November 6, 2024

Jules O’Loughlin: Balancing action and character in The Old Man Season 2

In The Old Man Season 2, former CIA operative Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) is forced to confront his past when his nemesis, Afghan warlord Faraz Hamzad kidnaps his daughter, Emily (Alia Shawkat). Chase and his former FBI handler, Harold Harper (John Lithgow), must navigate a dangerous world of international espionage and deadly consequences to rescue Emily. The season explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the sacrifices made for family.

A key factor in bringing The Old Man Season 2 to life is the stunning cinematography of Jules O’Loughlin, ASC, ACS. He skillfully balances the show’s dramatic tone with visually striking imagery. Jules is drawn to projects that prioritize character-driven storytelling, and loved witnessing the performances of Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow, two iconic actors who bring depth and nuance to their roles. “Jeff Bridges is so lovable, and an awesome guy,” says Jules. “I got into this to be able to photograph a great actor doing their thing, and watching two great actors going toe to toe.”

Despite the show’s intense action sequences, Jules believes in the importance of grounding the story in reality. The production team meticulously researched historical details and cultural nuances to create an authentic world. “It’s got to feel real, it’s got to feel grounded when you walk in,” he says. “If you are true to the world that you’re building, then you can pretty much do anything.” His main guiding principle as a cinematographer is that overshooting is the enemy of style. A good cinematographer, and a good director, should be confident in their style and avoid “smotherage”- shooting a ton of different angles that probably won’t be used and aren’t needed.

Jules also was a cinematographer for Season 1, which began production in 2019. By 2020, due to the pandemic, the production stayed in the U.S. and shot in Santa Clarita, just north of Los Angeles, for the hills of Afghanistan. During Season 2, the production continued to use the Santa Clarita location. Color grading, using tobacco filters and finding the right LUT were important tools to make it look like Afghanistan. For a more authentic mountain backdrop, they used plate photography shot in the Sierra Nevadas to composite into the background.

Though the series is full of action, Jules did not want to sacrifice the storytelling with fast cuts and camera movements, since there is so much great acting on screen. He usually avoids excessive camera movements and flashy techniques, opting instead for a more restrained approach that allows the performances to shine. “Every time you cut away from the character, you’re losing the chance to connect with them,” he says. Action sequences, especially in episode 3, were meticulously planned, storyboarded and rehearsed. Each episode usually had two cameras, but the production used as many as five for a firefight sequence in an Afghan village.

Find Jules O’Loughlin: https://www.julesoloughlin.com/
Instagram: @jules.oloughlin

The Old Man Season 2 is streaming on Hulu

Hear our previous episode with Jules O’Loughlin: https://www.camnoir.com/ep177/

Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: https://hotrodcameras.com/

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

By Illya Friedman

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March 3, 2021

Andrew Dunn, BSC, on The United States vs. Billie Holiday and his past work on The Bodyguard, Precious, Monkeybone, L.A. Story

Andrew Dunn always tries to transport the audience into the screen, setting the right tone to capture the time and place of the film. He’s drawn to character-driven movies in particular, and he likes to make the viewer feel like they are the person’s friend.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday is an intimate look at the singer during the latter part of her career, when she was battling drug addiction and under constant scrutiny by the FBI, who had targeted her over her controversial song, “Strange Fruit.” Andrew and director Lee Daniels really wanted to capture the emotional journey Billie Holiday was going through, especially in the scene where actress Andra Day sings “Strange Fruit.” Andrew held on her face with an extreme close up as she sings the song and connects with the camera. The moment is transporting, and the entire cast and crew realized that particular scene was something extraordinary.

Andrew had previously shot another film featuring a singer: the 1992 film The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. He remembers her performing “I Will Always Love You” in a beautiful single take, and the entire room was transfixed. The Bodyguard was the biggest movie of that year, and Andrew’s career as a cinematographer took off.

