It's the end of the world as we know it in "Leave the World Behind," Sam Esmail's odd apocalyptic adaptation of Rumaan Alam's novel. I guess you could classify this as a kind of disaster film, but Esmail has created a quirky, self-contained little saga that occasionally hints at something much, much larger lurking in the margins. It's bleak, it's weird, it's kind of funny. Full of swooping, spinning camera movements (Tod Campbell's off-kilter cinematography is a real highlight), "Leave the World Behind" isn't really interested in giving us answers. It drops us into a story and expects us to go along with all the weirdness on display. For the most part, it works, although I suspect some will take issue with the way the film all but shrugs its shoulders at providing any real answers. This is the way the world ends, the film is saying,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Anyone who still needs convincing that we live in a fractured world may be startled by the futuristic nightmare drama Leave the World Behind, which had its world premiere at AFI Fest. Others might find something a bit stale in its portrait of racial suspicion and environmental catastrophe. Fine performances help to bolster a problematic picture written and directed by Sam Esmail, adapted from Rumaan Alam’s best-selling novel. The film will take its bow via Netflix in December, the streamer’s second release this year (after Rustin) that counts Barack and Michelle Obama among its executive producers.
The story starts with a New York family (Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and, as their teenage children, Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans) leaving the city for a vacation in a Long Island rental home that advertised with the line “Leave the world behind.” The house and the grounds are indeed enticing, and...
The story starts with a New York family (Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and, as their teenage children, Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans) leaving the city for a vacation in a Long Island rental home that advertised with the line “Leave the world behind.” The house and the grounds are indeed enticing, and...
- 10/26/2023
- by Stephen Farber
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix’s first teaser trailer for Leave the World Behind starts off with a conversation setting up the story, and then hits the gas pedal as terrifying events wreak havoc across the globe.
The apocalyptic thriller is based on Rumaan Alam’s bestselling novel and stars Oscar winner Julia Roberts, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and Kevin Bacon. Mr. Robot‘s Sam Esmail adapted Alam’s novel and directed.
Sam Esmail and Julia Roberts serve as producers along with Chad Hamilton, Marisa Yeres Gill, and Lisa Gillan. Author Alam, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Tonia Davis, Daniel M. Stillman, and Nick Krishnamurthy executive produce.
Esmail’s behind the scenes team includes costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas, editor Lisa Lassek, production designer Anastasia White, and director of photography Tod Campbell.
Netflix will release Leave the World Behind in select theaters on November 22, 2023. It...
The apocalyptic thriller is based on Rumaan Alam’s bestselling novel and stars Oscar winner Julia Roberts, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and Kevin Bacon. Mr. Robot‘s Sam Esmail adapted Alam’s novel and directed.
Sam Esmail and Julia Roberts serve as producers along with Chad Hamilton, Marisa Yeres Gill, and Lisa Gillan. Author Alam, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Tonia Davis, Daniel M. Stillman, and Nick Krishnamurthy executive produce.
Esmail’s behind the scenes team includes costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas, editor Lisa Lassek, production designer Anastasia White, and director of photography Tod Campbell.
Netflix will release Leave the World Behind in select theaters on November 22, 2023. It...
- 10/2/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali are dealing with the potential end of the world in “Leave the World Behind,” an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Rumaan Alam from “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail.
In the trailer Roberts and Ethan Hawke are vacationing on Long Island when they are intercepted by a mysterious stranger (Ali in a role originally earmarked for Denzel Washington), who tells the couple of a mysterious blackout and his thoughts that this event is just the first in a series of catastrophes.
Kevin Bacon plays a potentially sinister local man, with Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans in supporting roles. Not only is the set-up for the movie incredibly creepy but it feels real, especially given the recent weather events brought on by global warming (the flooding in New York most recently).
When Alam’s novel came out in 2020, Netflix won a bidding war for the rights,...
In the trailer Roberts and Ethan Hawke are vacationing on Long Island when they are intercepted by a mysterious stranger (Ali in a role originally earmarked for Denzel Washington), who tells the couple of a mysterious blackout and his thoughts that this event is just the first in a series of catastrophes.
Kevin Bacon plays a potentially sinister local man, with Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans in supporting roles. Not only is the set-up for the movie incredibly creepy but it feels real, especially given the recent weather events brought on by global warming (the flooding in New York most recently).
When Alam’s novel came out in 2020, Netflix won a bidding war for the rights,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
When Mr. Robot debuted in the summer of 2015, none of its individual components were clearly new. The cyberpunk drama’s then-unknown creator, Sam Esmail, readily copped to the influences of paranoid Seventies thrillers like The Parallax View. Late in that first season, the show even played a piano version of the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” as a tip of the cap to Fight Club, from which Esmail liberally borrowed the idea that his title character, played by Christian Slater, was actually an alternate personality of hacker hero Elliot Alderson...
