Known for photographing cult-classic television such as Felicity and Monk, Marshall Adams, ASC knows how to identify and respond to a story that subverts expectations. His latest entry comes on the heels of writer-producer Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad, the genre-defining series about of a chemistry teacher turned meth lord. After a one-episode exploration during that show's fifth and final season, Adams reprised his role behind the camera for seasons 3 through 6 of Gilligan and co-creator Peter Gould's Better Call Saul. Shortly after the final episode aired in August, Adams caught up with Panavision to reflect on his time with the show.
Panavision: How would you describe the cinematography of Better Call Saul?
Marshall Adams, ASC: The look relies on symmetry, simplicity and storytelling. We all love finding symmetry when it lends itself, which, in my opinion, allows you more potential screen time to let the scene unfold within that frame because its interesting and has a lot to say. We often tried to find and hold a frame that worked for the action but, most importantly, was true to the story. As much as possible, we strove to boil each shot down to the information conveyed within it. The simplest frames can often be so elegant in their storytelling.
We also tried to keep the camera operation as minimal as possible. And as funny as it sounds, the operators worked very hard to not operate. Say we were following someone out of a car and walking to meet and talk with another character. Landing when the actor lands is pretty standard, but the hard part is landing in the exact frame that can play out for another 2-3 minutes and not be adjusted. The operators Matt Credle, Jordan Slovin and Wally Sweeterman were so locked-in to exactly where they needed to land that frame, that two months later they'd still know exactly where the frame lines were.
Something else we did was to keep the operation to a single axis. That meant we could pan, tilt or push, but we only got one.
Were there any particular references that inspired the visual approach?
Adams: Vince and Peter often talked about sitting down with Arthur Albert, the cinematographer on seasons 1 and 2, and his crew to watch Bernardo Bertoluccis The Conformist. I know it was a significant influence on them and certainly contributed to the visual approach to Saul, as did the apparent film-noir influences and many of the classic westerns. I certainly had big shoes to fill when I started on Season 3, but the style was a great fit with my own and, with Vince and Peters help, we continued to develop it right up through Season 6.
What brought you to Panavision for this project?
Adams: I had a great working relationship with Panavision in the past, and then in December of 2017, when we were beginning Season 4 of Better Call Saul and I was having a hard time putting together the package that I needed, Bob Foertsch [director of sales and marketing at Panavision Woodland Hills] came to my rescue. I havent done a series without him or Panavision since.
At the beginning 2019, we decided Saul Season 5 was going large format. Again Bob and the whole gang at Panavision helped us put the right package together, and it made all the difference. The Panaspeeds were a perfect match because their speed allowed me a lot of control over the depth of field. We used depth of field as a storytelling device more than I ever had in my career before, even during day exteriors.
How else did Better Call Saul differ from other projects in your career?
Adams: I had done one full episode and a few pickup days on Breaking Bad, so I knew how different the Gilligan-Gould experience was already. After getting Better Call Saul, I went to meet with Vince, Peter, and executive producers Melissa Bernstein and Diane Mercer for lunch, and they were very clear that they were not only going to support anything I wanted to try visually, but theyd rather have to reshoot a scene than feel like I took the safe route and didnt take risks. It was a conversation I'd never had in my career Id never heard of anyone hearing that from the executive producers before!
I quickly realized one of the biggest reasons everyone on the crew was so invested in the show and the stories was the way the producers enabled everyone to think out of the box and bring ideas sometimes even crazy ideas because they wanted to hear them. That and the fact that the show was written by the best writers in the business and everyone from the showrunner to the day players were the nicest folks youd ever want to meet.
How did you get started in this business?
Adams: I had loved the industry since visiting the Rockford Files set as a teenager, so I wanted to explore working as a crew member. I started in camera on smaller projects and had all my days to join the camera local, but I realized I was a terrible camera assistant, mostly because I was so busy watching the lighting, and I really belonged in the electric department. After working my way up and working as a gaffer for a number of years, I really wanted to shoot. The opportunity came along in 1999, with some bumps in the road, and by 2001 I had moved up permanently.
Unit photography by Greg Lewis, courtesy of AMC/Sony Pictures Television. Additional images courtesy of the filmmakers.
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...
Known for photographing cult-classic television such as Felicity and Monk, Marshall Adams, ASC knows how to identify and respond to a story that subverts expectations. His latest entry comes on the heels of writer-producer Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad, the genre-defining series about of a chemistry teacher turned meth lord. After a one-episode exploration during that show's fifth and final season, Adams reprised his role behind the camera for seasons 3 through 6 of Gilligan and co-creator Peter Gould's Better Call Saul. Shortly after the final episode aired in August, Adams caught up with Panavision to reflect on his time with the show.
