At about 70% smaller than the current system, the VENICE Extension System Mini offers unprecedented mobility without sacrificing image quality.
Equipped with the VENICE 2 full-frame sensor, the VENICE Extension System Mini enables you to extend the sensor block from the camera body up to 12 meters awayfor ultimate creative freedom.
SHOOTS AND STALKS
“Is that fish or chicken?”
“Do you see the actor’s feet?”
A director of photography once told me that the above questions are the two most frequently asked on any show. But there is a third entry, and it is my favorite: “How did you get started?” That is the question I often ask when I work with new people, and every answer is unique and engaging. This month’s issue of ICG Magazine honors the Emerging Cinematographer Award winners, whose recognition will undoubtedly be a part of each of their stories going forward. No one I know does this work to get awards, which reflect the passion and creativity that our winners all bring to their work. I hope you find the time to read about them and their projects and to watch the artistry that garnered the recognition they deserve. Even in challenging times, these cinematographers are the green shoots that help us all look forward to better days. I applaud their work, and I thank the Local 600 members and professional staff who make this annual competition possible.
John Lindley, ASC
National President International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600
photo by Robb Rosenfeld
REPORT YOUR JOB.
“Reporting my job is a no-brainer. If I’m on a non-union job, I reach out and at least get it on the staff’s radar. You don’t know what you don’t know, and knowledge is power.”
JENNIFER BRADDOCK CENTRAL REGION 2ND AC
Publisher Teresa Muñoz
Executive Editor
David Geffner
Art Director
Wes Driver
NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Jill Wilk
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Tyler Bourdeau
COPY EDITORS
Peter Bonilla
Maureen Kingsley
CONTRIBUTORS
Todd A. Dos Reis, ASC
David Geffner
Margot Lester
Kevin H. Martin
COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH COMMITTEE
Jamie Silverstein, Chair
CIRCULATION OFFICE
7755 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90046
Tel: (323) 876-0160
Fax: (323) 878-1180
Email: circulation@icgmagazine.com
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES
WEST COAST & CANADA
Rombeau, Inc.
Sharon Rombeau
Tel: (818) 762 – 6020
Fax: (818) 760 – 0860
Email: sharonrombeau@gmail.com
EAST COAST, EUROPE, & ASIA
Alan Braden, Inc.
Alan Braden
Tel: (818) 850-9398
Email: alanbradenmedia@gmail.com
Instagram/Facebook: @theicgmag
September 2025 vol. 96 no. 07
IATSE Local 600
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
John Lindley, ASC VICE PRESIDENT
Jamie Silverstein
1ST NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT
Deborah Lipman
2ND NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT
Mark Weingartner, ASC
NATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER
Stephen Wong
NATIONAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER
Selene Preston
NATIONAL SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
Betsy Peoples
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alex Tonisson
ADVERTISING POLICY: Readers should not assume that any products or services advertised in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine are endorsed by the International Cinematographers Guild. Although the Editorial staff adheres to standard industry practices in requiring advertisers to be “truthful and forthright,” there has been no extensive screening process by either International Cinematographers Guild Magazine or the International Cinematographers Guild.
EDITORIAL POLICY: The International Cinematographers Guild neither implicitly nor explicitly endorses opinions or political statements expressed in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. ICG Magazine considers unsolicited material via email only, provided all submissions are within current Contributor Guideline standards. All published material is subject to editing for length, style and content, with inclusion at the discretion of the Executive Editor and Art Director. Local 600, International Cinematographers Guild, retains all ancillary and expressed rights of content and photos published in ICG Magazine and icgmagazine.com, subject to any negotiated prior arrangement. ICG Magazine regrets that it cannot publish letters to the editor.
ICG (ISSN 1527-6007)
Ten issues published annually by The International Cinematographers Guild 7755 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA, 90046, U.S.A. Periodical postage paid at Los Angeles, California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ICG 7755 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, California 90046
Copyright 2025, by Local 600, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada. Entered as Periodical matter, September 30, 1930, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscriptions: $88.00 of each International Cinematographers Guild member’s annual dues is allocated for an annual subscription to International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. Non-members may purchase an annual subscription for $48.00 (U.S.), $82.00 (Foreign and Canada) surface mail and $117.00 air mail per year. Single Copy: $4.95
The International Cinematographers Guild Magazine has been published monthly since 1929. International Cinematographers Guild Magazine is a registered trademark. www.icgmagazine.com www.icg600.com
WIDE ANGLE
When ICG Magazine’s longtime Art Director, Wes Driver, went hunting for an image of a former ECA honoree (to support this September issue’s theme), we were all pleasantly surprised when he plucked a shot of two-time ECA honoree Todd A. Dos Reis, ASC, from his digital archives. Dos Reis (a Boston Celtics homer who, graciously, doesn’t rub in his team’s title edge over my beloved L.A. Lakers – too much), is as busy a director of photography as you’ll find in episodic television. But the image Dos Reis had submitted of himself, taken in 2005 for his second ECA honor for Ugly, a short film directed by Moon Zappa, was of a filmmaker shooting digital for the very first time, a camera operator (on HBO’s hit series Entourage), who was still shooting 35mm film.
Twenty years later, when I approached Dos Reis – a third-generation Cape VerdeanAmerican who was raised by a single mother in the housing projects of New Bedford, MA (where he became a hotshot point guard on local courts and an incorrigible Celtics fan) –about using the photo for Stop Motion (page 78), he was excited and generous with his time. Which makes sense. In many ways, Dos Reis embodies the ECA’s. After graduating from USC’s Cinema-Television school, he worked as a PA, a camera loader, a 2nd AC, and an operator, all while shooting music videos, spec commercials, documentaries and short films on the side.
The ECA’s were founded in 1996 by Camera Operator Rob Kositchek, Jr. – with the support of then-Local 600 President George Spiro Dibie, ASC – as the “Film Showcase.” The once-modest evening of short films was created to help union camera team members make the jump to becoming working directors of photography. One
year later, in 2007, incoming ICG President Steven Poster, ASC, rebranded the event under its current name, raising its profile among industry stakeholders and helping ICG filmmakers pop up on producers’ hiring lists.
Filmmakers just like Dos Reis, who, after winning his second ECA for Ugly (his first was in 1999 for Fortunate Son), has gone on to shoot more episodic series than there’s space to mention. (A short list includes The Irrational, Parish, Bosch: Legacy, David Makes Man, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Longmire.) Dos Reis has also given back to similarly minded industry groups like the ASC, where he’s co-chaired their Vision Mentorship Program, helping to provide opportunities to worthy young camera crew members who might not otherwise be able to break through. So, yeah, two decades gone (and a few more Boston banners – ouch), Dos Reis is kind of the headline for what Kositchek, Poster, outgoing ECA co-chair Jimmy Matlosz, and incoming co-chair Eduardo Fierro, SVC (Deep Focus, page 14 all hoped the non-profit event (which directly benefits the IATSE Local 600 Hardship Fund) would be: a steppingstone to a young person’s dream.
You can read all about this year’s ECA honorees in Margot Lester’s profiles (page 36). Each one credits the event as formidable recognition of their growth as filmmakers. In fact, hearing from camera operator Mariscela Beatríz Méndez may feel like a back-to-thefuture moment for Dos Reis. Méndez, whose 2025 ECA-winning film, The Middle, is set in the same time period – the late 90s – in which Dos Reis won his first ECA, says she’s had her eye on winning the award since joining the local three years ago.
“It’s a wonderful indicator of forward movement and momentum in my career,” she told Lester. “Especially in a business that is filled with so many ups and downs, I am so grateful to receive this honor from my peers and to be heard.”
Amen to that, right, Todd? (The only thing she left out was: Go Lakers!)
David Geffner Executive Editor
Email: david@icgmagazine.com
Cover Photo by Niko Tavernise
Photo by Sara Terry
MARGOT LESTER Growth Spurts
“Even though I’ve been profiling ECA winners for more than a decade, it’s always an engaging project because I get to know these incredibly talented filmmakers and help to introduce them to a broader audience.”