- 10/3/2019
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
The marathon is almost over. What started in February with the first official Fyc screenings is about to wrap up on the final day of Emmy voting. All the advocacy from publicists, networks, critics, friends, and colleagues will either add up to an Emmy win or not, and the mourning cycle will last, at most, one month — before the end-of-year awards races start up in earnest.
So today, on the last day of voting, IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers and TV Awards Editor Libby Hill have a few last-second pleas for everyone to consider. Sure, it would be nice if someone clicked on this article and then clicked over to their ballot, convinced of a nominee’s merit. But it’s just as important that we all remember the impressive efforts of these creators. Whether they win or not, the work demands to be seen, and the long Emmy race...
So today, on the last day of voting, IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers and TV Awards Editor Libby Hill have a few last-second pleas for everyone to consider. Sure, it would be nice if someone clicked on this article and then clicked over to their ballot, convinced of a nominee’s merit. But it’s just as important that we all remember the impressive efforts of these creators. Whether they win or not, the work demands to be seen, and the long Emmy race...
- 8/29/2019
- by Ben Travers and Libby Hill
- Indiewire
This story about the cinematography of “Homecoming” first appeared in a special section, “The Look,” in the Comedy/Drama/Actors issue of TheWrap’s Emmy Magazine.
The very first thing that creator Sam Esmail said to Tod Campbell about “Homecoming” — maybe even before he asked his longtime cinematographer if he wanted to work on the new Amazon series, Campbell said — was that the first episode would include a lengthy tracking shot that would take viewers through the huge, vaguely sinister facility in which Julia Roberts’ character, Heidi, works.
“He wanted to be able to discover that set and that facility by following her on the phone, to fly over the roof and at some point get close with Heidi, and to introduce some of the characters and then ultimately go outside to the car,” Campbell said. “And from there, it took hundreds of meetings and conversations and blood and sweat and tears.
The very first thing that creator Sam Esmail said to Tod Campbell about “Homecoming” — maybe even before he asked his longtime cinematographer if he wanted to work on the new Amazon series, Campbell said — was that the first episode would include a lengthy tracking shot that would take viewers through the huge, vaguely sinister facility in which Julia Roberts’ character, Heidi, works.
“He wanted to be able to discover that set and that facility by following her on the phone, to fly over the roof and at some point get close with Heidi, and to introduce some of the characters and then ultimately go outside to the car,” Campbell said. “And from there, it took hundreds of meetings and conversations and blood and sweat and tears.
- 6/20/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
When showrunner Sam Esmail listened to the conversations in Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg’s popular radio-play style podcast “Homecoming,” there was a voyeuristic aspect to the mystery that reminded him of his favorite psychological thrillers from film history.
“Something that was great in the podcast is that it always constantly felt like you were eavesdropping on their conversations,” Esmail said when he was on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “What Eli and Micah did so brilliantly was that all the conversations felt like they were taped [phone conversations], or they felt like they were from the tape recorder, so I really wanted to play with that visually.”
More than half of Esmail’s series, like the podcast, takes place in the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a live-in facility that supposedly helps soldiers transition to civilian life. Run by a corporation with questionable but not readily apparent motivations, each episode pulls back...
“Something that was great in the podcast is that it always constantly felt like you were eavesdropping on their conversations,” Esmail said when he was on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “What Eli and Micah did so brilliantly was that all the conversations felt like they were taped [phone conversations], or they felt like they were from the tape recorder, so I really wanted to play with that visually.”
More than half of Esmail’s series, like the podcast, takes place in the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a live-in facility that supposedly helps soldiers transition to civilian life. Run by a corporation with questionable but not readily apparent motivations, each episode pulls back...
- 6/11/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Cinematographer Tod Campbell has an impressive resume, but he’s probably best known for helping craft the distinct moody and disruptive nature of Sam Esmail’s “Mr. Robot” and “Homecoming.” The latter stars Julia Roberts as Heidi, a former government caseworker who’s lost memory of her harrowing past.
What’s your process working with Sam like?
Where I like to start with is, “What is the point of view?” I have an idea of what I think is right, and then I sit with Sam and listen to him. Old Hitchcock movies and Brian De Palma are two big references that we looked at quite a bit. Fortunately “Homecoming” was laid out pretty perfectly, because we had the podcast as somewhat of a guide.
How has your relationship with Sam changed in the time you’ve collaborated?
It’s been now four years we’ve been working together. And there’s definitely a shorthand,...
