Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Cinematographer Jas Shelton on Homecoming s second season

06/09/2024

The psychological thriller Homecoming returns for its sophomore season with fresh twists, nail-biting cliff-hangers, and more of the unnerving cinematography that characterized the critically acclaimed first run.

Cinematographer Jas Shelton and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the reins for all of Season 2, following the work of DP Tod Campbell and director Sam Esmail on Season 1. For Shelton and Alvarez, who had previously collaborated on the features C.O.G. and The Stanford Prison Experiment, their challenge with Homecoming lay in maintaining continuity with the storytelling that made the first season of the Amazon Prime original so distinctive while finding a new visual language for a timeline that overlaps and extends the drama.

Our intent was to deliver continuity with Season 1, for example in color palette, the use of long takes, and a subjective point of view, but to find a new camera language to tell some new ideas, Shelton explains.

The setup for Season 2 finds lead character Jackie (Janelle Monae) waking up in a row boat adrift in a lake, unable to recall her name, birthday or address. Her ensuing search for identity will lead her into the heart of the Geist Group, the unconventional wellness company for war veterans behind the Homecoming Initiative.

Our camera package was guided by Season 1, but that was not the only reason for continuity with the Millennium DXL2, Shelton explains. We wanted to shoot with a large sensor and shallow depth of field. The Light Iron color science in the DXL2 maximizes these attributes to create beautiful images.

He continues, I've worked with the DXL many times before [including on the feature Like a Boss and the series Soundtrack] and I keep coming back to it. Each digital cine camera can be treated like film stock in that you select the sensor that will give you the right look for the particular project at hand, but I really like the color science of the DXL. It's not just what you can capture off the sensor, its what the Light Iron color science is able to do with the image that is impressive.

As with Season 1, Shelton paired the camera with G Series anamorphic lenses that were modified for the show. Panavision's Guy McVicker explains, Through the use of some new proprietary processes and unique adjustments, we were able to give Jas the opportunity to really embrace the aesthetic that anamorphic has to offer. The larger imager of the DXL also gave us more negative to exploit and stretch.

Shelton adds, The uniqueness of the anamorphic aesthetic was heavily embellished, yielding a much stronger curvature of the field and additional obliqueness in the bokeh. Also, the contrast was lowered, the sharpness reduced, and the gradation of focus from sharp to soft enhanced.

We recorded full-resolution 8K in compressed 7:1, sometimes dropping to 3:1 for scenes with heavy VFX, he continues. It was important to obtain the maximum information from the sensor and to cover the anamorphic glass, which lends a 3D quality to the visuals.

While the first series used changing aspect ratios to relay different story timelines, Season 2s filmmakers opted to lean into a cleverly calibrated color design. Shelton explains, We decided to keep anything that takes place in Geist's headquarters as sun-kissed and warm, and we made a different LUT for scenes with Jackie. This is apparent from the moment she wakes up in the boat and goes on her journey of self-discovery. It emphasizes dark blues, cool greens, and a gothic palette especially in the first part of the show with lots of fluorescent lighting built into the sets.

Because of the complex nature of the show, Shelton used meticulous storyboards. This is also reflective of his close collaboration with production designer Nora Takacs Ekberg. The wide range of locations meant, for instance, shooting exteriors at the Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, Calif., and then traveling south to Torrance for Geist HQ interiors, which posed their own complications because there was only eight hours of daylight and the facility had a giant sun roof. Trying to create a daylight look in there that we could use for 12 hours rather than eight was challenging, the cinematographer says. Then we went up to Lake Arrowhead for a week, shooting out on the water quite a bit for the opening sequence.

Touch points for Season 2s tone included Alan J. Pakula's 1970s conspiracy films like The Parallax View and Todd Hido's dark and moody landscape photography.

Kyle wanted shots of Jackie to have this subjective point of view so that the audience is always following with her and experiencing her discovery, Shelton notes. The idea was to never let the camera settle until she comes face to face with Audrey Temple [played by Hong Chau] at the end of the second episode.

To underscore her state of mind, he adds, we borrowed ideas from the movies of Pakula and Brian De Palma where the camera has a very probing quality to it.

Shelton mounted the DXL2 on an Oculus gimbal head and moved it on a dolly to convey a floating camera movement. The design of the camera makes it easy for me to devise shots, he reports. We play with POV by using wider, more deliberate angles and longer takes in the early episodes, and then, as we unravel the mystery of what happened to Jackie, we employ tighter, more frenetic handheld shots in the later episodes.

DXL2 just suits the way I want to work, he adds. Its look is very filmic and soft, especially when using depth of field. The colors are muted, not overly punchy, whereas with other cameras the results are more saturated and I have to reign them in.

The final shot of Episode 1 features one of the series' elaborate long takes. The setup starts with a close-up of Chris Cooper (portraying Leonard Geist) in a farm field. As Cooper walks into his fa
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/playing-tricks...
See more stories from panavision

Most recent headlines

09/12/2024

Dalet Named an IDC Innovator in Media and Entertainment

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced that it has been named an IDC Innovator in the IDC Innovators: ...