TODD A. DOS REIS, ASC Stop Motion
As an undergrad at USC Cinema School, I knew the end game for me was to become a director of photography. I climbed the camera department ladder while shooting every music video, documentary and short film that came my way to reach my goal. Once I joined the union in 1996 as a 1st AC, I was fortunate enough to be recognized by my peers with my first ECA for Fortunate Son in 1999. Being honored with a second ECA in 2005 gave me a new perspective because I was working on set as a focus puller and then a camera operator but with the eyes of a cinematographer.”
EDUARDO FIERRO, SVC
Eduardo “Edu” Fierro, SVC, is right where he wants to be – in Los Angeles, raising a family and working as a director of photography and camera operator. “I guess, all my life, I’ve been interested in being behind the lens. I dreamed of coming to Hollywood – and so I did, after a lot of hard work,” he recounts with a smile. The Caracas, Venezuela native recently wrapped Dope Thief [ICG Magazine May 2025]. Of that impactful experience, he says, “I loved working with Erik Messerschmidt [ASC] – he’s one of the chillest DP’s I’ve ever met. And Eduardo
BY MARGOT LESTER
PHOTO COURTESY OF EDUARDO FIERRO
Mayén [a two-time ECA honoree] and I are like one. After a hard day of work, we’d go out to eat together, watch movies, talk about poetry, et cetera – to the point where people started calling us the EduarDos. And Sir Ridley…it was amazing just to see him on set – bucket list checked. I mean, Alien, Blade Runner – a true master.” Regarding his most recent endeavor, co-chairing the ECA Committee with Steven Poster, ASC, Fierro says that when he got the call, “Of course, I said yes!’” Sitting down with ICG writer Margot Lester, the 13-year ICG
member reflects on his journey through the U.S. film industry and signing onto an event that has become an iconic part of Local 600.
When and how did you realize you wanted to be in the camera department? Growing up in Venezuela, I remember building massive cardboard worlds that I painted and filled with Legos, plastic soldiers – anything I could find –to create scenes that I would then capture with my still camera. My father was very crafty. He had a mechanic shop and many hobbies: RC
CAMERA OPERATOR
“TO ME, THE ECA’S WERE A WAY OF SAYING TO THE WORLD, “I’M HERE,” AND THAT RECOGNITION GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE TO MOVE TO LOS ANGELES TWO YEARS LATER – WHERE I FINALLY LANDED A UNION JOB.”
cars, sports and motocross. That eventually led him to work as a stuntman in an Italian movie that came to Venezuela around 1964. And to my surprise, the poster for Il Fantastico Superman is now at the Alamo Drafthouse!
Then what happened? After that experience, my father fell in love with cameras and bought a Super 8 Canon sound camera and a still camera. My family had a slide projector, which to me was incredible – to see how a tiny frame could become so big, projected on a wall in full color. That opened my mind and sparked the question: How can I make these images move? That’s when the Super 8 came into the picture. My mom, who gave me my first camera, was always supportive of my crazy ideas. She was an artist herself, though I think becoming a mom shifted her path. Still, she managed to run a ballet academy where she taught aerobics, jazz and contemporary dance. I grew up in that environment.
How did you get into the industry? I studied production, directing and writing at a tiny school in Caracas – Macrisca Film School – which was fantastic. One of my professors recommended me to a director who needed a camera operator for a concert. I ended up working as the pit camera for six shows. It was loud. I relocated to Miami in the mid-1990s; and in 1997, my mom asked me if I wanted to finish what I had started – my film career. So, I said yes! That led me to move to Orlando to attend Full Sail University. After that, I returned to Miami, which opened the door to music videos, scripted work at Telemundo and some reality shows for MTV3.
You’re co-chairing the ECA’s, an event with which you have a personal history. In 2013, I received an ECA for Eleven: Twelve, a film I shot over four nights in Lisbon with director Juan Barros. To me, the ECA’s were a way of saying to the world, “I’m here,” and that recognition gave me the confidence to move to Los Angeles two years later – where I finally landed a union job.
I didn’t know anyone, but a friend of a friend introduced me to Carlos González, SVC, who brought me onto Switched at Birth. That’s
where I met so many great people.
Did you have any mentors? Four individuals have shaped me. Robert Tuscani, my lighting professor at Full Sail and now a lifelong friend. Carlos González, who gave me my first break and many other opportunities, along with a lasting friendship. My dear friend Xavier Grobet, ASC, who gave me the confidence to become a better camera operator. And Ueli Steiger, whom I met at the Sundance Labs in 2007 – we’ve been very close ever since. I often call him with questions and decisions, and his words are always wise. It’s important to acknowledge and mentor emerging cinematographers – for their growth and for the future of the craft. Mentoring matters because passing down knowledge is essential to the continuation of our existence. If we don’t pass it on, it dies with us – and without that, there’s no evolution. That said, everything also has its time, and that must be approached with patience.
You’ve worked in many different markets. What insights have you gleaned? The one constant I keep encountering is chaos; no matter how prepared you are, it’s always there, ready to knock you off balance. The key is to stay prepared and be ready to adapt. I once worked in Kuwait and never received a script in English – not even a translation. We’d just show up at the location, the director would arrive and say, “They do this, they do that,” and we’d shoot. That was a real challenge. Learning the history and culture of each place you work is also important, as every crew operates differently. They each have their own rhythm. I like to think of it like dancing: if you can match their pace, you can dance with anyone. Above all, it’s about respect.
What’s your proudest accomplishment so far? Every time I work, it feels like a highlight. I’m always surprised by what we create, and I love it. Balancing a marriage and two nowgrown-up daughters with this line of work hasn’t been easy. I said no to long jobs when they were younger – jobs that could have advanced my career. Instead, I did day-playing, came in as the closer when others left a show, and covered when people got sick or needed
time off. Sure, I may not be exactly where I envisioned, but as a father and husband, I’m exactly where I want to be. And now that the girls are older, I’ve started taking on longer jobs. To me, that feels like a real accomplishment.
What made you want to co-chair the ECA committee? It felt like a full-circle moment! The awards event is fun – seeing all the people you know – and now having the responsibility to evaluate their films is both exciting and challenging. We’re not just judging the camera work; it’s the whole package. By that I mean that we’re not just evaluating how pretty the lighting is or how cool the camera angles look. The DP’s work has to serve the director’s vision. I always say, “We are the mirror of our directors. If your film looks overly polished or stylistically off from what the director intended, then you haven’t done your job.” You have to be open to that, let go of ego, and push for their vision, not yours.
How about the judging aspect of the awards? We have to be objective and make sure we’re selecting the very best. Of course, my top picks were different from the other judges’, but we did our best to find common ground. Steven and I put together a team of exceptionally talented DP’s we admire for their amazing work, and helped us throughout this process. We had 20 judges, each watching a selection of about 20 films and offering their most critical eye guided by a detailed ballot. Once filled, the responses were tabulated into a score. Then, five final judges – including myself – cast a weighted vote to determine the final decision. To all this year’s judges, I thank you for your hard work and dedication.
If you could give one piece of advice to upand-coming cinematographers, what would it be? Sometimes, you have to be careful about what you choose to work on because it might not be the best “business card” to introduce yourself with. If you read a project and know you can do a great job, but the right elements aren’t there – like talent, equipment and direction – then your work will suffer. So, sometimes, saying no is the right thing to do. At least that’s been my experience.
MASÝA BEYOND BLACKMON
BY MARGOT LESTER
BY DANIEL DELGADO / UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Growing up outside of Atlanta in Griffin, GA, Masýa Beyond Blackmon wanted to be a pilot. He enrolled in the Ron Alexander Youth Aviation Program and earned his pilot’s license in record time. Soloing an Aeronca Champ 7AC with only 10 hours of flight instruction under his belt, instructed by CFI Tim Hester. Noting, “I’m a pretty swift learner, after just a few hours, aviation became second nature to me.” Blackmon was, as they say, ready for take-off. But the path to a steady paycheck in aviation turned out to be a long one, and he was eager to get going.
Looking for another opportunity, he took a chance on a program at the college sponsored by the Georgia Film Academy (GFA). “It was just kind of something to do,” Blackmon now laughs, adding that after a single semester, he’d found a new career. “I wanted to be a filmmaker.”