What’s your process working with Sam like?
Where I like to start with is, “What is the point of view?” I have an idea of what I think is right, and then I sit with Sam and listen to him. Old Hitchcock movies and Brian De Palma are two big references that we looked at quite a bit. Fortunately “Homecoming” was laid out pretty perfectly, because we had the podcast as somewhat of a guide.
How has your relationship with Sam changed in the time you’ve collaborated?
It’s been now four years we’ve been working together. And there’s definitely a shorthand,...
- 6/4/2019
- by Rachel Yang
- Variety Film + TV
On Sam Esmail’s Homecoming, cinematographer Tod Campbell looked long and hard for his “Kubrick shot,” standing on the shoulders of giants. A paranoid thriller in the vein of The Conversation, the Amazon series owed a debt to the cinema titan, drawing equal inspiration from the creeping zoom shots of Brian De Palma.
Starring Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Shea Whigham and Bobby Cannavale, Homecoming is based on a fictional podcast created by Micah Bloomberg and Eli Horowitz, a chilling audio experience that became a pop culture sensation, upon its 2016 release. The half-hour drama follows Heidi, a social worker at the Homecoming facility, which purports to aid soldiers in their transition back to civilian life, but is really driven by an altogether more disturbing agenda.
A mystery coming into focus over the course of 10 episodes, Homecoming shifts back and forth between 2018 and 2022, with each timeline transpiring in its own aspect ratio.
Starring Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Shea Whigham and Bobby Cannavale, Homecoming is based on a fictional podcast created by Micah Bloomberg and Eli Horowitz, a chilling audio experience that became a pop culture sensation, upon its 2016 release. The half-hour drama follows Heidi, a social worker at the Homecoming facility, which purports to aid soldiers in their transition back to civilian life, but is really driven by an altogether more disturbing agenda.
A mystery coming into focus over the course of 10 episodes, Homecoming shifts back and forth between 2018 and 2022, with each timeline transpiring in its own aspect ratio.
- 6/3/2019
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
For many years, true cinematic darkness — the indispensable bass note of any cinematographer’s melody — was a struggle to achieve on television screens. Limitations in capture, transmission and display have been overcome in no small part due to the stubborn vision of directors of photography including Roy Wagner, John Bartley and Bill Roe (“The X-Files”) and Jonathan Freeman (“Boardwalk Empire”).
The latest controversy involving a darkly lit “Game of Thrones” episode marks another stage in this evolution, but the main takeaway may be the astonishing extent to which the show’s fans are engaged — less-than-ideal home viewing conditions notwithstanding.
Fabian Wagner, the director of photography behind the episode that has millions discussing contrast ratios, says for every complaint he has heard, a dozen or more have communicated their compliments.
“The whole thing was driven by a creative decision to depict the subjective experience of being in a battle,” says Wagner.
The latest controversy involving a darkly lit “Game of Thrones” episode marks another stage in this evolution, but the main takeaway may be the astonishing extent to which the show’s fans are engaged — less-than-ideal home viewing conditions notwithstanding.
Fabian Wagner, the director of photography behind the episode that has millions discussing contrast ratios, says for every complaint he has heard, a dozen or more have communicated their compliments.
“The whole thing was driven by a creative decision to depict the subjective experience of being in a battle,” says Wagner.
- 5/30/2019
- by David Heuring
- Variety Film + TV
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “Homecoming” Season 1, Episode 8, “Protocol.”]
Two shots in “Protocol,” Episode 8 of Sam Esmail’s “Homecoming,” turn it into the season’s game-changer. Four years separate their timeframes, but both focus on Heidi (Julia Roberts) as she realizes the ulterior motives of the therapeutic facility where she treated veterans.
In 2018, she realizes that the Homecoming program is meant to erase memories so the soldiers can return to combat; in the year 2022, she retrieves that memory, realizing that she programmed herself to forget it.
In the 2018 scene, Heidi is in her office and gathers the items on her desk, clutches them to her, and finally sets them back in their respective places. For Roberts, that scene “speaks directly to my complete faith and surrender to Sam Esmail,” she said. “Because I sat down at this desk, and I was like, ‘So what am I doing?'”
He explained that the scene would last two minutes (“Two minutes?...
Two shots in “Protocol,” Episode 8 of Sam Esmail’s “Homecoming,” turn it into the season’s game-changer. Four years separate their timeframes, but both focus on Heidi (Julia Roberts) as she realizes the ulterior motives of the therapeutic facility where she treated veterans.
In 2018, she realizes that the Homecoming program is meant to erase memories so the soldiers can return to combat; in the year 2022, she retrieves that memory, realizing that she programmed herself to forget it.
