The ALEXA 35 Xtreme is a major revision of the industry’s trusted workhorse—ALEXA 35, known for its superior image quality, ease of use, and reliable operation. Building on its predecessor’s solid foundation, ALEXA 35 Xtreme introduces powerful new hardware, higher speeds for breathtaking slow-motion images, and the efficient ARRICORE codec.
“Unscripted” does not mean unheralded, and this month’s ICG Magazine notes the exceptional work done in this broad-based genre. The camera crews that do this work in every imaginable setting – in jungles, on oceans, in studios, and more – bring engaging entertainment to millions of viewers. The technologies change, and the gear evolves as our colleagues adapt seemingly overnight to new and demanding methods for recording unpredictable events as they unfold. Their imagery is thrilling to watch, especially for readers who understand exactly how demanding and difficult this work can be. This issue showcases the artisans in the field and underlines our respect for them and their craft. I hope you will read about them and then go on to watch the shows they make.
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November 2025 vol. 96 no. 09
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“achingly gorgeous. ’s cinematography will take your breath away.” Dan LaustSen
This is the ninth consecutive year our November issue has been devoted to unscripted content, and each issue feels more impressive than the year before. One reason is that the call sheets with union names and crafts grow larger and deeper; another is that producers and directors continue to add more tech-heavy production values to the many subgenres found within unscripted content, including reality competition shows, live events, and nonfiction features. We’re talking unique gimbaled rigs, like the DJI Ronin 4D, and a host of programmable LED lighting cues that would make any Broadway production proud.
Thankfully, the unscripted journey ICG readers will embark on provides a mini-history of the genre. Our cover story (page 22), written by Jay Kidd, checks in with the New York-based camera team of Project Runway, who recently completed Season 21 of a show that dates back to the dawn of reality television (and the start of organized labor on unscripted sets). Director of Photography/Lighting Director Jason Hafer and his ICG crew were tasked (by new Showrunner and former Project Runway director/producer Michael Rucker) with bringing in a more visually dynamic look to a genre that has often settled for a safe, flatter aesthetic. Working closely with director Ramy Romany, Hafer turned to the large-format sensor on Sony’s FX9 camera, shooting wide open at f/2.8 in full frame and finetuning exposure with the system’s electronic variable ND’s. Instead of using servo zoom lenses that populate unscripted content, Hafer went with a range of full-frame, compact zooms to provide a more cinematic feel, and to keep the rigs light and nimble for the long shoot days (also a hallmark of the unscripted world).
But by far the most unusual change Romany and Hafer made was jettisoning a standard Logto-Rec.709 workflow in favor of a custom LUT that left little chance to alter footage in post. As Runway’s technical supervisor, David Kaplan, notes in Kidd’s story, “A LUT on a fashion show [which had never been done on Runway] is tricky because it alters the colors, and the color of the fabric is a huge thing. Altering the color alters the authenticity.” Did it work? Well, according to Emmy-winning Director/Producer Dan Cutforth,
it did in a big way. “Ramy’s request to burn the LUT was a scary one to approve, but it paid off,” Cutforth said. “The show has never looked like this, and the visual style and shooting approach are crucial components in evolving the franchise for its new home at Freeform, Hulu and Disney+.”
Evolution leads nicely into our second November feature, written by Margot Lester, on Netflix’s groundbreaking cooking show, Dinner Time Live with David Chang. Now in its third season, the series brings together Chang, founder of the Momofuku restaurant group and holder of two Michelin stars, and his close friend Chris Ying, as they cook a meal for pairs of celebrity guests in Chang’s L.A.-based test kitchen. As Director Ivan Dudynsky asserts in Lester’s story, “David is a culinary master, and we need to be able to show the process of making his custom dishes for the guests, as well as follow their conversations. But there are no do-overs or second takes. If he burns a dish, that’s what we see. It’s all real.”
Thankfully most of the show’s Local 600 crew have plenty of live experience, including Steadicam Operator Austin Rock, who says nerves come with the territory in live production. “If you’re nervous,” Rock shared, “it means you actually care about what you’re doing, and you don’t want to make mistakes on air, because you know it’s going out there, whether you like it or not.”
How does Director of Photography Travis Hagenbuch see his mandate in a live environment with scant opportunity to reset? The brief from Executive Producer Brandon Monk called for lighting that felt like “the kind of place where everybody looks good,” Hagenbuch shares. “Since this is David’s personal kitchen and not built as a set, we wanted him to look right at home. The goals were to maintain depth and texture on the people, backgrounds and food, which meant toeing a line between a softly lit, realistic daytime show and a more theatrical primetime show. I pulled ideas from [the cooking segments of] two other shows I’ve worked on, The Queen Latifah Show and Crime Scene Kitchen, to arrive at the look and feel of Dinner Time Live.”
I urge ICG readers to feast (or snack if its on set during a lunch break!) on the exploits of ICG unscripted members in this November issue. The content is far more filling than conventional wisdom would have us believe.
David Geffner Executive Editor Email: david@icgmagazine.com
COMPILED BY MARGOT LESTER
Blackmagic’s new portable ATEM Micro Camera Panel features highend broadcast CCU controls (a joystick and physical buttons) for ATEM switchers. ““The impromptu nature of unscripted work entails certain considerations for your workflow, especially when it comes to how much you can actually control and the flexibility to manage what you can’t. With that in mind, the ATEM Micro Camera Panel marries high-end broadcast CCU design and controls with portability and affordability,” notes Dan May, president of Blackmagic Design. “When working on live productions, color-matching your cameras is critical for a consistent look,” May continues, “especially when transitioning between different sources. ATEM Micro Camera Panel provides the ability to control iris, pedestal, shutter, white balance, master gain, RGB balance and more for up to eight cameras, while also including an internal battery and connections via Bluetooth or USB-C, all from a single panel.”
Elation’s new KL CORE IP is streamlined, lightweight and quick to deploy thanks to an internal power supply and control electronics. The fixture’s IP65-rated housing ensures it’s good to go indoors or out. The variable CCT and green/magenta controls make matching cameras simple, and the onboard and wireless control options keep operation quick and flexible. The fixture delivers more than 15,000 lumens from a 400-watt RGBMA LED engine with a TLCI of 95, ensuring natural, broadcast-ready color. “Fully variable CCT with green/magenta adjustment allows precise calibration to any color temperature,” describes Elation Product Manager Bob Mentele. “Easily configured as an ellipsoidal, a zooming Fresnel or a monolight/lamphead, it can adapt to any production need.” The unit has an intuitive touch encoder and supports standalone operation, wireless DMX and app-based configuration and control via Aria X2 and NFC. As Mentele adds, “When lighting setups need to deploy quickly and change fast, the KL CORE IP is a reliable, configurable workhorse.”
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“Fujifilm’s continued market research clearly identified the need for an affordable zoom lens in the two-thirds-inch ecosystem that has an expanded focal range and is versatile enough to enable lightweight, handheld operation, as well as work in robotically controlled environments,” explains Stosh Durbacz, vice president, sales, Optical Devices division, FUJIFILM North America Corporation. “The FUJINON LA30x7.8 meets these needs by taking advantage of the latest zoom lens technology.” The new lens delivers highest-in-class 30× zoom, covering the focal range from 7.8 mm to 234 mm. Outfitted with the latest optical simulation technology and suppressing various types of aberrations, it achieves 4K optical performance across the entire zoom range. The lens is a great option for live/unscripted because it’s compact (190 mm), quiet and lightweight (1.7 kg), and comes with a newly developed drive unit with high-resolution 16-bit encoders to deliver accurate position detection and control in virtual and remote production. The lens displays minimal focus breathing when receiving autofocus commands from the camera.
CAMERA OPERATOR
CENTRAL REGION
BY MARGOT LESTER
“I absolutely love getting the creative freedom to make the world around your scene part of the story,” observes Operator Jess Grizzell, who’s made her career in unscripted television. “Yes, we have to make sure we get all the story points for the edit, but as long as you know the look of the show and your director and DP are happy, you have the chance to keep making art. Of course, since the story is king, sometimes you have to bail on the most beautiful shot you have ever put on a screen, and you move on to the next most beautiful shot.”
Grizzell, who was born and is based in Georgia, got her start as an operator on Rock the Block and went on to other challenge and competition shows, including Lego Masters and cooking series including Barbecue Showdown (her favorite), Secret Chef and Tournament of Champions. “I enjoy filming another artist doing something they are passionate about and putting it all on the table – quite literally,” Grizzell adds. “It makes me want to give that person the best shots of their masterpiece and tell the best story on how to make it. You only get one shot when someone pulls a cake
out of the oven only to turn around, bump into something, and drop the $100,000 prize all over the floor. If you missed it, did it ever even really happen?”
More recently, Grizzell has been doing docu-follows and dating shows – such as Deaf U, Love Is Blind and Golden Bachelor S2. Some of these shows will shoot a few scenes each day at different locations that they haven’t scouted and are frequently open for commercial business. There may or may not be a director or DP there. “It’s usually the first time seeing the location and hearing about what the
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scene will be,” Grizzell describes. “You have a few hours – if you’re lucky – to light and pick your setup, which for me gets my creative brain working. In my opinion, these are good creative challenges because they keep my mind sharp, always trying to find the best angles, light and backgrounds in a place you just walked into. Also, how we fit inside the space and still make everything feel natural and able to flow around us.”
In case you can’t tell, Grizzell loves shooting unscripted. “Of course there are light
days, but I thrive the most on the days with action,” she shares. She’s got to be ready to respond, adding that “if everything goes crazy – for example, someone could just run off to go make out somewhere or to cry behind the sound stage or to yell at a producer – you have to be ready to follow.”
And that’s not an easy ask when the action is what Grizzell calls a “mixer free for all,” when cast members are in one space mingling with each other. “Many times you are just told to follow the story or given someone
to follow around,” she explains. “You have to avoid all the other people on the floor, too, which can consist of other ops, audio, producers and shooting 360. [This style of shooting] definitely teaches patience with others when someone bones your shot by walking into your background – accidently of course – and patience with yourself when you do the same to someone else. In these moments, you have to know how to move together and to talk to each other, sometimes without speaking at all. It’s a fun challenge that forces you to use all your senses and be super aware of your surroundings. You’re completely in the moment trying to find the best angle and the best story.”
Growing up, Grizzell knew she didn’t want a repetitive desk job.
“I think ultimately that might be something that drew me to this industry,” she laughs. “Every day is something different, a new day to turn into art.”
