Paul Maibaum ASCFollow Paul: Twitter Instagram
Paul Maibaum is the younger son of screenwriter Richard Maibaum (writer of 13 James Bond screenplays).
Upon graduation from USC School of Cinema, he worked for Director of Photography Michael P. Joyce at Filmart. He was made a Director of Photography on the stylish Fox TV series, Parker Lewis Cant Lose and since then has worked on movies for television, single camera episodic television and multiple camera comedies.
On the acclaimed FX series Sons of Anarchy, director of photography Paul Maibaum, ASC relied on solutions from Anton/Bauer, for the production's stage and location shoots in Southern California. The DP and his crew trusted the gear for battery power throughout all seven seasons of this hit show.
Maibaum was the show's director of photography since the second episode of the first season. Created by Kurt Sutter, Sons of Anarchy explores the lives of members of an outlaw motorcycle club in California's Central Valley. The drama is one of the highest-rated series in the history of FX. Sons of Anarchy is like a modern-day Western with vistas and composition driving a look that harkens back to the movies of John Ford and Spaghetti Westerns, Maibaum says. Only on this show the horses are motorcycles, and the code of the west is the code of the club. The challenge of developing the look for the show was to make it natural, not too slick, he notes. Handheld gives the narrative a feeling of immediacy that's organic to the story. There are many non-verbal, dramatic elements that are signature shots of the show; it's not rushed, in the sense that we like to get the reactions of the characters.
Maibaum is also a long-time user of OConnor fluid heads and Litepanels LED lighting fixtures. I cannot remember a project that I have worked on where there weren't at least two OConnor heads, going back to the days of the OConnor 100, and I have used Litepanels' Bricks and 1x1 LED panels almost since they first came on the market, he notes.On Sons of Anarchy, Maibaum used a pair of ARRI ALEXA cameras as his A cameras with one or two Sony F55 CineAlta cameras supplementing the 1st unit or serving as a two-camera package on the 2nd unit. Angenieux Optimo Zoom lenses are deployed to enable operators to switch back and forth from handheld to studio mode and stabilized camera moves with minimal downtime between modes. Maibaum notes that approximately 60% of the show is shot handheld, splitting the rest of the scenes evenly between dollies and camera stabilization systems.
Location and studio production were evenly split during the seven- to eight-day shooting schedule, with the studio housed in a converted warehouse in North Hollywood and locations throughout Los Angeles.Litepanels fixtures are prominent on the show with Bricks as well as 1x1s playing key roles in the lighting package. They're invaluable, Maibaum declares. They work alongside all of our other lighting instruments, whether tungsten or HMI, on stage and on location. They're lightweight, and the ability to run on battery power, along with their dimming capabilities, makes them essential tools in our lighting package. Adding, The output of the ASTRA is surprising. I was able to use it as a fill light during some insert car work, filling the actors' faces in broad daylight with the fixture projecting from roughly 8 feet from the subject's faces. It was much brighter than the original light that we planned to use.
On the set, he reports that the 1x1s hang quickly and easy - they're a solid, good-looking light; from flood to spot it's easy to narrow the beam. Litepanels Bricks are often used for eye light. In scenes where lighting is sketchy, I'll tell the team to add a ping' - or place a Brick' to brighten the eyes, says Maibaum. Litepanels gear is an essential element in my bag of tricks, adds gaffer Tony Anderson. The freedom of battery-powered lighting has saved me many times. When the DP needs one last thing,' the 1x1 is my go-to instrument. I have also worked with the ASTRA and am very impressed with the versatility and output of this head. It has enough output for bounce keylights yet is light enough to rig just about anywhere.
Anton/Bauer batteries fill many mobile power needs for Maibaum's crew. They use the award-winning CINE VCLX as the main camera battery for the ALEXAs and F55s when on dollies or cranes.
DIONIC batteries act as a power supply for the handheld cameras and Litepanels 1x1s, and also power the wireless video assist. What I like about Anton/Bauer batteries is that they charge quickly, don't lose their charge, and the digital readout tells me how much power is left all the time.
They're also lightweight and attach on and off quickly to the camera or light, Maibaum points out.
No matter how many surprises Sons of Anarchy has had in store for fans over its seven-season run, behind the scenes our Anton/Bauer, Litepanels and OConnor gear has delivered consistently unsurprising results. I don't believe we would be able to complete our day's work within the time allotted if we did not have the complement of reliable gear from those brands that we employ on virtually every set up on an average shooting day on Sons of Anarchy, Maibaum concludes.
Share This Page Twitter Facebook Linkedin
Related articles
On location with Jonathan Young
Shooting stars
Lighter, Stronger, Faster
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
11/08/2025
11 08 2025 - Media release Screen Australia celebrates emerging creatives and cu...
09/08/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr announced the ap...
09/08/2025
ATLANTA CBS Stations has announced the senior leadership team for WUPA, soon to rebrand as owned-and-operated station CBS Atlanta. The network affiliation chang...
09/08/2025
A new study from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan is forecasting rapid advertising growth for Amazon's streaming efforts....
08/08/2025
(L-R) Amy Berg, Mary Guibert, and Ben Harper attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival It's Not Over, Jeff Buckley premiere The Ray Theatre. (Photo by Robin ...
08/08/2025
ATLANTA Following an announcement in June that Byron Allen's Allen Media Group planned to sell its TV stations, Gray Media struck a deal to acquire AMG'...
08/08/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr announced the ap...
08/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox has finally announced a launch data and pricing for Fox One, with the direct-to-consumer streaming service set to launch Aug. 21 fo...