In the 2018 scene, Heidi is in her office and gathers the items on her desk, clutches them to her, and finally sets them back in their respective places. For Roberts, that scene “speaks directly to my complete faith and surrender to Sam Esmail,” she said. “Because I sat down at this desk, and I was like, ‘So what am I doing?'”
He explained that the scene would last two minutes (“Two minutes?...
- 11/10/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
On the set of Amazon thriller “Homecoming,” Julia Roberts had one goal: Make “mad scientist” Sam Esmail happy. The “Mr. Robot” creator loves working with lots of moving parts, which included long takes that left Roberts watching her step.
“Just in terms of personal safety, I had to be pretty aware when they take the stairs that were there, because now they’re not there anymore,” she said. “But [the crew and I] just got so in sync. We were like a bunch of children trying to make their dad so proud … you get to the end of it and it’s like, ‘Cut.’ And you just see all of us would just like, freeze for a second, and we’re just waiting, waiting, waiting, and Sam goes, ‘Great!’ And then [the dolly grip] would say, ‘That’s not the real ‘great.’ Let’s go back to one.'”
It was an aerobic experience, Roberts said. “Sam kept raising the bar.
“Just in terms of personal safety, I had to be pretty aware when they take the stairs that were there, because now they’re not there anymore,” she said. “But [the crew and I] just got so in sync. We were like a bunch of children trying to make their dad so proud … you get to the end of it and it’s like, ‘Cut.’ And you just see all of us would just like, freeze for a second, and we’re just waiting, waiting, waiting, and Sam goes, ‘Great!’ And then [the dolly grip] would say, ‘That’s not the real ‘great.’ Let’s go back to one.'”
It was an aerobic experience, Roberts said. “Sam kept raising the bar.
- 11/4/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
You can thank “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail for finally getting Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney together. Fictionally speaking, that is, as the two-time co-stars will be playing lovers on Amazon’s upcoming thriller series “Homecoming.” And it only took them three projects, over two decades, and the help of Esmail, to officially hook them up on screen.
“This is our third time working together,” Roberts told reporters during the show’s panel at the Television Critics Association press tour Saturday, of teaming up with fellow “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “August: Osage County” alum, once more.
“But this is the ‘reunion,'” Esmail, who is directing “Homecoming,” chimed in. “Like, ’cause the second time you guys weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Also Read: 'Homecoming': Julia Roberts Is Ready to 'Get Started' in First Teaser for Amazon Series (Video)
“Well, we weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend the first time,...
“This is our third time working together,” Roberts told reporters during the show’s panel at the Television Critics Association press tour Saturday, of teaming up with fellow “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “August: Osage County” alum, once more.
“But this is the ‘reunion,'” Esmail, who is directing “Homecoming,” chimed in. “Like, ’cause the second time you guys weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Also Read: 'Homecoming': Julia Roberts Is Ready to 'Get Started' in First Teaser for Amazon Series (Video)
“Well, we weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend the first time,...
- 7/28/2018
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Any fan of “Mr. Robot” knows that the show loves its long takes. But Season 3, Episode 5, “eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00,” took it to a whole new level. For approximately 42 uninterrupted minutes, we follow first Elliot (Rami Malek), then Angela (Portia Doubleday), through the offices of E Corp as chaos descends following a riot staged by F Society — one seamless narrative experience unlike anything we’ve seen before on television.
According to director of photography Tod Campbell (who was nominated for an Emmy for his work on “Mr. Robot” this year), “a lot more money went to this episode. We shot for more time, more hours to complete it than we did probably any other episode.”
But it was worth it. Before talking with director and showrunner Sam Esmail and Campbell about the filming of this episode, it wasn’t clear whether or not they’d be open to discussing production details,...
According to director of photography Tod Campbell (who was nominated for an Emmy for his work on “Mr. Robot” this year), “a lot more money went to this episode. We shot for more time, more hours to complete it than we did probably any other episode.”
But it was worth it. Before talking with director and showrunner Sam Esmail and Campbell about the filming of this episode, it wasn’t clear whether or not they’d be open to discussing production details,...
- 11/9/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
“Mr. Robot” is the hardest job that cinematographer Tod Campbell has ever had — and he’s worked on plenty of challenging series, including “Stranger Things” and “The Affair.” But nothing prepared Campbell for the intricacies of Sam Esmail’s dense USA drama.
“I’m not kidding,” Campbell told IndieWire. “It is very hard. I’ve been on a ton of jobs and this one is very difficult, but it’s also the best. The story’s good and the approach is amazing and different.”