After studying film at Full Sail University in Florida, Grizzell landed her first professional gig as a production assistant on a docufollow reality show where she worked closely with every department and found an affinity for camera. “I got to help the DP set up lights, and I saw how the ops ‘danced’ with each other and maintained the line even when the unexpected happened,” she recounts. “I got to help the AC set up the cameras and change the lenses, and learn about the tech side of things. What really sold it for me was watching the monitors during scenes and going out on B-roll missions – seeing every operator’s different take on what makes a shot beautiful. It’s great knowing that we get to create art in every frame, finding inspiration in the real world.”
Another thing that keeps Grizzell coming back is her fellow filmmakers who make up the unscripted community. “The majority that I have met are people who have your back and want to see you succeed,” she concludes. “They are people who lift you up instead of bringing you down, people who are happy to teach you things, take time to hear your ideas, and ones you’re happy to call your ‘show family.’”
One of those filmmakers is Director Michael Shea, whom Grizzell first worked with on The GOAT in 2023. As he shares, “I love the attention to detail that Jess puts into every shot she frames. She’s an artist and a very hard worker, which is a rare combo. Jess is also a terrific operator and a joy to have on set. I hire her on every show I do.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF GIGI GHERGEL
To succeed as a 1st AC in the unscripted world, you need technical mastery of your gear, the ability to adapt quickly to changing conditions, and “stillness, so you stay calm when the chaos happens,” observes Elvira Garcia, who definitely should know. The Orange County, CA, native has worked on a boatload of hit reality and competition shows, including The Bachelor, Love Is Blind, Hell’s Kitchen, BattleBots and American Ninja Warrior She’s also got documentary chops, AC’ing on last year’s nonfiction series Scamanda and currently on a documentary about producer Irwin Winkler, the man behind the Rocky franchise. Previously, she was AC for critically acclaimed narrative features Casino, The Wolf of Wall Street, Creed and Goodfellas
Now based in California’s Inland Empire, Garcia describes working in unscripted production as having a lot of moving parts. “It’s constantly
changing and unpredictable,” she says, “and those challenges keep me coming back. Problem-solving on unscripted shows is like working a puzzle without the full picture. And solving all the puzzles is where I thrive.”
Director Ivan Duran (DGA), who first worked with Garcia in 2008 on The Bachelor, calls her dependable and strong. “Elvira’s always going to be on it when it comes to her job and her team. I know that when I arrive on set and see her, things will be running smoothly on the camera side,” Duran says. “And when I say ‘strong,’ I don’t necessarily mean in a physical way, which she is – I’ve seen her throw a built FX9 on her shoulder while carrying a Cineped in the other hand – I also mean mentally strong. In the unscripted world, many things can happen to throw off what was originally planned for the day, and coupled with the long hours, it takes a strong individual to be able to
keep organized and adapt while also continuing to stay positive and not let factors out of your control affect you. Elvira does that well.” Garcia shared insights on life in unscripted production with ICG contributor Margot Lester
What’s one thing people misunderstand about unscripted work? People assume it’s easier than scripted, but let me tell you it is not To be honest, it requires just as much, if not more, skill and patience.
How does that translate for the 1st AC? I handle gear builds, camera coding systems, and lens changes. For the gear, update the clip conventions daily, back-focus the lenses and clean them. I make sure camera settings match and are set correctly, keep track of filters, and take notes for interview setups and media logs. And, most importantly, I’m charging all of the batteries each day and making sure
the operators have all of the tools they need to be successful once they shoulder up. This past summer, I worked on a show where we had 31 cameras and 68 lenses! I was in charge of overseeing the movement of the gear. You prep all of the gear before it ever goes out to make sure it works, but then problems arise, and sometimes things don’t work, and you have to be fast on your feet. There are no second chances, so that’s why I make sure my DP and camera operators never shoulder a camera until it’s ready to capture those moments.
Unscripted requires a lot of spotting as well? Spotting is essential for operator safety. Never losing your focus in those situations is the key to making sure everyone stays safe. On Uncharted, we had to get a shot of Gordon Ramsey climbing Chimney Rock in Alaska. We were pretty remote. I was on a mountain across from where the scene was taking place. The
weather changed in an instant, and a storm started rolling in. We filmed the scene, and then we had to descend down the mountain to get to the boats and get out of there before the storm trapped us. It was getting really dangerous for us to be there. The wind cutting up your face with extreme force and snow while you’re hurrying to beat a storm is a lot of pressure. My adrenaline kicked in, and I kept telling myself, “Keep calm. Don’t panic” while descending at full speed and safely carrying a camera, a tripod, a 50- to 1000-millimeter lens, and a backpack full of batteries. We all worked together and were able to get to land before the thick of the storm rolled in. That’s a pretty chaotic work environment, but in unscripted shows we deal with factors like this quite often.
What gear do you always have with you? My dual-tip black Sharpie is used for many tasks, and my chest pouch holds my quick grab go-to tools and media cards. There are some days where I’m walking so much that I never sit down, so it’s important to have a good pair of shoes. And my heated socks. They’ve saved me on a few shoots!
What’s your proudest moment so far? In 2012, I got to go inside the pyramid of Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Not many people are allowed in, unless you’re royalty or a high-profile journalist or archaeologist, but our operator was allowed to film inside. They called me in because the lens had gotten some condensation. I had to pull off the matte box to clean it. I got it fixed up pretty quickly but kept pretending to clean the lens to stay inside as long as I could. [Laughs.] I looked around and took it all in and shortly after was escorted out. It was truly magical. At that moment, I felt like I’d made it in life.
When did you realize you wanted to pursue a job in the camera department? When I took a television production class as a sophomore in high school. My teacher, Jennifer Gysbers, handed me a camera and showed me how to tell a story with the lens. We filmed our school football games, plays and our morning announcements that used to be televised. The lens is a powerful tool that allows the world to see exactly what you want them to see and nothing more. Once I was exposed to that energy of being behind the camera, with that mix of technical precision and creativity, I knew being a camera assistant was my calling. My first union job was on ABC’s The Bachelor. It was a milestone in my life. A moment where
I felt I leveled-up in a very short amount of time and knew from then on nothing was out of reach.
What are the priorities right now? The most pressing issue right now is tax incentives. A lot of shows that my colleagues and I used to work on have moved to other countries, which takes away union hours from all of us. The powers that be tell everyone they can’t make these shows in the U.S. anymore. But that isn’t the case. They’ve been making these shows here for decades; they just now have figured out how to save more revenue and use that as an excuse. What also still needs to be remedied are the long days, which can put people at risk. If you do that too many days in a row, you are not working at the highest capacity, and, worse, you lack the proper sleep to get home safely.
With so much uncertainty in the industry, how are you getting through? It’s true there has been a lot of economic uncertainty, especially these last few years. But there are things I can control in my daily life, and I focus on those things that ground me. I am very fortunate. I’ve been around for a long time –I won’t date myself – but I’ve had the honor of working with great folks who are always looking out for me. I really want to thank everyone that has ever spoken my name in a room full of opportunities. That’s part of the importance of mentorship. So many of us got our start because someone gave us a chance, and it’s worth continuing that culture of teaching and support. Without a great mentor, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. I have paid it forward and will continue to teach those who have the desire and attitude to learn.
What’s the best thing about being in the union? Being a part of the union lets me focus on my job without having to worry about all of the other headaches that people in the nonunion world have to deal with on a regular basis. Union membership is about working on sets where you’re protected and treated fairly. Personally I love being part of a community that’s advocating for me and other members and that supports each other and looks after one another. At the end of the day, we all want to make a great show and make a living. And we want to know that we’re going to be working in a safe environment and that this community will advocate for better working conditions and pay.
TO REINVENT AN ICONIC UNSCRIPTED SERIES, THIS ICG CAMERA CREW SAW EVERY FRAME AS A CHANCE TO STUN. BUT CAN THEY TURN DECADES OF TRADITION INTO SOMETHING TRULY CUTTING-EDGE?
BY JAY KIDD
For award-winning Producer/ Director Michael Rucker, stepping back into Project Runway wasn’t just another job – it was a full-circle reckoning. For five breathless seasons, Rucker helped shape the fashion competition show’s DNA, only to step away from the nonstop grind of challenge-making. “I was pretty burnt out,” he admits. “I really didn’t think I was ever going to come back.”
But when the call came to helm Season 21, Rucker couldn’t say no. The series that had redefined reality television, earning a Peabody Award in the process, was poised for reinvention, and Rucker suddenly found himself at the center of that transformation. “Can I do this?” he remembers wondering. “I know I can show-run other shows, but I never thought I would be in the position to show-run Project Runway.” And so with the cameras about to roll and a new generation of designers on deck, Rucker found himself back in the thick of one of television’s most iconic (and long-running) unscripted series.
For those who don’t live and breathe sewing drama, Project Runway is the reality competition series where designers race against the clock to create runway-ready garments, all while being grilled by the sharpest eyes in the fashion industry. Led by supermodel host Heidi Klum, the show serves up drama, glamour and high-stakes stitching, laced with biting quips, ruthless critiques and the “make it work” moments that have cemented its status as a pop culture phenomenon. Given that kind of history, Rucker didn’t just want to continue the series – he wanted to give it a complete makeover.
“I called it ‘ Project Runway season twenty-one/season one,’” Rucker continues. “We had a new network and a new director, and it needed a new kind of look.” The goal was simple: bring back the wit and buoyancy of the early seasons while updating the show for modern audiences. “Those first five seasons had a humor, a lightness,” Rucker shares. “It was fun while still being serious – that, to me, is the core of Project Runway.”
It also helped that the new network –Disney/Freeform/Hulu – along with Alfred Street Industries (the company founded by Project Runway creators Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz) and executive producers Nan Strait, Dan Volpe, San Hang and Spyglass Media’s Gary Barber and Sean Hoagland were equally eager for a bold shake-up. With their blessing, Rucker, who says the show’s magic comes from its unmatched access to the creative process, set about returning Runway to its roots. “You’re watching how the clothes we wear are actually ideated, what inspired them, and how you execute them,” he describes. “It’s about people who are talented and have a passion for design.”
Of course, to capture that passion on screen, you need a crew fluent in both story and spectacle. Enter Director Ramy Romany and Local 600 Director of Photography/ Lighting Director Jason Hafer, both tasked with turning Rucker’s vision into unscripted gold. Romany, a virtuoso of reality television, had already earned Heidi Klum’s trust on Amazon Prime’s Making the Cut . On Project Runway, he was the driving force behind the show’s refreshed visual identity, shaping its new look from start to finish. Klum, Rucker notes, is many things – a model, entrepreneur and a television host – but above all else, she’s pragmatic; she knows which directors make her look good and trusts them accordingly. “It’s always helpful when your host feels supported by someone who is going to make sure they are presented the best way,” Rucker points out.
