Cinemapodgrapher

What does it take to keep the magic of cinema alive in a digital world?

In this episode of The Cinema Pod, Josh Calder sits down with Rob Murphy, filmmaker, projectionist and passionate advocate for film preservation, who has spent over 20 years working at Melbourne's iconic Sun Theatre in Yarraville, recently named one of Time Out's Top 100 cinemas in the world.

From the golden age of Cinerama to the resurgence of 35mm and 70mm film, Rob takes us behind the scenes of an art form that many thought would disappear with the arrival of digital...

What does it take to earn Steven Spielberg's trust behind the camera and keep it for nearly three decades?

Mitch Dubin SOC has operated 18 films for Spielberg, including Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Munich, Catch Me If You Can and West Side Story.

In this episode, Mitch takes us inside the craft of camera operating at its highest level. He shares how he developed his instinct for framing, why the relationship between an operator and dolly grip is so important, how the camera can protect an actor's performance, and what it means to truly tell...

What happens when you stop waiting for permission and just make the film?

Writer-director Brynn Chainey joins Josh Calder to unpack the journey behind his debut feature Rabbit Trap, starring Dev Patel. From years spent making short films to finding the collaborators who truly connected with his strange, atmospheric vision, Brynn shares how the independently made film eventually found its way to Sundance and Focus Features.

They talk candidly about finding your voice as a filmmaker, the struggle of writing, choosing authenticity over what the industry expects, and the realities of bringing an ambitious feature...

How do you create something new inside one of the most recognisable worlds in television?

This week, Lucas Tomoana SOC ACO sits down with Emmy nominated cinematographer Gustav Danielsson FSF, whose work spans You the Living, Black Mirror, The Glass Dome and HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Gustav takes us from his beginnings studying architecture in Sweden to collaborating with Roy Andersson, shooting the acclaimed Black Mirror episode San Junipero, before diving deep into the cinematography of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

We explore how Gustav and director Owen Harris...

What if the most important photographs taken on a film set aren't of the actors, but of the people behind the camera?

This week, Josh Calder sits down with veteran Unit Stills Photographer Jon Platt, whose career has taken him from Second AC and Focus Puller to Camera Operator and, eventually, behind the stills camera.

Across nearly four decades, Jon has worked alongside some of the industry's great filmmakers on productions including Black Robe, Strictly Ballroom and Fly Away Home. He shares stories from a life on set, what a Unit Stills Photographer is really...

How do two film crews come together to make one seamless blockbuster?

In Part 2 of our Mortal Kombat series, 2nd Unit DP Pete McCaffrey takes us inside the relationship between Main Unit and Second Unit, explaining how every shot, every fight sequence and every lighting decision has to feel like it came from the same camera, even when it is being filmed by different crews. We explore the incredible collaboration between Pete, Director Simon McQuoid, DP Stephen Windon ACS ASC, 2nd Unit Director Kyle Gardiner and the hundreds of crew members who make a production of this...

How do you turn a love of movies into a career?

This week, Josh Calder sits down with comedian, filmmaker, podcaster and one of Australia's most trusted voices on cinema, Alexei Toliopoulos. From hosting trivia at the iconic Golden Age Cinema to building a career across stand up, documentaries, ABC film reviews and podcasting, Alexei has spent more than a decade helping audiences discover films that truly mean something to them.

They chat about building a creative career across multiple passions, why collaboration matters when motivation disappears, and the challenge of balancing creativity with burnout...

Stephen Windon ACS ASC has spent more than 50 years behind the camera, building a career that has taken him from the ABC in Sydney to some of Hollywood's biggest productions. A third-generation filmmaker and ACS Hall of Fame inductee, Stephen's credits include seven Fast & Furious films, Star Trek Beyond, The Gray Man, The Electric State and, most recently, Mortal Kombat 2.

In Part 1 of our Mortal Kombat 2 series, Stephen joins Lucas Tomoana to discuss his remarkable career journey, the evolution of action filmmaking, and the challenges of leading large-scale productions. The conversation dives into the making of Mortal...

