10 of The Best Podcast Episodes for Newton Thomas Sigel. A collection of podcasts episodes with or about Newton Thomas Sigel, often where they are interviewed.
10 of The Best Podcast Episodes for Newton Thomas Sigel. A collection of podcasts episodes with or about Newton Thomas Sigel, often where they are interviewed.
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Welcome back to the Art of the Shot podcast!
I took a little mid-season break because of the pandemic, but rest assured that the Art of the Shot is alive and well. The past few months have been fruitful and I’m happy to bring you some great new episodes in the coming weeks.
This episode features Oscar-nominated cinematographer, Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC, the man responsible for lensing modern classics like The Usual Suspects and Drive, as well as Three Kings, 4 movies in the X-Men series, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the recent Netflix hit film, Extraction—the most watched Netflix film yet.
Tom and I have a really deep conversation that delves into some of his amazing life experiences, his approach to lighting, thoughts on the art and craft of cinematography, and many details on shooting his latest film, Da 5 Bloods, for director Spike Lee.
Listen and you will discover:
—Tom's thoughts on this time we're in, having grown up in Detroit during a similar period of American history. (00:04:30)
—How Tom got his career started. (00:17:40)
—How Tom became the first person to film the Contras in Nicaragua and then became mentored by Haskell Wexler, ASC. (00:24:41)
—Difference between a pro and a master and Tom's thoughts on what it takes to become a master of the craft. (00:29:47)
—Tom's general approach to lighting and some lighting techniques. (00:45:06)
—Difference between natural lighting and realistic lighting. (00:50:07)
—Film vs digital and why digital is much more forgiving. (00:55:35)
—The state of the art today and the challenge of making great images when it's increasingly easy for anyone to make good images. (00:57:30)
—Democratization of visual storytelling and making an impact amidst overwhelming noise. (01:01:02)
—Tom’s process of manipulating light to create the impression of naturalism. (01:03:38)
—How some of the shots were created in Da 5 Bloods. (01:06:12)
—How Tom got involved with Da 5 Bloods. (01:09:17)
—Tom's experience of shooting in Vietnam, having grown up during the Vietnam War era and how that informed his visual choices. (01:14:14)
—Reasons for choice of shooting 16mm reversal film. (01:17:57)
—Camera and lenses used on Da 5 Bloods. (01:25:52)
—Why the aspect ratio changes multiple times in the film. (01:26:47)
—Use of the Arri Trinity over Steadicam. (01:28:52)
—What it's like working with Spike Lee, Spike's process as a director, and what Tom has learned from him. (01:30:22)
—How Tom played a role in the casting of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men. (01:39:26)
—Tom's favorite shot from his career thus far. (01:44:16)
—The importance of being present on set and always looking for ways to serve the film. (01:47:31)
—Advice for up-and-coming filmmakers and cinematographers. (01:50:07)
If you haven't yet, please subscribe to be notified of future episodes, and share this podcast with others to help grow the show and spread the knowledge! And if you're on Apple Podcasts, a review would be very appreciated!
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Da 5 Bloods trailer audio copyright Netflix, Inc. Used with permission courtesy of Netflix.
---The cinematographer discusses “going up the river” for Spike Lee’s striking Vietnam War epic, creatively employing multiple formats for image capture.
On the show today we are chatting with cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel ASC about his career and his most recent worn on Da 5 Bloods. Enjoy!Commercial Cinematography: The Foundation CourseIf you are interested in Commercial Cinematography and getting the most out of Pre-Production than this course is for you. In the course I lay out a step […]
The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #234 – Newton Thomas Sigel appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.
The Movie Geeks speak with acclaimed cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive, X-Men, Three Kings) about his roster of stunning work, including his latest collaboration with director Spike Lee on Da 5 Bloods. The film is available for streaming on Netflix beginning June 12.
Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel has no style. No singular aesthetic, mood, or technique. Rather, his focus is on storytelling. From being the first to capture the Contras on film in Nicaragua to photographing the X-Men series and Superman Returns (2006), Sigel has worn many hats (and no, we’re not talking about his fedoras and baseball caps, although there are those, too). But his desire to pursue these projects of various genres and styles all stem from the same goal: to delve into what makes humans human.
Born and raised during a time of tense racial relations in Detroit, Sigel learned to look at the world through a political lens early in his youth, which later led to his pursuing social-minded documentaries. When his family moved from Detroit to Buffalo, Sigel got involved in a developing media-study program there, his first foray into the field. Since then, he has worked on dozens of films. He is perhaps best-known for his work on Drive (2011) and Three Kings (1999), and, of course, for his first collaboration with director Bryan Singer, on The Usual Suspects (1995). Sigel most recently worked with Singer in 2018—their tenth film together—on a celebratory biopic of Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, which was nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award for best cinematography.
On this episode of Time Sensitive—recorded shortly after his arrival back in the U.S. from Vietnam, where he was the director of photography on Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods (to be released in 2020)—Sigel shares with Andrew Zuckerman his early years in SoHo’s vibrant art community, his earning a metaphorical film degree by working for the legendary Haskell Wexler, and how he convinced Warner Brothers to create a movie using cross-processed film.
Newton Thomas Sigel is the visionary cinematographer for the highly anticipated film Bohemian Rhapsody. Tom joins Go Creative Show host and commercial director Ben Consoli to discuss Tom's decision to shoot with the Alexa 65, creating a visual language for Freddie Mercury’s story, recreating Live Aid, and all the behind-the-scenes secrets you need to know.
The Go Creative Show is supported by: Premium Beat Rule Boston Camera Hedge Shutterstock News Shooter Show TopicsNewton Thomas Sigel, ASC, cinematographer of Valkyrie, speaks with American Cinematographer's Jon Silberg about the film stocks, lens and digital intermediate processes that created the look of the film as well as the impact of Tom Cruise signing on to what had originally been a small and low-budget project.