08/08/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wis. Heartland Video Systems has announced that they've signed a reseller agreement with Cuez for the company's all-in-one rundown/news room c...
08/08/2025
Grass Valley, the pioneering media and entertainment technology innovator, is bringing the full power of the Grass Valley Media Universe (GVMU) to IBC 2025 with...
08/08/2025
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, announces the successful inauguration of a new Virtual Production XR studio at the ITS Apulia Foundatio...
08/08/2025
The Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center (SRCLC), a nonprofit clinic dedicated to supporting children with communication disorders, has significantly upgrade...
08/08/2025
European developer Profuz Digital will present at IBC Stand 8.A88, the latest version of subtitling platform SubtitleNEXT and new capabilities in the powerful A...
08/08/2025
Disguise has announced a major update to its AI-powered workflow assistant for Designer Pro, Ask AId3n. The update enables production teams to sequence repetiti...
08/08/2025
Wyandotte Municipal Services (WMS), a municipal non-profit service provider, has successfully deployed Synamedia Gravity, a cloud-based device management and se...
08/08/2025
IBC2025 has unveiled a powerful and provocative IBC2025 Conference line-up that will bring together global disruptors and long-established leaders from across t...
08/08/2025
Evergent (#5.A86), the leader in customer management and monetization for streaming and digital subscription businesses, will debut a suite of new solutions to ...
08/08/2025
Humans Not Robots (HNR), a pioneering provider of sustainable media technology solutions, is delighted to announce its participation in IBC2025. At the leading ...
08/08/2025
As Little League Softball World Series Popularity Grows, So Too Does ESPN's ...
08/08/2025
Levi's Stadium Facelift, Part 1: Full Glass-to-Glass 4K, IP-Based Control Ro...
08/08/2025
Levi's Stadium Facelift, Part 2: NFL's Largest 4K Videoboards, LED Sport...
08/08/2025
Levi's Stadium Facelift, Part 3: ANC's Jerry Cifarelli Jr. on Growing th...
08/08/2025
Levi's Stadium Facelift, Part 4: Under the Lights' Event Culminates Mul...
08/08/2025
The Hills Are Alive: A Year at Kylemore Abbey starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player
The Hills Are Alive: A Year at Kylemore Abbey, a new RT obser...
08/08/2025
Kieran's last C il House will be live from Fleadh Cheoil na h ireann this Saturday August 9
After three decades at the helm of RT Radio 1's C il Hou...
08/08/2025
Researchers identify promising new compound to treat tuberculosis Study led by Scripps Research, Texas A&M and additional institutions highlights that the world...
07/08/2025
By Jessica Herndon
In writer-director Marielle Heller's feature debut, The ...
07/08/2025
Increasing uncertainty about the future development of global trade, tariff incr...
07/08/2025
A bold new sporting documentary series celebrating First Nations athletes, cultu...
07/08/2025
L3Harris delivered three AEPS thrusters to NASA Glenn Research Center for testing. AEPS thrusters are capable of accelerating spacecraft to extremely high speed...
07/08/2025
Rendering of NTS-3 Navigational Satellite over North America...
07/08/2025
There are two ecosystems coexisting in entertainment: one for millennials and younger; another for Gen X and older, so says media universe cartographer Evan S...
07/08/2025
Berklee City Music Students Receive Scholarships, Awards at Concert This year, 17 students received scholarships, housing awards, and aid to attend Berklee Co...
07/08/2025
WASHINGTON Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced plans to open two new full-scale broadcast studios in the nation's capital, filling a long-standin...
07/08/2025
NEW YORK Nielsen and WPP Media have announced a new agreement for audience measurement spanning TV, streaming, audio, and cross-platform ad performance via Niel...
07/08/2025
BRISTOL, Conn. In a long-awaited move that could have a major impact on the pay TV ecosystem, ESPN said it will launch its previously announced direct-to-consum...
07/08/2025
MONTREAL Haivision Systems Inc. has announced that it will slowcase its latest tech advances in live video contribution at IBC2025 from September 12-15 at Hall ...
07/08/2025
PARIS Ateme has announced that it is powering a nationwide terrestrial service upgrade for KT Skylife, a South Korean satellite television provider....
07/08/2025
WASHINGTON Following an Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump that appointed Federal Communications Commission Chair Brandan Carr to a White House Ta...
07/08/2025
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN), the Motion Picture Association's (MPA) global content security initiative, today announced the upcoming launch of its nex...
07/08/2025
07 Aug 2025
VEON 2Q25 Earnings Release: Direct Digital Revenues Up 57% YoY. Sol...
07/08/2025
NBC Olympics Tech Guru Darryl Jefferson to Receive SMPTE's David Sarnoff Med...
07/08/2025
Tennis Channel's Broadcast Feat: One Day, Two Tournaments, Four Cities Two ATP Masters 1000 tourneys will be aired today By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor
...
07/08/2025
The World Games 2025: ISB Shares Bold Production Plans for 12th Edition of the M...
07/08/2025
SVG Summit, SVGW Australia Event Expand SVG's Presence Down Under By SVG Staff
Thursday, August 7, 2025 - 1:47 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story...
07/08/2025
The CW, FOX Nation Saddle Up for PBR Camping World Team Series Broadcast, streamed coverage is designed to spur fanbase expansion By Jason Dachman, Editorial D...
07/08/2025
RT has today announced the appointment of Mark Simpson to the role of Managing Editor, RT Radio 1.
Reporting to the Head of RT Radio 1, Tara Campbell, Mark ...
Paul Maibaum ASCFollow Paul: Twitter Instagram
