Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Don't Sweat the Technique

01/03/2023

The path toward lensing great films is even more varied than the platforms that distribute them. In the case of Netflix's Blonde, an artful balance between director Andrew Dominik and cinematographer Chayse Irvin, ASC, CSC, created an opportunity for viewers to rediscover the familiar story of Marilyn Monroe under a brand-new light. In developing a visual parlance to support the project's ambition to recontextualize Monroe's historic legacy, Irvin worked within a flow that some might consider more befitting of a jazz musician than a cinematographer.

Based on the fact-and-fiction-blending Joyce Carole Oates novel of the same name, Blonde stands out from other biopics as a particularly pliant playground for visual interpretation. The movie's kaleidoscopic nature masterfully skews the worlds between Marylin Monroe, the studio-system box-office juggernaut, and Norma Jeane, the betrayed little girl who never gives up on her father.

Working with Panavision Woodland Hills to secure a package that included a Panavised Sony Venice and PVintage optics, Irvin used a mix of aspect ratios, formats, color, and a host of optical aberrations to breathe a life into the film that echoes what Oates achieved in her book. Panavision recently reconnected with the cinematographer to explore his creative approach to Blonde and the journey that's brought him to this point in his career.

Panavision: Where did your affection for cinematography come from?

Chayse Irvin, ASC, CSC: My grandfather had aspirations of fulfilling his life through photography. However, the situation in America at the time limited his aspirations and he worked as a bus driver in Detroit. My father is a mathematician and was the top math student in Michigan. He lived in northern British Columbia after immigrating to Canada, where he led a very interesting life as the postmaster general in a small town amongst a rich Native American population. He had sled dogs and made pool tables for the local bar until he decided to study medicine at UBC. Now he's a retired high school teacher of 30 years who spends his days in the garden. My mother is a musician, a jazz vocalist specifically.

Sounds like you were led by legacy.

Irvin: I was gifted the opportunity to observe my mothers creative endeavors and her sincere obsession with continuously rehearsing songs in the music room. She was part of a community of jazz players she spent time with in the studio or doing a set while still finding time to be a painter as well. It means a lot to me to know that on both sides of my family I had very creative people, one photographic and one musical.

Which recalls the striking images you've created at that very intersection, with music videos you've shot for artist like Leon Bridges, FKA Twigs and Beyonc to name a few. How has music influenced your approach toward the craft of cinematography?

Irvin: Coming from a jazz musician, the discipline is a little bit skewed. Its an art form that uses intuition and spontaneity to articulate on artistic whim, which often comes from acting in the moment of inspiration. Most things are really difficult to do in that realm. It's done constantly in sports a player gets the ball and they react to other players spontaneously so they can essentially coerce elements of the game with their play. There's less thought involved because by the time you think about something, its already too late. It's about achieving a certain level of conditioning through practice so that when youre in the game, you perform how you want opposed to how you can. On a cinematographic level, those are the aspects that Ive really latched onto and that I'm hoping to harness even further as I grow.

What is that conditioning for a cinematographer? What keeps you in shape?

Irvin: I learned a lot from others. Not through necessarily observing them on set and working, but through binge-watching films. At some point in my early 20s, it was three movies a day, and I would write down the dynamic of emotions that I felt and save the clip of the film that I was feeling. Then I would read about the cinematographer or directors aesthetic view or approach, because they all basically have certain philosophies.

The ability for individuals like Henri Cartier-Bresson or Alex Webb, amongst other photographers, to use composition with geometric shapes, silhouettes, and positive and negative space while also doing whats called capturing at the decisive moment' is something I've always admired. They can sense something is about to happen, and they pull the trigger just as that moments coming to fruition. Its completely lacking any type of thought and always intuitive

It's different from traditional filmmaking because a lot of filmmaking is about preconception, like architecture you figure out a visual structure and you stick to it rigorously. On things I've been working on, I've taken that idea and I've flipped it, making it less rigor and almost more whimsical. When Im inspired, I need to act on it. Theres a meaning there, and I may not know what it is, but I can sense it. Maybe it will tell me later, but right now it's speaking to me, and that's something I try to stay in tune with.

How do you maintain that tune as you collaborate with different directors and departments?

Irvin: I was 12 or 13 when my parents converted to Taoism and I learned of the Eastern philosophy of Wu Wei. It essentially translates into inaction or non-action but in the sense of flow state. Ive worked with certain directors who have helped me harness a flow state, which to me is the apex of my creativity, a state where the cinematography in the film is almost shooting itself and I don't impose anything. Everything is going to get done as long as you absorb it and let it happen. It's the metaphor of a
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/don-t-sweat-th...
See more stories from panavision

Most recent headlines

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

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

28/04/2024

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...

29/03/2024

XenData Announces Media Portal for its LTO and Cloud Archive Solutions

XenData Announces Media Portal for its LTO and Cloud Archive Solutions Brie Clayton March 29, 2024 0 Comments XenData, the provider of cutting-edge da...

29/03/2024

Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max 2025 Released With Time-Saving New Toolsets

Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max 2025 Released With Time-Saving New Toolsets Brie Clayton March 29, 2024 0 Comments Autodesk Flow Production Tracking and Flo...

29/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB Show

PARIS Dalet has announced that during the 2024 NAB Show (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows that ...

29/03/2024

DirecTV Inks Deal to Carry 2024 Colorado Rockies Games

DENVER AND EL SEGUNDO, Calif. DirecTV has announced a new agreement with Major League Baseball that will allow Colorado Rockies fans to see this season's ga...