She helps hold together some of the biggest films in Hollywood, solving impossible problems with gravity, camera rigs and pure instinct. This week on Cinemapodgrapher, we are joined by legendary Key Grip Tana Dubbe.

Starting out taking stills in New York before moving into film, Tanner has spent more than 25 years building a career across some of the industry's biggest productions including Iron Man, The Bling Ring and One Battle After Another.

In this conversation, Tanner breaks down the differences between American and Australian grip departments, building high performance grip teams, shaping light with cinematographers...

Johanna "Jojo" Coelho is redefining how modern television is shot. The cinematographer of the award winning HBO series The Pitt joins Lucas Tomoana to unpack the groundbreaking visual approach behind the show. Jojo shares how her journey from France to the American Film Institute shaped her path to becoming a director of photography in Hollywood.

The conversation dives into the immersive camera style of The Pitt, how the team designed a fully integrated lighting system built directly into the set, and the choreography required to capture complex continuous shot sequences inside a chaotic emergency room environment.

Ashley Connor turns comedy into something quietly unnerving, building images that feel like they are slipping out from under you.

In this episode, the cinematographer behind HBO's The Chair Company shares how her roots in experimental film and microbudget features shaped a bold, instinct driven approach to image making.

She unpacks her collaboration with the directors, shooting all eight episodes on the Alexa 35 with K35 lenses, and why taking the character's descent seriously allowed the comedy to land even harder.

We also dive into in camera experimentation, working fast without sacrificing intention, and...

Oscar nominated cinematographer Michael Bauman has lived almost every corner of the lighting department, from best boy to gaffer to director of photography, shaping some of the most iconic imagery in modern cinema. At the centre of this conversation is One Battle After Another, the film that marks a defining chapter in his journey behind the camera and a turning point in his creative evolution.

Michael reflects on decades of collaboration with filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson, Janusz Kaminski and Robert Elswit, unpacking how trust and visual language develop over time. He shares the path from lighting...

Academy Award–nominated production designer Tamara Deverell joins the podcast following her Oscar-nominated work on Frankenstein, a visually operatic reimagining that stands as one of the most ambitious production design achievements in recent cinema.

With a career spanning decades and long-standing collaborations with Guillermo del Toro, Tamara has helped shape richly textured worlds across film and television. In this conversation, she strips back the job title and explains what a production designer truly does, how the art department is structured, and why research, collaboration, and logistics are just as critical as imagination.

The episode dives de...

At the age of 30, Jules O'Loughlin ASC ACS walked away from a successful career as a futures trader and made the decision to pursue cinematography full-time. After enrolling at AFTRS, he shot his first feature Kokoda, a film that helped launch his career in the Australian film industry. That decision set Jules on a path from local features to major international productions, leading to credits including Ms Marvel, The Old Man, See, The Hitman's Bodyguard, Angel Has Fallen, Black Sails and most recently Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2.

Jules reflects on changing industries later in...

When Ben Eeley ACO SOC is not camera operating, he spends his spare time running marathons, cycling, swimming and training for the Ironman.

This episode explores how fitness and endurance play a role in camera operating, alongside Steadicam, wheels, conventional operating, using the ZeeGee and handheld work. Ben shares insight into the physical demands of the job, how he began his Steadicam career and the nuts and bolts of the equipment he uses.

The conversation also touches on being thrown into the deep end on large budget features, performing under pressure and how handling that...

International camera operator Brett Hurd SOC joins us after a run on shows like The Handmaid's Tale, Mrs America, The Terminal List and American Primeval. We talk about the path that took him from early sports broadcasting and documentary work to operating on major dramas around the world.

Brett shares how still photography shapes his eye, why mobility and body awareness matter for handheld, and how growing up skating and playing sport feeds directly into his work today. He opens up about the pressure of big opportunities, the value of being uncomfortable, and the moments that pushed...