His first industry job was an office P.A. internship at Industrial Media.
“I’d sit in on those phone calls that executives will have when they’re hiring, which
was extremely beneficial,” Blackmon recounts, adding that the time spent with Industrial Media gave him a glimpse into how hiring and production decisions are made. From there, he worked as a P.A. on local reality TV shows and episodics, including P-Valley, where Smyrna, GA-based 2nd AC Easton Carver hired him as a “very green” day-playing utility with his eyes on the camera department.
“There’s a lot of impressive things about Masýa, but what stuck with me then and now is his incredible attitude,” Carver shares. “He was such a joy to have on set, and even though he was new to the camera department, he was going out of his way to teach others anything that he could. Masýa has many gifts, but his attitude counts for a lot on those long days and nights on set.”
When some Health and Safety P.A. spots came open on season 10 of The Walking Dead, Blackmon saw an opportunity to transition to narrative. But the camera department wasn’t on the list, so he asked GFA’s Kate McArdle to
double-check on availability. Turns out they did have a need, and he got the assignment.
“It’s my first big-picture project with a crew size of 300-plus, so I was wide-eyed just seeing everything and how it all works,” he describes. Second AC Chrisko Morales took the newbie under his wing and began mentoring him. As Blackmon recounts, “I lost my mother [during my time] on that show and took a week or two off. Everybody showed so much love, reaching out and checking on me.” And when Blackmon returned, he was gifted a check to help pay for the funeral and to cover his union initiation fees. “They were like, ‘We love your work ethic. We want you to be here,’” he says. “‘We want you to be in this department.’ I’m very grateful for that crew. I keep in touch with them to this day, and they’ve been guiding me ever since.”
Blackmon is active in the Atlanta chapter of ICG’s Young Workers Committee. He says one of the biggest issues facing early career pros like him is not knowing what resources are available. To address that, the committee formed a Discord to supplement the existing Instagram and Facebook pages. They also do email blasts. “Being involved is part of being in a union, part of being a filmmaker, part of the community,” Blackmon insists. “We need to make sure that people understand that we are here for each other, that we are the union, and it’s not some organization that just works in the background.”
What advice does the enterprising union member who has added the Amazon/MGM feature Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and the Universal Pictures feature The Woman in the Yard to his resume, have for other young workers? “Be ambitious and go for it,” he advocates. “Don’t take no for an answer; don’t let fear hold you back. I say this based on my experience having been in this for four years now, and not having any previous interest in the industry. I’m always learning. I’m always a student of the craft and of the business. And you know, I’ve been fortunate enough to do everything on the call sheet, from operating down to utility. I haven’t DP’d [on a union project] yet, but that is soon to come.”
Atlanta-based 1st AC Callie Moore, who also worked with Blackmon on P-Valley, believes any goal is well within his reach. “I’ve never seen Masýa shy away from an opportunity to grow or show-off his skills,” Moore says. “You can throw anything at him, and he’ll tackle it with all he’s got. He’s a knockout utility, loader or 2nd AC all day, but he’s aiming for the stars. I’m certain I’ll be working for him one day soon, and I can’t wait to see him sitting in the DP’s chair.”
LOADER
PHOTO
NIHAL DANTLURI
DIGITAL IMAGING TECHNICIAN
BY MARGOT LESTER PHOTO COURTESY OF NIHAL DANTLURI
“I’m a Local 600 member for life here in Chicago,” declares DIT Nihal Dantluri, who was born and raised just outside Chi-Town. “What’s unique about Chicago is that, although it’s a large city; compared to other markets, it’s a small town,” Dantluri adds. “We often have fewer than 15 projects filming here at a time, which lends itself to a smaller film community in general. Especially in the camera department, everyone knows everyone. I feel like I often see all of our members at least once every
couple of years, which I love. There’s a pretty consistent amount of work that can keep people afloat, excluding the current slowdown that’s happening nationwide.”
During the lag, Dantluri says he’s been focusing on building more skills. “This is a perfect time to tinker and do a deep dive into things that we often don’t have the time to think through and enhance,” he explains. “I plan on rebuilding a few aspects of my cart and taking a few classes on calibration as well.”
He’s also ready to drop some food facts for out-of-town crews.
“Most visitors think Chicago’s signature food is deep-dish pizza. While that has some truth, it’s not like we eat deep-dish pizza all the time! Most people eat it once a year, maybe less,” he laughs. In fact, he says, many locals often go for tavern-style, a thin rectangular slice. “It’s unique to Chicago, and people eat it all the time,” Dantluri smiles. “It rocks! My favorite spot is Vito & Nick’s.”
The Chicagoland native studied cinematography at DePaul University, taking classes at the Cinespace Studios. While there, he worked on many projects, rotating between grip and camera. “Honestly, I was much better working within the lighting department but decided that camera was much more interesting. I found the structure of the department interesting since there were many different roles compared to grip or electric. I also had a number of friends that were going in the same direction. That proved to be the deciding factor.”
While still in school, Dantluri was a camera production assistant on the pilot of Proven Innocent, which led to other opportunities, including a gig on Chicago PD. He parlayed that into a digital utility role on Season 2 of South Side, which is when he joined Local 600. Dantluri has worked on three films that screened in theaters this year. “That’s pretty cool,” he demurs. “I hope to see that trend continue.” He’ll get one more chance this month when The Threesome, shot by Sing Howe Yam, is released. “We livegraded via ARRI CAP and also processed the dailies on set with a dailies facility setting up a remote system at the production office,” Dantluri explains. “We shot on location in Little Rock, Arkansas with a wonderful crew. Our whole camera team – Sing, myself, Local 600 AC Chris Savage, and Local 600 operator Jun Li stayed together and became a family. It was a career highlight, so I’m looking forward to seeing it in theaters this September.”
The DIT says he would love to see more widespread adoption of HDR pipelines in the dailies process. “Most people ask why that’s necessary, but I miss the point of having HDR on set when all our dailies are viewed in lowresolution SDR. We need to rebuild our dailiesviewing tools to be much more filmmakerfriendly and to look better.” He’s also excited about camera control over 900 MHz. “I hope that we can further develop products in this spectrum to be more useful to us on set. It’s made the previously impossible possible. I’m most excited for LBUS over 900, as that seems to be the future of iris control on many shows.”
Dantluri is currently working on another Chicago-based series, Dark Matter [ICG Magazine June/July 2024], with Directors of Photography John Lindley, ASC, and Jeff Greeley. That’s where he met 1st AC
Chris Wittenborn, who describes Dantluri as professional, sanguine and innovative.
“I was initially impressed by Nihal’s passion for the craft and his interest in enhancing the efficiency of the camera department,” Wittenborn relates. “It is challenging to describe Nihal’s role without exaggerating. Whether as a loader or a DIT, he consistently contributes to a more efficient and respectful camera department.”
That’s in part due to a consistent make-itwork mentality.
“Nihal has a remarkable ability to solve intricate technical problems in a pinch,” Wittenborn continues. “In the event of a technical issue or the absence of a suitable tool to address a problem, Nihal is prepared to develop an app or program that effectively solves the issue. Alternatively, he may utilize 3D printing to fabricate a missing component!”
Dantluri is encouraged that more productions are carrying DIT’s.
“Not having a DIT means that the essential things critical to the on-set and post-production pipeline are just not addressed,” he explains. “If you don’t have a DIT on staff, there is no way to check that your dailies are coming up correctly. The director of photography always loses some part of creative control over the imaging pipeline.”
Camera Assistant Betsy Peoples first worked with him on The 4400 and says she was “blown away by his astoundingly positive attitude, can-do demeanor and enthusiastic determination. He was ready for anything that was thrown at him, and he jumped right in. He has this incredible calming and loving aura and energy beaming from him. To date, I have never seen Nihal lose his cool, allow chaos to frazzle him, or react/snap at someone else while under pressure. He has taught me so much in the way of managing pressure, stress and other uncomfortable situations just through observing how he handles things.”