“Different” is an understatement when it comes to the Emmy-winning thriller, which has been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on television for three seasons now. In Season 3, the conspiracy surrounding an epic hack that has sent the global economy into freefall has only grown more intense.
At the center of it remains Elliot (Rami Malek), trying to fix the world he and his alter...
“I’m not kidding,” Campbell told IndieWire. “It is very hard. I’ve been on a ton of jobs and this one is very difficult, but it’s also the best. The story’s good and the approach is amazing and different.”
“Different” is an understatement when it comes to the Emmy-winning thriller, which has been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on television for three seasons now. In Season 3, the conspiracy surrounding an epic hack that has sent the global economy into freefall has only grown more intense.
At the center of it remains Elliot (Rami Malek), trying to fix the world he and his alter...
- 11/7/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Shooting the Mr. Robot pilot and the bulk of Stranger Things—projects he’s shared with fellow nominee Tod Campbell—cinematographer Tim Ives has received his first Emmy nomination for his work on the Duffer Brothers’ blockbuster Netflix drama. Looking at reference materials for Stranger Things, Ives found a project that spoke to his own sensibilities and the Amblin classics he loves. While it’s common for fans to latch on strongly to actors and the characters they play, it…...
- 8/26/2017
- Deadline TV
Splitting his time of late between two of television’s most visually stunning dramas, Mr. Robot and Stranger Things, cinematographer Tod Campbell earned his first Emmy nomination this year for his work on the former series. Based in the experience of New York hacker Elliot Alderson—who suffers from a dissociative disorder—Mr. Robot and its shadowed, nightmarish world lend themselves to delicious low lighting and great feats of visual imagination. Below, Campbell outlines…...
- 8/22/2017
- Deadline TV
IndieWire reached out to the cinematographers who received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour), Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), and Limited Series or Movie. We asked them which camera and lenses they used and why they were the right tools to achieve their show’s unique look.
Read More:Cannes 2017: Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
The nominees for outstanding cinematography in this category are Adriano Goldman (“The Crown”), Colin Watkinson (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), James Hawkinson (“The Man in the High Castle”), Tod Campbell (Mr. Robot”), John Toll (“Sense8”), Tim Ives (“Stranger Things”) and Paul Cameron (“Westworld”).
Last Year’s Winner: James Hawkinson for “The Man in the High Castle”
“The Crown”
Cameras: Sony F55s
Lens: Old Cooke Panchros rehoused by Tls UK
Dp Adriano Goldman: “Netflix requires a 4K workflow,...
Read More:Cannes 2017: Here Are the Cameras Used To Shoot 29 of This Year’s Films Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
The nominees for outstanding cinematography in this category are Adriano Goldman (“The Crown”), Colin Watkinson (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), James Hawkinson (“The Man in the High Castle”), Tod Campbell (Mr. Robot”), John Toll (“Sense8”), Tim Ives (“Stranger Things”) and Paul Cameron (“Westworld”).
Last Year’s Winner: James Hawkinson for “The Man in the High Castle”
“The Crown”
Cameras: Sony F55s
Lens: Old Cooke Panchros rehoused by Tls UK
Dp Adriano Goldman: “Netflix requires a 4K workflow,...
- 8/22/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
This year’s one-hour series Emmy contenders for cinematography are marked by some bold sci-fi and dystopian disruptors: “Westworld,” “Stranger Things,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Man in the High Castle” (last year’s winner), “Mr. Robot, and Sense8.” With dazzling visuals, they explored the impact of tyranny and hate, of societies turned upside down, struggling for a greater humanity.
That leaves “The Crown” as the lone historical drama. But it too was a disruptor of sorts in the way that it showcased the symbiotic relationship between the monarchy and Parliament in post-war Great Britain, steered by the young Queen Elizabeth (nominated Claire Foy) and the old warhorse, Winston Churchill (nominated John Lithgow).
But don’t be surprised if it comes down to a race between the dueling dystopias: “Westworld” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“Westworld”
The clash of two worlds envisioned by showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the...
That leaves “The Crown” as the lone historical drama. But it too was a disruptor of sorts in the way that it showcased the symbiotic relationship between the monarchy and Parliament in post-war Great Britain, steered by the young Queen Elizabeth (nominated Claire Foy) and the old warhorse, Winston Churchill (nominated John Lithgow).
But don’t be surprised if it comes down to a race between the dueling dystopias: “Westworld” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“Westworld”
The clash of two worlds envisioned by showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the...
- 8/15/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Although the argument of TV vs. film primacy has moved to the point of psychic exhaustion, “cinematic” remains the #1 adjective used in every Emmy pitch. The highest praise that can be accorded small-screen stories is when a creator’s vision is expressed in visual language… that evokes a movie.
