Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Cinematographer Dillon Schneider on the Feature The Crusades

01/08/2024

In writer-director Leo Milano's debut feature, The Crusades, three friends find their school year thrown into turmoil by the possibility that their all-boys private high school might merge with its rival institution, a turn of events that would effectively open the doors to the lions. It's a coming-of-age story, cinematographer Dillon Schneider says. We shot it like a drama, but it's a fun adventure. I describe it like Superbad with a dash of Euphoria.

Schneider's own adventures behind the camera began by way of ski videos he shot while in middle school. Video-production classes followed in high school, after which he focused on cinematography at Columbia College Chicago, the alma mater of such distinguished directors of photography as Janusz Kaminski, Mauro Fiore, ASC and Michael Goi, ASC. After graduating, Schneider moved to Los Angeles and started shooting shorts and music videos and working as an electrician when I wasn't shooting, he recalls.

It was during his time at Columbia that Schneider began collaborating with Milano and their classmate Brent Madison, who would go on to produce The Crusades. Leo's very passionate about shooting in his hometown, so we shot in Chicago and worked with a lot of Columbia alumni, Schneider notes. We actually shot in the school that Leo went to.

It was also while he was attending Columbia that Schneider began working with Panavision, spending one of his summers as an intern at the company's Woodland Hills headquarters. For me, being at Panavision is like I'm a kid in a candy shop, he shares. You walk down the halls, and there's just so much history. It's an inspiring place to be there are endless opportunities to create.

The Crusades also marks Schneider's debut feature, and for the project, he worked with David Dodson, Panavision's senior vice president of client relations and business development, to put together a package that included C Series and E Series anamorphic optics expanded to cover the Venice camera's large-format sensor. I wanted my first movie to be Panavision and to have that Panavision look, Schneider says. David believed in me and made it happen for us. The film would not look like it does without the help of Panavision. I'm so grateful for the relationships I have here and what everyone's done for me.

During preproduction for The Crusades, Schneider also assembled a visual treatment, a 73-page document that contains detailed notes and reference images related to cinematic language, framing, camera and lens choices, filtration, camera movement and more. They taught us this at Columbia, the cinematographer explains. It shows the producers, camera operators, and all relevant departments things like lighting and mood and framing rules. It's also big for the production designer to see how I'm thinking about sets and locations and how we can collaborate. But most of all it also helps me to get all my notes in one organized place. I carry my iPad on set, open to the scene we're shooting and remind myself, use diffusion for this' or make sure Im lit for high speed here.' Everything happens so fast on indies, this is my checklist to dial-in each scene.

As Schneider discussed the look of the feature with Milano, he knew immediately they were envisioning it in the same way. Leo and I are both drawn to the hyper-realistic, what Vilmos Zsigmond [ASC, HSC] called poetic realism' images that are heightened and more romantic than real life, Schneider says. The look we went for was bigger than real life, really dramatizing the situations like the mind of a high-schooler does shafts of light, haze, making things eerie and dramatic.

To that end, he adds, he and Milano knew we wanted to shoot anamorphic, which just has this magic feel to it that translates to what these high-school kids are experiencing. Everything to them is based on their emotions, so everything feels way more substantial and surreal.

The filmmakers' primary lenses were a set of legacy C Series anamorphic primes, which were supplemented with select E Series focal lengths. I've always been drawn to the C Series look, the cinematographer shares. It has this magic to it, which is the look of classic cinema. And the E Series cut together so well with the Cs. We had an E Series 180mm, which was usually the long lens on the B camera. Because of the large format, it felt more like a 140 or 150. We also had a special Dan Sasaki-modified E 40mm we used for a drunk character's POV. It was super-funky and worked perfectly for the gag. Only the center was sharp, and the world around it was super-distorted.

Schneider estimates that 80 percent of the movie was shot with a single camera, with two cameras rolling simultaneously the remainder of the time. His camera team included 1st AC James Teninty and A-camera and Steadicam operator Will Christensen. James has done a lot of music videos and commercials with me, and he had all of the camera gear dialed-in and ran the department like a well-oiled machine, Schneider reports. Will went to Columbia with me, and he flew back out to Chicago to do this shoot, which meant a lot. Whatever intense situation was happening, I could always rely on him to be cool, calm and collected, which is great to have on your team.