“I CALLED IT ‘PROJECT RUNWAY SEASON TWENTY-ONE/SEASON ONE’. WE HAD A NEW NETWORK AND A NEW DIRECTOR, AND IT NEEDED A NEW KIND OF LOOK.”
Hafer approached Season 21 with the visual precision of a major motion picture. His mission: bring a richer, more dynamic style to the show and, hence, move away from the safer, flatter aesthetic that often defines unscripted TV. Together, Hafer and Romany have developed a proven method for blending cinematic techniques with the fast-paced demands of unscripted storytelling. “Being able to stay on budget while also delivering a cinematic show is not an easy task,” Hafer admits, “but we’ve been doing it for a while now. We have the right team and the right formula to get it done.”
To achieve a fresh, modern look, Hafer turned to Sony FX9 cameras for their largeformat sensors and shallow depth of field. Instead of going the usual unscripted route with smaller-format cameras, known for their forgiving focus, Romany and Hafer leaned into razor-thin planes of sharpness. Shooting wide open at f/2.8 in full frame and fine-tuning exposure with the FX9’s electronic variable ND’s gave them the precise, striking look they wanted. And instead of relying on the familiar servo zooms that dominate unscripted, Hafer chose full-frame DZOFilm Catta Ace Zooms (18-35 mm, 35-80 mm, 70-135 mm). These
compact lenses provided a more cinematic feel while keeping rigs nimble for long shoot days. Since the Cattas lack the sprawling range of servos, the team supplemented with Chiopt 75-250-mm zooms for runway shows and judging coverage.
For added movement and energy, Romany and Hafer introduced a DJI Ronin 4D “chicken cam,” a 4-axis gimbal system Romany feels is “the perfect tool for unscripted because it’s so versatile.” He says he needed “a camera that could get into small places and in-between fabric, one that could capture interesting shots that the audience would feel enamored by and glued into.” Then came the pair’s approach to color, always dangerous territory on a fashion show. Instead of a traditional Log-to-Rec.-709 workflow, Romany and Hafer chose to burn a custom lookup table (LUT) into their footage, locking in a look with little chance of correcting it later. It was a workflow Romany was willing to bet on. “I like commitment,” he says with a grin. “If we like [a look], we go for it. If you don’t, your image can end up going in a different direction, and you lose the feeling it once had.”
Runway’s technical supervisor, David Kaplan, stresses that Season 21’s unique
image pipeline was driven by the Sony FX9 cameras. “These cameras are workhorses in UHD or 4K but have some serious limitations when shooting in 1080p,” Kaplan shares. “And when you’re shooting in Cine EI mode in 1080, the FX9 doesn’t allow you to monitor a LUT via either SDI ports or the viewfinder.” While complex workarounds like external LUT boxes were possible, the team opted for a cleaner, more decisive solution. One, Romany admits, required network approval for this workflow.
“ Project Runway had never been shot with a LUT before,” he notes. “A LUT on a fashion show is tricky because it alters the colors, and the color of the fabric is a huge thing. Altering the color alters the authenticity.” Dan Cutforth, cofounder of Alfred Street Industries, echoes the weight of that decision. “It’s not a risk-free task to change the way a show has been shot for twenty years, particularly a show as visual as Project Runway . As a producer, you always want flexibility, and Ramy’s request to burn the LUT was a scary one to approve, but it paid off. The show has never looked like this before, and the visual style and shooting approach have been a crucial component in evolving the entire franchise for its new home at Freeform, Hulu and Disney+.”
For lighting, Hafer broke the new look of Project Runway into two distinct thematic worlds: the workroom and the runway. But when he first entered the workroom at Parlay Studios in New Jersey, he faced an unexpected challenge: a wall of real, functional windows. “Unscripted shows don’t see real windows,” Romany states, “because continuity becomes a nightmare.” The crew eventually embraced the window feature, augmenting the shifting sun with banks of ARRI SkyPanel S60s mounted overhead. Their output was tweaked throughout the day via four different looks, which were programmed into a grandMA3 lighting console. As Hafer describes, “During the day, when the sun was blasting through parts of that room, we filled it with more light, creating edges to complement what the sun was doing. As the sun went down, we would increase some of those hard edges to make it feel like there was still sunlight in there. The room would change a bit at the end of the day, but it still had a contoured daylight feel to it, even in the evening.”
Romany loved the new look, noting that “it didn’t feel like we were stuck inside a studio. It felt alive. Sometimes the sunlight would come in full on people’s faces, and it was so beautiful. It wasn’t as claustrophobic as you see on some other competition shows.” For control, Hafer and his team built “a grip rig on one of the walls so it would take out a little bit of the sunlight in a particular area of the room, just to soften it during one part of the day when sun would hit Heidi and Christian’s mark.”
Unlike the intimate workroom, the runway lighting was all about drama. Klum and her fellow judges sat beneath precise beams of DMX-
controlled LED Leko Lustr arrays fitted with relatively narrow lenses, ranging from 19-degree to 36-degree lights. Behind the judges, walls saturated in color shifted the mood episode by episode – sometimes denim blue, sometimes fiery red. This high-contrast, high-glam look was reverseengineered from Klum’s preferred lighting style, and the aesthetic became the baseline for all judging and runway looks. Hafer is quick to praise his lighting board operator, TJ Miller, who approaches his work like a live DJ, “busking” through on-the-fly lighting changes and pulling different looks and effects out of sequence as it suits the show. Hafer prefers this improvisational workflow over more traditional step cues (pre-written sequences), explaining, “I like to change a lot of things every day. You can get stuck on reality shows where the look is always the same. I want the freedom to make changes in the moment.”
Kaplan and his team at Tvacom Rentals built a dedicated Wi-Fi network on set that allowed Hafer to monitor and control up to fourteen cameras remotely from his workstation. To keep all those signals flying through the air, Kaplan utilized Wave Central true diversity wireless, a system on par with what is used by major broadcasters.
While Hafer ensured technical perfection, Romany relied on overhead Sony ILME-FR7s to keep track of the action. These large-sensor cameras offer fully remotecontrolled pan, tilt and zoom, giving, as lead Camera Assistant Justin Paulhamus puts it, “a nice high-and-wide angle for Ramy to see what is happening in the workroom.” Additional FR7’s covered more interview locations situated miles from the main stage. Kaplan bridged the distance via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnel, giving Hafer a secure link to monitor lighting and adjust cameras remotely.
All of this would be theory without the Local 600 camera operators who stitched the show together. A typical day on Project Runway begins with two cameras capturing the designers’ morning routines at their apartments. By the time the designers arrive at Parlay, three or four more cameras are lying in wait to capture workroom reality.
At midday, up to twelve handheld FX9’s buzz around the workroom, shooting the designers, mentor Christian Siriano, and one-on-one interviews at one side of the stage. The Ronin 4D roves around capturing stabilized shots, and a Sony FX6 mounted overhead travels back and forth on a programmable rail, offering a bird’s-
“YOU CAN GET STUCK ON REALITY SHOWS WHERE THE LOOK IS ALWAYS THE SAME. I WANT THE FREEDOM TO MAKE CHANGES IN THE MOMENT.”
eye view. A typical day for any unscripted camera operator is ten hours, and on Runway each operator aimed to work a forty-minute shift before switching off for a break. A reverse rotation happens at the end of the day, leaving two operators behind to wrap up the last hour or so of filming.
Romany directed his Local 600 operators via a party-line (PL) system, where he worked to provide not just camera angles but context and emotion. He feels that “in the unscripted world, the camera operator is their own director and producer. They’re reading the story and crafting the shot as it flows.” Rucker, once a camera assistant on Project Greenlight , echoes this sentiment. “I try to empower our Local 600 operators, and it shows on screen because, while we’re a professional operation, we’re also trying to have fun with the process and make everyone look good. So, when an operator asks a designer, ‘Can I get a shot of this?’ the designer knows it’s happening to make them look good. It makes the union camera team feel like they have a voice as well.”
That empowerment was tested with the introduction of the shorter-range Catta lenses, which forced the operators to adopt a new style of shooting. They could no longer zoom in from across the room; they had to physically move, stalking the action handheld, often within an arm’s length of a designer frantically pinning muslin. “It
changed the way I shot the show,” recalls Selene Preston, SOC, who has been with Runway and its variations for twelve seasons. “Typically, I would be fifteen feet away from people, zoomed in. But since I was on the 35-to-80-millimeter, I was so much closer to the designers than I’d ever been in the past.”
Romany says this new style of constant camera movement gave Season 21 a sense of “beautiful chaos,” something he aims for in all of his work. “Chaos is what sparks all the art and story in an unscripted show,” he explains. “An unscripted show with no chaos has no soul.” And Preston enjoyed the challenge, sharing that “when you’re asked to do something in a way that’s atypical, it makes your brain work differently; there’s something about the limitations that I found really appealing.” Romany encouraged this active style, telling the operators, “The lens is not your friend for coverage anymore. Your legs are.” For Preston, that meant relying on her AC, Brandon “Yogi” Neely, as a spotter while moving through the packed workroom, and on her sound mixers to funnel dialogue into her ears. “An operator’s relationship with the sound mixer is really important because they are the one who is going to allow you to hear the story,” she adds.
Operator Katie Harris, who first joined Runway as an AC in 2010, also found the new style exhilarating. “It felt like we had the agency to make the show look the best we could,” she offers. “Ramy trusted the operators to find those moments and those shots.” Harris discovered even more creative freedom during a guest episode, recreating Abbott Elementary’s signature style by directing actors Lisa Ann Walter and Chris Perfetti to deliver their lines straight to her lens. “As an operator who works in both reality and scripted, I had so much fun blending both worlds,” Harris says.
Preston also had the opportunity to interface with talent. In past seasons, she’s worked as Project Runway’s social media camera operator (which has been a Local 600 position for many years). It’s proof that even glossy BTS material deserves union protection. And when it comes to hiring union labor, Harris is clear. “If you want your unscripted show to look good and be captured properly, then you need to hire professionals – that would be a union person, because we’re all professionals.” She adds that her demanding, multifaceted role requires heightened skills and constant alertness. “When a story moment happens, I have to zoom in, focus, change my ISO and stay steady to capture the moment, all
“IN THE UNSCRIPTED WORLD, THE CAMERA OPERATOR IS THEIR OWN DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER. THEY’RE READING THE STORY AND CRAFTING THE SHOT AS IT FLOWS.”