Growing up in the shadow of one of America’s great labor cities, it’s no surprise Dantluri is an active IATSE member. “It’s been a hostile few years [toward unions],” he admits, between the nationwide slowdown in work and the new presidential administration. “Obviously, things in the federal government are moving in a
negative direction for labor, but I’m glad to have the current leadership of Local 600 guiding us through this time – like our amazing business representative, Ashurina Atto. Anytime we run into an issue on set or a problem, we give her a ring, and she takes care of it. And I know the incoming president of Local 600 has a fresh vision on how to return work to the United States. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do to incentivize productions to come back.”
Dantluri is on ICG’s Sustainability Committee, organizing and participating in environmental and climate change events and initiatives, and he chairs the Local 600 Chicago Young Workers Committee (YWC). “Currently the most pressing issue facing young workers is that there are many multi-million-dollar features that shoot in right-to-work states and take advantage of younger labor,” he laments. “We need to have comprehensive information available for non-members that is forwardfacing on the benefits of joining the local. There are a lot of myths and rumors out there that are perpetuated by productions, which is nothing new, I suppose.”
He says the most rewarding aspect of working with the YWC is creating opportunities to build community. “We are one of the few departments on set where we don’t get much time together at work and don’t have much downtime,” Dantluri notes. “Having the YWC has helped strengthen the Chicago community.” One of his favorite activities is the annual Bike the Drive, when the Chicago lakefront road is open to bikes only. “We usually finish at a unionized cafe in town, Collectivo, for our members to hang out and catch up.”
Despite current challenges, this Chicago lifer maintains a positive outlook.
“One of my favorite Nihal phrases is ‘It’s gonna be great,’” Peoples laughs. “He says it frequently, and not in a way that is sarcastic or annoying. It’s a genuine communication that it’s all going to work out, we are all here together, and we got this. I actually subconsciously picked it up and use it regularly now. It helps everyone feel more positive!”
Dantluri is keeping the faith. “Organized labor has been around for centuries – as long as we hold our ground and support the IATSE/ Local 600 as much as possible, as well as other unions in our cities, we will hold strong,” he predicts. “I love this union and this city.”
come as you
you are
BY KEVIN H. MARTIN
PHOTOS BY NIKO TAVERNISE / COLUMBIA PICTURES
In Caught Stealing, a disillusioned ex-baseball player, Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), has settled into a life far removed from his past, now bartending in New York. But when doing a favor for an acquaintance, Hank winds up caught in the middle of a potentially deadly situation involving the city’s underworld that threatens both him and his burgeoning relationship with Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz).
Novelist Charlie Huston adapted his own book into a script that is set in parts of New York City familiar to the Brooklyn-born-andraised Aronofsky, so the filmmaker felt an affinity for the material and soon involved his regular collaborators, including Director of Photography Matthew Libatique, ASC. That creative partnership dates back more than three decades to Aronofsky’s short film Protozoa, though the film that announced the pair’s prodigious cinematic talents came a few years later with the indie hit Pi.
“After we read a script, there are usually lots and lots of conversations,” Aronofsky reports, “and then many location visits get made, so there’s a constantly evolving dialog. Also, as more people join up, the methodology expands. Production Designer Mark Friedberg is another key player, whose opinion and taste, like Matty’s, are super important to me. So, their initial excitement, or lack thereof, is very important. With Caught Stealing, we were all excited to be a part of it from the start.”
The novel is set in 1998, in New York City, right in the wheelhouse of when Aronofsky and Libatique were starting their careers. As Aronofsky shares: “One of the first questions when we began working on this was, ‘Should we keep it period?’” he adds. “That’s always an expense. But after a little consideration, it became clear, ‘Hell, yes, we should!’ New York in the 90s was a very special time, one I call ‘Peak Humanity.’ The Cold War was over, and it was well before 9/11. Our biggest looming existential threat was Y2K. It was a
carefree moment in time; musically, things were exciting with hip-hop blooming, grunge still around, and electronic music starting to take off. For a lot of people, the internet was only an idea, so there was no social media. I thought that was a great moment to explore, a period with all this energy that people have a lot of nostalgia for. I really wanted to capture that energy.”
Libatique describes early development as “streamlined” compared to past collaborations. “Usually we start talking when the story is still being worked out, but this time all that had been settled,” he shares. “This one is unlike anything else we’ve done together, both in terms of tone and story. We did all make a point of reading the novel, plus we had a huge benefit in that Charlie Huston was there, so we could finetune it. The late 90s New York period is one both we and Charlie remembered, because we all were hanging out in that same area. So, it was nostalgic in a sense; the book reflected that, and subsequently a lot of design reflected that too. We even had little stickers for Pi that we could put up in places as little Easter eggs.”
Aronofsky welcomed the challenge that came with the film’s logistical elements.
“When you’re location-heavy, with inherent limitations of daylight darkness on the night shoots – it can be very stressful,” he allows. “I’ve been through it before, but on this film, it was really there because we needed to capture all these different flavors of New York City. So, that meant we
were moving – a lot – to show off the city as much as we could. That also meant being nimble and willing to take risks in different neighborhoods. Deciding, ‘We’re going to shut down East Broadway and Chinatown for two days’ is a big step, and then there’s seeing how that actually flies.”
But even having done all the requisite homework, Aronofsky acknowledges that location shooting has an uncontrolled aspect. “No matter how familiar you may have been with a particular location, that all changes the moment you start shooting there,” he maintains. “There are different aspects of reality to deal with, ranging from pissed-off neighbors to potholes in the road and limitations on how much signage you can remove. I think being in the moment and remaining truthful with what’s in front of you is super important. Not just taking advantage of things helping you, but also taking away the things that hurt you. It’d be a boring job if you limited yourself to recreating just what you see in your own head.”
“As a postcard from 90s New York, we wanted to highlight particular neighborhoods, such as the East Village where Hank lives,” Libatique describes. “The real bar where the character worked was only four blocks away from the apartment building we had him living in. So, it was important to have that authenticity that comes from having things where they really were. Even the cab scene in Tompkins Square Park is not far from where the character
ABOVE: LIBATIQUE, WHO HAS SHOT EVERY ONE OF ARONOFSKY’S FEATURES SAYS CAUGHT STEALING “WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE WE’VE EVER DONE TOGETHER, BOTH IN TERMS OF TONE AND STORY.”
lives. While the East Village area was our most significant location, Chinatown also plays a part, as does Flushing Meadows. And the Brighton Beach setting for the ending is very important to Darren since he grew up close by.”
One challenge of reproducing 90s New York hinged on night lighting. “It was largely a matter of figuring out how to bring the sodium-vapor look back,” Libatique reveals. “In many locations, you can ask the city to replace [those lamps], though I don’t know why they’ve kept them around. It’s not cheap, but New York makes what they have available and will change them out. We did it in the East Village and for Brighton Beach, but then the other locations were so small we sacrificed them and didn’t bother.”
Chief Lighting Technician John Velez was included in an early tech scout. He says he appreciates that Libatique gives his crew that private time. “Here is this incredible artist and collaborator who works hard in prep to shape the film, providing his team with reference images to give you a visual for what he’s thinking about, making sure we are all on the same page,” Velez describes. “Our locations department worked on sourcing that warm sodium look for the period streetlight, which, over the years, owing to its distinctive look in New York City, got the name ‘Cobra Head.’ Assistant Location Manager Daniel Tresca did an amazing job sourcing these vintage fixtures. He soon got the nickname ‘Cobra Head Dan’ for his dedication to helping us keep to the period we had embraced.”
Libatique shot the movie digitally, continuing the exploration that began with his and Aronofsky’s work on The Whale As First AC Aurelia Winborn recalls, “That was the biggest change in their workflow, after Matty talked Darren into shooting on digital. We shot Black Swan on 16 millimeter and Noah on 35 millimeter, and while Darren loves shooting film, the industry was drifting far away [from film] at that point. For this, Darren really embraced digital. Not just for the immediacy of being able to see an image on monitors, but also to know that image was so close to what the final result would look like.”
Libatique says he likes to mix his media whenever possible. “I shoot commercials, and I shoot films. Sometimes I shoot film, and sometimes I shoot digital. I adore shooting film, but when you look at what can be done now, like Sony’s work on the cars in F1 and also their Mini Rialto, it’s exciting stuff. In Visions of Light , Owen Roizman
said, ‘I should be able to shoot anything; I’m a cinematographer.’ I first met Owen at AFI, and then many years later, the last thing I told him was how I remembered his having said that. He said it was the mantra for his career.”
