Autumn Durald Arkapaw had a good feeling about her first meeting with director Ry Russo-Young. The topic was the prospective feature film The Sun is Also a Star, and Russo-Young had specified Panavision anamorphic in her lookbook.
I'm a big fan of Panavision and the anamorphic format, says Durald Arkapaw, who was interviewing as a potential director of photography on the film at the time. What attracted me to the project, first off, was that it's a love story set in Manhattan. Woody Allen's Manhattan is one of my favorite films, and Gordon Willis' work is what drew me to cinematography. Ry and I definitely hit it off, and we couldn't see The Sun is Also a Star shot any other way.
Director Ry Russo-Young and DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw on the set of The Sun is Also a Star.
Durald Arkapaw graduated from AFI's cinematography program a decade ago, and The Sun is Also a Star is the third feature she has hitting screens in 2019, with Untogether and Teen Spirit released in February and April, respectively. All three films were shot with Panavision C Series anamorphic glass.
The Sun is Also a Star is a Warner Bros. film based on a successful young adult novel in which a physics student (Yara Shahidi) falls in love with a charming college-bound student (Charles Melton) despite her family's imminent deportation. Once Durald Arkapaw officially signed on to the project, she researched the history of the squeeze format, including the industry-changing Hypergonar lens invention by French astronomer Jacques Chr tien that sparked the origination of the CinemaScope process.
I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to that stuff, she says. I wanted to get my story in place for why it meant so much to us. With any job, what's important is having the cinematography work with the story so you feel something. You don't want to feel like you're watching a film.
The C Series lenses are very textured and vintage, and that's another layer that renders a more filmic image for me, she adds. I come from a film background, and I always like to beat up my digital a bit. Ry and I had seen YA films that looked very sharp and were a little too precious. The stories are good, but they didn't feel real to us. Most of our references were shot on film and naturally lit. We wanted our environments to feel like organic spaces where the actors could live and grow.
Durald Arkapaw and Russo-Young were also in tune when it came to framing and camera movement. Ry is very precise in execution, explains Durald Arkapaw. I gravitate towards a moodier, underexposed image, and often accentuate the flares. The C Series lenses are flarey and dreamy when shot wide open. I embraced that rather than trying to hide it. Given the title and the story, you always want to feel the sun around and what better way than to have the lenses flaring in interesting ways! I know them so well. I even have my assistant write down the serial numbers, and I ask for particular lenses. You know the sweet spot and you work with that. They have beautiful attributes, and you get these happy accidents.
One lens in particular, a 55 mm macro, comes in handy for beauty portrait shots. It's really creamy when it's wide open, and it looks great for complexions, Durald Arkapaw notes. When it's too sharp, you see skin irregularities and it's not as filmic. You end up doing a lot of post work to compensate. I prefer shooting wide open with this lens, because it already gets you to a good spot and there's beautiful light fall-off.
Durald Arkapaw operates the camera herself whenever possible. Being close to the actors, seeing it through my eyes and emotionally connecting, I get all of that when operating. If it doesn't feel real through the lens while I'm operating, I immediately offer something else up to the director that feels more inspiring.
Director Max Minghella's Teen Spirit, Durald Arkapaw's previous assignment, was also done with Panavision. Elle Fanning plays a shy teenager with dreams of pop stardom. This time, the C Series lenses came with the help of Panavision London.
I love working in London, and I often work with the Panavision London team on commercials, says Durald Arkapaw. But this was my first feature in the UK. I really wanted to shoot C Series for that film, and the teams from Panavision London, with the help of Rik DeLisle at Panavision Los Angeles, were really amazing in helping make it happen. I mostly shoot with Panavision glass, so they've been key collaborators throughout my career. The texture and flaring came in handy for rendering that story. I'm very proud of the film, and it just wouldn't be as successful without those lenses.
The Sun is Also a Star is currently in theaters. Durald Arkapaw's next film is Mainstream, a feature film directed by Gia Coppola currently filming in Los Angeles, starring Andrew Garfield and Maya Hawke, and once again supported by Panavision.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
Autumn Durald Arkapaw had a good feeling about her first meeting with director Ry Russo-Young. The topic was the prospective feature film The Sun is Also a Star, and Russo-Young had specified Panavision anamorphic in her lookbook.
