Winner of the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema at the 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the RBC Emerging Canadian Artist Award at the 2022 Calgary International Film Festival, the comedy feature I Like Movies follows the plight of a socially challenged 17-year-old who's forced to confront the realities of adulthood while working at his local video store. Drawing inspiration from writer-director Chandler Levack's cinematic acumen, the movie marks the feature-length debut for Levack as well as cinematographer Rico Moran. Together, the duo crafted a stylized aesthetic that underscores the perspective of the movie's protagonist, Lawrence (played by Isaiah Lehtinen).
Panavision recently caught up with the director and cinematographer, who recount their journey to turn their visions into reality.
Panavision: How would you describe the look of I Like Movies?
Chandler Levack: Southern Ontario nostalgic realness.' We wanted to create a lot of warmth and use natural light sources from windows and lamps to highlight the environments. The movie is a period piece set in the early 2000s, in my hometown of Burlington, Ontario, so it was crucial to create a warm, nostalgic atmosphere that was still a bit stylized, paying subtle homage to the auteurs our lead protagonist, Lawrence, is obsessed with namely Stanley Kubrick and Paul Thomas Anderson. We shot in the old Academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and we were rarely handheld. We wanted to create a warm sense of intimacy in the camerawork that could really highlight the blocking of the actors in the scene and the environment of the video store.
Rico Moran: We set out to make I Like Movies look at once nostalgic and modern, like the way you remember your grad-photo glossies even though they're a bit sun-faded now. We wanted the colors to be vivid yet restrained and the framing to echo Lawrence's narrow perspective. Chandler had chosen the 1.33:1 aspect ratio as a nod to the TVs we grew up watching movies on. It was a perfect size to frame a close-up portrait and to emphasize how Lawrence didn't really look beyond his own little world.
Were there any visual references you looked at for inspiration?
Levack: Rico and I created an exhaustive visual reference board for the movie, which was so fun to do. Color-palette-wise, I was obsessed with the way that Almod var always uses red and teal in his films. Antonio Banderas kitchen in Pain and Glory became the inspiration for the branded scheme of our fictional video store, Sequels, which bled its way into the set dec and color scheme throughout the movie. We also watched a lot of French New Wave movies by Godard, like La Chinoise, to see how primary colors against neutral backgrounds could really pop.
All the coming-of-age movies that I revered as a teenager and today also played a pivotal role in designing our camera moves and the general vibe and lighting of the film. I think Rico got sick of how many times per day I would reference Lady Bird, but it was really a guiding light for creating an environment of stylized authenticity that remained true to a prickly protagonists lived experience of the world. We also studied Ghost World, Rushmore and My Night at Mauds.
Moran: It was quite a range of movies we watched together to align ourselves, from Andrea Arnold to Eric Rohmer, with stops at Elephant and Marriage Story. Often there would be a specific reference point in terms of framing style, color treatment or coverage strategy, and other times it was just for a dash of fun. I was also keen on looking to photographers like Paul Graham, Hannah Starkey and Tina Barney for their vivid palettes and inspired framing.
What brought you to Panavision for this project?
Moran: Panavision was always my first choice for my first feature. To be able to tell the story of our film-obsessed hero with the lenses that were used to shoot some of his favorite movies felt perfectly appropriate. I wanted to give a touch of Hollywood to the not-so-Hollywood Burlington, Ontario.
I've always felt so supported by Jerry Papernick, James McMahon and Johanna Gravelle at Panavision Toronto, and this project was no exception. Their team is always game to work with me and my crew to find the perfect lenses and accessories for every situation.
Levack: Panavision are the most iconic camera company in the world, and my favorite directors of all time have always shot with them. I love their lenses so much they're not only iconic but divine vessels of cinematic creation. I'd always dreamed of being a Panavision filmmaker. It was a shot in the dark, but I wrote Panavision a very sincere love letter expressing my desire to work with them on I Like Movies. Lawrences heroes Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick have famously always shot with Panavision, so I included behind-the-scenes photos of them shooting with Panavision cameras and explained my artistic vision for the movie and the way Rico and I wanted to shoot the film. When they said yes, I teared up.
Panavision have been such generous collaborators and supporters of the project. At our U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, I Like Movies even won a juried award for Independent Cinema that included an equipment grant from Panavision. It is such a gift to know that I can continue to shoot with Panavision cameras and lenses on future projects.
What optical characteristics do you see in the PVintage lenses that made them the right match for I Like Movies?
Moran: During prep, Chandler and I tested different sets to determine what would be the best fit. I had a feeling that the PVintages would be the winner, and after a blind test, this was confirmed. I love their soft contrast, velvety focus roll-off, expressive but not excessive flares, and fast T-stop. We didn't have a lot of
Most recent headlines
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
22/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
22/12/2025
Berklee Wrapped 2025: Our Top News and Stories A look back at a year highlighted by faculty milestones, major film and television projects, Bob Dylan's ho...
22/12/2025
The works of Plato state that when humans have an experience, some level of change occurs in their brain, which is powered by memory - specifically long-term me...
22/12/2025
Partnership integrates complementary satellite data and AI analytics to enhance security, infrastructure, and environmental monitoring solutions for global cust...
22/12/2025
Workflows allow you to create a sequence of planned events which may be added to your template(s) or inserted directly into your sequential or background playli...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Back to All News
Global Anime Hits and New Releases Take Center Stage at Jump Festa 2026
Entertainment
22 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied to clipboar...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
21/12/2025
Back to All News
Legoshi and Haru's Story Reaches Its Finale: BEASTARS Fin...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
20/12/2025
Atomos announced the immediate availability of a new firmware update for its Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX monitor-recorders, unlocking ProRes RAW recording from the...
20/12/2025
CJP Broadcast has completed the digitisation of the European Gymnastics tape archive, converting 328 tapes containing more than forty years of recorded material...
20/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced the launch of the Stream Lab MCP Server, to give AI agents and large language model...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
Winner of the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema at the 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the RBC Emerging Canadian Artist Award at the 2022 Calgary International Film Festival, the comedy feature I Like Movies follows the plight of a socially challenged 17-year-old who's forced to confront the realities of adulthood while working at his local video store. Drawing inspiration from writer-director Chandler Levack's cinematic acumen, the movie marks the feature-length debut for Levack as well as cinematographer Rico Moran. Together, the duo crafted a stylized aesthetic that underscores the perspective of the movie's protagonist, Lawrence (played by Isaiah Lehtinen).