Read More: ‘The Leftovers’ Is the Best Show on Television Because It’s Breaking the First Rule of Storytelling
However, what so often gets lost in all this sound and fury is, no matter the budget, it’s the film and TV production processes that shape the final product. For the creative team behind “Mr. Robot,” they wanted to find a path that would give them the aesthetics that can only come with expansive planning, while maintaining much of the run-and-gun pace TV production demands.
How TV Gets Made
After wrapping season one of “Mr. Robot,” cinematographer Tod Campbell wasn’t particularly satisfied.
Read More: ‘The Leftovers’ Is the Best Show on Television Because It’s Breaking the First Rule of Storytelling
However, what so often gets lost in all this sound and fury is, no matter the budget, it’s the film and TV production processes that shape the final product. For the creative team behind “Mr. Robot,” they wanted to find a path that would give them the aesthetics that can only come with expansive planning, while maintaining much of the run-and-gun pace TV production demands.
How TV Gets Made
After wrapping season one of “Mr. Robot,” cinematographer Tod Campbell wasn’t particularly satisfied.
- 5/31/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Tod Campbell, director of photography on USA Network’s Mr. Robot, talked to Awards Daily about having Season 2’s lighting influenced by plot spoilers. This is the latest in a...
- 5/3/2017
- by Megan McLachlan
- AwardsDaily.com
All six are on the slate but not all scheduled.Courtesy DC
Update: This one’s been seemingly debunked by Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, two guys who would definitely know. Dig the tweet chain below. But regardless of when the films are being released, they are still all in various stages of production, so you’re getting them, the question is just when. Thanks to Adam Hlavac for politely correcting me.
Hey @geoffjohns why didn't you tell me we were releasing 4 Batman movies in 2019? Can we increase that to 10?
— @thejonberg
In 2019, Batman will celebrate his 80th year of costumed crimefighting, and if you believe rumors started on the Reddit Dceu board (and as reported by Screen Rant), Warner Bros. is gonna do it up big, like, six films big.
According to the report, all four live-action Batfilms currently in development — The Batman, Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, and Batgirl — will all drop in 2019, along with two animated...
Update: This one’s been seemingly debunked by Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, two guys who would definitely know. Dig the tweet chain below. But regardless of when the films are being released, they are still all in various stages of production, so you’re getting them, the question is just when. Thanks to Adam Hlavac for politely correcting me.
Hey @geoffjohns why didn't you tell me we were releasing 4 Batman movies in 2019? Can we increase that to 10?
— @thejonberg
In 2019, Batman will celebrate his 80th year of costumed crimefighting, and if you believe rumors started on the Reddit Dceu board (and as reported by Screen Rant), Warner Bros. is gonna do it up big, like, six films big.
According to the report, all four live-action Batfilms currently in development — The Batman, Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, and Batgirl — will all drop in 2019, along with two animated...
- 4/11/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
While Damien Chazelle predictably took the DGA Award for “La La Land” on Saturday night, the ASC rejected the self-reverential Hollywood musical in favor of the more dramatic and politically impactful “Lion,” honoring Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser. “Lion” director Garth Davis took home Best First Director at the DGAs.
However, “La La Land’s” cinematographer, Linus Sandgren, still remains the Oscar favorite, despite the fact that, in the last 20 years, the ASC winner has taken the Academy Award 11 times.
With “Lion,” the incredibly true story of Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel), the Indian who used Google Earth to locate his birth family several decades after his separation and adoption in Australia, Fraser essentially made two movies in one. Fortunately, the top Camerimage prize winner had previous experience shooting in India.
“Trying to capture the essence of India is almost like trying to bottle magic, which is hard to do because India...
However, “La La Land’s” cinematographer, Linus Sandgren, still remains the Oscar favorite, despite the fact that, in the last 20 years, the ASC winner has taken the Academy Award 11 times.
With “Lion,” the incredibly true story of Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel), the Indian who used Google Earth to locate his birth family several decades after his separation and adoption in Australia, Fraser essentially made two movies in one. Fortunately, the top Camerimage prize winner had previous experience shooting in India.
“Trying to capture the essence of India is almost like trying to bottle magic, which is hard to do because India...
- 2/5/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
DGA Film Winners Outstanding Director, Feature Film: Damien Chazelle, La La Land Outstanding Director, Documentary: Ezra Edelman, Oj: Made in America Outstanding Director, First-Time Feature Film: Garth Davis, Lion Asc...
- 2/5/2017
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
The American Society of Cinematographers (Asc) have announced the television nominees for their 31st annual Outstanding Achievement Awards.