DIRECTOR RAMY ROMANY
within five to seven seconds.” Harris insists that “if you want it done right, hire a union operator.” Rucker agrees. “I have always had an appreciation for camera operators,” he observes. “I don’t know how they do it, having a camera and holding it for that long. All the Local 600 people are great. I’m always impressed with their work.”
Season 21 also gave Rucker the chance to realize a dream he’d harbored for 17 years: staging a runway show in the workroom. For this season’s unconventional-materials challenge, the idea finally came to fruition, matching concept to form. Setting the runway on fire was also Rucker’s idea. Inspired by sponsor CALIA’s tagline, “There’s beauty in the burn,” the crew scorched the runway as Hafer’s lighting bathed the room in molten amber and gold. While the redhot fashion show was going down, Rucker remembers judge Nina Garcia leaning in and whispering into her microphone, “Michael, this is the best runway show we’ve ever had.”
Shooting the runway shows involves a complex camera array. Approximately twelve FX9’s are set up around the stage, shooting through the Chiopt 75-250-mm zooms. At least seven of these cameras are cross-shooting coverage of the judges and designers. The others are focused on movement. One FX9 rotates around the runway on a U-shaped dolly track, while another stacked directly above it zooms in
and out, capturing each model’s final pose. A jib sweeps in from one side, offering high and low perspectives, while the Ronin 4D glides parallel to the models as they strut up and down the catwalk. Each show is filmed three times at 120 fps, ensuring every pleat and sequin is preserved in slow motion. An aspect ratio change, from 16:9 in the workroom to 2.35:1 Cinemascope, cements the transformation, making every runway show feel monumental.
Hafer’s greatest challenge was ensuring the runway lighting felt new and exciting each week. “As I was designing the finale of one episode, I was already creating looks for the intro of the next,” he recalls. Hafer moved quickly to secure sign-off on the looks, then shared stills with the judges so they could tailor their wardrobes to match the upcoming episode. Hafer worked with Production Designer Amanda Carzoli to match lighting with the runway’s semiopaque fabric walls and wooden slats to each episode’s theme. Colored backlighting – like grayish-blue for the denim challenge or earth tones for a rodeo theme – gave the set a unique look every week.
Runway’s epic finale required a sevenday relight, 300 additional fixtures, two rain towers, and a new Y-shaped runway that gleamed like liquid mercury. Hafer says the team “built multiple truss towers with MAC One moving lights on them” to create a twinkling wall and rigged more lamps near the floor to backlight the falling water. The trickiest part was logistics: the rain
towers and water troughs had to be struck at lunch, and the entire set returned to its original look before the judges could deliver their final verdict. With smart rigging and careful planning, the union team pulled it off, executing two dramatically different looks in record time.
Few showrunners would gamble with a series’ look in its twenty-first season, but Rucker believes it was the right move. “It was a risk, but I think we were true to ourselves,” he reflects. “We knew we were making Project Runway , but an evolved Project Runway. I think trusting our gut paid off.” Judging by the audience response, it more than did. In August, Project Runway rocketed up the ratings charts, unseating The Amateur to become the number-one show on Hulu. For a series that’s over two decades old, that’s not just a glow-up – it’s a resurrection.
Perhaps more rewarding for Rucker was the reunion with friends Nina Garcia, Heidi Klum and Christian Siriano, the last of whom Rucker remembers as a twenty-one-year-old designer sleeping on a mattress pulled from his closet. Their return to Runway feels as cyclical as fashion itself: a young designer turned mentor, a showrunner returned to his roots and a series reborn. Project Runway Season 21 proves that even after two decades, the artistry of Local 600 crews can reinvent the grammar of unscripted television – reminding us that when craft leads the way, reinvention is always possible.
NETFLIX’S DINNER TIME LIVE WITH DAVID CHANG IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER UNSCRIPTED FOOD SHOW, POSING ONE-OF-A-KIND CHALLENGES THAT ITS L.A.-BASED ICG CREW “EAT” RIGHT UP.
BY MARGOT LESTER
SCREENGRABS COURTESY OF NETFLIX
The best dinner parties boast a relaxed atmosphere, vibrant conversation, silly challenges, genial friends (including that one person who’s a treasure trove of fun facts) and a generous serving of delicious eats. That’s also the winning recipe for Netflix’s Dinner Time Live with David Chang.
Now in its third season, the weekly live show is a pastiche – equal parts quiz show, chat show and cooking show – bringing together chef David Chang, holder of two Michelin stars and founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, and his close friend Chris Ying, who has his own list of foodie bona fides. The duo hosts pairs of celebrity guests for a meal in Chang’s Los Angeles-based test kitchen.
“Filming a cooking show live and trying to anticipate conversation while following the food preparation process is key to the success of Dinner Time Live ,” explains Director Ivan Dudynsky, who’s on his second season with the production. “Yes, it’s important to follow the chats, but David is a culinary master, and we need to be able to show the process of making his custom dishes for the guests. It’s a real balance. And doing it live brings its own challenges. We are up against the clock, and there are no do-overs or second takes. If he burns a dish, we show it. It’s real.”
Or if he breaks a Béarnaise sauce, as he did this season in Episode 3. Chang tried to shake it off, but the failure dogged him for the rest of the show. And that’s part of the appeal. “He’s real, and people are tired of fake content,” asserts Steadicam Operator Randy Gomez Jr., a 25-year veteran of cooking shows and live productions. “David’s a two-Michelin-star chef, and he’s still struggling sometimes,” adds Robotics Operator Nicholas Kober, who’s been with the show since day one. “You get to see how he handles it when he runs into the same silly things that you could run into. I would have given up and ordered takeout!”
The crew has to roll with mistakes and miscues, too, though they’re rare with this group of seasoned operators, many of whom have worked together on previous food shows and live broadcasts. “If you’re not nervous in any way, shape or form before a live show, then, to me, you don’t care about
there being an issue,” asserts Steadicam Operator Austin Rock, whose credits include Food Network Star, American Ninja Warrior, and a bunch of awards shows. “If you’re nervous, it means you actually care about what you’re doing, and you don’t want to make mistakes on air, because you know it’s going out there, whether you like it or not. It can be with what they’re cooking or a camera shot that goes slightly awry.” Rock, whose duties include covering Ying, has been with the Dinner Time Live crew from the start and has watched it evolve into a high-performance unit. “I’m proud of where the show has gotten to. It’s become a welloiled machine.”
The continuity across seasons – and familiarity that comes from working other shows together – is a difference-maker on this fast-paced production. Director of Photography Travis Hagenbuch, who earned his chops on a long list of live awards shows, broadcast theatrical productions and competition programs, says, “The rapport built over years of collaboration goes a long way toward both onsite efficiency and a mutual understanding of goals and priorities, especially when time is short.”
Dudynsky concurs. “It helps to have history with your crew because certain things become instinctual. Camera operators will anticipate and know what I am looking for when connecting shots based on the conversation at hand. The technical director will be ready for me to call shots in a specific order, knowing we want
ABOVE/BELOW: ON THE KITCHEN’S RELAXED VIBE, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY TRAVIS HAGENBUCH SAYS, “MY GOALS WERE TO MAINTAIN DEPTH AND TEXTURE ON THE PEOPLE, BACKGROUNDS AND FOOD, WHICH MEANT TOEING A LINE BETWEEN A SOFTLY LIT, REALISTIC DAYTIME SHOW AND A MORE THEATRICAL PRIMETIME SHOW.”
to present the conversation and follow that specific story with a series of camera angles that enhance the topic and enlighten the viewer.”
Unlike the bright lights and elaborate sets of other productions in the food and chat genre, Dinner Time Live’s look is relaxed and low-key. The brief from Executive Producer Brandon Monk called for lighting that felt like “the kind of place where everybody looks good,” according to Hagenbuch, who’s worked on both The Queen Latifah Show , which had cooking segments, and the primetime cooking competition show Crime Scene Kitchen.
“Since this is also David’s personal kitchen, where he spends a lot of time and is not built as a set, I also wanted him to look comfortable and at home. My goals were to maintain depth and texture on the people, backgrounds and food, which meant toeing a line between a softly lit, realistic daytime show and a more theatrical primetime show. I pulled ideas from both of those [past] projects to arrive at the look and feel of Dinner Time Live .”
But preserving that aesthetic while maintaining exposure on the chef and the food is tricky.
“The approach has been to keep David’s main counter consistently keyed from camera right, with focused task lighting from above via Titan Tubes outfitted with DoPchoice snap grids,” Hagenbuch continues. “The rear counters and backgrounds fall off and have no constant key, but they’re treated architecturally with certain elements highlighted to create texture. This leaves a lot of potential for David to wander into the dark, so we have additional systems of keys and fills standing by to light both him and the food when he moves around the kitchen. Those are brought up remotely as needed, but we fade them down as soon as he returns to the main counter to maintain the core look and not wash out the background.”
Other lighting gear includes Chauvet Professional onAir Panel Min IP compact soft lights that tuck into the low ceilings in the kitchen, Astera PixelBricks, AX9’s and QuikSpots, which they use to light the guests without spill and adjust both the light levels and the colors to suit each person’s skin tone.
“There are cameras everywhere!” adds Gomez, whose credits include Master Chef, Next Iron Chef and a few SAG Awards broadcasts. “We have manned cameras as well as robos [mostly Panasonic AW-
RP150’s] on shelves and hanging from the lighting grid.” The Steadicam, equipped with a Sony 5500 and Fujinon 14-100, “is mostly for wide-shot relief. I’ll adjust and get over-the-shoulder relationship shots or group shots that make sense to what’s being talked about. If the guests look over their shoulders to talk to Chris, I’ll zoom in and create more of an intimate relationship shot.”
Gomez operated Technojib on other cooking series to capture beauty shots of the finished dishes and was initially brought on to Dinner Time Live to replace the Steadicam with a jib “to see if that offered any advantage. It did not,” he laughs. Gomez says his prior experience on food shows isn’t what he relies on most on this series, though. “Working in live TV, more so than cooking shows, helps on Dinner Time Live You have to be ready for anything, and there are no second takes, so don’t screw up!”
While there’s an established theme and menu for every show, all the food is cooked live, Chang’s moves are pretty spontaneous, and the banter is naturally occurring.
