Expertly blending flavors of comedy and horror, director Mark Mylod's feature The Menu follows a young couple on an extravagant date to an exclusive restaurant on a remote island, where the courses quickly turn from lavish to outlandish. Working with Panavision Atlanta, cinematographer Peter Deming, ASC cooked up a recipe for the movie's visual style that included a Panavised Sony Venice camera and prototype large-format spherical VA primes. The result, Deming describes in this Q&A, grounds the unimaginable in an experience that invites viewers to their very own seats at the table.
Panavision: How would you describe the look of The Menu?
Peter Deming, ASC: It's hard sometimes to put a moniker on a film's look,' but this project may touch on the stylistic realism' category. We wanted to accentuate and heighten certain aspects of this world through the photography, but it was also essential that it stay rooted in reality for the story to land. We had an advantage of an off-kilter, remote world via the island locale and the clearly obsessive proprietor and his staff. There was a very spartan quality to most every aspect of the surroundings, which let the extravagance of the food stand out. For that reason, the lighting reinforced the angles of the sets, and the practical lighting was largely architectural in nature.
The wall of windows on one side of the set allowed for the natural light to play the room and change with the passing of time, as the entire story takes place in about five or six hours. This accommodated the idea of light to dark,' which very much reinforced the story aspects. We wanted the story's descent into madness to coincide with the arrival of night and the darkening of the mood and the room.
Not only were we shooting in one room for much of the story, but the bulk of the cast was sitting stationary for much of that time. From a camera perspective, once we were in the restaurant, where most of the story takes place, we began shooting somewhat from the perimeter with medium to long focal lengths, and over time we gradually positioned the cameras closer and closer to our subjects while using progressively wider lenses to maintain the shot sizes but feel more intimate.
We wanted to move the camera, but not in a stylistically overbearing way. As the story became more and more unhinged, we untethered the camera, first to move with the Steadicam and eventually handheld where we thought appropriate. Combining that with getting in closer proximity to our characters seemed more immediate to us. We eventually get to a place where the audience feels like they are sitting at these tables along with the characters instead of merely watching them from a distance, which is how we started and more the norm. We loved how you could really read the horror in our diners' faces from just a couple feet away on a medium-wide lens!
During preproduction, were there any visual references you looked at for inspiration?
Deming: One of the things director Mark Mylod and I discussed in prep was the close-up.' We knew we would have so many of them how would we handle the sheer volume and make them different and effective? Mark brought up Bergman, and I was able to track down a reel someone had put together of close-ups from many of his films. We cherry-picked a bit what we liked and possibly didn't like about that collection.
For much of the shooting, the story dictated and informed many of the wider angles. It was the close-ups that really brought the power.
What brought you back to Panavision for The Menu?
Deming: It's no real surprise that Panavision is always my first stop. I was considering using the Venice for the first time on a long-form project which we did and I love the amazing choice of optics Panavision creates and provides. And, of course, as we were outside of a traditional production center, I knew the customer service would be there for us.
What optical characteristics did you see in the VA primes that made them the right match for The Menu?
Deming: We wanted something classic in the optics and not overly sharp, which for me is always a danger with digital capture. My first stop is always a chat with the guru, Dan Sasaki [Panavision's senior vice president of optical engineering and lens strategy]. He had been working on a new set of large-format primes, the VAs, which I had used on another film project. They were quite pleasing and had a little funk to them technical term. We liked the shallow depth of field that large format gave us and being able to shoot with slightly wider focal lengths, as was our plan, without the customary image bend. They are also amazingly compact and lightweight, which always helps when you have a healthy portion of Steadicam and handheld.
What keeps you inspired in your work as a cinematographer?
Deming: I just really enjoy telling stories and using the camera and the lightning to support that story and tell it with a unique perspective that gives the audience an enhanced experience to capture those special moments of collaborative performances without overwhelming them, or getting in the way, or saying look at me.'
Images courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Europe Stories
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...
06/10/2026
Three new compact pedals announced
Warm Audio have just introduced a new guitar pedal line-up that offers compact, pedalboard-friendly versions of some of t...
06/10/2026
Drum-replacement tool gets major overhaul
WaveMachine Labs have announced that the latest version of their drum-replacement software is now available, and i...
06/10/2026
Firmware update implements user-requested features
Arturia's stage-going keyboard series has just received a significant update that addresses some of t...
06/10/2026
(4:51 PM) Wiesbaden, October 06, 2026. Based on business performance to date, pa...
06/10/2026
Tuesday 6 October 2026
Official trailer released for The Good Daughter ahead of...
06/10/2026
Savanyu reports getting more gain from the sound system, which he credits to the capsules asymmetrical supercardioid pickup pattern.
Even with less-than-ideal...
06/10/2026
Andrew Trimble delves into the author's Belfast upbringing
Thursday, 8 Octo...
05/10/2026
New multi-pattern LDC revealed
Austrian Audio have announced the upcoming launch of a new multi-pattern large-diaphragm capacitor mic that occupies the midd...
05/10/2026
Software gains Tonex Board rig support
When IK Multimedia launched the Tonex Board, they mentioned that it would soon be followed by a significant update to...
05/10/2026
Offers a modern take on classic chorus effects
fedDSP's latest creation has been designed to offer a modern take on the classic chorus effect, combining...
