Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Chi: Bringing Life On The Street Closer To Home

17/05/2022

One of the strengths of the acclaimed series The Chi, created by Lena Waithe, is its multifaceted take on the experiences of living in Chicago's South Side. It also does not shy away from the big issues that impact the city. Indeed, the nuanced complexity of its storylines have been likened to The Wire.

Showtime's eagerly anticipated second run is lensed by cinematographer Abraham Martinez, who moved into the role after serving as second unit DP on the show's first season.

Abe Martinez on The Chi.

For the second installment, Showtime requested delivery in 4K rather than HD. Martinez employed Panavision's Chicago location to assemble his camera package, with the Alexa Mini as the show's primary camera (with ARRI Amira for Steadicam).

One of the first things I did after we decided on the camera was talk with Katie Fellion (co-founder and head of business development and workflow strategy at Light Iron, Panavision's post production division), and we decided to up-rez the footage from its native sensor to 4K, says Martinez.

A big plus for me in terms of working with Light Iron on this show and also on other shows for which I've shot a mix of formats is the ability to color match the cameras seamlessly, Martinez notes.

Panavision Chicago outfitted each camera with its own set of Panavision Super Speeds (14-150mm) with PVintage as the go-to glass. These were complemented by an ARRI Ultra Prime 8R for time lapse and a Nikon Nikkor 600 telephoto to capture the hustle and danger of life on the street.

Abe Martinez on The Chi.

A notable change in style between seasons was the incorporation of more negative space in frame composition, but otherwise Martinez retained The Chi's signature handheld and alive camera movement.

The lighting choices marked a more definitive enhancement from season one, a topic the DP discussed with Light Iron Supervising Colorist Steven Bodner at length. The change spurred from new showrunner and executive producer Ayanna Floyd Davis.

Martinez explains, Ayanna mentioned that she wanted more of a differentiation between the two main dramatic focusses of The Chi which are the mob and the family. I felt that we needed to focus on making the interiors for the family feel warmer and more domestic. The creative intent was to put the audience inside people's homes in the south side.

This was set to contrast with the background violence that permeates The Chi as it depicts life on the street with gangs and guns. For the mob, we wanted to lean into this urban backdrop, make it a little more heightened, but still the touchstone is realism, Martinez relates. We embrace the sodium vapor feel of street lights and tone the color temp down.

Alex R. Hibbert as Kevin, Michael Epps as Jake, and Shamon Brown as Papa in The Chi (Season 2, Episode 01, Eruptions).

At the same time the thread running throughout this series is one of fatherhood boys growing into men. We have a great range of skin tones and I really wanted to bring those out and create a real intimacy and reality to our story, he continues. These were the emotional points I talked over with Steve throughout production. We worked together to ensure there was a consistency of look for each of these two worlds, the domestic and the street. For example, in one scene we see a mom at her front door with a feel of domestic warmth and she's talking to a kid on the street, and when we cut to that character, we feel the cooler blue exterior of that world.

Martinez adds, Lighting the space and atmosphere was equally as important to lighting actors, having the freedom for authentic character movement was essential. The show has so much movement and energy to it that I wanted to liberate our camera operators to go into tight places and follow the actors. In turn, that meant working with Steve to draw out the darker skin tones that might otherwise get lost in the shadows. This wasn't a cut and paste job. I felt that at each step I was able to control and fine-tune the process working with dailies and into color grading.

Rolando Boyce as Darnell in The Chi (Season 2, Episode 1, Eruptions).

Shot on location in Chicago, the ease with which Martinez was able to talk over the fine points of photography or grade with Light Iron in Chicago, New York or Los Angeles was something he greatly appreciates. While Martinez was in Panavision's New Orleans' office, a conform would be sent to Light Iron in LA who in turn would send a conformed ProRes file to Bodner in New York City.

I'd do a first pass on the full episode, usually taking two days, and then we'd arrange a remote DI session, which I would run in New York with Abe in New Orleans and his post team at the Los Angeles office, Bodner says. These three-way color sessions are becoming more and more common now that we have a far reach with our technology.

No matter the time zone I am in, Light Iron is always open, notes Martinez. I can always reach out to someone in their offices with any issue. It's so important to me to always have this line of communication. From the moment I develop a camera package with Panavision to the moment I start conversations with Light Iron, I am extremely confident I am being taken care of and that's a weight off my back.

Martinez graded 27 episodes with Light Iron last year, including all ten episodes of The Chi with Bodner, 13 episodes for Queen of the South (season 3), and the four-part documentary Alternative Living.

I was in Light Iron New Orleans when I was working on the doc series and on the same day able to remote grade an episode of The Chi while reviewing test shots of grain for Queen sent from New York City. That, I felt, was a game changer in the sense that the job really can be done remotely and flexibly thanks to Light Iron and Panavisi
LINK: https://www.panavision.com/highlights/highlights-detail/the-chi-bringi...
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...