Camera prep was handled at Technological Cinevideo Services, a Libatique favorite. “We did a lot of testing at TCS’s new facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” Winborn notes. “Our main lenses were Baltars belonging to Ed Lachman, who had had them rehoused [for El Conde] because Matty liked the look of those best, especially how they flare.”
While Libatique’s main camera was the Sony VENICE 2, he also used a Ronin DJI 4D8K. “I’d seen some results from Rob Hardy’s work on Civil War and wanted to explore what the camera had to offer,” he reports. “We used it in cars, for movement, and on small dolly shots, about twelve to fifteen percent of the film. Except for a couple of scenes, you’d be hard-pressed to see the differences [between the two systems].
“We worked hard to create a LUT that would help the Ronin match the VENICE 2,” Libatique adds. “I rated the VENICE 2 at 3200 ISO with a Base ISO of 3200, which I kept it at for pretty much the entire film, mainly so I could hold onto the highlights. We’ve become so accustomed to lighting by eye that I am used to doing that with 3200 instead of 800, especially in darker spaces and with lower light levels. I could rough things in pretty closely before starting to look through the monitor and finalizing the cocktail of filtration, color contrast level, and exposure. Unlike using a waveform, I could read the contrast by eye and fine-tune based on the previously set levels.”
The three-time Oscar nominee firmly rejects the notion that high ISO negates the need for lighting. “Even if you don’t add elements, you’re still controlling the light,” he insists. “You’re still taking away in order to shape the image. In our bar scenes, we needed to service as many as seven actors at a time. We had a row of LitePanel 2s above the bar to augment the practicals we put in ourselves. So, we’re balancing all these practicals with the drama, and that has to be addressed in a craftsman-like way. Another issue was making sure the lights looked period, like having signs in the bar made of neon. A lot of the bodegas have LED lighting in front of them now, so we’d either cover them up or turn them off. Eliminating all signs of our modern-world LED lighting was really the main issue.”
Velez adds that “when we needed to go old-school, I had 100-watt EDT’s from
Bulbrite, though we usually put NYX and Luna in our practicals, and LiteGear LiteMats are always around the camera, usually with a snap grid for control. Rosco’s DMG DASH is another go-to fixture.
Once we got caught up with scouting, I went deep into lighting plots. I usually do some basic lighting concepts and send them off for [Libatique] to review. I always pay attention to new technology and see if Matty thinks it might be good for the show. I enjoyed using the new ARRI X-series fixture, which offers great color and solid dimming. We would use it as a single X-21 unit or with mixed-optics ‘Dome’ [for soft light] and ‘HyPer’ in the X-23. We used a lot of Astera Titans and Helios, putting them in Lightsocks and LockCircle’s Exo Skeleton crates.” For scenes requiring a hefty punch, Velez relied on ETC’s high-end 37K-lumen SolaHyBeam 3000, with a High Fidelity engine.
Aronofsky used multiple cameras, which Winborn saw as a new approach on his part. “Over the years I’ve gotten used to Darren’s specific focus on a single frame. And while we were mostly one camera for storytelling scenes, for car chases and action shots we put cameras everywhere,” she recalls. “Darren got jazzed about having three or four VENICE cameras deployed, along with the Sony PMW-EX3s in crash housings, and sometimes even more cameras in other spots. This made things a bit hairy at times for the assistants! But the payoff was huge. DIT Jeff Flohr is a wizard, and that helped Matty when it came to matching the looks from different cameras so the footage all melds together.”
In recent years, Winborn has relied on Preston’s Light Ranger for focus pulls. “I’m old-school enough that I still pull out my tape measure and put marks down,” she acknowledges. “But this project required me to exploit the Light Ranger’s potential more than ever before, as Darren likes extremely close close-ups, and a lot of those shots worked between two-feet-six-inches and two-feet-nine-inches distant. You set up the distances on Light Ranger like you would with Cinetape, and it is helpful with tracking both subtle movements and very quick ones. We shot at 2.8 most of the time –2.8 to 4 was optimum for these lenses – and Matty was always understanding when it came to difficult focus pulls.”
Even though the crew was well-populated with Aronofsky regulars, at least one new face was added to the mix. “A-Camera Operator Chris Aran [SOC] was someone I wanted to go with because he was
so familiar with the Ronin,” Libatique describes. “Darren and I had used it almost exclusively on The Whale, and I wanted to do so again here. It allows more space on the set and for light to travel more efficiently since there weren’t all these bodies blocking it. There are many times when I prefer using a regular head, but on this film, the Ronin was a regular thing.
“The way Darren structures his shots,” he continues, “it makes a lot of sense, plus it gives me the opportunity to be very close behind camera. Chris had a perfect temperament for Darren, a kind of quiet intelligence as well as the tech skill. Everybody else was a veteran of the Aronofsky ecosystem. I know how he works, and my crew knows how I work. I think about this a lot: how lucky I am and how gratifying it is to have had the crews I’ve worked with and that I was able to meet so many of them when I was in my late 20s.”
As Aronofsky adds, “You want people on the job who are excited about doing it, so we always try to fill the ranks that way. You’re always on the lookout for people who just ‘get it,’ and Chris got it. Within a couple of days, he was in sync. He had shot a lot of TV, so this was a very different experience for him.”
When Aran got a call asking if he wanted to interview for an Aronofsky film, he initially thought it was a joke. “It wasn’t until I was on Zoom with Matty that I realized it was the real deal,” he laughs. “We used the Ronin 2 almost exclusively, except on stunt days. It was on a dolly most of the time, and for the intimate scenes it helped the actors, since there weren’t a bunch of people crowded around them. The main issue was to make sure the moves were done with restraint. Darren and Matty would put their heads together about how a shot was going to go; Darren was always specific about what he wanted. Sometimes I would set the camera and not move it. Our dolly grip, Mike Morini, was phenomenal, so I only had to watch to make sure it started and landed where it was supposed to be.”
Aran says capturing fast-moving action on the Ronin was tricky.
“There were times when the head was on one side of the set and we were completely separated from the action on the other side of the set wall,” he recalls. “Fortunately, Darren likes to get things perfect, so we did however many takes were needed to get us there, both for camera and performance. And if something still wasn’t working – like in an action sequence – he’d be willing to change the style up to embrace some other approach. Sometimes it would only take the
tiniest adjustment to make things click.”
One shooting technique involved the use of Camtec’s Color-Con, a device Libatique helped design for an earlier project. A far more sophisticated and versatile version of the LightFlex, developed decades back by Gary Turpin and popularized by Freddie Francis, the Color-Con enables the cinematographer to achieve subtle color and contrast control. “It is the size of a twostage filter tray fitting in the matte box, along with just a strip of LED lights,” Aran explains. “We could put these little [Tiffen Glimmerglass] filters into the tray, while the LED’s provided a glow that could destroy or dampen down the contrast in select parts of the image while allowing Matty to control the color with a box, as well as through the color temperature of the camera. We also got some texture from the filter that served the film’s look; it was fascinating to watch Matty finesse the image in this way.”
With nearly all the film handled on location, stage work was limited to two settings: the bar’s basement and Hank’s apartment. The stage build for the latter had to match precisely with the real exterior building, which was used for all the other interiors, including the hallway outside the apartment. It also involved elaborate construction for the exterior wall, including a fire escape and the façade of a neighboring building, an approach that Libatique says echoes how Hitchcock filmed Rear Window. “There’s even a drone shot when he first comes out on the fire escape, establishing the geography of what’s behind Hank’s building,” Libatique reports. “Visually, it was immensely more satisfying to be shooting this building façade for views out of Hank’s window rather than using a Translight, LED, or blue screen.”
Caught Stealing’s digital intermediate was handled by Picture Shop’s Tim Stipan (a new associate member of the ASC). Libatique says the DI was about “making sure imagery taken from different cameras could cut together. The look was all there, so when I first saw the cut, I thought, ‘This is not going to be too difficult.’ But then, when you get into the minutiae, that’s where the work is. If one element on the right side of the frame was just a bit brighter, it would cut better with the previous shot and flow better into the next. Darren prides himself on how his films are cut together, and his editor, Andy Weisblum, is brilliant. Sometimes they reframe things or add a move or split-screen in post. So to be able to get in tune with that makes every cut
seamless, blurring the lines between them.”