There’s one off-camera rehearsal day and a meeting with Monk at the top of the call on show days. Chang is in the kitchen
with his team running through the dishes and doing prep, and the camera crew is on the scene to capture some of that for B-roll – closeups of ingredients or techniques – to appear picture-in-picture during the livecast. This year, the show added live audience interaction options, like voting and games, that occupy the bottom of the screen. The graphics for these “lower thirds” are prepared in advance. On show day, the crew has an hour or two to make final preparations. The guests are seated and lit about 10 minutes before they go live.
“There are a lot of moving parts, and it takes a lot of great people knowing what they need to do and being very good at it to make it work from top to bottom,” describes Kober, who’s also worked on Hell’s Kitchen, Iron Chef America, and several seasons of Conan . “You’ve got to make sure you’re following the ball. Shooting food, the most important thing is to get all the steps, and sometimes things happen really quickly. David will jump from one thing to another, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s this,’ or he’ll go to something while another thing is also happening – and you have to decide, do I follow or leave a camera on the sizzling steak?”
For operators in the room, there’s the added challenge of hitting marks as the conversation flows back and forth and as Runner and Culinary Consultant Mandy Roberts slides in and out of frame to clear dishes, bring drinks and replace cutlery. It’s why Dudynsky calls it “a dance between listening and anticipating where we’re going next. With many of our guests being
comedians, you have to be ready to pivot at any moment and get to a hilarious reaction shot,” the director shares. “Whether it’s a turn and look to camera, or someone actually jumping over the counter and joining Dave, you just have to be ahead of the count to see it coming.”
And for the ICG camera team, it all has to be done without losing track of the edge of the frame, so everyone stays out of the shot. Or casting shadows. “In a live, 360, multicamera environment like this, in which we don’t want to see the lights themselves, I inevitably needed to use some hard sources to do the work,” Hagenbuch explains. “Those create shadows, of course, not only from people but also inside things like deep pots and pans. Overhead task lighting can mitigate this to a point, but it’s a devil we have to live with to some extent lest we abandon the aesthetic.”
Naturally, everyone wants to know if the crew gets to eat the food. The answer on Dinner Time Live is “not often.” That’s because, unlike most other cooking and food shows, there aren’t a lot of pre-prepared dishes sitting around. Chang’s making just enough to serve his guests with a little left over for a chef’s treat.
Despite that, several of the crew say the opportunity to watch Chang at work and learn from Ying’s perspective has made them better home cooks.
“I think I’m pretty decent, though my children won’t eat my food – but they’re three and five,” Kober jokes. “I’m definitely
YouTube-trained, which is fun because I was already familiar with Chris and David.” Kober is pretty proud about his prime rib, which he prepared for a family dinner. “I sous vide it, which my father called ‘aquarium cooking,’ but my mother was very proud of me.”
Dudynsky, a self-described spontaneous, no-measurements cook, has been inspired to try new things in his home kitchen. “I’ve also learned some secrets from Dave when it comes to cooking steaks, so no one in my house complains when Dinner Time Live is in production,” he smiles.
For Hagenbach, who rates himself a seven in the kitchen, the show is an opportunity to continue his lifelong interest in the culinary arts. “I’m by no means an expert, but yes – I really do enjoy it and have watched cooking shows since I was a kid to try to improve,” he notes. “I’ve already riffed on some of this season’s Dinner Time Live dishes at home – but no cameras allowed! Rock says he’s mediocre and improving since working on the show. And even Gomez, who admits he’s definitely not a good cook but can grill “almost anything,” has picked up some tips and discovered some new ingredients. There’s no word yet on whether Dinner Time Live will return for a fourth season, but Hagenbuch is optimistic.
“Despite a changing landscape,” the veteran unscripted filmmaker concludes, “I think live TV still has a lot of relevance, and it’s great to see platforms like Netflix investing in it. I hope this show and others like it continue getting produced and supported, and see a long life.”
DIRECTOR IVAN DUDYNSKY OBSERVES THAT “IT HELPS TO HAVE HISTORY WITH YOUR CREW BECAUSE CERTAIN THINGS BECOME INSTINCTUAL. CAMERA OPERATORS WILL ANTICIPATE AND KNOW WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR WHEN CONNECTING SHOTS BASED ON THE CONVERSATION AT HAND.”
ICG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY BRANDON SOMERHALDER AND DIRECTOR RYAN WHITE HAVE CRAFTED AN AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY THAT TRANSCENDS ITS SUBJECT’S ILLNESS AND MORTALITY, DIVING INTO THE DEEPEST OF HUMAN CONNECTIONS. HERE’S HOW THEY DID IT.
BY JAY KIDD
BTS PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRANDON SOMERHALDER
FRAME GRABS COURTESY OF APPLE TV+
In the 2025 Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, Local 600 Director of Photography Brandon Somerhalder captures the warmth and honesty of poet Andrea Gibson, who faces a diagnosis of incurable ovarian cancer with unflinching grace. Through his lens, what begins as a small crew documenting a journey through illness becomes a kind of found family bound by vulnerability, laughter and shared purpose. Somerhalder’s camera reflects a unique cinematic intimacy, rendering not just Gibson and their spouse, Megan Falley, but the community that formed behind the scenes. The film is a tender and hilarious portrait of love, art and what it means to be alive, and it’s impossible to sit through without a full box of tissues nearby. ICG writer Jay Kidd sat down with Somerhalder and the film’s director, Ryan White, to talk about the special challenges of the nonfiction format and how you make a movie where the ending is already foretold.
ICG: Ryan, how did this project come to you, and at what point did Brandon join the crew? Ryan White: The epicenter was the comedian Tig Notaro. She’s been friends with Andrea since the 1990s, and my producer Jessica Hargrave and I have been friends with Tig for over a decade. Tig doesn’t watch any movies. But she watches a lot of documentaries, and we would always tell her, “Bring us a funny idea for a documentary.” Now, on paper, this documentary doesn’t sound funny in the least. But Tig said, “Andrea is one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. I think the way they’re confronting potential end of life could invert the terminal-illness genre of films.” Then, at Tribeca, I saw this beautiful film called The Lionheart , and I made a mental note to reach out to the DP’s. That’s how we found Brandon. We loved his shooting style, and we had a good rapport, so we thought he’d be a great fit for this project.
Brandon Somerhalder: Ryan and Jess knew I had done a lot of vérité shooting. They said, “There is probably going to be a lot of that, because we don’t know where this story’s going to go. Would you be interested in coming with us for the first meeting?” So, we just flew out. It was only the three of us, and we met Andrea in their driveway. We started shooting almost immediately.
Right there, the first day you met? BS: Yeah. Andrea was very open and
honest. I think the first thing they said to us was, “This is so weird; I’m meeting the people who are going to be with me on my deathbed.” And we were like, “Well… It’s great to meet you, too!”
What kinds of conversations did you have about the approach? How do you even begin a film like this? BS: As a DP, I’m always curious about access – how comfortable are the subjects with a camera? How familiar are they with the process? Then, style-wise, where are we shooting? Since Andrea was immunocompromised, we knew they didn’t leave their house a lot. We settled on a static style, shooting mostly on a locked-off tripod to make their home feel calm. Then we went handheld outside to make things feel a little more chaotic.
RW: We had never met Andrea and Meg before, so we didn’t know if everyone was going to vibe. But on that first shoot, everyone connected so quickly. I’ve never felt love to that degree after only three days. Andrea and Meg were saying, “I love you” to us as we left. That breaks every rule in the documentary handbook.
What was filming like? How often did you visit Andrea and Meg? BS: Every three weeks, Andrea would go to the hospital and get blood work done. Then, at the end of that day, they would receive a number that would reveal whether the cancer had grown or shrunk. We would arrive a few
days before that hospital day and then stay for a few days after. We primarily shot on the Canon C500 with Zeiss CP.2 lenses. I’d say seventy percent of the vérité was on the 50 millimeter, then 85 millimeter for inserts, and maybe we’d jump to 35 millimeter for a wide shot. But the 50 millimeter felt tight enough to get a variety of coverage without feeling claustrophobic.
RW: I don’t think it’s obvious how physical this film was for Brandon. We decided early on that we were going to shoot this film on a tripod; and, if you watch the film, they’re very set compositions. To get coverage, Brandon had to move that tripod constantly around the room, picking off shots. But he couldn’t make a lot of noise because Andrea and Meg were so perceptive and so sweet. If they saw him struggling, they would stop and say, “Do you need a sec?”
It’s clear in watching the film that Brandon developed a deep bond with Andrea. How did that connection influence the final product? RW: Brandon was Andrea’s favorite. They loved all of us, but he was like a brother to them. You could sense that from the very beginning. That bond was probably the most important part of this documentary.
BS: There was obviously a willingness by Andrea and Meg to open up, but it blew me away how similar Andrea and I were. We had a lot of the same curiosities about life,
and after a certain point, Andrea felt like a sibling. It’s a hard thing to describe, but it definitely informed the shooting in a nice way. It might have been entirely admiration. I was consistently in awe of how Andrea was moving through the world. I try to bring those qualities into my own life now. But yeah, I felt like their younger sibling.
Hospital restrictions prevented you from bringing any gear or personnel inside. How did you adapt to those conditions? RW: Dave Richards, our sound recordist, became our first line of defense. He would mic up Andrea and Meg before they went into these really vulnerable situations. We needed someone whom Andrea trusted and loved, because Dave was literally touching their body before their most sensitive moments. Then he and I would stay in the waiting room while only Brandon went inside with an iPhone. He was also our boom.
BS: Yeah, my arms were the boom [laughs]. Dave would tape lavalier microphones to my wrists. I would wear a long-sleeve shirt, and he would rig it so I didn’t have to worry about monitoring. Then, if I needed audio from the doctor, I could just get close and hold my hand up weirdly. It was both out of necessity and because Andrea didn’t want to be mic’d up on the hospital days. They were going into these machines, and lying on the
pack all day was uncomfortable, so I would wear it instead.
The spoken-word poetry sequences in this film feel almost like music videos. How did you approach those? RW: That was our biggest unknown. Luckily, one of our first shoots was Andrea reading some poems at this NPR station in Colorado. Brandon shot it in a really interesting way, and then we started experimenting with it in the edit. I remember sharing that scene with our executive producers. We used that scene to help raise money because it was the perfect embodiment of what we wanted this film to be.
BS: For the poetry, we wanted something that contrasted with the vérité. We also liked the idea of creating an ethereal space in their house. We shot in their basement, and the only light we used was an Aputure LS600d shining through a tiny porthole window. It was RGB, so, depending on the poem, we would change the color. We tried to avoid traditional shots. We went in tight on Andrea’s mouth, or their eyes, or their hands, to illustrate a disconnection of the whole.