19/03/2024

Barco announces collaboration with NVIDIA and SoftAcuity to add AI and data analytics applications to the operating room

Mar 18, 2024 Barco announces collaboration with NVIDIA and SoftAcuity to a...

19/03/2024

Hear from New Bulls Manager Morgan Ensberg on latest The Durham Bulls Podcast

Meet the Bulls' new manager, hear from 2 former managers, a former player and a person with a very special connection to Wool E. Bull. Tune in to The Durham...

19/03/2024

What Is Dembow? Tracing the Roots of a Global Phenomenon

What Is Dembow? Tracing the Roots of a Global Phenomenon The story of the dembow beat, which can be found in reggaeton, hip-hop, pop, and far beyond, speaks t...

19/03/2024

Berklee's Roger H. Brown Jr. Building Honored by Boston Society for Architecture

Berklee's Roger H. Brown Jr. Building Honored by Boston Society for Architec...

19/03/2024

Applications Open for 2024 Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics

Applications Open for 2024 Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics The 39th edition of the program will be held from July 9-21. By Callista Chan March 21, 2024 Ima...

19/03/2024

Smoke and Mirrors: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Smoke and Mirrors: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South Afric...

19/03/2024

Umkhokha: The Curse - Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Umkhokha: The Curse - Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South Af...

19/03/2024

Gqeberha: The Empire - Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Gqeberha: The Empire - Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South A...

19/03/2024

Muvhango: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Muvhango: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African websit...

19/03/2024

Uzalo: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [video]

Uzalo: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [video]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African website. ...

19/03/2024

Generations: The Legacy - Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Generations: The Legacy - Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sout...

19/03/2024

Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 18 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...

18/03/2024

USC Basketball Star Juju Watkins on Fashion, Film, Friendship Bracelets, and More

Listeners turn to Spotify to connect with their favorites-from artists and album...

18/03/2024

Young professionals successfully complete vocational training at SGL's Meitingen site

Seven young professionals completed their vocational training at SGL Carbon in M...

18/03/2024

Vintage Allure

Released this past January, the music video for Ariana Grande's yes, and? brings a modern approach to vintage allure. The video was directed by Christian ...

18/03/2024

ST Engineering iDirect Unveils Intuition at SATELLITE 2024 Conference and Exhibition

Global satellite communications leader gives market a first look at its next-gen...

18/03/2024

Box to Box Films shares with MediaSilo

Box to Box Films Shares with MediaSilo Amy and Drive to Survive producer updates collaborators simply and securely Boston, MA, March 18, 2024 - Box to Box Fi...

18/03/2024

Telestream Introduces AI-Powered Tools for Rapid Content Delivery at NAB Show 2024

Telestream Introduces AI-Powered Tools for Rapid Content Delivery at NAB Show 20...

18/03/2024

Docufiction Film Bringing Down a Mountain Edited with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Docufiction Film Bringing Down a Mountain Edited with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton March 18, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design today announced ...

18/03/2024

FingerWorks Telestrators Releases Enhancements to Computer Vision Live Tracking Software at NAB 2024

FingerWorks Telestrators Releases Enhancements to Computer Vision Live Tracking ...

18/03/2024

DirecTV to Allow Subscribers to Opt Out of Local Stations

DirecTV announced a new feature over the weekend that will allow its subscribers to opt out of their local stations in return for a discount. Customers who ch...

18/03/2024

Logging and reviewing: Moving towards a sustainable workflow

Jane Sung, COO at Cinedeck, explains how broadcasters and content production companies can achieve the goal of moving towards creating a more sustainable, effic...

18/03/2024

Altice Media sold to French shipping tycoon for 1.55 billion

The deal includes BFM TV, one of the country's largest 24-hour news channels, as well as documentary channel RMC D couverte, and RMC Story By Jenny Priestl...

18/03/2024

Meet the CEO and founder

By TVBEurope Staff Published: March 18, 2024 Nick Franco tells TVBEurope how he went from being a master plasterer and refurbishing the ornate plasterwork ...

18/03/2024

Master the Avatar State: Glowing Eyes in Adobe After Effects

Master the Avatar State: Glowing Eyes in Adobe After Effects Levi Borland March 18, 2024 0 Comments In this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to recrea...

18/03/2024

Next Season of Doctor Who' on Disney Plus May 10

The next season of Doctor Who, with Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor, premieres on Disney Plus and around the world May 10. It is the first season to launch on Di...

18/03/2024

Screen Australia and VicScreen launch new Screen Careers initiative

18 03 2024 - Media release Screen Australia and VicScreen launch new Screen Careers initiative LTR Denise Eriksen, Esther Coleman Hawkins, Caroline Pitcher, K...