With a career noteworthy for a series of recurring collaborations (among other things), Libatique says part of his personality “allows me to adapt to the people I work with, and I enjoy that. When you’re fortunate to work with someone multiple times, you come to understand more about that person, and that helps articulate their vision – whether that’s with Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper or Spike Lee. My collaboration with Darren [is marked] by 100 percent trust in what he’s after. Beyond the fact that he is one of my best friends, and we started our careers together, I have total creative respect for his talent, and he allows me to express myself as a cinematographer within his construct. That may sound restrictive, but it’s not. I have walls within the space he provides, but he pushes me creatively in ways that always make me enjoy the relationship.”
Velez adds that “Matty and Darren always get to know the lighting, grip and camera crew. And Darren’s a good guy who’s always appreciative of what his crew brings. Back on The Whale, during COVID, he would bring in eggs from his farm, gifting different crew members each week. Darren also does a blessing on every job. The whole crew gathers in a circle and holds hands. Darren gives us a bit of background on how we got here. He makes all of us feel like we are here for the purpose of making something special.”
Aronofsky, who recently announced plans to partner with Google DeepMind to explore narrative uses of AI, readily admits that he loves working at the leading edge of technology (which includes the first narrative short film produced for The Sphere in Las Vegas).
“This was the first feature film I’ve done that used drones as narrative tools, and that was an interesting experience,” he concludes. “I think filmmaking, first and foremost, was a technology before it was a creative space. Cameras and projectors existed before cinematic storytelling. The invention of sound, color, visual effects and the Steadicam are examples of how audiences benefit from these advances, through the lens of storytelling, because storytellers have always adapted to new technologies.”
LOCAL 600 CREW
Directors
A-Camera
A-Camera
A-Camera
B-Camera
B-Camera
B-Camera
C-Camera
C-Camera
“When you’re location-heavy, with inherent limitations of daylight darkness on the night shoots,” Aronofsky explains, “it can be very stressful,. I’ve been through it before, but on this film, it was really there because we needed to capture all these different flavors of New York City. So, that meant we were moving – a lot – to show off the city as much as we could.”
BY MARGOT LESTER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HONOREES
From Dallas to Brooklyn, Laguna Beach to San Antonio, the eight honorees of the 2025 Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA’s) may come from divergent backgrounds and experiences, but as a collective group they see the award (the only such honor bestowed to professionals who are working in other camera department classifications) as recognition of their creative journeys, moving ever-forward.
Camera Operator John B. Barrett, whose film Recall was honored, says that “receiving the ECA feels especially meaningful because I’ve been working hard, experimenting and growing with each project. Being recognized by my peers and the community is a huge encouragement, and it gives me even more motivation to keep pushing forward and evolving as a filmmaker.”
Likewise for Camera Operator Mariscela Beatríz Méndez, whose ECA-winning film The Middle is set in the late 1990s. Méndez, who has had her eye on an ECA since joining the local three years ago, says the award is a “wonderful indicator of forward movement and momentum in my career. Especially in a business that is filled with so many ups and downs, I am so grateful to receive this honor from my peers and to be heard.” Camera Assistant Isacc Banks, whose New Jersey-shot comedy The Trophy King earned him his first ECA, feels much the same, noting that “Local 600 represents the highest working artists and technicians in the film industry. To be seen by that group as an emerging cinematographer in their ranks means I am growing as a DP.”
Being seen, being heard, growing as both artists and human beings who are part of a shared endeavor is, perhaps, what the ECA’s have always represented. How wonderful to have this group of eight union filmmakers all define their awards in exactly that way.
ISAAC BANKS
THE TROPHY KING
Classification: Camera Assistant Years in Guild: 9
Based: Brooklyn, NY
Raised: North Carolina, Maryland and Pennsylvania Gear: ARRI ALEXA Mini with ARRI Master Prime lenses
The Trophy King, directed by Tighe Kellner, is a comedy shot on location at the Teaneck, NJ business in the film’s title. It follows a trophy salesman’s attempt at robbery and the hilarity that ensues when his collaborators decide to rob him. Isaac Banks used an ARRI ALEXA Mini with ARRI Master Prime lenses for the project. The variety of focal length options produced “a clean look with excellent optics,” Banks shares, that supported deep focus, wide angles and camera movement. “The biggest challenge was keeping the lighting consistent enough over four days to make it appear as if the film happened in one day.”
During his second year at film school, Banks shot his first narrative project and decided to become a cinematographer. “The creative and technical challenges associated
with cinematography were so exciting, I was hooked,” he recalls. After almost a decade in the ICG, Banks says the biggest change is the widespread use of LED lighting and smaller cameras. “It now seems like anything really is possible on a budget, with VFX and tools easily accessible.”
Shortly after joining Local 600, Banks responded to an ad Isabel Sandoval placed for a director of photography to lens Lingua Franca, which went on to earn Young Critics Circle, Philippines 2020 Best Achievement in Cinematography and Visual Design accolades. It was the beginning of a fruitful collaboration, and the duo recently wrapped their fourth project, Moonglow
“Isaac has always been exacting and methodical at what he does, and you can see
it in his precisely and strikingly composed shots,” Sandoval says. “Working with him, you know that you’ll be working with an intensely focused perfectionist whose eye will elevate each frame of your film. I love that he’s adventurous in experimenting with shots and trying something he’s never done before. He soaks up obscure arthouse films that I suggest he watch. He’s an insatiable student of cinema. At their best, Isaac’s shots brim with visceral feeling and tactile beauty –cinema as poetry.”
Banks is honored by the ECA nod. “Local 600 represents the highest level of working artists and technicians in the film industry,” he states. “To be seen by that group as an emerging cinematographer in their ranks means I am growing as a DP.”
JOHN B. BARRETT
RECALL
Classification: Operator
Years in Guild: 1
Based: Burbank, CA
Raised: Laguna Beach, CA
Gear: RED V-Raptor XL with IronGlass MKII rehoused Soviet-era lenses
Recall is a movie that’s right on time. The sci-fi drama explores emotional intimacy in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Set in the near future, it’s the tale of a woman and her adopted A.I. child who explore the boundaries of maternal instinct, ethics of A.I. “life” and how technology informs what it means to love and be loved.
To tell it, John B. Barrett and Director Jennifer Massaux crafted a visual language that “supports that tension – both alluring and unsettling,” Barrett shares. “We leaned into unique locations and lighting to imply a bigger world without relying on large-scale VFX or expensive sets. Less exposition, more suggestion.”
They shot on the RED V-Raptor XL with
IronGlass MKII rehoused Soviet-era lenses for their “distinctive character, which is organic, imperfect and has just the right amount of texture to complement the film’s dystopian tone,” Barrett adds. “One of my favorite sequences utilizes ‘poor man’s process,’ with wet glass and a tented 12-by set to execute a convincing driving scene on a budget.” Barrett did all the operating, except for an underwater sequence captured by Steve Fitzpatrick. “Being able to take the camera underwater played excellently into the surface versus subtext themes of the film,” Barrett describes.
The ECA is Barrett’s first industry accolade. “Receiving the ECA feels especially meaningful because I’ve been working hard, experimenting and growing with
each project,” he says. “Being recognized by my peers and the community is a huge encouragement, and it gives me even more motivation to keep pushing forward and evolving as a filmmaker.”
Massaux has seen Barrett’s growth in the four years since they first collaborated.
“What stood out then, and still does,” she says, “is John’s eagerness to take on new challenges, even outside his comfort zone. He always shows up with a positive attitude and a real passion for the work, no matter how limited the time or resources. John trusts his director and brings a strong sense of collaboration that lifts the entire set. He’s deeply committed to his craft and will go above and beyond to create something great.”
