast, Latest Posts, Podcast Episodes

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December 6, 2023

Crew Me Up CEO and DGA Assistant Director Joshua A. Friedman

As a production assistant first coming up in the film and television industry in New York, Josh Friedman always saw his fellow crew members not as job competition, but as collaborators. Once he’d moved up to assistant director, Josh decided to share what he’d learned as a PA, and wrote “Getting It Done: The Ultimate Production Assistant Guide.” His number one advice to production assistants is to listen. “More often than not, everybody is so excited to be the hero, to be the problem solver, to speak up and get the attention.” says Josh. “But they don’t hear everything that’s being asked. So this might be a two-part question. And they’re only answering the first part without hearing the second part, which is actually more important.”

With Crew Me Up, Josh and his partners have created a new job and networking app that connects filmmakers and production crew to film and TV jobs posted across different regions. It all started when he had to replace a crew member while on a shoot in Texas, and had a very hard time finding anyone local who could work. Crew Me Up allows users to build a profile that hosts information such as their availability calendar, resume, website and IMDB page. Instead of job listings that people apply for, users can directly find other members on the platform, and hire them directly. They can also join Crew Me Up groups, where there’s many active film communities. The app also provides vendor and services listings for camera rentals, post production, and more across different regions.

Find out more about Crew Me Up: Instagram: @crewmeup

Joshua Friedman: @crubie_rex

You can get the FREE Crew Me Up app for iPhones in the Apple store or for Android in the Google Play store.

Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com

The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Twitter: @ShortEndz

By Illya Friedman

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In Cinematography Podcast, Latest Posts, Podcast Episodes

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June 14, 2023

Abbott Elementary, The Office, Parks and Recreation director, producer and cinematographer Randall Einhorn

Multihyphenate producer-director-cinematographer and all around talented guy Randall Einhorn is currently the executive producer and director of the award-winning ABC show, Abbott Elementary. Randall began his career in series television first as the DP of The Office, then became one of the most frequent directors of the series. He got to know the mockumentary style intimately, and carried it onto many other shows such as Parks and Recreation, The Muppets, and Modern Family.

Quinta Brunson, show creator and star of Abbott Elementary, was a huge fan of The Office and pitched her idea to executive producers Randall Einhorn and Patrick Schumacker. Randall immediately knew that the mockumentary format would work well as they followed the everyday drama of teachers in an underprivileged elementary school in Philadelphia. They began shooting the pilot in August 2021, working with kids who were mostly non-actors and hadn’t been inside a classroom for an entire year due to COVID. Working with kids made everything harder, but also made everything better, and Randall emphasized that they would have a good time every day. The children were so happy and excited to see each other and to be in a classroom, even if it was a set.

On Abbott Elementary, Randall wanted the teachers to be treated like heroes, so they chose to use ARRI cameras and Angenieux Optimo Zoom lenses. The classrooms look inviting, with wood, warm earth tones and bright light coming in from the windows. By contrast, on The Office they would “dirty up” the frame to make it seem more spontaneous, as though something unexpected was actually caught. Randall would pan to someone, purposely defocus, then bring the actor into focus, to make it seem as though it was just caught. For Abbott Elementary, the camera crew keeps everything mostly in focus, but they will make a conscious effort to keep a piece of doorway in the shot, for example, to imply that people are having a private moment with the cameras hanging back. Randall feels that there’s an honesty to using a long lens and backing up so it would look like the actors are having an intimate conversation.

Randall naturally developed his mockumentary shooting style after working on reality and extreme sports shows. Executive producer Ben Silverman saw his work and thought his verite style would work well for The Office. Randall met with executive producer Greg Daniels, and they hit it off. Since he’d never worked on scripted shows before, Randall broke lots of rules that were considered “normal” for series television on The Office, such as operating himself and pulling his own focus. Blocking and planning the camera placement ahead of time was also essential- the camera crew would never put a camera where it couldn’t or wouldn’t be. He also figured out how to add to the improvisational comedy through the camera’s movement and focus. Randall would keep one eye on the eyepiece and another on the actors to see who was going to improv. He’d lean in with the camera on an actor, stepping in closer to make a moment even more awkward. Unlike the British version of The Office, which was always carefully rehearsed, they would just shoot the scenes and reactions, in true documentary style.

Randall’s company, Sad Unicorn, has a multi-year first look deal at Warner Bros. and he will continue executive producing and directing Abbott Elementary.

Abbot Elementary is in its second season on ABC and Hulu, and season three will likely be delayed due to the writers strike.

Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com
Sponsored by Aputure: https://www.aputure.com/

The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Twitter: @ShortEndz

By Illya Friedman

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June 8, 2022

Director Carey Williams and DP Mike Dallatorre on directing and shooting the film Emergency

Emergency is a comedy about three men of color- college roommates Kunle, Sean, and Carlos, who are about to go out for an epic night of spring break partying when they find a white girl has accidentally stumbled in and passed out on their apartment floor. Concerned about what might happen if they call the police, they decide to take the semi-conscious girl in their van and drive around town for hours, trying to find a safe place to leave her and not get in trouble. Meanwhile, the girl’s friends chase after the men as they track her phone and call the police.

Director Carey Williams and cinematographer Mike Dallatorre met about twenty years ago and have worked together on several music videos and other projects. Emergency began as a 2018 short film directed by Carey and shot by Mike. The short won a jury award at the Sundance Film Festival and Best Narrative Short at SXSW. Carey and writer KD Dávila worked together to expand the story into a feature, and Temple Hill Entertainment and Amazon Studios produced it before the feature premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

As two men of color themselves, both Carey and Mike have had personal experience with being profiled and detained by police officers. In Emergency, once the roommates are caught and detained by the police, Mike and Carey decided to make the film feel extremely terrifying, shooting the encounter in slow motion and selectively out of focus. Mike deliberately kept the police officer’s faces out of frame so that they feel like scary monsters in a horror movie.

Having worked together for so long, Mike and Carey had an easy shorthand way of talking through the shotlist and visual feel for each scene, and put together a look book as a reference. Emergency is Carey’s biggest movie to date, while Mike brought a lot of experience with seven other features under his belt. As a visual director, Carey always wanted to know what the movie would look like and feel like. The most important piece of the movie for Carey was to show the relationship between the friends, their emotions and vulnerability as they go through a crisis together.

Emergency is currently playing in theaters and on Amazon Prime.

Carey Williams http://cdubfilms.com/
Instagram @cdubig

Mike Dallatorre: https://www.michaeldallatorre.com/
Instagram @dp_miked

Hear our previous Cinepod interview with Mike Dallatorre: https://www.camnoir.com/ep70/

Find out even more about this episode, with extensive show notes and links: https://camnoir.com//ep171/

Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com
Sponsored by Aputure: https://www.aputure.com/

The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCinematographyPodcast
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Twitter: @ShortEndz

By Illya Friedman

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April 28, 2021

Dana Gonzales, ASC, director and cinematographer of Fargo and Legion, on creatively rich television, moving into directing, and more

Dana Gonzales, ASC loves pushing himself to use creative lighting, lenses and camera moves to transport the audience into the story. While working on the mind-bendingly surreal television series Legion and the cinematic, character-driven crime stories of the series Fargo, Dana found a true creative home with producer and showrunner Noah Hawley. With Hawley, Dana has been able to explore how to create and maintain an image that challenges himself and makes an audience feel differently than they’ve ever felt before. Audiences today are more sophisticated and crave good visuals and storytelling. Dana sees many of today’s television series leading the way in artistic expression, which is why huge actors and directors are getting involved. Writers can tell a 10-hour story, fully developing characters and plot, while the director and camera crew can build a world with a strong visual foundation to hold it up. Dana finds today’s TV is certainly still challenging- shooting on tight schedules requires staying sharp all the time, and strong visionary showrunners and producers keep everyone motivated.

For season four of the FX series Fargo, Dana shot three of the episodes and directed four, including the season finale. Being involved with Fargo since season one helped Dana confidently bring a point of view to the story. He thinks one of the most important aspects of directing is offering an interesting perspective that makes the most of the story, characters and tone. Working with cinematographers Erik Messerschmidt and Pete Konczal, they changed the look of the show to a small degree, using different lenses and framing, and departed from a strict adherence to the visual LUT of the first seasons. They instead decided on a Kodachrome look, which was also the first color film used in season four’s time period. The biggest challenge of season 4 was shooting the tornado sequence- partly shot in black and white as a callback to The Wizard of Oz, the complex storylines leading up to and in the aftermath of the tornado all had to seamlessly weave together.

As a kid, Dana grew up in L.A. He was always naturally attracted to cameras and began taking photos at a young age. He found jobs on film sets as a driver, set PA, loader and camera assistant, and worked his way up while shooting small side projects. Just working on low budget movies, where Dana was able to be bold and experiment, served as his film school. He maintains the philosophy that every single job needs to be an artistic statement better than the last one, with each script informing his approach differently. After several years working on features and television, Dana moved into directing, where he feels you’re even more the author of a show than as a cinematographer. He continues to enjoy working as both a cinematographer and as a director.

