The lived experiences of writer-director Elegance Bratton are brought to the screen in The Inspection, which follows the character Ellis French (played by Jeremy Pope), a gay Black man who joins the Marines during the don't ask, don't tell era in the early 2000s. One of the things that drew me to Elegance's script and that I love about filmmaking, says cinematographer Lachlan Milne ASC, ACS, NZCS, is that this is a world I knew nothing about personally, so the movie was an opportunity to learn at the same time as create.
The feature had its premiere at last year's Toronto International Film Festival has garnered critical acclaim for Bratton's deft direction and Milne's observational camerawork. The filmmakers partnered with Panavision New Orleans and employed a package that included PVintage spherical optics and Panavised Alexa Mini cameras. Panavision had the opportunity to catch up with Milne and ask about his methods for crafting an honest look to suit the story.
Panavision: How would you describe the look of the film?
Lachlan Milne, ASC, ACS, NZCS: We spoke at length about what kind of film we wanted this to be. For this style of deeply personal subject matter, I find it really important to not get in the way. I like to light as little as possible, and I try and rely on practical sources that I can have in the frame or light from outside the room. We wanted this to feel observed and honest rather than influenced albeit for a few specific dream-sequence moments.
Elegance and I are both fans of minimal coverage, too, so we blocked ensemble scenes so we could shoot them wider. That also meant the actors could step on each other's lines, which I feel helps keep the scene like a real-time event. We shot spherical 2.39:1, which I love especially when you have a big cast. It lends itself so well to group scenes, plus you have the benefits of faster lenses with closer focus. When you're on a quick shooting schedule, that really helps.
Were there any particular visual references you looked at for inspiration?
Milne: We talked about a number of films during preproduction, but the largest influence for Elegance was Claire Denis' 1999 film Beau Travail about the French Foreign Legion. Full Metal Jacket obviously came up, An Officer and a Gentleman, Jarhead, Forrest Gump, Goodfellas, even films like Jaws and The Abyss.
What brought you to Panavision for this project?
Milne: I've done a lot with Panavision over the years, and you've always been so supportive. Even when I was a camera assistant in Sydney, I could turn up anytime and ask to load a mag or lace up a camera I hadn't used before.
We shot the film in Jackson, Mississippi, which didn't have the camera support we needed at the time, but Panavision New Orleans was just over a 3-hour's drive away. You also have the glorious PVintage lenses that I absolutely love.
What optical characteristics did you see in those lenses that made them the right match for The Inpection?
Milne: I think the PVintage lenses are my favorites because their combination of lens speed, close focus, focal lengths and compact size best suits how I work. I always operate A camera on movies and sometimes pull my own focus on handheld work, so I like a simple setup as much as possible. We had two cameras on The Inspection, with Ben Spaner doing a great job on B cam and Steadicam. I think the 29mm is the best lens I've ever used writer-director Lee Isaac Chung and I shot about 80 percent of Minari on that lens. The field of view is perfect, especially when you frame for a 2.39:1 letterbox.
How did The Inspection differ from other projects in your career?
Milne: The Inspection taught me a lot on a personal level. I had such a fantastic working relationship with Elegance, which has turned into a great friendship. We both love tennis, so we play together when were in the same town. Minari was also deeply personal, but in a very different way for Isaac than The Inspection was for Elegance, who's had some unbelievable tragedy throughout his life, and the fact that he made this film in the first place is a huge achievement. It was a kind of therapy or healing process for him, I think. That taught me a lot about perseverance, optimism and patience. Thematically, it's a film about toxic masculinity transitioning into a brotherhood and ultimately a form of acceptance. I'd never done a project like that before, and I love projects that teach me. The best projects are the ones that better you as a filmmaker and as a human.
What inspired you to become a cinematographer and what keeps you inspired today?
Milne: I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be a cinematographer, and the remarkable thing is that I never changed my mind. My dad was a director when I was growing up in Adelaide, South Australia, so I kind of absorbed the industry via osmosis a bit. The thing that struck me was how interesting and fun the people were. I think collaborating with smart, creative people is the best part of filmmaking. I always tell a director that I'll be as collaborative as they want me to be with them. I love it when we get excited about the same things, or when one of us suggests something totally different for a particular scene that makes it better. I really enjoy talking through what a script is about thematically and finding a way to use the camera to say that. Filmmaking isn't a mathematical equation. Its infinite in choices, and I love that.