DANIEL COTRONEO
YAE: BLIND
SAMURAI WOMAN
Classification: Operator
Years in Guild: 12
Based: Los Angeles
Raised: Oakland, CA
Gear: Canon C500 MKII, Sumire primes
Director Akiko Izumitani tapped action veteran Daniel Cotroneo to lens Yae: Blind Samurai Woman, a film exploring revenge and justice. Yae is a healer whose sight worsens with each recuperative act. In the end, she loses her vision completely when she heals her father’s murderer.
The style was influenced by classic Samurai films and enhanced with fluid and motivated camera, minimizing cuts to highlight the choreography of stunt coordinator and sword master Tsuyoshi Abe. Cotroneo shot on a Canon C500 MKII with Sumire primes donated by the manufacturer.
“We planned a progression in camera energy as the fight sequences intensified, going from Steadicam to Fig Rig to handheld,”
Cotroneo recalls. “Akiko wanted the first fight scene to finish near a beautiful waterfall on the Switzer Trail in Altadena. When we scouted, I noticed that the pool at the base of the falls was actually accessible, so I proposed that Yae’s father collapse into the waterfall, ultimately creating an iconic splash at the fight’s climax.”
This is Cotroneo’s second ECA. His first was for The Other Side in 2015. “I assumed that would launch my career!” he laughs. “It’s so easy to be discouraged by the ebbs and flows of the film business, because as a crew member, all you can really control is your effort and your attitude. The dramatic, almost overnight fall-off of work in Los Angeles forced me to pivot into producing my own films. But
this has opened an exciting new chapter where I can stretch my wings even further.”
Cotroneo is currently producing nine films via his new studio, Flashback Pictures.
“Daniel is such an easygoing, confident filmmaker who knows how to make every idea on a page look unforgettable,” says longtime collaborator Dominic Russell, creator of the hit comedy series Workaholics. Cotroneo shot Russell’s directorial debut, and the two are writing a baseball-themed comedy feature that shoots in the San Francisco Bay area in 2026. “Daniel is always smiling. But, more than that, he’s the hardest working guy on set, and the fact that he’s always in a great mood and wants to get it right, makes him a top choice for any project I touch.”
YAE: BLIND SAMURAI WOMAN
EYTHAN MAIDHOF
CLASS CLOWN
Classification: Loader
Years in Guild: 7
Based: New York City
Raised: Central Islip, New York Gear: ALEXA 35, Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses, Tiffen Deep Blue 47B filter
“The ECA’s to me always meant recognizing hard work behind evocative visuals,” describes Eythan Maidhof, whose Class Clown explores the themes of identity and finding your voice. Set against the backdrop of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, the story follows previously home-taught Nelson into public school where he becomes the class clown, hurts his one true friend, makes a public apology and ultimately finds his real self.
Maidhof, who’s also a writer, chose the ALEXA 35 with Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses. “We loved the falloff of the focus, and there’s a great variety of focal distances on the wider end,” they note. “Going wide and tight to create a feeling of isolation and tension was a big part of our language.”
The comedy is shot in black-and-white
with a Tiffen Deep Blue 47B filter. “My mentor – Ronald Engvaldsen from Birns and Sawyer rental house in Los Angeles – helped me choose a black-and-white landscape filter that brought out the pronounced freckles of our protagonist,” Maidhof adds. “Makeup artist Madison Summerfield revealed –instead of concealed – every blemish on every actor to create the POV of kids being self-conscious about their skin. With a filter factor of four, we metered for 50 ISO and often used hot tungsten lamps, so we wouldn’t lose too much light from our filter.”
Maidhof has two narrative features in pre-production: Veronica & Julian , an agegap relationship film drama set in NYC with longtime friend and collaborator Otoja Abit, and Alleys , a coming-of-age film about
two foster care runaways chasing TikTok stardom in LA, with director Nitzan Levinson. Maidhof’s feature-length documentary, Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music , garnered Audience Awards at NewFest and Frameline 45 in 2021.
Cinematographer and AFI classmate Zack Wallnau says Maidhof’s the right person for telling these kinds of stories. “Eythan has a talent for connecting with people,” Wallnau explains. “They have a genuine interest in the people they’re working with and their stories. Eythan has also done more introspection than anyone else I know. This shows in their work – there’s empathy and understanding communicated in the framing and lighting –and how they talk about the scripts they’re excited about.”
MARISCELA BEATRÍZ MÉNDEZ
THE MIDDLE
Classification: Operator
Years in Guild: 3
Based: Los Angeles
Raised: San Antonio, TX
Gear: Sony VENICE 1 and Cooke S4 primes; Angénieux Optimo 24-290 Zoom
Mariscela Méndez describes her style as “naturalistic,” which was particularly useful on her ECA-winning film, The Middle. “On shorts, you don’t have a massive budget or time,” she explains, “so I lean into whatever the spaces give me and then work to enhance that based on the needs of the story.”
The Middle is set in the late 1990s, telling the story of a young woman caught in a tense situation. So, Méndez and Writer/Director Sylvia Ray aimed to mimic a time before cell phones, YouTube videos and modern imagery. Méndez chose the Sony VENICE 1 and Cooke S4 primes for handheld and Steadicam sequences, and an Angénieux Optimo 24-290 for some insert work.
“With the handheld, I was hoping to support
the tension of the story without being too chaotic, because what’s happening is already so intense,” she explains. “We shot at 1.33:1 to help out with that aesthetic and to make the lead character feel confined or caught in the middle. We shot wide open to get contrast, particularly in the scenes at the park, which were shot at night against jagged, light – and color-changing rock walls in the background. I didn’t use any softening filtration because I wanted it to be as raw as possible.”
Ray says Méndez is “incredibly detailed during prep and communicates clearly throughout the process. That combination makes her an excellent collaborator and a confident, grounded leader on set.”
Méndez has had her eye on an ECA since
joining Local 600. “It’s such a wonderful indicator of forward movement and momentum in my career,” she notes. “And especially with this year being the way it is, on top of a business that is filled with so many ups and downs, I am so grateful to receive this honor from my peers and to be heard. I’m also excited to celebrate everybody’s work – all of the other nominees and my team that worked on this.”
That generosity towards others is one of the things Ray admires most about Méndez.
“Mariscela is genuinely a good person with great energy,” Ray concludes. “She’s deeply supportive of others, consistently sharing her time and knowledge with younger creatives, first-time filmmakers and fellow indie artists in our community.”
After watching the Movie Magic TV show back in junior high, Josh Pickering grabbed his dad’s Sony 8-mm video camera and made movies with in-camera miniature effects. Since then, he’s shot on all kinds of rigs and is known as a top-flight Steadicam operator. To get on bigger shows and commercials in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, he joined G&E as a grip and then as a gaffer before moving to the camera department full time in 2015. Today, he stays busy by leveraging Texas’ active commercial market to fill gaps between shows and features, including A-Camera on Hit Man , directed by Richard Linklater. He’s currently operating B-Camera on Season 6 of The Chosen
Pickering parlayed all that professional experience into the ECA-honored short film
Boundless | Homeaid , directed by Andrew Shebay, for whom Pickering has shot a number of other projects. The film, shot for a nonprofit organization, tells the story of an unhoused family; Pickering chose the ALEXA 35 because of its amazing sensor technology and the way it sees light,” he notes. “I suggested anamorphic because it narrowed the family’s tight-knit world yet also rendered their expansive imagination while they were playing together.”
ICG 1st AC Ryan Patterson says he’s been able to work with Pickering over the years “on various projects that he has operated on and shot himself, and I’m continually impressed by his intuitive sense of camera movement and mood lighting. Josh has a humility that allows his crew to feel like they can offer
their perspective and input relative to their department. I’ve seen him work so well with different gaffers and take input where needed, as well as welcome input from focus pullers and other teammates. He is very welcoming in that regard, which makes you feel valued and respected as a collaborator.”
Pickering, who won a 2025 Gold ADDY Award for cinematography for a Dallas Mavericks spot and a 2010 Telly Award for cinematography on a four-part series for Jungle Aviation and Radio Services, says earning an ECA “represents hard work and recognition in an ever-evolving industry. I’ve spent an enormous amount of time on set learning the craft, listening to conversations and implementing ideas. I’m so excited that my efforts have received awareness.”