This week on Cinemapodgrapher, one of our new hosts, Hannah, sits down with acclaimed production designer Sue Chan, whose work spans Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Where the Crawdads Sing, Colossal, and now the highly anticipated series Murderbot. Together they explore Sue's approach to world-building, the design of the AI-driven character at the heart of Murderbot, and how her background in architecture, theatre and art direction shaped her storytelling eye. Sue opens up about balancing practical and visual effects, creating entire alien languages, and grounding futuristic sci-fi worlds in human emotion and design history. A thoughtful...

This week on Cinemapodgrapher, new host Josh Calder sits down with one of Australia's most respected dolly grips, Dave Shaw. With over 30 years in the industry and credits on War Machine, Thor: Ragnarok, The Hobbit, Avatar, Eat Pray Love, San Andreas, Furiosa, Nim's Island, and Pete's Dragon, Dave has seen it all from behind the camera.

They unpack what it truly means to be a dolly grip, the craft, the instinct, and the trust required to move the camera in harmony with story and emotion. Dave shares how he got his start, the lessons that shaped his...

For many years Jacques Jouffret ASC was one of the world's top camera operators, winning the SOC Camera Operator of the Year award for his work on Into the Wild and contributing to multiple Transformers films, Swordfish, Seabiscuit, Deepwater Horizon, Man on Fire, Patriots Day and Lone Survivor. Today he is an acclaimed cinematographer whose credits include The Purge, Jack Ryan, Mile 22, Gran Turismo and his Emmy nominated work on American Primeval.

This week on Cinemapodgrapher we sit down with Jacques to hear his journey from growing up in France to moving to the United States, discovering...

The legendary team from Skywalker Sound, Supervising Sound Editor Al Nelson, Lead Sound Effects Editor Luke Dunn-Gielmuda, and Sound Design Assistant Andree Lin join us for Part 2 of F1, the movie.

From working with Joseph Kosinski, collaborating with Sir Lewis Hamilton, to drawing lessons from Top Gun: Maverick, the team breaks down how they reconstructed the visceral sounds of Formula 1 racing. We explore the artistry and technical precision behind building engines from silence, capturing the rush of speed, and crafting a sonic experience that feels authentic not only to everyday listeners, but to the most die-hard Formula 1...

Andor Season 2 has earned 14 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Cinematography. DP Christophe Nuyens SBC joins us to discuss his nominated work on Episodes 1–6.

We talk about his journey through the Belgian, French, and English film industries, and his extended preproduction with director Ariel Kleiman, where they used ILM's live-vis system to plan shots. Christophe also shares why he prefers shooting in full frame, his search for full frame anamorphic lenses, and the creative benefits of the Venice 2 and the Sony ecosystem of cameras. 

He reflects on his approach to staging oners, his philosophy of lighting, and bre...

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, cinematographer Matthew Chuang ACS has always been drawn to telling stories rooted in culture and identity. After reaching a creative ceiling in Australia, he made the leap to Los Angeles where he connected with director Justin Chon. The two have since collaborated on multiple projects, most recently reuniting for Apple TV's epic series Chief of War.

In this conversation, Matt reflects on his upbringing in Australia, his journey into the world of independent filmmaking in the United States, and his first experience working on a large scale television production. He...

The first digital imaging technician to join the podcast, Jason Bauer began his career using still photography for previs on productions shooting film.

As cinematography shifted to digital, Jason trained other digital imaging technicians before eventually stepping into the role himself. Now one of the most sought-after DITs in the industry, he has worked on major productions around the world.

In this episode, we explore the role of the DIT and the value they bring to a director of photography. Jason breaks down the hardware and software he uses, how he works on set, and...

From fighter jets to race cars, Dan Ming is a world-class 1st AC who loves tech.

Dan Ming and his team are known for their work on Top Gun: Maverick, and now they've taken those lessons, pushing the boundaries even further, to bring you F1.

We talk about the collaboration with some of the biggest brands in the game: Sony, Apple, and Panavision, and the camera builds that came out of it: Sony's Carmen (a custom-built car mount camera), Apple's Wing Camera, and Panavision's custom Pan Head. Plus, how they built a full Mercedes F2...

