For three seasons, the Hulu original series Wu-Tang: An American Saga has chronicled the life and times of seminal '90s-era rap group the Wu-Tang Clan. Cinematographer Gavin Kelly has been with the series since the pilot episode and was behind the camera for the finale; along the way, he was joined by alternating cinematographers Niels Alpert for Season 1 and David Tuttman for Seasons 2 and 3. In this Q&A, Kelly reflects on his multitude of entry points for the project and the ways in which the look has evolved over the story's three seasons, all of which were supported through Panavision New York.
Panavision: How would you describe the look of the series?
Gavin Kelly: The look stems all the way back to the pilot, which introduced our heroes, pre Wu-Tang Clan, struggling to survive and thrive on the streets of Staten Island in New York during the crack epidemic of the 90s. The first season was very ambitious and layered part hero origin story, part crime saga, part family drama, part music biopic, following many characters and their intersecting stories.
The Wu-Tang Clan in the series are characters whose personalities, energies and visions are larger than life but still grounded in some stark realities. Their day-to-day world is complex, raw, dangerous, but also full of light and hope in family, friendship, brotherhood and music. So the look is one of extremes: rich, high contrast, and bold swings with lighting, color, lensing with characters navigating back and forth between the razor edges of bright highlights and deep shadows, through murky, bleeding color temperatures, into moments of overwhelming light and flare.
The goal was an elevated look for the show, emphasizing stature and respect for the complexity of our characters in the midst of their tough, often stark circumstances. This often meant an eye for creating portrait moments, strong graphic shots that implied the icons they would become while still in the midst of difficult environments. They have big dreams that will take them from deep shadows into the bright lights. This layered visual approach was what pilot director Chris Robinson and I talked about as conveying the beautiful struggle, inspired by the powerful memoir by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
How has the look evolved over the course of the show's three seasons?
Kelly: Each new season sees the characters stories evolve and their worlds expand, as does the shows visual language. Season 2 tracks the metamorphosis of the characters forming into the actual Wu-Tang Clan and their creative processes and growth in the making of their first iconic album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). When appropriate, we introduced more saturated colors into the lighting palette in this season and more stylized and subjective, playful camerawork when the story prompted. In the third and final season, the storylines intimately trace the challenges, tensions and triumphs of rising to the very top of hip-hop culture, and ultimately mainstream culture, as Wu-Tang Clans impact becomes Wu-Tang Forever.
Several of the most ambitious episodes in terms of story and execution come in Season 3, as we have several episodes that branch off from the main storylines into alternate or fantasy realities based on specific Wu-Tang members' personas, visions and solo albums. As the Wu-Tang universe expands, so do our visual approaches. We had the opportunity to push the look further in various directions on these episodes, including shooting anamorphic primarily with C Series lenses, supplemented by a few E Series as well as building episode-specific lighting approaches and color palettes in sync with production designer Nick Francone and the excellent art-department team. With RZA himself directing the last two episodes I shot, we wrapped up the series big and bold, always embracing the witty unpredictable in the process.
The Wu-Tang Clan themselves drew from a rich tapestry of cultural and artistic inspirations. Were there any specific references you and your collaborators looked to for inspiration in crafting the show's visual style?
Kelly: We similarly drew upon a wide variety visual references in developing the look. Everything from the work of iconic Black photographers like Gordon Parks, Roy DeCarava and Carrie Mae Weems, to period imagery and style from '90s hip hop and music culture from photographers like Chi Modu, Danny Hastings and Sue Kwon. Film influences included everything from Shaw Brothers films classic kung-fu films that are a big part of Wu-Tang Clan culture to American gangster and crime films like The Godfather, American Gangster and Mean Streets, to recent, intimate indie films like Moonlight, Pariah and Fruitvale Station. And one of my personal constant inspirations is the work of Wong Kar-wai, for his use of bold, dynamic color palettes, strong compositions and intimate camerawork. The series is a tapestry of the Clans lives and stories, so the look had room to be rich, complex and dynamic as we moved through the Wu-universe.
What brought you to Panavision for this series?
Kelly: Ive worked with Panavision for years, and theyve always been great and supportive. Theyre always a willing partner in indulging my desires for extensive camera and lens tests to find the right package for the look of a particular project. On Wu-Tang, I pushed to shoot large format so that the scope of our medium shots and close-ups could have a larger-than-life stature, when desired, to imply the hero within.
For Season 1, we shot on DXL2 with Panavision Primos along with sets of Primo Artiste and H Series lenses when we wanted to push the look even further with expressive flares and textures. In Seasons 2 and 3, as the look slightly evolved, we shifted to the Sony Venice and Zeiss Supreme Primes along with the Artistes. On two episodes in Season 3, to push the look fu
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
For three seasons, the Hulu original series Wu-Tang: An American Saga has chronicled the life and times of seminal '90s-era rap group the Wu-Tang Clan. Cinematographer Gavin Kelly has been with the series since the pilot episode and was behind the camera for the finale; along the way, he was joined by alternating cinematographers Niels Alpert for Season 1 and David Tuttman for Seasons 2 and 3. In this Q&A, Kelly reflects on his multitude of entry points for the project and the ways in which the look has evolved over the story's three seasons, all of which were supported through Panavision New York.