Hammer, co-directed by Alejandra Parody and Ben Sottak, is about an enslaved woman imprisoned for witchcraft who faces-down evil incarnate and enters a Faustian bargain in exchange for her freedom. Cinematographer Steven Jacob Russell says the horror, set in a 1600s Cartagena prison during the Spanish Inquisition, was inspired by the paintings of Caravaggio and other Baroque-period artists and by epic, operatic classic horror movies such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Suspiria
To deliver the vision, Russell selected the RED DSMC2 Dragon-X 6K with P+S Technik Evolution 2X Anamorphics. “I wanted a fast, lightweight anamorphic with a classic vintage feel, but not too overt and unwieldy
– most of the film is on the 75 millimeter,” he notes. “At the time, I was still flying around my trainer Steadicam rig – a very used Aero 30. I definitely pushed the limits of the sled! The extra flexibility the Steadicam gives allowed me to sync complex movement and cues easier with the cast.”
For lighting, Russell used Astera Titan Tubes for both candlelight push and as a 4-bank overhead softbox for moonlight. In the climax, the action goes from warm light to a big lighting gag where the world goes a deep red to signify a “descent into Hell,” Russell explains. “It feels truly cinematic. That sequence in particular does not feel like it’s from an indie short film. It feels sliced straight
out of a full-scale film, and I’m proud of that.”
Frequent collaborator Sottak says Russell’s experience at Prague’s FAMU is the differencemaker. “Being trained in the fundamentals of shooting on film at a formative age, before ever getting his hands on a RED or an ALEXA, has yielded a discipline and quality to Steve’s work that is otherwise lacking in most modern cinematography,” the director says. “You can see it in almost every detail, from the clearly motivated camera movement to the eye catches he finds a way to sneak into every close-up. These details matter, and despite the homogenization of how most content looks and feels in 2025, it’s those details that separate the good DP’s from the great ones.”
ALEXA WOLF
TO FADE AWAY
Classification: Operator
Years in Guild: 4
Based: New York City
Raised: Bay Area, CA
Gear: ALEXA Mini LF and ALEXA Mini, Cooke S7 primes, Bronze Glimmerglass filters
To Fade Away is a 1930’s period drama based on the true story of Camil Al-Sabbah, a Lebanese immigrant who helped advance the solar energy movement despite facing significant prejudice and barriers while employed at General Electric.
“The film deals with both the practical and emotional struggles of being an outsider in one’s career and daily life, while Camil’s dreams of sharing his science as a gift to the world is a reminder of the good that could be possible if our pursuits were free from corporate greed,” explains Wolf, who recently lensed the feature Our Bodies & Other Shames. “Given both the current political climate around immigration and immigrants in the United States today
– especially those from the Middle East –and our ever-worsening climate crisis, it is especially important to share stories about the contributions of immigrants to the U.S. and to reflect on our shared struggles and humanity.”
Wolf selected an ALEXA Mini LF with Cooke S7 primes and an ALEXA Mini as her B-camera. She used Bronze Glimmerglass filters to warm and soften the look. They’re most proud of the tension-building sequences that drive to the film’s conclusion, when AlSabbah begins to lose his grasp of reality. These include a coordinated Dana Dolly move as a company goon enters his lecture, a push-in on Al-Sabbah’s vehicle as he arrives home to find his door busted in, a low angle
of him picking up his telephone realizing the line is tapped, a car-start montage and the final frame of his face with a double eye light from the tear in his eye as he attempts his escape.
Director Camille Hamadé says Wolf genuinely cares about the work. “That is a hugely underrated trait in this industry,” Hamadé notes. “They will always prioritize what’s right for the story and vision. [You] trust that they will always have your back, no matter what.”
“I am immensely honored and grateful to be receiving an ECA this year – and I think it has arrived at the perfect moment,” Wolf describes. “It is such a boost of confidence and opportunity.”
PRODUCTION CREDITS
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).
Submit your jobs online by visiting: www.icg600.com/report-your-job
Any questions regarding the Production Credits should be addressed to Teresa Muñoz at teresa@icgmagazine.com
THE MANDOLORIAN (2020)
photo by François Duhamel
20TH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION
APPLE STUDIOS, LLC
“FLASHLIGHT”
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN SPRENGER, CODY JACOBS
OPERATORS: MICHAEL FUCHS, JOHN GARRETT
ASSISTANTS: LIAM SINNOTT, JEFF DICKERSON, JACK SHULTZ, JOHN MCCARTHY
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: KYO MOON
LOADER: EMILY KHAN
UTILITY: KEENAN KIMETTO
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BOBBY CLARK
UNIT PUBLICIST: AMANDA BRAND
20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION
“MANGO” PILOT
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: BRENDAN M. UEGAMA
OPERATORS: BELA TRUTZ, JESSE CAIN, GRANT CULWELL
ASSISTANTS: JAMES BARELA, DENNIS GERAGHTY, KEN TANAKA, LUIS GOMEZ, ANDREAS MACAT, EMILY LAZLO
STEADICAM OPERATOR: GRANT CULWELL
STEADICAM ASSISTANT: KEN TANAKA
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DANE BREHM
LOADER: SAVANNAH TESTA
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: BRIAN ROEDEL
“SHIFTING GEARS” SEASON 2
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DONALD A. MORGAN, ASC
OPERATORS: JOHN BOYD, RANDY BAER, DAMIAN DELLA SANTINA, BRIAN GUNTER
ASSISTANTS: BRIAN LYNCH, SEAN ASKINS, ONYX MORGAN
CAMERA UTILITIES: JOHN WEISS, STEVE MASIAS
DIGITAL UTILITY: MATT OSUNA
VIDEO CONTROLLER: NICHELLE MONTGOMERY
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ERINN BELL
JIB TECH: RYAN ELLIOTT
“RJ DECKER”
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: OLIVER BOKELBERG
OPERATORS: MATT DOLL, JOEY DWYER
ASSISTANTS: DEREK SMITH, SETH LEWIS, PATRICK BOROWIAK, JILL AUTRY
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: ANDY BADER
LOADER: BRANDON ROBEY
UTILITY: PAIGE MARSICANO
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: DANA HAWLEY
ABC STUDIOS NEW YORK, LLC
“AMERICAN LOVE STORY” SEASON 1
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON MCCORMICK, PEPE AVILA DEL PINO
OPERATOR: PYARE FORTUNATO
ASSISTANTS: ALEX WORSTER, SAMANTHA SILVER, ALEX DUBOIS
LOADERS: AARON CHAMPAGNE, CAITLIN SCHMITZ STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: ERIC LIEBOWITZ
TECHNOCRANE OPERATORS: BEAU BELLANICH, JONNY MEYER, WAYNE ARNOLD, JOSE SARMIENTO, JAMES BALL, RYAN ELLIOTT, JOE TOMCUFCIK, ANDY KUESTER, PATRICK MCALLISTER
STEADICAM OPERATOR: ANDREW SCHWARTZ
DIGITAL IMAGING TECH: DAMON MELEDONES
STILL PHOTOGRAPHER: JOCELYN PRESCOD
BEACHWOOD SERVICES, INC.
“DAYS OF OUR LIVES” SEASON 60
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID MEAGHER
OPERATORS: MARK WARSHAW, MICHAEL J. DENTON, JOHNNY BROMBEREK, JOHN BOYD, STEVE CLARK
In 2005, I was fortunate enough to be recognized by my peers for the second time with an ICG Film Showcase Award (the original name of the ECA’s). The film was Ugly, directed by Moon Zappa, and it was the first time I had shot on this “new” format called “digital.” Moon Zappa was part of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, and we were encouraged to use this format. I was working as a camera operator on season two of HBO’s Entourage, and we were still shooting 35-millimeter film, so the new digital format was a little foreign to me. Back in those days, the awards ceremony was at lunchtime during the week at Kodak. I had missed the awards ceremony for my first ICG Showcase (1999), which would have been presented to me by my mentor Russell Carpenter, so I did not want to miss this ceremony, and I did not want to miss a day of Entourage. To solve the dilemma, I paid my future long-time camera operator, Ian Dodd, to cover me for a few hours on the show. I proudly came back to the Paramount lot with my second ICG Film Showcase plaque. Those two awards meant the world to me and gave me the confidence that I could become a director of photography.