DP Adam Newport-Berra and Camera Operator Mark Goellnicht SOC ACO are the powerhouse duo behind the lens of The Studio.

In this episode, we dive into what it's really like working with comedy legends and co-directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Adam and Mark take us through the camera rigs they tested and how they meticulously choreographed scenes that feel like total chaos but are actually tightly crafted.

We also break down some of the most jaw dropping shots in the series, the kind that had us hitting rewind just to figure out how they...

Cinematographer Ksenia Sereda takes us behind the scenes for The Last Of Us Season 2. It's clear from the start how deeply she loves what she does. She lives and breathes her work and her passion is infectious. In this episode, we break down everything from the custom-built Cooke lenses she helped design, shooting cast on horseback and the responsibility of being setup DP for the show.

We dig into several key episodes including the beautiful flashback scenes of episode 6 and unpack the technical hurdles of shooting inside a spaceship. 

A true fan of the game an...

Chris Teague, an Emmy Award winning Director of Photography, has worked on a diverse slate of projects, from Russian Doll and Only Murders in the Building to entering the Star Wars universe with The Acolyte.

In our conversation, we talk about his path into drama, the value of building strong creative relationships, and what it means to be a setup DP. We also get into preproduction, LUTs, fight choreography, and how Chris approached the unique lighting challenges of working within the Star Wars universe. 

This podcast is proudly brought to you by our technology partner S...

Key Grip Adam "Skull" Kuiper and Best Boy Josh Calder lead one of Australia's top grip teams at AJK Grips. In this episode, we dive into how Skull earned his nickname, his journey into key gripping, and the art of building grip trucks from the ground up. Josh shares insights into the role of a Best Boy Grip and their shared vision for training the next generation of technicians.

We also chat about their work in Namibia on Mad Max: Fury Road, the evolution of grip tech for Furiosa, and the sheer scale of stunts and logistics...

Aiden Kelly is one of the world's leading remote pilots and the co-founder of XM2. He shares how he started out flying remote helicopters and running a hobby shop, which led to building XM2 into a global remote head company with offices in Australia, the US, the UK, and Korea. We talk about the early days of drone cinematography and how XM2 expanded into arm cars, e-bikes, cable cams, and RC tracking vehicles. Aiden breaks down the challenges of flying on major films, including Tom Cruise's motorcycle cliff jump in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, high-speed car chases in James...

Mandy Walker AM ASC ACS's stunning cinematography has captivated audiences around the world. From Australia to Elvis, Snow White, and commercials for global brands like Chanel, Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Audi — her work is bold, emotional, and always cinematic.

In this episode, Mandy shares how she carved her own path without film school, became a trailblazer for women in film, and developed her approach to storytelling on big-budget productions. She also talks through her work on Snow White — from camera tests to musical sequences, and how she lit the sets of Disney's latest feature.

She's an i...

Netflix hit series Adolescence has taken the world by storm — a gripping 4-part mini series exploring parenting, misogyny, and bullying — each episode shot in one continuous take. This week on the podcast, we chat with Director of Photography Matt Lewis and Camera Operator Lee Brown, the duo behind the lens of this viral sensation.

They break down exactly how they pulled off the oners- from the technical challenges to the physical intensity of each episode. We dive into Matt's history with the One Take technique, why he chose the Ronin 4D for this project, and how Lee got...

Markus Förderer ASC BVK takes us behind the scenes of September 5, an independent feature where he crafted an authentic 1970s broadcast aesthetic while pushing the boundaries of digital cinematography. He shares how he transformed the RED V-Raptor to look like film, lit the set for 360-degree shooting, and operated in a raw, documentary style without rehearsals.

Markus also discusses the challenges of building a set that felt true to the era, working with vintage-inspired lighting, and his unconventional decision to pull apart and detune his own zoom lenses to create a messier, more organic look. Along t...