I'm very particular about camera movement, he continues. I only try to move the camera when its necessary, and if the audience notices the move, Ive done my job poorly. We had Steadicam for the run of the show, but we'd only use it when the shot was absolutely supposed to be Steadicam. Most of the show was on dolly or handheld.

The Steadicam did come into play for a large night scene, executed in a single shot, in which the police break up a party. There was a long oner in True Detectiv
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/personal-missi...
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 ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: How OBS is Utilizing Audio QC at the First Winter Games to Use Immersive Sound

Audio quality control (QC) is becoming ever more crucial for Olympic Broadcastin...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: OBS Demonstrates its Commitment to an Inclusive Sports Media Landscape

The Olympic Games are not only a showcase of athletic excellence, they are also ...

18/02/2026

Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Headlines Netflix's First Live MMA Event

Netflix is entering the MMA game with a matchup between two of the biggest names ever to compete on the women's side. Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix ...

18/02/2026

Network18 Media & Investments Selects Grass Valley's Playout X to Power Unified News Operations

Grass Valley announces that Network18 Media & Investments Ltd., one of India'...

18/02/2026

Cobalt Digital Products Receive IPMX Product Certification Following Inaugural Testing Event

Cobalt Digital Inc., a designer and manufacturer of video and audio conversion, ...

18/02/2026

Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports Hits Livigno; XR From North Sydney Drives Coverage

Production is divided between a studio in the mountains and a brand-new studio i...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: Focusing in on the Parabolic' Sound of Skis on Snow at NBC Sports

At the Winter Games IBC in Milan, NBC Sports and Olympics' director of audio...

18/02/2026

2026 Milano Cortina Women's Alpine Photo Gallery

The Women's Alpine events at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Center, about a 10-minute drive from Cortina d'Ampezzo, featured some of the most exciting Olympic...

18/02/2026

Generated in the Italian Alps, NBC's Olympics Audio Is Mixed in Stamford

At the Broadcast Center, 14 audio-control rooms handle the sound in a complex routing and processing regimen We are exactly where we want to be, Karl Malone,...

18/02/2026

Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium Photo Gallery

With 300 hours of curling competition in two weeks, it's a safe bet that even the most curling-hungry fan will be satiated. It also requires a production te...

18/02/2026

Cortina Sliding Center Two-Man Bobsleigh Photo Gallery

Always seen as one of the more crazy Olympic events, Bobsleigh is a sport in which athletes must have nerves of steel and pilots must navigate high-tech sleds...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: Inside the Milan-Based Warner Bros. Discovery Casa Italia Studio with Eurosport

A typical Winter Olympics day - or should I say evening - inside the Warner Bros...

18/02/2026

Milano Cortina 2026: How NOS is Delivering a Speed Skating-First Feed for Dutch Audiences

The Netherlands has dominated Milan's ice rinks, scooping six speed skating ...

18/02/2026

NBC Sports Sets Its Own Record With Olympics Comms

At the Broadcast Center in Stamford, three discrete intercom systems combine into a centralized infrastructure Into the second week of Milan Cortina 2026, eigh...

18/02/2026

Deloitte Releases 2026 Global Sports Industry Outlook

AI is reshaping operations, capital is scaling ownership, sports are converging with media and entertainment, and venues are evolving into year-round platforms...

18/02/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: DNA Inc.'s Thomas Engel on Evolving Digital Experiences and the Power of In-House Collaboration

DNA Inc. specializes in crafting next level digital experiences in the Media, St...

18/02/2026

Copyright Issues Are a Crack in the Ice for Olympic Figure Skating

Conflicts have increased, but so have solutions, driven chiefly by pragmatism and the threat of AI music The only persons on the Figure Skating ice at the 2026...

18/02/2026

Canada's CBC Navigates Multi-Zone Winter Olympics With Bi-Lingual Production Model, Remote Studios, and Custom Content Hubs

Canadian rightsholder deploys its most complex setup at an Olympics ever with ...

18/02/2026

Live From Stamford: NBC Sports Broadcast Center Is Anchor Point of the Entire Olympic Broadcast'

A crew of 1,685 people and 13 control rooms produce nearly every on-air minute f...

18/02/2026

Bad Bunny to Make History in Tokyo With First-Ever Billions Club Live Performance in Asia

Following an extraordinary 2025 in which he was named Spotify's Global Top A...

