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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
18/08/2026
Riedel Communications has announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, ...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Lightware announces an integration with SpectralBot that helps system integrators and AV operators troubleshoot faster using augmented reality (AR), AI-assisted...
18/08/2026
Command Frame for After Effects
Scott Black August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Free download, demonstrations, hands-on tests, and creator resources
Want to t...
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.