As a kid, Andrew always wanted to be a cinematographer. He grew up around cinema, as his father worked for MGM studios outside of London. Hungry and desperate to get into the business, he began working for the BBC as an editor, and was able to shoot on documentaries and in local news. Andrew’s first “Hollywood” movie was the epitome of Los Angeles- the 1991 movie L.A. Story, starring Steve Martin. It is a movie so about L.A.- a warm love letter and a biting satire at the same time. Andrew thinks coming from the UK to shoot a movie about a place he’d never been before brought a fresh perspective. He always wants to bring a sense of wide-eyed wonder to the world, and L.A. Story perfectly blends absurdity, wonder and magic.

You can watch The United States vs. Billie Holiday currently streaming on Hulu.

Find Andrew Dunn: Instagram @andrewdunn.dp

Find out even more about this episode, with extensive show notes and links: https://camnoir.com/ep115/

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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February 24, 2021

Sean Bobbitt, BSC, on Judas and the Black Messiah, working with director Shaka King, working with director Steve McQueen on Hunger and Shame

Sean Bobbitt thinks good cinematography is composed of a series of very carefully crafted and decided upon images. He began his career as a news camera shooter, but once he began to work on documentaries and features, Sean learned that each shot is not just coverage to edit together. After working in news and documentary for several years, Sean decided he wanted to transition into working on dramatic films, so he took a cinematography class with acclaimed cinematographer Billy Williams, and it changed his life. He knew he wanted to become a cinematographer. He soon got his first feature film job working on Wonderland, directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Judas and the Black Messiah is a gripping biographical drama about FBI informant William O’Neal and Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton. O’Neil is a small-time criminal who agrees to go undercover for the FBI and infiltrate the Chicago headquarters of the Black Panthers. O’Neal’s tips directly result in Chairman Hampton’s assassination in his bed by police in 1969. Sean found the script gripping and incredibly relevant to today’s ongoing issues of racial inequality. He realized he knew little about the Black Panthers and this chapter of racial injustice in America, and he needed to help tell the story. After reading the script, Sean met with director Shaka King, who brought hundreds of stills of the Black Panthers and talked Sean through the screenplay. Together, Sean and King began to explore what they wanted to visually create. The photographs became the basis for the look and color palette of the film. All the color photos were Kodachrome or Ektachrome, so they had a slightly faded look. Sean wanted high contrasts with punchy primary colors and worked closely with the DIT to get the color grade for the look he wanted.

Previously, Sean had worked on a few biopics with director Steve McQueen, such as 12 Years a Slave and Hunger. Sean finds McQueen a very unique artist and a fantastic collaborator. They’ve worked together for so long that they are very good at communicating on set. McQueen loves long takes, and really began exploring those with Hunger- the film features a 16 and a half minute take, based on the idealogical concept that if you simply hold the frame, the audience begins to project themselves into the action. If there’s no cut, the audience can’t be reminded it’s a film and can’t be let off the hook. Sean learned to compose very considered frames where the action happens. One of the main concepts of the movie Shame was that most New Yorkers live their lives in high rises in the air, and the characters in the film only came down for sordid reasons. Most of the takes in Shame are also very long and purposefully make the viewer feel uncomfortable.

You can watch Judas and the Black Messiah in select theaters and streaming on HBO Max. https://www.judasandtheblackmessiah.com/

Find out even more about this episode, with extensive show notes and links: https://camnoir.com/ep114/

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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February 10, 2020

McMillion$: Filmmakers James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte on their new six-part HBO doc series uncovering fraud behind the McDonald’s Monopoly game

McDonald’s Monopoly Game ran from 1989-2001, netting $24 million in cash and prizes for the winners. But the biggest prize “winners” were actually all part of a crime ring recruited by a mysterious figure called “Uncle Jerry” to cheat the game. Filmmakers James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte got the FBI on board along with a cast of quirky real characters to tell a fun, engaging and fascinating story about the fraud.

McMillion$ is a six-part documentary series currently airing on HBO. You can also listen to The McMillion$ Podcast each week.

James Lee Hernandez: @iamthejlh

Brian Lazarte: @blazarte

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Website: www.camnoir.com
Facebook: @cinepod
Instagram: @thecinepod
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By Illya Friedman

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