29/03/2024

S&P: Media, Telecom M&A Plunges to 13-Month Low

S&P Global Market Intelligence has released new data showing that dealmaking in the North America for media and telecom companies remains in the doldrums....

29/03/2024

NAB Show: Pebble Launches PRIMA Software Platform

EPSOM, Surrey, UK The automation, content management, and integrated channel specialist Pebble, has announced that it will be launching a new software platform ...

29/03/2024

Gray Television to Air Arena Football League Local Games

ATLANTA Gray Television Inc. has inked a multi-year agreement with the Arena Football League to bring Saturday arena football games over-the-air to local audien...

29/03/2024

Scandal!: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Scandal!: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...

29/03/2024

Generations: The Legacy - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Generations: The Legacy - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The So...

29/03/2024

Uzalo: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [video]

Uzalo: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [video]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African website...

29/03/2024

Meet the busker aiming to play at every London tube station

Meet the busker aiming to play at every London tube stationAustralian singer-songwriter Dan Tredget is aiming to become the first person to busk at every London...

29/03/2024

Streaming today: The Wages of Fear' on Netflix - 29 March 2024

Streaming today: The Wages of Fear' on Netflix - 29 March 2024Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out all the new streaming releases from all you...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Uzalo: Minenhle makes a huge mistake, because of nerves

Tonight on Uzalo: Minenhle makes a huge mistake, because of nervesDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Uzalo on SABC 1...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Umkhokha: Nokubonga learns the devastating news about her womb

Tonight on Umkhokha: Nokubonga learns the devastating news about her wombDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Umkhokha...

29/03/2024

Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka shares a job opening with Nkosi

Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka shares a job opening with NkosiDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on ...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Scandal: A mother is torn between history and truth

Tonight on Scandal: A mother is torn between history and truthDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Muvhango: Reneilwe discovers some damning evidence proving her suspicion

Tonight on Muvhango: Reneilwe discovers some damning evidence proving her suspic...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa turns on the one guy he should be leaning on

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa turns on the one guy he should be leaning onDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem S...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Generations: Palesa proves she still has some heart

Tonight on Generations: Palesa proves she still has some heartDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Generations: The Le...

29/03/2024

Thales Announces Partnership with Saporo in Belgium to Empower Organizations with Enhanced Cybersecurity Resilience

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn This collaboration brings together Thales' e...

29/03/2024

Avoid Collaboration Concerns

By Craig Anderton As the universe of Studio One users grows, so do opportunities for collaboration. But your collaborator may not be using the same version of ...

29/03/2024

Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...

29/03/2024

Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South...

29/03/2024

My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sou...

29/03/2024

Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South ...

29/03/2024

Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African s...

29/03/2024

House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on The South African...

28/03/2024

No votes for all

Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...

28/03/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 8 Women Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

A still from Jasmin Baumgartner's Bye Bye, Bowser, which screened as part ...

28/03/2024

The Best Shared Storage For Video Production

alt= class=wp-image-12214 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Best-Shared-Storage-EVO-logo-960x540-1.jpg/> Embarking on a cinematic journey or crafting a ...

28/03/2024

Future-Proofing the B-52

L3Harris is upgrading critical electronic warfare systems to ensure the iconic aircrafts spectrum superiority for decades to come....

28/03/2024

Supporting the RCAF for more than 25 Years with L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series

L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems have supported the RCAF for more than 25 years....

28/03/2024

ENCO to Add AI News Anchor to Qimera Virtual Production Set

NOVI, Mich. During the 2024 NAB Show, ENCO will be showcasing an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set....

28/03/2024

Johan de Nysschen Named President and CEO of ARRI Americas

MUNICH ARRI has announced that Johan de Nysschen has been put in charge of the ARRI Americas team as president and CEO ARRI Americas Inc....

28/03/2024

Fubo Inks Carriage Deal with YES Network

NEW YORK The YES Network and FuboTV have reached a multi-year carriage agreement that will allow Fubo to launch YES in its Pro base channel plan in time for YES...

28/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024

PARIS Dalet has announced that during its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows t...

28/03/2024

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design congratulates the many film professional...

28/03/2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments New option for BLADE//runner ke...

28/03/2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Maxon returns to NAB with presentations by artists from around the world and demos of t...

28/03/2024

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Huntington

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night'...

28/03/2024

The 4K cameras giving audiences an astronaut's view of Earth

TVBEurope meets Charles Black, founder and CEO of Sen, which has sent a payload of 4K cameras to the ISS to livestream images of Earth to audiences around the w...

28/03/2024

2024 Big Night In Raises $145k to Support Triangle Arts Councils

Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV once again proudly supported our local arts community with the broadcast of Big Night in for the Arts Thursday, March 7, 2024. ...

28/03/2024

JIC, MRC Announce Accord On Roles In Judging Measurement Companies

With more companies offering different approaches to measuring television viewing and campaign effectiveness, two of the groups that evaluate potential media bu...

28/03/2024

Hulu Added to Disney Plus App for Bundle Subscribers

The Walt Disney Co. said that it launched Hulu on Disney Plus, which makes Hulu programming available via the Disney Plus app....

28/03/2024

GroupM To Double Ad Spending On Women's Sports Programming

Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women's sports....

28/03/2024

Scripps Renews State Farm As Sponsor of Friday Night WNBA on Ion

Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion's Friday night WNBA telecasts....

28/03/2024

Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington Sign On for Imperfect Women' on Apple TV Plus

Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington will star in, and executive produce, Imperfe...

28/03/2024

Telemundo Station Group Addresses Climate Change With Month-Long Initiative

Telemundo Station Group launches the month-long climate change initiative Our Planet Thursday, March 28. The multiplatform campaign ends on Earth Day, April 22,...