The film culminates in a live performance at the Paramount Theater in Denver. BS: Andrea kept expressing regret about not being able to perform. Then
they got a good cancer marker, and the first thing they said was, “I can do a show!” We decided pretty quickly that we wanted to record the whole set, but we didn’t want the film to lose its style. Andrea also had very specific requests for shooting. They told me, “I don’t want the camera in my face when I’m on stage. I want to be with the audience.” Their eyes were hurting, so the lighting had to be dim. But they also wanted to see the audience, so we had some house lights on too. We hired six cameras total, and Ryan was directing backstage with a multi-cam feed. I shot on the FX3 with a zoom lens and a Cinesaddle. I decided to stay with Andrea for the whole day, just rolling on everything.
RW: I get asked a lot about one moment when you can hear Andrea’s heartbeat. During that scene, Brandon and I follow Andrea to the greenroom, and Andrea collapses on a couch, just exhausted. Then, through their lavalier, you hear the sound of their heartbeat. I remember Brandon following Andrea inside, and I just knew I couldn’t cross that threshold. I stopped and let Brandon go in alone. I’m so happy that I didn’t enter that room. I just let Brandon be alone with Andrea. I didn’t need to direct at all, because the two of them were so close. I remember thinking, “Whatever is happening is what’s meant to be.”
If you could sum up your experience on
“SINCE
ANDREA WAS IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, WE KNEW THEY DIDN’T LEAVE THEIR HOUSE A LOT. WE SETTLED ON A STATIC STYLE, SHOOTING MOSTLY ON A LOCKED-OFF TRIPOD TO MAKE THEIR HOME FEEL CALM.”
“I CAME AWAY FEELING LIKE I HAD OBSERVED A PERSON WHO HAD BEEN SHOWN A SECRET AND WAS GIVEN THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO US.”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY BRANDON SOMERHALDER
this film in one word, what word would you choose? RW: Joyful. We thought this was going to be a very sad film, but we were all so joyful whenever we went to their house. I’ve heard Meg say that, because she and Andrea were so quarantined, it was hard for them to describe how happy they actually were post-Andrea’s diagnosis and how in love they were. We got to take that in like a sponge. This movie sounds so sad on paper, but it was, honestly, the most fun I’ve ever had making a film.
BS: I would say it was illuminating. I came away feeling like I had observed a person who had been shown a secret and was given the ability to communicate that to us. Thinking back, I want to say life-changing. That feels like something people would write off, but it really is true.
What was that secret? BS: I think the secret is a hard reminder to wake up and experience every day, that every day is a miracle, and life is something special and precious. All life is. You don’t really realize it until you’re facing the end of it.
Come See Me in the Good Light premiered at Sundance and the
response was extraordinary — it felt like the film was all anyone could talk about that week. What was it like for you to share the film with Andrea there, and how did it feel to witness that audience reaction together? RW: When we started making the film, all of us, including Andrea, thought that we would be documenting until their final breath, but that kind of shifted as we edited the film. I like to think that Andrea kind of knew it all along, and they were just waiting for it to dawn on all of us that, oh, this is not a death film, so why does it have to end with a death? It sounds cheesy, but this really is a film about living. So we ended the film, obviously, before Andrea died, it got into Sundance, and Andrea was able to be at Sundance. It was the best night of my filmmaking career. Neither Andrea nor I ever imagined they would be there for the premiere, so it blew both of our minds. And the audience didn’t know what to expect, so they went crazy once Andrea walked up for the Q&A. To say it was special is an understatement.
BS: Sharing the film at Sundance was so surreal. Andrea had always been under the impression that we would film with
them until they passed, that they would never see the finished film, and they had no idea that our editor Berenice Chavez was editing concurrently with shooting. When we got into the festival, I remember Andrea and Meg were stunned at the idea that they would get to experience the movie with an audience. Of course, we hadn’t shared with them that we were applying in case it didn’t get accepted. But once it was confirmed, it really gave the film a new life in my eyes. We were finishing it knowing that Andrea would get to present themselves to the world on a stage reserved for the best stories in the world. And to hear the response at the festival just validated how special of a story Andrea’s is. It’s a movie that shines in a theater because it’s so funny and full of life. And for Andrea and Meg to be there at Sundance with the packed crowd, and the buzz from the screenings is all one can hope for as a documentary filmmaker. Seeing them in front of that crowd is a sensation I’ll never forget, and while it hurts to know they won’t be here to see the world’s reaction when the film comes out publicly on Apple in November, I’m so glad Andrea got to see how much their story affected those who saw it at Sundance.
“BRANDON WAS ANDREA’S FAVORITE. THEY LOVED ALL OF US, BUT HE WAS LIKE A BROTHER TO THEM. YOU COULD SENSE THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. THAT BOND WAS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS DOCUMENTARY.“
-DIRECTOR RYAN WHITE
COMPILED BY TERESA MUÑOZ
The input of Local 600 members is of the utmost importance, and we rely on our membership as the prime (and often the only) source of information in compiling this section. In order for us to continue to provide this service, we ask that Guild members submitting information take note of the following requests:
Please provide up-to-date and complete crew information (including Still Photographers, Publicists, Additional Units, etc.). Please note that the deadline for the Production Credits is on the first of the preceding cover month (excluding weekends & holidays).
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Any questions regarding the Production Credits should be addressed to Teresa Muñoz at teresa@icgmagazine.com
APPLE STUDIOS, LLC
“CHEESESTEAK”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ZAK MULLIGAN
OPERATORS: STEWART CANTRELL, JOHN GARRETT
ASSISTANTS: JUSTIN SIMPSON, ZACK SHULTZ, MATTHEW HEDGES, JOHN F. MCCARTHY
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL KELLOGG
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STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SCOTT GARFIELD
UNIT PUBLICIST: JULIE KUEHNDORF
BTS: JEFFREY LEE BERGMAN
“WEEKEND WARRIOR” 2ND UNIT
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TIM SESSLER
OPERATOR: SCOTT MONTGOMERY
ASSISTANTS: JOSHUA GARY, KRAIG SWISHER, AUGUSTUS BECHTOLD
JIB ARM OPERATOR: TRAVIS STEELE
REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: JAY SHEVECK
DRONE OPERATORS: LOUIE NORTHERN, SCOTT MONTGOMERY
20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION
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OPERATORS: PHIL MILLER, NICK DAVIDOFF (RONIN)
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STEADICAM OPERATOR: PHIL MILLER
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CAMERA UTILITIES: JOHN WEISS, STEVE MASIAS
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ASSISTANTS: DEREK SMITH, SETH LEWIS, PATRICK BOROWIAK, JILL AUTRY
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BEACHWOOD SERVICES, INC.
“DAYS OF OUR LIVES” SEASON 61
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CAMERA UTILITY: GARY CYPHER
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BELL/PHILLIPS PRODUCTIONS
“THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL”
SEASON 39
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OPERATORS: JOHN CARLSON, NICO SVOBODA, NICK KROTOV
VIDEO CONTROLLER: KEVEN SCOTTI
CBS TELEVISION STUDIOS
“ELSBETH” SEASON 3
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN ARONSON
OPERATORS: BARNABY SHAPIRO, KATE LAROSE
ASSISTANTS: SOREN NASH, RENE CROUT, NIALANEY RODRIGUEZ
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STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: MICHAEL PARMELEE, MARK SCHAFER
“NCIS” SEASON 23
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OPERATORS: GREG COLLIER, CHAD ERICKSON, JAMES TROOST
ASSISTANTS: NATE LOPEZ, DREW HAN, HELEN TADESSE, TOMMY IZUMI MARONN, YUSEF EDMONDS
STEADICAM OPERATOR: JAMES TROOST
DIGITAL LOADER: MIKE GENTILE
“NCIS: ORIGINS” SEASON 2
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN MCNIGHT, KURT JONES
OPERATORS: ANDY DEPUNG, TAJ TEFFAHA
ASSISTANTS: TAYLOR FENNO, SAMANTHA CHADBOURNE, KEVIN POTTER, TRISTAN CHAVEZ
LOADER: CLEO PALMIERI
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRANNON BROWN
DIGITAL UTILITY: NATE JONES
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DEAN HENDLER
CMS PRODUCTIONS
“ANCIENT HISTORY”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARIA VON HAUSSWOLFF
ASSISTANTS: TROY DOBBERTIN, HALLIE ARIAS
COOLER WATER PRODUCTIONS
“EUPHORIA” SEASON 3
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MARCELL REV, ASC, HCA
OPERATORS: JOSH MEDAK, ROCKER MEADOWS, ASSISTANTS: NORRIS FOX, DAN SCHROER, JONATHAN CLARK, DAN URBAIN
LOADER: CHESTER MILTON
DIGITAL UTILITY: VICTORIA BETANCOURT
REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: SIMON TERZIAN
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: EDDY CHEN
CRANETOWN MEDIA, LLC
“I PLAY ROCKY”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SEAN PORTER
OPERATOR: ALAN MEHLBRECH
ASSISTANTS: STEPHEN MCBRIDE, JOHN LARSON, RICHARD PALLERO
LOADERS: DANIEL BIRNBAUM, TAYLOR PRINZIVALLI
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CLAIRE FOLGER
“FRESH OUT LIVE 2025”
OPERATORS: TAYLOR DEES, GERARD CANCEL, ED STAEBLER
STEADICAM OPERATOR: NICHOLAS FAYO
JIB ARM OPERATOR: RICHARD FREEDMAN
CAMERA UTILITIES: MAURICE WILLIAMS, AUDE VALLO, CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON
CUTTING SEASON FILMS, LLC
“ONE NIGHT ONLY”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: YARON ORBACH
OPERATORS: LUCAS OWEN, LISA SENE
ASSISTANTS: BECKI HELLER, GUS LIMBERIS, JOHN CONQUY, TOMMY SCOGGINS
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TIFFANY ARMOUR-TEJADA
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DELI LOVE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
“DELI LOVE”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTOPHER LEW
OPERATOR: SAM WOOD
ASSISTANTS: HAITAO ZENG, JOSEPH ROBINSON
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LYNSEY WATSON
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JACLYN MARTINEZ
DISNEY
“UNTITLED LIZ MERIWETHER
PROJECT”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DOUG EMMETT, BRIAN LANNIN
OPERATOR: PHILIP MARTINEZ
ASSISTANTS: WARIS SUPANPONG, JUSTIN WHITACRE, RANDY LEE SCHWARTZ, MATEO GONZALEZ
STEADICAM OPERATOR: PHILIP MARTINEZ
LOADERS: BRANDON ORSBORN, THOMAS PARRISH, JR.
