Cinematographer Tim Ives, ASC was looking forward to some downtime at home in New York City upon wrapping another season in Atlanta of the Netflix hit series Stranger Things. That is, until he heard the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon would be going into production in his backyard. Fosse/Verdon chronicles the tumultuous and creatively brilliant relationship between legendary director-choreographer Bob Fosse and renowned dancer Gwen Verdon.
Kelli Barrett as Liza Minelli, Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon, Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse.
I grew up in Vermont and for my 10th birthday my mom brought me to New York for the first time to see Bob Fosse's Pippin, Ives recalls. I can still sing those songs because of that experience. Fosse is a big deal here in New York. I was very excited to find a way to pursue it.
Ives sent out some feelers for the series that stars Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams and has as one of its executive producers Lin-Manuel Miranda of Broadways Hamilton fame. Producer-director Thomas Kail gave the cinematographer a call. Maybe it was kismet or something, but Tommy got my name and saw my work and called, says Ives. I was very excited to work with him and Lin.
With four weeks of prep, Ives began what he calls the fun part of the process picking the right camera and service for the job. His experience with Panavision G Series anamorphic lenses on a pilot for the Syfy show Deadly Class stuck in his mind. I just fell in love with the glass, remembers Ives. When I got this show, I wanted to go further. I was like a kid in a candy store when Panavision laid out all the glass options for me.
With assistance from Panavision New York Senior Marketing Rep Sal Giarratano, all the sampling and testing led Ives to the Primo 70 spherical primes on a Panavised version of Sonys Venice full-frame 6K digital cinema camera. The Primo 70s were further customized to meet Ives' desired aesthetic.
They have a softness and a flare to them that was really unique, Ives explains, and the Sony Venice game me the color separation that I was looking for to match with them. I felt like I was getting a really filmic look that I could manipulate in other ways as we went through the decades on this show.
The cinematographer took advantage of the tunable focus feature with the Primo 70 series. I wanted to have the highlights and flares bloom a little, he says. Dan Sasaki, SVP of Optical Engineering at Panavision Woodland Hills, customized the set of lenses to do just that.
These lenses, Ives continues, certainly have a feel that looks less electronic or digital when combined with the Venice than other combinations I tested at the time. We had to represent five decades, and these lenses worked well through all of them. I also changed the lighting up now and then. The 1950s into the early 60s had a more evenly lit look and less contrast on peoples faces. As we got into the late-1960s and 70s, I added more contrast to the lighting. The lenses handled that very well. Im kind of blown away by them, to tell you the truth.
Tim Ives and Thomas Kail.
If a bloom on a light wasnt quite enough to get the halo Ives sought, he added a light Black Pro-Mist filter to the lens. For some dance and rehearsal shots, he needed a 19-90 mm Primo Compact Zoom (PCZ). Panavision New York came through, not only finding one but also customizing it to match the primes.
The shows lighting also followed the trajectory of Fosse and Verdon's relationship. When times were good, Ives bathed them in soft, attractive light. During their heated arguments, the actors would dip in and out of sources. As the show progressed through time, Ives had to pay particular attention to the makeup. Debbie Zoller did wonderful makeup on the show, and one thing I definitely didnt want to do was hide something she wanted the audience to see, he says.
Although the camera is 6K-capable, Ives shot at 4K resolution. The detail at 4K is just about perfect for what I thought the show should look like, he notes. Fosse was a notorious chain smoker. Interiors would be smoky and we emphasized the atmosphere; its almost a character in the show. The smoke sometimes made the image a little dirty and we wanted that, but otherwise, its a clean look. We mastered the show in SDR and HDR, and I got it pretty much the way I wanted it to look like for both.
Looking back on the production, a standout shot for Ives occurred during the Damn Yankees Broadway show re-creation, where Verdon received a standing ovation after only the first half of the show a rarity. Ives explains, We did a oner' a Steadicam shot off the stage, up the stairs to her dressing room, then back down, onto the stage and 360 degrees around her, with light changes and color shifts throughout. Mark Schmidt is my A-camera/Steadicam operator and Adriana Brunetto-Lipman is our first AC on the show. I was very nervous for both because of the steep stairs, but it was no problem. Its one of my favorite shots, especially because of Michelle Williams' remarkable performance in it.
While looking back on his Panavision experience, Ives notes that this show really was a smooth shoot, and I didnt have a worry. Panavision gave me the ability to approach the project from a very creative place. I felt at ease and well supported. Everything worked wonderfully from a technical standpoint.
Unit photography by Craig Blankenhorn and Michael Parmelee, courtesy of FX.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan's 62nd Golden Hors...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
25/11/2025
Mathias Broe attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Sauna at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Fes...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
Cinematographer Tim Ives, ASC was looking forward to some downtime at home in New York City upon wrapping another season in Atlanta of the Netflix hit series Stranger Things. That is, until he heard the FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon would be going into production in his backyard. Fosse/Verdon chronicles the tumultuous and creatively brilliant relationship between legendary director-choreographer Bob Fosse and renowned dancer Gwen Verdon.
