Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Cinematographer Ricardo Diaz on joining Winning Time

12/08/2024

Cinematographer Ricardo Diaz joined the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty for Season 2's third episode, The Second Coming. Depicting the backstory of basketball legend Larry Bird (played by Sean Patrick Small), the episode marked the directorial debut of Todd Banhazl, ASC, who had served as cinematographer on the series' pilot episode and five subsequent episodes in Season 1 and was shooting four episodes across Season 2. Rick is such a supportive, talented filmmaker and a dear friend I knew I was taken care of, Banhazl shares. We had done the prep work together, and I trusted he had my back.

For his work on the episode, Diaz has now been nominated for an ASC Award in the Episode of a One-Hour Series category. Panavision recently connected with Diaz for his insights on the episode and his collaboration with Banhazl.

Panavision: How was your experience joining the Winning Time team?

Ricardo Diaz: Joining Winning Time was a dream come true. It felt like every cinematographer was talking about the groundbreaking style that [executive producer and pilot director] Adam McKay, Todd Banhazl, [production designer] Rich Toyon, [costume designer] Emma Potter and countless others created in Season 1. So when Todd reached out to me about lensing his Season 2 episode, I jumped at the opportunity. The entire team warmly welcomed me from the start, so I immediately felt like I was a part of the family. Todd has a way of doing that making you feel heard and as if you always belonged. He's a great listener. It's his superpower.

From that place of creative safety, I felt empowered to try things and experiment. In analyzing the script, we really saw Larry Bird's portion play out like a spaghetti western. Todd and I talked about how we wanted his backstory to have a small-town Americana feel but still be as bold as the rest of the show. So we took visual inspiration from aspects of Smallville in Superman: The Movie to play into the tall tale' of Bird. We also creatively mined the gunslinger-for-hire' aspect of Larry's recruitment by using Panavision's anamorphic 16mm glass to give us the scope of a Western and the nostalgia of Americana while still firmly planting us in the framework of Winning Time.

How did you familiarize yourself with the shows unique style?

Diaz: Todd and I have been friends since meeting at AFI, so while he was conceptualizing the look of the show, I was frequently checking in to see if he would spill the beans on his testing. The results, as you know, were exciting, bold, and singular. When I started prep for my episode, I was given the show's visual guides both of them, one created by Todd that gave detailed emotional and technical direction, and one created by camera operator and 8mm 2nd-unit cinematographer Justin Cameron detailing how and when the 8mm and Ikegami cameras were utilized. Finally, I had the man himself directing the ship at all times.

Todd was generous with his time, answering any and all of my questions about the show's visual language. He encouraged me to add my own voice to it when it came to conceptualizing Birds backstory, which led us to the creation of a new LUT for our episode. The Winning Time color palette is steeped in an Ektachrome look reminiscent of commercial photography in the '80s. So when designing Larry Birds early days, we looked to the '70s to find our color palette for the everyman.' That was Kodachrome. In combination with our 16mm anamorphic glass, we immersed Larry's past in this Kodachrome LUT that just oozed Americana. This helped ground the image while still giving it that outsized Western scope.

What was it like working with a director who's also a cinematographer?

Diaz: I've had the good fortune of collaborating with several directors whose roots were in cinematography. It's a total joy. The language and shorthand is there along with a zeal for visual storytelling. Todd's and my love of the craft and decade-long friendship is what drove our process. Most of our prep was spent speaking about how the pathos on the page could be translated into visual language. Then we went to the archives! We looked at work that inspired us and tried to understand how and why those scenes, shots and films were so effective. Often it came down to purpose.

Todd and I would also sometimes play out scenes in his dining room to get a feel for the characters. From their perspectives, we would try to imagine where the camera was in the room and why. They were wonderful meetings that reminded us why we do this: for the joy, immersion and magic of filmmaking.

Ricardo Diaz (right) with Todd Banhazl, ASC.

Explore all of our Winning Time coverage:

Championship Caliber

In Conversation: Winning Time

Winning Depth

All images courtesy of HBO.
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/worthy-company...
See more stories from panavision

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

27/08/2026

Federal Appeals Court Blocks Some FCC Political Ad Discount Rules

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Zixi To Demo Hybrid Workflows At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Study: Americans Spend More Time Watching YouTube Than Live TV

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

Magewell To Highlight Newly Released Director Plus At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

27/08/2026

PlayBox Neo continues to shape the media landscape by ini...

PlayBox Neo Stand 7.C29 IBC2026 - 11 14 September Well-established global specialists in media playout, automation, and streaming solutions, PlayBox Neo ...

27/08/2026

Rise Academy Invites the Industry to Join Race 4 The Futu...

Rise Academy, the broadcast and media skills charity dedicated to delivering practical media technology learning experiences, careers resources and work experie...

27/08/2026

Mediagenix Takes Title Management Beyond the Catalog at I...

Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, will showcase the latest evolution of its ...

27/08/2026

Screen Australia opens applications for Global Fellowships Program

Screen Australia opens applications for Global Fellowships Program 27 August 2026 Applications are now open for the Screen Australia Global Fellowships progra...

26/08/2026

New Validation Booster FAQ: What applicants need to know

Applicants interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Validation Booster call can now consult a new FAQ document addressing practical questions raised during...

26/08/2026

NWSL Moves Sunday Night Package to Roku, Expands Slate to 25 Matches in 2027

Roku Sports Channel will stream eight matches free beginning Aug. 30 as league shifts Sunday-night games away from Victory+...