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SARAH SHATZ
DOC IN A BOX CORP
“MARTIN MD” SEASON 1
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN INWOOD, WESLEY CARDINO
OPERATORS: DEVIN LADD, JOEL SAN JUAN
ASSISTANTS: MIKE GUASPARI, DOUGLAS FOOTE, KAIH WONG, KATHERYN IUELE
LOADERS: MADELEINE KING, KATIE GREAVES
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: FRANCISCO ROMAN SANCHEZ
“THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: FLORIAN BALLHAUS, ASC
OPERATORS: THOMAS LAPPIN, JOHN MOYER
ASSISTANTS: TONY COAN, ADRIANA BRUNETTO-LIPMAN, JAMES DRUMMOND, CORNELIA KLAPPER
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PATRICK CECILIAN
LOADER: BRETT NORMAN
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: MACALL POLAY
UNIT PUBLICIST: FRANCES FIORE
GROLIA D FILM
“BASIC”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: VERONICA BOUZA
OPERATOR: JUN LI
ASSISTANTS: AARON CHEUNG, DAN KING
STEADICAM OPERATOR: JUN LI
STEADICAM ASSISTANT: AARON CHEUNG
HAPPY HIVE PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“THE LAST MRS. PARRISH”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DON BURGESS, ASC
OPERATOR: MATTHEW MORIARTY, JONATHAN BECK
ASSISTANTS: STEVEN CUEVA, ERIC SWANEK, SARA BOARDMAN, TYLER SWANEK
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DOUGLAS HORTON
TECHNOCRANE TECH: CRAIG STRIANO
LIBRA HEAD TECH: LANCE MAYER
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ANA CARBALLOSA
UNIT PUBLICIST: BROOKE ENSIGN
BTS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: WILLIAM HART
BTS OPERATOR: COLE DABNEY
HURRICANE SEASONS PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“HURRICANE SEASONS”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: HEIXAN ROBLES
OPERATOR: BEN SPANER
ASSISTANTS: MARCOS HERRERA, BABETTE GIBSON
STEADICAM OPERATOR: BEN SPANER
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TIMUR GAVRILENKO
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: GWENDOLYN CAPISTRAN
INCLINED PRODUCTIONS, INC.
“DISINHERITED” PILOT
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LYLE VINCENT
OPERATORS: ERIN HENNING, QIANZHI SHEN
ASSISTANTS: CHRISTOPHER WIEZOREK, TIMONTHY TROTMAN, CHRISTINA CARMODY, SANCHEEV RAVICHANDRAN
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GUILLERMO TUNON
LOADERS: CONNOR LYNCH, CHRISTOPHER CROWLEY STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JOJO WHILDEN
KING STREET PRODUCTIONS, INC.
“LIONESS” SEASON 3
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBERT MCLACHLAN, ASC, CSC
OPERATORS: ERIC SCHILLING, MATTHEW PEARCE, ELLIE ANN FENTON
ASSISTANTS: DAVID LEB, CHASE CHESNUTT, EMILY LAZLO, NATHAN CRUM, STEVEN VAQUERA, NICOLE TUREGANO
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CAMERA UTILITY: MATEO CABALLERO
DIGITAL UTILITY: KEISHLA DI GIORGI
“Y: MARSHALS” SEASON 1
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OPERATORS: JENS PIOTROWSKI, JED SEUS, JOHN WILLIAMS
ASSISTANTS: SIMON JARVIS, CLAIRE STONE, LARRY NIELSEN, AUSTIN SWENSON, CHRISTOPHER DANIEL, KURTIS BURR
CRANE OPERATOR: ANDRE MAGULAS
DIGITAL LOADER: LANDON HILL
“RIO PALOMA”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTINA VOROS, TODD MCMULLEN
OPERATORS: BRIAN NORDHEIM, BEN MCBURNETT, AMANDA PARKER, SCOTT REESE
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DIGITAL UTILITY: JON BIRONDO
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LAZARUS S1, LLC
“PARALLAX” SEASON 1
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OPERATORS: ROSS COSCIA, RICH SCHUTTE
ASSISTANTS: DEB PETERSON, JASON CIANELLA, RAFFAELE DILULLO, BRIAN BRESNEHAN
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LOADER: RYAN PETERS
DIGITAL UTILITY: AMY BIANCO
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DENNIS MONG UNIT PUBLICIST: SHELLY WILLIAMS
NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, LLC
“LAW & ORDER” SEASON 25
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JON DELGADO
OPERATORS: RICHARD KEENER, MICHAEL GRANTLAND
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NARROW ISLE PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“OUTER BANKS”SEASON 5
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ITAI NEEMAN, DEREK TINDALL
OPERATORS: JOHN LEHMAN, MATTHEW LYONS, BO WEBB
ASSISTANTS: LAWRENCE GIANNESCHI, WILLIAM HAND, NICK CANNON, NICHOLAS GIANNESCHI, CAMERA UTILITY: DOUGLAS TORTORICI
LOADER: JAMES LATHAM
DRONE OPERATOR: ANDREW RORK
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JACKSON DAVIS
NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, LLC
“CHICAGO MED”SEASON 11
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SHAWN MAURER
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2ND UNIT
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BILL NIELSEN
“CHICAGO FIRE” SEASON 14
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DIGITAL UTILITY: JT KLINGENMEIER
“CHICAGO PD” SEASON 13
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMES ZUCAL, CHRIS HOOD
OPERATORS: VICTOR MACIAS, BLAIN BAKER, JAMISON ACKER, CHRIS HOOD
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DIGITAL UTILITIES: JACOB OCKER, JACOB CUSHMAN
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EPK/BEHIND THE SCENES: LIZ SISSON
2ND UNIT
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS HOOD
“CIA” SEASON 1
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JON BEATTIE
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“STUMBLE” SEASON 1
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“THE FOUR SEASONS” SEASON 2
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“THE HUNTING PARTY” SEASON 2
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ASSISTANTS: ANDREW PECK, EDWIN HERRERA,
KELLON INNOCENT, RACHEL FEDORKOVA
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STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: ANNE JOYCE, MARK SCHAFER
NETFLIX PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“GOLF” SEASON 1
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OPERATORS: NEAL BRYANT, MIKAEL LEVIN
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LOADER: NICOLA CARUSO
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: CHRIS HOYLE
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: COLLEEN HAYES
“BAD DAY”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW LLOYD
OPERATORS: GEOFFREY HALEY, JAMES MCMILLAN
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DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: THOMAS WONG
LOADERS: BRETT NORMAN, BRIANNA MCCARTHY
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2ND UNIT
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: IGOR MEGLIC
OPERATORS: MICHAEL O’SHEA, CHARLES BEYER, EMMALINE HING
ASSISTANTS: ANTHONY DEFRANCESCO, VINCENT TUTHS, CHRISTIAN JULIA, MARK FERGUSON, MICHAEL GUTHRIE, CORY MAFFUCCI, TONI SHEPPARD, MATT ALBANO
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“FLIGHT FOR ‘84”
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STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS: GWENDOLYN CAPISTRAN, CARA HOWE
UNIT PUBLICIST: AMY COHN
“UNACCUSTOMED EARTH” SEASON 1
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CAMERA UTILITY: JAMAR OLIVE
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JESSICA TA
LOADER: NATHAN CARR
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: KAROLINA WOJTASIK
BTS: PRAVEEN ELANKUMARAN
“THE WRETCHED DEVOURS”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CONOR MURPHY
OPERATOR: MARK KILLIAN
ASSISTANTS: TRISTAN GELLATLY, SYMON MINK
RATED G, INC.
“CLUB KID”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM NEWPORT-BERRA
ASSISTANTS: JAMES DALY, DAVID ROSS
ROOKIE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
“THE ROOKIE” SEASON 8
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KYLE JEWELL, PAUL THERIAULT
OPERATORS: MIGUEL PASK, ROBERT SPAULDING, DOUG OH
ASSISTANTS: JIM THIBO, KELLY BERG, JASON GARCIA, RICHARD KENT, CHRIS MACK, TYLER ERNST
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: RYAN DEGRAZZIO
UTILITY: SPENCER THIBO
ROSE CITY PICTURES, INC.
“TROLL AKA THE REVENGE OF LA LLORONA”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ZACHARY KUPERSTEIN
OPERATORS: PATRICK MORGAN, NEAL TEN EYCK
ASSISTANTS: LOGAN GEE, MICHAEL THOMPSON, ALEXIS ABRAMO
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TRAVIS CANNAN
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CARA HOWE
ROTTEN SCIENCE, LLC
“JULIO TORRES: COLOR THEORIES” DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SAM LEVY OPERATORS: MICHAEL FUCHS, CONNIE HUANG, JENNIE JEDDRY, NIKNAZ TAVAKOLIAN, NICOLA BENIZZI
ASSISTANTS: RICHARD GIOIA, NINA CHIEN, KYLE REPKA, PETER MORELLO, NATHAN MCGARIGAL, ROSSANA RIZZO
CAMERA UTILITY: STANISLAV BILYAVSKIY
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“SAMO LIVES”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TODD MARTIN
OPERATOR: GEOFFREY JEAN-BAPTISTE
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LOADER: GABRIEL CONTRERAS
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JON PACK
SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
“JEOPARDY!” SEASON 42
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF ENGEL
OPERATORS: DIANE L. FARRELL, SOC, MIKE TRIBBLE, JEFF SCHUSTER, L. DAVID IRETE
JIB ARM OPERATOR: MARC HUNTER
HEAD UTILITY: TINO MARQUEZ
CAMERA UTILITY: RAY THOMPSON
VIDEO CONTROLLER: JEFF MESSENGER
VIDEO UTILITIES: MICHAEL CORWIN, JEFF KLIMUCK
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: TYLER GOLDEN
“WHEEL OF FORTUNE” SEASON 43
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF ENGEL
OPERATORS: DIANE L. FARRELL, SOC, L.DAVID IRETE, RAY GONZALES, MIKE TRIBBLE
HEAD UTILITY: TINO MARQUEZ
CAMERA UTILITY: RAY THOMPSON
VIDEO CONTROLLER: JEFF MESSENGER
VIDEO UTILITIES: MICHAEL CORWIN, JEFF KLIMUCK
JIB ARM OPERATOR: STEVE SIMMONS
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CAROL KAELSON
STALWART PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY” SEASON 3
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW VOEGELI, EVANS BROWN
OPERATORS: GARETH MANWARING, TOM FITZGERALD
ASSISTANTS: JASON CLEARY, DANIEL MASON, ALEX STEVENS, THOMAS BELLOTTI
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MATTIE HAMER
LOADERS: MATTHEW SULLIVAN, EMILY BARONE
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STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT CLARK
STAMFORD MEDIA CENTER AND PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“KARAMO” SEASON 4
OPERATORS: VICTOR MATHEWS, RON THOMPSON, CHARLES BEDI, DOMINICK CIARDIELLO, JON ROSE, ED STAEBLER, THOMAS TUCKER
JIB ARM OPERATOR: ANTHONY LENZO
CAMERA UTILITIES: FRANK CAIOLA, ROBERT FRITCHE
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOE MANCUSI
“WILKOS” SEASON 19
OPERATORS: VICTOR MATHEWS, RON THOMPSON, CHARLES BEDI, DOMINICK CIARDIELLO, MARC NATHAN, JON ROSE
JIB ARM OPERATOR: ANTHONY LENZO
CAMERA UTILITIES: ROBERT BENEDETTI, FRANK CAIOLA, ROBERT FRITCHE
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOE MANCUSI
STARCAM PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED” SEASON 1
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOE ANDERSON
OPERATORS: SAM ELLISON, JENNIE JEDDRY
ASSISTANTS: KALI RILEY, BAYLEY SWEITZER,
ALEC FREUND, BRIAN CARDENAS
LOADER: MAD BISHOP
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ZACH DILGARD
UNIT PUBLICIST: LINDA COLANGELO
SUMMER 2025, INC.