This year “Game of Thrones” received two nominations, more than any other show. Anette Haellmigk and Fabian Wagner are both receiving their third nominations for the HBO show. Haellmigk was previously nominated for the series in 2014 and 2015, and Wagner in 2015 and 2016.
Other notable nominees include Christopher Norr who is receiving his third consecutive nomination for his work on “Gotham,” and Richard Rutkowski gets his second nomination for “Manhattan.” New series receiving praise this year include “Westworld” and “The Exorcist.”
Read More: Sundance 2017 Announces Short Selections, With New Films From Kristen Stewart, Laura Poitras and Many More
The nominees were selected by Asc active members who voted on submissions. This year’s winners will be revealed on February 4, 2017, at the organization’s annual ceremony at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles.
This year “Game of Thrones” received two nominations, more than any other show. Anette Haellmigk and Fabian Wagner are both receiving their third nominations for the HBO show. Haellmigk was previously nominated for the series in 2014 and 2015, and Wagner in 2015 and 2016.
Other notable nominees include Christopher Norr who is receiving his third consecutive nomination for his work on “Gotham,” and Richard Rutkowski gets his second nomination for “Manhattan.” New series receiving praise this year include “Westworld” and “The Exorcist.”
Read More: Sundance 2017 Announces Short Selections, With New Films From Kristen Stewart, Laura Poitras and Many More
The nominees were selected by Asc active members who voted on submissions. This year’s winners will be revealed on February 4, 2017, at the organization’s annual ceremony at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles.
- 12/6/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
"That's how it happened. That's all you missed. That's everything."
It's this sort of pronouncement — delivered by Elliot after he's taken us on a flashback tour of his life behind bars — that should set alarm bells a-ringin' in the mind of any Mr. Robot viewer. There is no bottom to the rabbit hole on this show; and if our man is telling us there is one, it's a sure sign that he's less in control than he thinks he is. And he's definitely not the only one. Last night's episode...
It's this sort of pronouncement — delivered by Elliot after he's taken us on a flashback tour of his life behind bars — that should set alarm bells a-ringin' in the mind of any Mr. Robot viewer. There is no bottom to the rabbit hole on this show; and if our man is telling us there is one, it's a sure sign that he's less in control than he thinks he is. And he's definitely not the only one. Last night's episode...
- 9/1/2016
- Rollingstone.com
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With Mr Robot now available to stream on Amazon Prime, we chat to creator Sam Esmail about the 90s, geekdom and on-screen hackers…
First: an admission of incompetence. The most interesting question to put to Sam Esmail, creator and showrunner of the best new series to come out of the Us this year, only came to me on my way out of the interview, while stood on the lushly carpeted staircase of the Mayfair hotel hosting the Mr Robot junket. It’s this: how does Esmail’s show square its anti-capitalist, anti-corporate themes with a Us home on an NBCUniversal channel owned by multi-billion dollar corporation, Comcast, and now a UK home on Amazon Prime? That, I would have liked to have asked.
Mr Robot, for those who don't yet know, is the story of Elliot Alderson [Rami Malek], a socially anxious cybertech security worker who becomes involved with...
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With Mr Robot now available to stream on Amazon Prime, we chat to creator Sam Esmail about the 90s, geekdom and on-screen hackers…
First: an admission of incompetence. The most interesting question to put to Sam Esmail, creator and showrunner of the best new series to come out of the Us this year, only came to me on my way out of the interview, while stood on the lushly carpeted staircase of the Mayfair hotel hosting the Mr Robot junket. It’s this: how does Esmail’s show square its anti-capitalist, anti-corporate themes with a Us home on an NBCUniversal channel owned by multi-billion dollar corporation, Comcast, and now a UK home on Amazon Prime? That, I would have liked to have asked.
Mr Robot, for those who don't yet know, is the story of Elliot Alderson [Rami Malek], a socially anxious cybertech security worker who becomes involved with...
- 10/15/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Mr Robot concludes its first season with a teasingly inconclusive but satisfying finale. Bring on season two…
This review contains spoilers.
1.10 eps1.9_zer0-day.avi
Three days is a long time in cyber-hacking. Since we last saw our unreliable narrator, the global economy has been brought to the brink of collapse. Not that Elliot remembers how, why, or indeed, whether he’s responsible.
After the Darlene and Tyler Dad-en revelations of previous episodes, I doubted whether Mr Robot had saved enough mysteries for its upcoming second season. Trust in creator Sam Esmail, is the lesson learnt. After this teasingly inconclusive finale, written and directed by Esmail, it’s clear that there are more than enough question marks dangling for Mr Robot’s return.
Zero Day may not have given many decisive answers, but it did provide a satisfying sense that everything on this show is done for a reason. The...