Europe Stories
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
03/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2025 Boilerplate
More Details: The Composition Builder 2025 application for macOS enables TV stations and Live Event broadcast...
03/12/2025
ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2025 Boilerplate
More Details: just:live pro 2025 is a Single Channel Live Production Playout solution for video and static or real-t...
03/12/2025
ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2025 Boilerplate
More Details: just:play pro 2025 is a Single Channel automated 24/7 Master Control playout solution with SD, HD and ...
03/12/2025
ToolsOnAr live:cut 2025 Boilerplate
More Details: live:cut is an option to just:in mac pro 2025 and enables multicamera production workflows for up to 16 cam...
03/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2025 Boilerplate
More Details: The Just In Mac Lite NDI application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specific...
03/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2025 Boilerplate
More Details: The Just In Mac Lite application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specifically for...
03/12/2025
ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2025 Boilerplate
More Details: just:in mac pro is a macOS-based client-server multichannel capture solution to record SDI, HDMI, N...
03/12/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, Thomson's Young Journalist of the year 2025 is hoping the accolade will be a springboard to more cross-border collaboration between ...
03/12/2025
For the fourth time, Bad Bunny is the most-streamed Wrapped artist on Spotify gl...
03/12/2025
The wait is over. It's time to look back at the audio that defined your year with 2025 Spotify Wrapped, our annual celebration for fans, artists, creators, ...
03/12/2025
Por cuarta vez, Bad Bunny es el Top Artista Global de Wrapped en Spotify, con 19...
03/12/2025
Spotify Wrapped is back, and as always, it's powered by the billions of streams that fans around the world delivered throughout the year. From the artists w...
03/12/2025
Spotify Wrapped is the moment when hundreds of millions of fans around the world...
03/12/2025
With more than 700 million listeners around the world turning to Spotify to soundtrack their lives, it's time to look back at the audio that defined the yea...
03/12/2025
Con m s de 700 millones de oyentes en todo el mundo usando Spotify para acompa ar su d a a d a, es momento de mirar hacia atr s y ver el audio que marc el a o....
03/12/2025
From page-turning thrillers to inspiring memoirs, audiobooks are becoming a core...
03/12/2025
Com mais de 700 milh es de ouvintes em todo o mundo recorrendo ao Spotify para embalar seu dia a dia, chega o momento de revisitar o udio que marcou o ano. Nos...
03/12/2025
Spotify Wrapped celebrates the audio that defined our year, and the annual globa...
03/12/2025
Wuppertal December 3, 2025
Riedel and Haivision Join Forces to Advance Wireless Video TransmissionRiedel Communications today announced a new partnership with...
03/12/2025
Tell us a little bit about your job I am a Digital Marketing Executive working on Paid Social, PPC, and Organic Social. I joined the team in May 2025 and am enj...
03/12/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. and VIENNA - Dec. 3, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann...
03/12/2025
S an Nollaig
Celebrate 2025's top Irish sporting stars with RT Sport Awards live from RT Studios on RT One and RT Player
RT pays tribute to Ror...
02/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
02/12/2025
--
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Telecommunication Unio...
02/12/2025
Harmonic's cOS Platform Will Redefine Subscribers' Quality of Experience, Lowering Churn SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 2, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today...
02/12/2025
S an Nollaig
Hollywood blockbusters The Banshees of Inisherin, Barbie and Oppenheimer make their Irish TV debut
Tune into the classics such as Love Actual...
02/12/2025
Showcasing fresh Irish storytelling and emerging talent Storyland 2025 signals a fantastic time for Irish drama
RT and F s ireann/Screen Ireland are proud to...
01/12/2025
MANCHESTER, UK - November 2025 - Announced two days before the 30th anniversary of Oasis' debut album, Definitely Maybe, the Oasis Live '25 tour marks t...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
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
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 ...
The lived experiences of writer-director Elegance Bratton are brought to the screen in The Inspection, which follows the character Ellis French (played by Jeremy Pope), a gay Black man who joins the Marines during the don't ask, don't tell era in the early 2000s. One of the things that drew me to Elegance's script and that I love about filmmaking, says cinematographer Lachlan Milne ASC, ACS, NZCS, is that this is a world I knew nothing about personally, so the movie was an opportunity to learn at the same time as create. 