“NEVER CHANGE”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW CLEGG
OPERATORS: AARON BROWN, CAITLIN MACHAK
ASSISTANTS: ZAK NORTON, NICOLE LEHRMAN, LIA GUZMAN, JOSIAH WEINHOLD
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PETER SYMONOWICZ
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BRETT ROEDEL
TACTICAL EMPATHY, LLC
“LAZARUS”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BARRY PETERSON
OPERATORS: JULIAN DELACRUZ, SEBASTIAN SLAYTER
ASSISTANTS: ALEX WORSTER, EVAN WALSH, ALEX DUBOIS, AMANDA URIBE
STEADICAM OPERATOR: JULIAN DELACRUZ
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ZACH SAINZ
LOADERS: EMILY O’LEARY, ANDREW TRICE
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA
UNIT PUBLICIST: AMY JOHNSON
“CHRISTMAS POTLUCK”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW QUINN
OPERATORS: OLIVIA KUAN, AMANDA HEBBLETHWAITE
ASSISTANT: MICHAEL THOMPSON
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: CARA HOWE
VIVID PRODUCTIONS, LLC
“BIG MISTAKES” SEASON 1
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AVA BERKOFSKY, CHRISTINE NG
OPERATOR: JESSE SANCHEZ-STRAUSS
ASSISTANTS: BECKI HELLER, ADAM MILLER, JOHN CONQUY, NATHALIE RODRIGUEZ
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: MICHAEL ASHLEY
LOADERS: OFELIA CHAVEZ, SAVANNAH LESLIE
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: SPENCER PAZER
WARNER BROS
“ALL AMERICAN” SEASON 8
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC LAUDADIO, ERIBERTO CORDERO
OPERATORS: BROOKS ROBINSON, NATHAN STERN
ASSISTANTS: BLAKE COLLINS, GREG DELLERSON, KIRSTEN LAUBE, JESSICA PINNS, URBAN OLSSON STEADICAM OPERATOR: NATHAN STERN DIGITAL UTILITY: MATT CAMPBELL
“F.A.S.T.”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CORRIN HODGSON
OPERATORS: STEVE FINESTONE, ORLANDO DUGUAY, DANNA ROGERS
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LOADERS: ELIZABETH COMPTON, ANTHONY VITALE
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JESSICA MIGLIO
UNIT PUBLICIST: CAROL MCCONNAUGHEY
ALPEN
“DREAM”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID JONES
OPERATOR: KEITH DUNKERLEY
ASSISTANTS: SHAUN MAYOR, ARTHUR ZAJAC, ETHAN MCDONALD
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ELI BERG
ARTS & SCIENCES
“NIKE”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MAX GOLDMAN
ASSISTANTS: RYAN KRAUSE, JULI JUNKER
“SPECTRUM”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DARREN LEW
ASSISTANTS: JOHN CLEMENS, PETER MORELLO, SCOTT MILLER
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: PAUL SCHILENS
BISCUIT FILMWORKS
“WRAPBOOK”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LUKE MCCOUBREY
OPERATOR: FABIO IADELUCA
ASSISTANTS: WALTER RODRIGUEZ, ADRIANA BRUNETTOLIPTMAN, JON SANDIN
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: GEORGE MORSE
BUNKER
“THE HOME DEPOT”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER KONCZAL
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DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: STEVE HARNELL
CMS PRODUCTIONS
“COPILOT”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRADLEY STONESIFER
OPERATOR: CONNOR O’BRIEN
ASSISTANTS: SALVADOR VEGA, LEONARD WALSH, JACOB LAUREANTI, MINMIN TSAI
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SHAWN AGUILAR
“MS POWER”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ERIC HAASE
ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, ALAN CERTEZA
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: TEDDY DANH
EPOCH
“TOYOTA”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: KRISTIAN KACHIKIS
OPERATOR: TREY CLINESMITH
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FARM LEAGUE
“SEARCH PARTY”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB HAUER
OPERATOR: PK MUNSON
ASSISTANTS: SEAN FRISOLI, ELEANOR LINDSEY, ROBERT RENDON, LESLIE FRID
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“CLASH OF THE CLANS”
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HEAD TECH: EDGAR GONZALEZ
“VW”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOE MEADE
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DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOHN SPELLMAN
HUNGRY MAN, INC
“BEATS”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN SPRENGER
OPERATORS: CHRIS HERR (RONIN), GABRIEL PATAY
ASSISTANTS: ALEX LIM, JOE CHEUNG, KYMM SWANK, BRENDAN DEVANIE, DUSTIN KELLER
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: STEVE HARNELL
UTILITY: ZACH MADDEN
“LILLY”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MAX GOLDMAN
OPERATORS: CONNOR O’BRIEN, MATT DRAKE (PHANTOM)
ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, LUCAS DEANS, ALAN CERTEZA
IMPERIAL WOODPECKER
“DELTA AIRLINES, INC.”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AUTUMN DURALD, ASC
OPERATOR: VINCENT FOEILLET
ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, ALAN CERTEZA, ANDRAE CRAWFORD, KARLA MENDOZA
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LONNY DANLER
UTILITY: MORGAN WILDAY
MERMAN BRANDED, LLC
“MONTEFIORE EINSTEIN, THE BALANCE 3.0”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AARON PHILLIPS
OPERATOR: SARAH HARRISON, ADAM TROEGER, CHRIS JOHNSON, NATE SLEVIN
ASSISTANTS: KEN THOMPSON, WALTER RODRIGUEZ, NATHANIEL PINHEIRO, JON SANDIN
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JOE BELACK
JIB ASSISTANTS: MICHELLE SUN, NINA CHIEN, YAYO VANG
NEWFANGLED STUDIOS
“ANYTIME FITNESS”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSHUA RAMOS
ASSISTANTS: RON RUANPHAE
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: NIHAL DANTLURI
PRODUCTIONS
“T-MOBILE”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRADLEY STONESIFER
OPERATOR: REID MURPHY
ASSISTANTS: SAL VEGA, TRAV FRANCIS, LEONARD WALSH, DAVID O’BRIEN
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: SHAWN AGUILAR
M7 REMOTE HEAD: STEVEN MILLER
E-SCORPION DRIVER: ADRIAN SANTACRUZ
D
“MCDONALD’S BUFFALO RANCH”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER KONZAL
OPERATOR: JOEL DEUTSCH
ASSISTANTS: ERIC SMITH, ASHLEY JACKSON, JINUK LEE
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: STEVE HARNELL
DIGITAL UTILITY: GEORGE ROBERT MORSE
MORTON
“ROSLAND CAPITAL”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL NIE
ASSITANTS: MICHAEL PANCZENKO, JR., MIKE PRIOR
SKUNK
“EMIRATES CUP 25/26”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ISAAC BAUMAN
ASSISTANTS: CHRIS HOLLOWAY, PETER MORELLO, SCOTT MILLER
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: BRETT MOEN
SMUGGLER
“AT&T”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MASANOBU TAKAYANAGI
ASSISTANTS: JIM APTED, LUCAS DEANS, TREVOR COE, NOAH GLAZER
STEADICAM OPERATOR: COLIN ANDERSON
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DANIEL HERNANDEZ
“ZEN DIAMOND”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TOBIAS SCHLIESSLER
OPERATOR: JEFF TOMCHO
ASSISTANTS: TOM BARRIOS, MARK CONNELLY
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: STEVE HARNELL
SUPPLY & DEMAND
“CFA”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID WELDON, THOMAS SCHAUER
ASSISTANTS: MICHAEL PANCZENKO, JRL, NOAH THOMSON
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ZACH HILTON
REMOTE HEAD TECH/OPERATOR: TREVOR BEELER
SWIM PICTURES
“AND THE BEAST”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JOSH KNIGHT
OPERATOR: JEFF CAPLES
ASSISTANTS: ERRIN ZINGALE, ANDREW PORRAS, RUSSEL MILLER
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: STEVE HARNELL
DIGITAL LOADER: NATHAN PENA
THE DIRECTORS BUREAU
“THE UPS STORE”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AUTUMN DURALD, ASC
ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, ALAN CERTEZA
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: LONNY DANLER
UNSIGNED, LLC
“RYZE RETAIL”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: NICOLE WHITAKER ASSISTANTS: ETHAN MCDONALD, ALAN CERTEZA
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: JASON BAUER
& EUROPE
ALAN BRADEN INC.
Tel: (818) 850-9398
Email: alanbradenmedia@gmail.com
“Working on any cooking show is always fun, but this intimate setting was even more delicious, as well as challenging. David Chang spent all day preparing well-thought-out meals for his guests, during which I was able to grab some fun close-up moments. But once we went live, it was time to dance around the camera ops and stay hidden. With cameras shooting in every direction, I was often cozying up to Camera Operator Nat Havholm, seen here in the foreground, who was always willing to let me in for some great angles. The guests were relaxed, the food was incredible; and as with any live show, sometimes it went off the rails – in a good way. Did I mention David passed out leftovers to the crew at wrap? Caviar pizza!”
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LOS ANGELES I NOVEMBER 11-16, 2025