18/03/2024

CBC/WRAL Night Helps Bring in Over $26k for PBS NC

Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV continued a decades-long tradition of supporting PBS North Carolina, our state's public television station, to good result ...

18/03/2024

Tonight on My Brother's Keeper: Nomusa leaves Moketsi's house in a rush

Tonight on My Brother's Keeper: Nomusa leaves Moketsi's house in a rushDon't miss Monday, 18 March's riveting episode of South African soapie My...

18/03/2024

Tonight on House of Zwide: Zola discovers she's pregnant

Tonight on House of Zwide: Zola discovers she's pregnantDon't miss Monday, 18 March's riveting episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on e.t...

18/03/2024

Big Brother Mzansi 4: Papa Ghost secures back-to-back Head of House wins

Big Brother Mzansi 4: Papa Ghost secures back-to-back Head of House winsPapa Ghost has clinched consecutive victories as Head of the House in the latest edition...

18/03/2024

NVIDIA Edify Unlocks 3D Generative AI, New Image Controls for Visual Content Providers

NVIDIA Edify, a multimodal architecture for visual generative AI, is entering a ...

18/03/2024

From Atoms to Supercomputers: NVIDIA, Partners Scale Quantum Computing

The latest advances in quantum computing include investigating molecules, deploying giant supercomputers and building the quantum workforce with a new academic ...

18/03/2024

New NVIDIA Storage Partner Validation Program Streamlines Enterprise AI Deployments

A sharp increase in generative AI deployments is driving business innovation for...

18/03/2024

NVIDIA Unveils Digital Blueprint for Building Next-Gen Data Centers

Designing, simulating and bringing up modern data centers is incredibly complex, involving multiple considerations like performance, energy efficiency and scala...

18/03/2024

Generative AI Developers Harness NVIDIA Technologies to Transform In-Vehicle Experiences

Cars of the future will be more than just modes of transportation; they'll b...

18/03/2024

All Eyes on AI: Automotive Tech on Full Display at GTC 2024

All eyes across the auto industry are on GTC - the global AI conference running in San Jose, Calif., and online through Thursday, March 21 - as the world's ...

18/03/2024

All Aboard: NVIDIA Scores 23 World Records for Route Optimization

With nearly two dozen world records to its name, NVIDIA cuOpt now holds the top spot for 100% of the largest routing benchmarks in the last three years. And thi...

18/03/2024

We Created a Processor for the Generative AI Era,' NVIDIA CEO Says

Generative AI promises to revolutionize every industry it touches - all that's been needed is the technology to meet the challenge. NVIDIA founder and CEO ...

18/03/2024

Banglalink Gets Unified Licence to Deliver Superior Digital Services in Bangladesh

18 Mar 2024 Banglalink Gets Unified Licence to Deliver Superior Digital Service...

18/03/2024

Thuraya partners with Niflink to deliver telemedicine and eLearning to users across its network

Abu Dhabi, 18 March, 2024 : Abu Dhabi, 18 March 2024: Thuraya Telecommunication...

18/03/2024

Thuraya partners with Niflink to deliver telemedicine and eLearning to users across its ne...

Abu Dhabi, 18 March, 2024 : Abu Dhabi, 18 March 2024: Thuraya Telecommunication...

18/03/2024

Major League Soccer: IMG on Capturing Fan Rituals and Delivering Consistent Coverage

Major League Soccer: IMG on capturing fan rituals and delivering consistent cove...

18/03/2024

Smashing Padel: Inside Aurora's Innovative Production of the Inaugural Hexagon Cup

Smashing padel: Inside Aurora's innovative production of the inaugural Hexag...

18/03/2024

Airspeeder Teams Up With EMG for World's First Live Broadcast of Flying Car Series

Airspeeder teams up with EMG for world's first live broadcast of flying car ...

18/03/2024

Netflix Announces News About 26 Upcoming Nordic Titles - Including 12 Brand New Titles

Back to All News Netflix Announces News About 26 Upcoming Nordic Titles - Inclu...

18/03/2024

Final sprint in the AS4 market communication

Final Sprint in the AS4 Market Communication: All Arvato Systems Customers Are Ready to Go Customers for market communication AS4-ready Arvato Systems is now...

18/03/2024

Tonight on Uzalo: Nkunzi takes a drastic decision

Tonight on Uzalo: Nkunzi takes a drastic decisionDon't miss Monday, 18 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Uzalo on SABC 1 on DStv channel ...

18/03/2024

Thales to modernize Montreal Mtro blue Line,improving passengers' punctuality and train reliability

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Following a call for tenders, the Soci t de tra...