05/10/2026
FOX Deepens Investment in the Creator Economy, Expanding Leadership Team to Acce...
05/10/2026
RT will provide comprehensive coverage and analysis of Budget 2027 across online, radio and television on Tuesday 6 October, with extensive reporting and analy...
04/10/2026
Dedicated streaming mic gets an overhaul
Following on from the success of their dedicated streaming microphone, the MV6, Shure have announced the launch of ...
02/10/2026
v1.9.3 introduces AUv3 support
Roland have just released an update that kits their free iPad-based software synth out with AUv3 support, meaning it can now ...
02/10/2026
Dolby Atmos support, AI-powered stem separation & more
The latest version of MOTU's DAW software is now available, and marks a major step forward with t...
02/10/2026
Portable DAC created in collaboration with Steve Levine
British hi-fi experts iFi audio have unveiled a new Master Tuned variant of their praised iDSD GR2 p...
02/10/2026
In our latest blog, Tim Pearson looks at streaming piracy from a different lens, focusing on digital trust, consumer risk, and the future of subscriber protecti...
02/10/2026
Featuring performances recorded in Cork, Kilkenny, Wesmeath and Dublin culminati...
02/10/2026
Friday 2 October 2026
Crystal Lake, a Friday the 13th' prequel series, com...
02/10/2026
Friday 2 October 2026
Sky VIP helps families celebrate the Christmas season wit...
02/10/2026
How the fertility sector in Ireland remains unregulated
Undercover filming reveals how without proper regulation the promotion of controversial fertility treat...
02/10/2026
Transforming Homes, Transforming Lives
Presenter Baz Ashmawy and his team take on four life-changing builds across Kildare, Limerick, Wicklow and Offaly in the...
01/10/2026
Third collaboration with celebrated composer
Spitfire Audio have once again teamed up with Grammy-nominated composer, producer and technologist BT, creating...
01/10/2026
FL Studio gets dedicated grid controller
Novation have teamed up with FL Studio developers Image-Line to create another dedicated controller for the popular...
01/10/2026
Six new USB interfaces introduced
Universal Audio's USB audio interface line-up has just been refreshed, gaining six new models aimed at musicians, prod...
01/10/2026
Siretta's SNYPER-5G cellular network analyser has been shortlisted for the IoT Global Awards 2026.
The IoT Global Awards recognise products, services and o...
01/10/2026
Mesh Broadcast Services Fits Big-Truck Audio Power into Compact Eclipse Unit with Calrec Argo M Canadian OB company Mesh Broadcast Services has fitted its Eclip...
01/10/2026
X-Rite Pantone Launches Spectura to Advance Connected Color Quality from Lab to ...
01/10/2026
Thursday 1 October 2026
Nominees revealed for 2026 Sky Arts Awards
Current slide, 0 0, undefined1
0
Irish National Opera and Jennifer Walshe: MARS
Jacob Al...
01/10/2026
Vital TV antenna replaced at SudburyHelicopter and broadcast engineers work together to upgrade TV services for 1.5M in the East
--
Share to Linkedin
Octobe...
01/10/2026
Arqiva appoints Simon Duffy as ChairSimon Duffy joins as Chair effective 01 October 2026
--
Share to Linkedin
October 1, 2026
Press Office
01 October 2026...
01/10/2026
Season 4 of the multi-award-winning hit entertainment series The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In is back, serving up another round of unpredictable laughs, unforg...
01/10/2026
New season begins Sunday, 4 October at 6pm on RT lyric fm and RT Listen
RT lyric fm's arts and culture documentary series The Lyric Feature returns on S...
01/10/2026
RT is proud to continue its commitment to supporting and celebrating the arts across Ireland this October, highlighting a vibrant programme of theatre, music, ...
30/09/2026
Add an envelope generator to any plug-in
Sync Audio's latest creation is a handy utility plug-in that can be used to combine and modulate other effects ...
30/09/2026
All-analogue tape-style drive joins Series A
Strymon's reputation was built on their digital knowhow, so many were surprised (and intrigued) when they a...
30/09/2026
Two new expansion packs released
Sonuscore have just introduced two new expansion packs for The Pulse, its production engine instrument for modern cinematic...
30/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
30/09/2026
Luxembourg, September 30, 2026 - SES and Sky have extended their long-standing partnership in a new multi-year agreement for direct-to-home (DTH) satellite serv...
30/09/2026
New Solution Expands Harmonic's Network Intelligence Portfolio and Brings Comcast-Developed Fiber Monitoring Technology to Broadband Operators, Providing Re...
30/09/2026
How to Shop Well Now starts Monday at 9.35pm
on RT One and RT Player
On the...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
CMA Imaging, Sun Chemical, and X-Rite Pantone Help Brands Accelerate Metal Packa...
29/09/2026
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN, OR AT ANY ADDRESS IN, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITO...
Expertly blending flavors of comedy and horror, director Mark Mylod's feature The Menu follows a young couple on an extravagant date to an exclusive restaurant on a remote island, where the courses quickly turn from lavish to outlandish. Working with Panavision Atlanta, cinematographer Peter Deming, ASC cooked up a recipe for the movie's visual style that included a Panavised Sony Venice camera and prototype large-format spherical VA primes. The result, Deming describes in this Q&A, grounds the unimaginable in an experience that invites viewers to their very own seats at the table.