09/11/2024

Dalet Expands Leadership Team to Fuel Next Stage of Growth

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced three new members of its executive team. Tara Bryant joins as Chi...

16/09/2024

DirecTV, Disney Agree on Outlines of New Deal That Ends Blackout

BURBANK & EL SEGUNDO, Calif. Over the weekend on Sept. 14, DirecTV and The Walt Disney Company announced that they have reached an agreement in principle for a ...

16/09/2024

TV Tech Announces Best of Show Winners at 2024 IBC Show

TV Tech has announced its Best of Show Awards for the 2024 IBC Show which ends today in Amsterdam. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts on the ...

16/09/2024

TVBEurope Best of Show IBC2024 winners announced

By Jenny Priestley Published: September 15, 2024 Future's Best of Show at IBC2024 awards have been announced, with exhibitors from across the show floo...

16/09/2024

VSI adopts OOONA Integrated for streamlined localization

OOONA, a leading provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, announced today that its flagship platform, OOONA...

16/09/2024

Philips Sonicare Hooks Up with Thursday Dating App for a...

From garlic breath to red wine-stained teeth, and even that sneaky bit of lunch stuck in between the gaps nothing kills the dating vibe faster than an unkempt s...

16/09/2024

Dalet Named an IDC Innovator in Media and Entertainment

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced that it has been named an IDC Innovator in the IDC Innovators: ...

16/09/2024

Lightware Expands Global Presence with New High-Tech Cent...

Lightware Visual Engineering, a leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for the professional integrated systems market and a pioneer in signal management...

16/09/2024

Imagine Celebrates Milestone at IBC2024 - 4000th Selenio...

Imagine Communications is marking a milestone at IBC2024 (13-16 September, RAI Amsterdam, stand 1.B73), where the company will celebrate shipping the 4,000th un...

16/09/2024

Imagine Communications Expands Partnership with Google Ad...

Imagine Communications, a leading provider of ad tech solutions for TV broadcast, announces a significant advancement in its partnership with Google Ad Manager....

16/09/2024

LucidLink Illustrates its Integration into Adobe After Ef...

LucidLink, the storage collaboration platform for the world's largest studios, brands, and creative professionals, will be exhibiting at IBC 2024 at the RAI...

16/09/2024

Ross Video Introduces Carbonite Ultra Solo

Ross Video, a global leader in video production technology, announced the launch of Carbonite Ultra Solo, a compact UHD production switcher that is designed to ...

16/09/2024

Ross Video Launches Ultricore Tally

Ross Video, a global leader in video production technology, today announced the launch of Ultricore Tally, a full-featured and versatile tally control and manag...

16/09/2024

HAND welcomes SimplyTV and BB Media to API Program

HAND (Human & Digital) the first global B2B Talent ID registry platform for efficient discoverability, royalty collection, and revenue tracking of notable real ...

16/09/2024

TMT Insights Polaris Platform Transforms BBC Studios Glob...

TMT Insights is partnering with BBC Studios on a multi-year project to help it transform its digital media supply chain. Through a combination of TMT's Pola...

16/09/2024

LOGIC becomes a launch partner for AWS Elemental MediaLiv...

LOGIC's complete package includes hardware, software, PORTAL, and comprehensive service and support. Just ahead of IBC, Amazon Web Services (AWS) unveiled ...

16/09/2024

Chaos New Short Has an Answer for Hollywood VFX Problems

Today, Chaos releases Ray Tracing FTW, a new short film that takes aim at the state of VFX and filmmaking from an artist's point of view. More than an air...

16/09/2024

Trew Audio Acquires Pinknoise Systems - Enhancing Global...

Trew Audio, a prominent leader in professional audio sales and services, is excited to announce the acquisition of Pinknoise Systems, a highly regarded professi...

16/09/2024

iodyne to Showcase Production and Broadcast Workflow Inno...

iodyne, developer of tools for media professionals including Pro Data, the world's fastest Thunderbolt storage device, will showcase an optimized productio...

16/09/2024

N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul Touches on Increasing TV, Film Production Credits in Paley Center Interview

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke at the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan Sept...

16/09/2024

International ID Day: Thales stands up for a legal and trusted identity for everyone.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On the International Identity Day ID Day', ...

14/09/2024

Showcases, Subway Cars, and a Speakeasy: Inside the Spotify x Samsung Galaxy Fresh Finds Event in NYC

At Spotify, our live experiences are curated cultural moments that get people ta...

14/09/2024

L3Harris Sparks a Greener Future with Solar Carport Groundbreaking in San Diego

L3Harris CHQ and SAS representatives broke ground on a new solar carport facility in San Diego....

14/09/2024

P&G Sponsoring HBCU Go Football Season Programming

Procter & Gamble is sponsoring sports programming on Allen Media Group's HBCU Go streaming digital platform during the 2024 college football season....

14/09/2024

Colorfont Demos Cloud-Based Transkoder Processing At IBC 2024

AMSTERDAM Colorfront is showcasing its latest technology during IBC 2024 with a special focus on its demonstrations of its cloud-based solution for streaming an...