26/08/2026

Inside Mountain Media Center's Hybrid-Cloud Architecture for Live Event Production

Evertz and Mobile TV Group detail how on-premises infrastructure and cloud resou...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Sennheiser Group to Showcase Broadcast Audio Portfolio

The Sennheiser Group will demonstrate its broadcast audio portfolio at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50), covering wireless microphone workflows, studio monitoring, a...

26/08/2026

Appear and TVTEL Deploy X20 Platform for Centralized VAR Signal Transport in Chile

Appear and Transmisiones Televisivas TVTEL Limitada have announced the deploymen...

26/08/2026

Minitech Adds Leader LPX500 and LT4670 to Rental Inventory

Leader Electronics has announced that Danish broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Leader LPX500 hybrid IP/SDI waveform monitor and LT4670 sync puls...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Encompass to Showcase Cloud Media Services

Encompass will demonstrate its Altitude media services at IBC2026 (IAMT Hub, Diamond Lounge, Hall 3, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). Key products on show incl...

26/08/2026

Massillon Washington High School First to Implement Daktronics Camino Platform

Daktronics has partnered with Massillon Washington High School in Ohio to install a new LED video display and implement the Daktronics Camino show control platf...

26/08/2026

Clear-Com Appoints Venuetech as Middle East Partner

Clear-Com has appointed Dubai-based Venuetech LLC as its main partner for the Middle East. Venuetech distributes professional audiovisual solutions across the r...

26/08/2026

NBC Sports NOW Debuts Two New Shows Beginning August 31

NBC Sports NOW, NBC Sports' free 24/7 streaming channel, will launch a new weekday lineup beginning Monday, August 31, including two new shows. Not So Fast...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Calrec to Preview ImPulseV and Argo Updates

Calrec will demonstrate updates to its ImPulseV DSP software and Argo ecosystem at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47), including previews aligned with the EBU's Dynamic ...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Imagine Communications to Showcase AI Capabilities

Imagine Communications will demonstrate AI applications across its ad tech and video infrastructure portfolios at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September...

26/08/2026

IBC 2026: Dalet to Showcase AI and Workflow Automation

Dalet will demonstrate updates to Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid, and Dalia, its agentic AI platform, at IBC2026 (Hall 7, Stand 7.A43). The company will also partici...

26/08/2026

Nashville Predators Tap ViewLift for New DTC Service, Pairing Streaming With Scripps Sports Broadcast Deal

Team-owned platform will stream every locally carried Predators game beginning t...

26/08/2026

Little League Baseball World Series 2026: ESPN Restores RailCam Coverage at Lamade Stadium, Upscales Cameras at Volunteer Stadium

The 12-day tournament receives the broadcaster's full onsite-studio presence...

26/08/2026

SOMA Laboratory launch the Enigma

A synth with no controls? If you're into weird and wonderful instruments, then you may already be familiar with Warsaw-based SOMA Laboratory - if you...

26/08/2026

Dreamtonics unveil Instrument X

Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...

26/08/2026

Bertram Brossardt visits SGL Carbon in Meitingen

Discussions at the Meitingen site on competitiveness, energy supply, and fuel cell technology Bertram Brossardt, CEO of the Bavarian metal and electrical emplo...

26/08/2026

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Frederick, Maryland

Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Fred...

26/08/2026

Designing Agentic Media Workflows Humans Can Trust

For large media companies, the content archive is a gold mine. There are thousands of hours of existing, high-value assets just waiting to be tapped for highlig...

26/08/2026

Major Live Sports Events Bolster Broadcast in Nielsen's Q2 2026 Ad Supported Gauge

Ad Supported Viewing Represents 71.5% of TV in Q2 Streaming Captures Over 48% o...

26/08/2026

DAZN Accelerates U.S. Expansion with Acquisition of EverPass Media

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Truthset Brings Data Rated Audiences to FreeWheel

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak Targets CTV Shopping with Click2Cart Launch

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

MediaKind Beam selected by CNBC UK for cloud-connected li...

MediaKind today announced that CNBC UK has selected Beam to modernize its contribution and distribution infrastructure, bringing greater flexibility, resilience...

26/08/2026

Telestream Unveils the Next Phase of UP at IBC2026

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of Telestream UP, expanding the cloud-native platform introduced ...

26/08/2026

SMPTE Announces 2026 Honorees

SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced its 2026 Honorees, recognizing individuals and organizations whose contrib...

26/08/2026

Broadpeak launches Click2Cart to mark new era in shoppabl...

New solution bridges connected TV (CTV) and ecommerce to make shoppable performance advertising easier to scale for streaming platforms and broadcasters Broadp...

26/08/2026

Scripps Research and collaborators awarded $19.5 million to establish an open-access autonomous chemistry laboratory

LA JOLLA, CA-Recent advances in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence...

26/08/2026

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real

How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments From eight-foot dolls and feathered birds to R...

26/08/2026

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton August 26, 2026 0 Comments Student led production team uses...

26/08/2026

Grass Valley Advances Integrated Live Production for Unif...

K-Frame and Maverik X innovations extend familiar production control into AMPP, alongside new replay, audio, commentary and communications capabilities. At IBC...

26/08/2026

Magewell Expands Director and Pro Convert IP Lines at IBC...

New products continue to enable any signal, anywhere for creators...

26/08/2026

AFP and Dalet Bring Trusted Content into Every Newsroom

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a new integrated newsroom experience with Agence France-Presse (A...

26/08/2026

Bolin Technology and ITDev Join AIMS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

Enco to Highlight Caption, Translation Enhancements at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

26/08/2026

ZOO Digital Chooses Interra Systems BATON for Quality Control

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...