This review contains spoilers.
1.10 eps1.9_zer0-day.avi
Three days is a long time in cyber-hacking. Since we last saw our unreliable narrator, the global economy has been brought to the brink of collapse. Not that Elliot remembers how, why, or indeed, whether he’s responsible.
After the Darlene and Tyler Dad-en revelations of previous episodes, I doubted whether Mr Robot had saved enough mysteries for its upcoming second season. Trust in creator Sam Esmail, is the lesson learnt. After this teasingly inconclusive finale, written and directed by Esmail, it’s clear that there are more than enough question marks dangling for Mr Robot’s return.
Zero Day may not have given many decisive answers, but it did provide a satisfying sense that everything on this show is done for a reason. The...
- 9/4/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
When Tod Campbell joined Mr. Robot as director of photography on its second episode, he had what Marlo Stanfield from The Wire might refer to as “one of them good problems” in deciding how to shoot it. Lead actor Rami Malek’s eyes were almost too gorgeous. “My God, Rami? I could put a light a hundred yards away and his eyes would pick it up,” says the veteran cinematographer of shows from Friday Night Lights to Sleepy Hollow. This ocular casting coup helped determine how Campbell came to shape the distinctive look of creator Sam Esmail’s twisty, anti-capitalist hacker drama, one of the summer’s standout shows (its finale airs on USA tonight). And you don’t need Malek-size eyes to see that Mr. Robot composes its shots like nothing else on television today. Fitting for a show about those occupying society’s technological substrata, Mr. Robot’s...
- 9/2/2015
- by Sean T. Collins
- Vulture
When Mr. Robot debuted back in June, the show was pitched as a ripped-from-the-headlines techno-thriller, with the return of Christian Slater to TV as its main attraction. Now, two months and 10 episodes later, the USA network has an unlikely hit on its hands: a visually striking, subversive, and often surprising drama about the dehumanizing effects of our corporate-controlled, internet-addicted modern world. And a lot of the credit for the show's out-of-left-field success belongs to the man who plays the series' troubled hacker hero — the 34-year-old character actor Rami Malek.
After...
After...
- 8/26/2015
- Rollingstone.com
Icg national president Steven Poster with Cameron Duncan, winner of Panavision's $60,000 film rental package at the International Cinematographers Guild's 14th Annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards were held Sunday, Sept. 26, at the Directors Guild of America Theater in West Hollywood. Duncan's win was for his work on the the short film Mr. Marceau. Arri awarded a prize to Tod Campbell, Dp on The Big Bends. Brian Udoff received a prize from Abel Cinetech for his work on Les Mouches, and Deluxe gave their award to Jacob Pinger, cinematographer on The Cycle. Other honorees, whose films were shown, were Stephanie Dufford (Fantastic Magnifico), Rodney Lamborn (Meridian), Patrick Meade Jones (Android Love) and John Snedden (Brite Eyes). Trailers were screened for two Honorable Mentions: Aaron Medick (Weequahic) and Tim Bellen (State of Grace). Click on the image to enlarge it. Photo: Mathew Imaging...
- 9/28/2010
- by Zhea D.
- Alt Film Guide
HollywoodNews.com: The International Cinematographers Guild has announced the honorees for its 14th annual Emerging Cinematographers Awards. The eight short subjects and two honorable mentioned films from Guild members will be shown at a special screening at the Directors Guild of America Theater in Los Angeles on September 26. A reception will follow.
Icg President Steven Poster said, “Our Emerging Cinematographers Awards are unique in the industry in that they recognize members who have not yet reached the top tier in our guild. They are all aspiring to be or are in the process of moving up to Director of Photography. These awards have always helped past honorees in their careers.
Icg judges from across the country, under the chairmanship of Jim Matlosz, selected the 10 films from some 70 that were submitted.
Honored were Tod Campbell for “The Big Bends;” Cameron Duncan, “Mr Marceau;” Stephanie Dufford honored for “The Fantastic Magnifico” Patrick Jones’ Android Love;” Rodney Lamborn,...
Icg President Steven Poster said, “Our Emerging Cinematographers Awards are unique in the industry in that they recognize members who have not yet reached the top tier in our guild. They are all aspiring to be or are in the process of moving up to Director of Photography. These awards have always helped past honorees in their careers.
Icg judges from across the country, under the chairmanship of Jim Matlosz, selected the 10 films from some 70 that were submitted.
Honored were Tod Campbell for “The Big Bends;” Cameron Duncan, “Mr Marceau;” Stephanie Dufford honored for “The Fantastic Magnifico” Patrick Jones’ Android Love;” Rodney Lamborn,...
- 8/2/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
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