14/09/2024

AJA Video Systems Previews Virtual KONA AWS Collaboration At IBC 2024

AMSTERDAM AJA Video Systems is previewing its Virtual KONA software-defined virtualized video capture/playback solution being developed in collaboration with Am...

14/09/2024

Ikegami Unveils IPX-100 IP Mini Base Station At IBC 2024

AMSTERDAM Ikegami has introduced the Ikegami IPX-100 full-featured IP-oriented mini base station at IBC 2024....

14/09/2024

Grass Valley Unveils LDX 110, LDX C110 Cameras At IBC 2024

AMSTERDAM Grass Valley has introduced its new LDX 110 and LDX C110 entry level cameras at IBC 2024....

14/09/2024

Chyron Introduces PRIME 5.0 At IBC 2024

AMSTERDAM Chyron at IBC 2024 has unveiled PRIME 5.0, the latest version of its all-encompassing graphics platform that leverages a high-performance gRPC Playout...

14/09/2024

Grass Valley Unveils ACE-3901 Next-Gen 12G Computing Engine at IBC 2024

AMSTERDAM Grass Valley has launched the ACE-3901 Next Generation 12G Modular Agile Computing Engine and the XIP-3911-GRID firmware for the XIP Modular Processin...

14/09/2024

Atomos, Dropbox Advance Camera-To-Cloud Workflow With New Offer

AMSTERDAM Atomos is promoting a 40% discount on Dropbox Business or Business Plus plans with the purchase of any new Atomos monitor or monitor-recorder until No...

14/09/2024

OWC Launches Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD

OWC Launches Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD Brie Clayton September 13, 2024 0 Comments New SSD Revolutionizing Business and Content Creation with Unpre...

14/09/2024

Blackmagic Design Announces ATEM Switchers 9.6.2 Update!

Blackmagic Design Announces ATEM Switchers 9.6.2 Update! Brie Clayton September 13, 2024 0 Comments New update adds Visca over IP control for PTZ came...

14/09/2024

AJA Unveils KONA IP25 I/O Card with Uncompressed Bi-Directional SMPTE 2110 Support at IBC 2024

AJA Unveils KONA IP25 I/O Card with Uncompressed Bi-Directional SMPTE 2110 Suppo...

14/09/2024

Live From IBC 2024: EMG/Gravity Media's Eamonn Curtin and Philip Tidmarsh Provide Update on Merger, Latest Projects

Live From IBC 2024: EMG/Gravity Media's Eamonn Curtin and Philip Tidmarsh Pr...

14/09/2024

Live From IBC 2024: NEP's Lise Heidal Talks New Middle East IP OB Facility and Uniting Teams Across UK, Europe

Live From IBC 2024: NEP's Lise Heidal talks new Middle East IP OB facility a...

14/09/2024

Live From IBC 2024: ARRI's Marc Shipman-Mueller on the Explosive Popularity of the Alexa 35 Live Multicam System

Live From IBC 2024: ARRI's Marc Shipman-Mueller on the Explosive Popularity ...

14/09/2024

Live From IBC 2024: Haivision's Jean-Marc Racine on the Power of MojoPro App and the Rise of SRT

Live From IBC 2024: Haivision's Jean-Marc Racine on the Power of MojoPro App...

14/09/2024

Live From IBC 2024: TVU Networks' Yoni Tayar on a Busy Summer of Sport and What's on Display in Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2024: TVU Networks' Yoni Tayar on a Busy Summer of Sport and W...

14/09/2024

Live from IBC 2024: Appear's Andy Rayner on Latest Processing and Compression Solutions, Company's 20th Anniversary

Live from IBC 2024: Appear's Andy Rayner on Latest Processing and Compressio...

14/09/2024

Live From IBC 2024: EVS's Jan Mokallai on Growth LiveCeption and Company's 30th Anniversary

Live From IBC 2024: EVS's Jan Mokallai on Growth LiveCeption and Company'...

14/09/2024

Live From IBC 2024: Saturday's Latest From Amsterdam

Live From IBC 2024: Saturday's Latest From Amsterdam By SVG Staff Friday, September 13, 2024 - 19:37 Print This Story The SVG Europe and SVG Americas ...

14/09/2024

Eutelsat selected by SABA WORLD to deliver educational content across the MENA region

Photo credit: GETTY IMAGES Press release - 14 September 2024 12:59 Eutelsat ...

13/09/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Megan Park, the Filmmaker Behind My Old Ass

By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. ...

13/09/2024

SNS Previews New Workflow Innovations At IBC2024

SNS is excited to preview the latest features coming to the award-winning EVO Suite. Be among the first to test drive these workflow innovations at IBC2024, and...

13/09/2024

Spotify Pilots New Music Experience for Young Listeners on Family Plans

Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That's why we've introduced a p...

13/09/2024

Spotify's New Countdown To' Vodcast Series Kicks Off With Artists Jelly Roll and mgk in Debut Episode

As fans patiently await their favorite artists' new album releases, the anti...

13/09/2024

The Making of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

What I've always loved about his films is that incredible warmth and that incredible imagination, cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC says of dire...

13/09/2024

US Navy Awards L3Harris $587 Million Contract for Next Generation Jammer - Low Band Program

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 12, 2024 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has received a...