Dana loved working on the series Legion, where producer Noah Hawley gave him the freedom to be extremely bold and experimental. For Legion, Hawley wanted surreal, elevated images with beautiful and dramatic lighting, that both embraced and reimagined the comic book/graphic novel look. If they tried something and it didn’t work visually, they would simply reshoot it. Even though they had access to a visual effects team, Dana chose to build most practical effects in camera, such as stacking several filters onto the lens to create a super surreal look for some scenes, knowing he would be satisfied with the results instead of leaving it up to post production or visual effects to create his vision.

You can see season four of Fargo on FX and on Hulu.

Find Dana Gonzales: https://www.danagonzales.com/
Instagram: @dana_gonzales_asc

Find out even more about this episode, with extensive show notes and links: https://camnoir.com/ep122/

Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com
Sponsored by Aputure: https://www.aputure.com/

Website: www.camnoir.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNQIhe3yjQJG72EjZJBRI1w
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Twitter: @ShortEndz

By Illya Friedman

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December 30, 2020

Erik Messerschmidt, ASC: Mank, Mindhunter, Legion, Raised By Wolves, working with David Fincher

Erik Messerschmidt, ASC believes that cinematographers get too much credit for how a movie looks and not enough for how the story is told. When you break a scene apart and assemble a sequence, the cinematographer has a huge part to play in the process of deciding when to move the camera, what lenses are used, how it flows and when it moves. Erik thinks when you look at it that way, cinematography has a lot more in common with editing rather than photography.

Erik’s most recent project, Mank- which is currently streaming on Netflix- was shot entirely in black and white. The look was the result of lots of conversations with director David Fincher. They both had a clear idea of what they wanted it to look like and also exactly what they did not want- too much heavy handed, contrast-heavy black and white cinematography in a film-noir style would take the viewers out of the experience, so it needed a lighter touch. Erik used fine art photography from the ’30’s to the mid ’40’s as a reference, and he and David Fincher wanted an homage to Citizen Kane without it actually looking like the film. Fincher was clear that he wished to transport the audience so they would lose their awareness of watching a black and white movie, and feel as though they are in the world of Herman J. Mankiewicz as he writes the script for Citizen Kane in the 1940’s.

Erik has worked with director David Fincher on several projects, first working as a gaffer on Gone Girl, then moving into the camera department on the series Mindhunter. Erik and David have become very close collaborators, and he enjoys working with him. Fincher likes a sense of hyper reality to his movies, and Erik sees it as his job as the cinematographer to learn what the director responds to, figure out how best to support their process and bring something to the party.

Before moving into the camera department, Erik worked for several years as a gaffer. After working with David Fincher on two seasons of Mindhunter, Erik needed more work since he was a newly minted director of photography. He got the opportunity to shoot second unit on Sicario: Day of the Soledado with cinematographer Dariusz Wolski as the lead DP. He then worked on a few episodes of the TV series Legion with producer/director Noah Hawley and DP-turned-director Dana Gonzales, which was visually fun to work on. Legion’s look was whimsical yet dark, as it explored the main character’s mental illness and possible superpowers. He had the opportunity to work with Dana again on the finale of season four of Fargo. Erik also shot several episodes of the Ridley Scott series, Raised By Wolves, splitting the series with DP Ross Emery.

Mank is available to watch right now on Netflix.

Find Erik Messerschmidt: Instagram @emesserschmidt

IT’S A GIVEAWAY! Enter to win Bruce Van Dusen’s book, 60 Stories about 30 Seconds: How I Got Away with Becoming a Pretty Big Commercial Director Without Losing My Soul (or Maybe Just Part of It). Like and comment on our Bruce Van Dusen post on Facebook and we’ll choose a winner from the comments. https://www.facebook.com/cinepod

Find out even more about this episode, with extensive show notes and links: https://camnoir.com/ep107/

Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com

Website: www.camnoir.com
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
Twitter: @ShortEndz

By Illya Friedman

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January 7, 2020

DP Paula Huidobro on Barry, Tallulah, working with Bill Hader, Emmanuel Lubezki, and Norman Lear

Paula Huidoboro first became drawn to telling a story with images as a young teen while taking photography classes at the local museum of modern art. One of her early learning experiences was as a camera intern for well-known cinematographer “Chivo” Emmanuel Lubezki. Paula was thrilled to work with actor/creator Bill Hader on finding the balance between violence and comedy on the HBO hitman/dark comedy “Barry.”

By Illya Friedman

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In Cinematography Podcast, Latest Posts, Podcast Episodes

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