18/02/2026

Bad Bunny har historia en Tokio con el primer Billions Club Live en Asia

Despu s de un extraordinario 2025 en el que fue nombrado Top Artista Global de Spotify por cuarta vez, algo sin precedentes (y tras su presentaci n en el halfti...

18/02/2026

SBS brings Australians together to mark Ramadan and Eid with communities nationwide

SBS brings Australians together to mark Ramadan and Eid with communities nationw...

18/02/2026

L3Harris Secures Full-Rate Production Contract for US Navy Submarine Communication Systems

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775) underway....

18/02/2026

TV Viewing Hits 12-Month High

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

SinclairLaunches New True Crime Daily Video Podcast

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

E! Co-Founder Alan Mruvka Launches Filmology Labs Studios

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

Stephen Colbert, FCC Commissioner Gomez Blast FCC 'Censorship'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

NBA All-Star Game Averages 8.8 Million Viewers

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/02/2026

Speed - Innovation - LEDs - Whitaker ASC and Verbinski Di...

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die in theaters February 2026 Photo courtesy of Graham Bartholomew, SMPSP James Whitaker, ASC reunited with visionary director G...

18/02/2026

TAG Video Systems Expands MCS With New Lens Visualization...

TAG Video Systems has expanded its Media Control System (MCS) version 1.7.0 release with Lens, a visual service health analysis interface that organizes monitor...

18/02/2026

Teradek Introduces RF-X Revolutionizing Mission-Critical...

Teradek, a global leader in advanced video transmission technology, today announced the launch of RF-X Auto Switcher, a revolutionary appliance designed to deli...

18/02/2026

DP Adolpho Veloso Captures Train Dreams with ZEISS Super...

Train Dreams. (L-R) Director of Photography Adolpho Veloso and Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier on the set of Train Dreams. Cr. Daniel Schaefer/BBP Train Dreams...

18/02/2026

Cerberus Tech Expands Livelinks Multi-Cloud Capabilities...

Cerberus Tech, a leader in cloud-native IP video contribution and distribution, today announced the addition of Akamai Cloud as a supported infrastructure optio...

18/02/2026

ORTC deploys Synamedia Quortex Link for IP channel distri...

Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that Office de Radio et T l vision des Comores (ORTC), the national public broadcaster for the Comor...

18/02/2026

Netflix Opens New Office in Mexico City

Back to All News Netflix Opens New Office in Mexico CityFrom left to right: Francisco Ramos, Vice President of Content for Latin America; Manola Zabalza, Secre...

18/02/2026

February 17, 2026

Calibr-Skaggs and Kainomyx launch collaboration to pioneer novel malaria treatments Partnering to speed up the discovery of new malaria drugs that target parasi...

17/02/2026

Eutelsat, Viewsat Renew Capacity Agreements to Support Development of Broadcast Market in MENA Region

Eutelsat announces the renewal of multiple capacity agreements with Viewsat, rei...

17/02/2026

The Evolution of Communications in Cloud Era of Global Broadcasting

At Milano Cortina 2026, one statistic stood out across industry reporting: 70% of global signal distribution is now happening over public cloud. What began as e...

17/02/2026

CP Communications Supports the Big Game Broadcast for 27 Years

CP Communications provided broadcast support for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif. at Levi's Stadium, marking 27 years of working around the Big Game. Th...

17/02/2026

NBC Sports Graphics Team Goes Onsite, Embraces L.A. Motif for NBA All-Star

Street-level images of iconic Los Angeles landmarks are incorporated into the regular-season look With NBC Sports just months into its return to NBA coverage a...

17/02/2026

Jimpa Asks You to Choose Love

Sophie Hyde and John Lithgow backstage during the premiere of Jimpa. (Photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...

17/02/2026

The 19th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs19) Nominees Announced

Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...

17/02/2026

L3Harris Marks Delivery of 3 Million Fuzes to US Army

A Green Beret hangs a 60mm mortar round from a M225A mortar system on a live-fire range. (Photo credit: U.S. Army)...

17/02/2026

The AI Wild West, and Why it Needs a Sheriff

AI Is Scaling Faster Than Governance And That's a Risk AI adoption hasn't rolled out through neat transformation programmes. It has spread organically...

17/02/2026

TV Viewing Hits 12-Month High in Nielsen's January Report of The Gauge

Cable Surges 9% on Strength of College Football Playoffs and News, while NFL Delivers Top 15 Broadcast Telecasts ESPN (+86%) and FOX News Channel (+17%) Combin...