Sean Flannery has operated on some of the biggest live broadcasts in the world—Oscars, Grammys, Super Bowl Halftime Shows, you name it. In this episode, we sit down with Sean to unpack what it takes to operate under intense pressure while millions watch live.

We dive deep into the technical side of Steadicam and Trinity, break down what it was like bringing the Kenergy with Ryan Gosling at the Oscars, and get an insider's look at filming some of the most iconic Super Bowl Halftime Shows—including performances by Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar.

If you're...

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Poynter ACO, SOC Assoc, BSC to talk about his journey from a young assistant to becoming the President of the ACO (Association of Camera Operators). Matt shares insights into the ACO's role in the industry, as well as his own career path—moving to London, starting out in a rental house, and the pivotal moment when he met cinematographer Sean Bobbitt BSC.

We also dive into his experience assisting on documentaries and drama, his step up to A-camera operator in Malaysia, and the nuances of A vs. B camera op...

What does it take to be the series DP for Beast Games, the most ambitious reality  series ever, helmed by none other than MrBeast? In this episode, we sit down with cinematographer Jason Elliott to break down the high-stakes spectacle—shattering camera world records, orchestrating shots with 1,000 contestants and a massive crew, and bringing extravagant sets to life. Jason shares how he landed a role at Beast Headquarters, managing over 100 camera crew and an astonishing 1,000+ cameras while shooting inside a $15 million Beast City. Want an exclusive look at the future of large-scale digital filmmaking? Hit play!

In this episode, we dive into Invisible Boys, the Stan original series adapted from Holden Sheppard's award-winning novel. The story follows four young men navigating identity and sexuality in a coastal country town—a perspective rarely seen on Australian screens.

Joining the podcast is Director Nicholas Verso and Cinematographer Jason Hargreaves ACS. We discuss how Nick optioned the book and his journey breaking into directing, the collaborative writing process, and the challenge of helming all ten episodes as the sole director. Nick and Jason break down their approach to coverage and lighting, and we share stories from fi...

Heidi Jo Gilbert's journey in animation is as inspiring as the stories she brings to life. After losing her dream job at Disney and facing one of the darkest times in her life, Heidi found unexpected inspiration in the story of Tom Brady—a quarterback who overcame doubt to become one of the greatest. That spark ignited her comeback. She channeled her creativity into an Instagram reel about Wicked that went viral, catapulting her career to new heights.

In this episode, Heidi shares how she turned career setbacks into success, including her role as Head of Story on...

On this episode of Cinemapodgrapher, we sit down with international dolly grip Jamie Starr to discuss his incredible career. From starting out as a video assistant to working on James Bond, to dolly gripping on 1917, and Star Wars: Episode VIII. He also gives us an insider's perspective on the art of dolly gripping and working with telescopic cranes.

And, of course, we couldn't miss chatting about his legendary Starr Grips merch, including the now-iconic Starr Grips "Budgie Smugglers." Whether you're in the industry or simply love hearing how the magic is made, this episode is packed with...

Producer Patrick Caligiuri began creating content during COVID discussing the Film & TV industry on TikTok and Instagram. He has since amassed over 250k followers and established himself as a respected voice and thought leader. Patrick joins us to explore the biggest topics shaping the future of entertainment, including the decline of Hollywood, the clash between traditional studios and tech giants, the rise of independent filmmaking, the transformative impact of AI, and the growth of short-form content on social media. Plus, we discuss how brands like Chick-fil-A are moving away from traditional commercials to embrace branded storytelling, helping redefine the...

Helen Shaver has directed some of television's most celebrated shows, including Vikings, Orphan Black, Law & Order: SVU, Westworld, Station Eleven and The Penguin (Episodes 4 and 5). Helen takes us on a personal journey, sharing how a childhood illness led her to discover a passion for storytelling. We explore how her time in the hospital influenced her path to acting and, eventually, her transition to directing—during a period when female directors were still a rare presence in North American television.

Helen opens up about her directing process, the preparation that went into her episodes of The Penguin, and her...