The popular National Treasure franchise has embarked upon a new adventure on Disney+. The 10-episode first season of National Treasure: Edge of History follows 20-year-old Jess Valenzuela (played by Lisette Olivera) as she joins the hunt for a much sought-after lost treasure and, in so doing, unlocks her own family's hidden history. Following Declan Quinn, ASC's work on the pilot episode and working with settings that evoked the rich palettes of famed Mexican muralists, cinematographer Abraham Mart nez worked alongside fellow director of photography Tom Camarda to craft a cohesively colorful look for the series.
Supported by Panavision New Orleans, the filmmakers embraced VA large-format spherical primes to help them bring history to life. Panavision recently connected with Mart nez to further explore the inspirations and personal history he brought to the production.
Panavision: How would you describe the look of the series?
Abraham Mart nez: Season 1 launches as an offshoot of the National Treasure universe, which is about an explorer's journey, this time with a woman lead. The explorer's wonder offered many ranges of looks for the show. As the series centers on treasure, we leaned into the warmth of treasure and the coolness of the chase, which offered loads of opportunities for camera movement. Similar to the movie franchise, we take the adventure to a range of settings and topography. From the jungles of South America, to the outskirts of Mexico City, to the Alamo in San Antonio, alternating DP Tom Camarda and I were able to create a range of looks as the characters look for clues to the treasure.
How did you and Tom ensure there would be a consistency and unified look across the episodes you were each shooting?
Mart nez: Tom and I were locked-in with the same tools and team, so we had our baseline for consistency. We also understood that each of us had our own adventures to capture, offering us the chance to play with color and techniques that enhanced Jess' journey.
Were there any particular visual references you looked at for inspiration?
Mart nez: Yes! For me personally, as a Mexican-American, I was excited that the show offered an opportunity to explore the rich beauty and history of color and tones of our Mexican muralist heritage. I researched The Three Great' muralists: Diego Rivera, Jos Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. All three had a unique perspective on color and contrast and an eye for history that was full of both playfulness and tension. I approached their work as if looking for clues for color, contrast and composition that I could take with me for inspiration.
What brought you to Panavision for this project?
Mart nez: I've been working with Panavision since the late '90s when I was a film loader. My first movie in the film industry was with cinematographer Ralf Bode, and from then on, Panavision has been a home for me. While I was working my way up through the camera department, other cinematographers I worked alongside used Panavision as well, such as Robert Elswit, ASC; Dean Cundey, ASC; Donald McAlpine, ASC, ACS; Amir Mokri; and Bill Pope. Panavision has been consistent in their support all throughout my camera-department career.
I'm thankful for all of Panavision's reps from coast to coast who help provide the tools, solutions and logistics to get what I need as a photographer who lives on the road. It's an ongoing dialogue of support.
You shot in large format with prototype VA primes. What optical characteristics did you see in those lenses that made them the right match for the show?
Mart nez: The VA large-format lenses have a familiarity that I can't quite put my finger on in a beautiful way. It feels like they embrace warm and cool colors equally, allowing both to play on our camera sensor without either one overpowering the other. I also see an artful balance of sharpness and softness in their bokeh. There was never a need to add diffusion filters to help smooth out the image. I loved the lenses so much that I rolled them onto my next series, Obliterated, for Netflix.
What did this project mean to you on a personal level?
Mart nez: The lead character is on a journey to uncover her personal history, and it was the same for me and my heritage. I looked into my own past while I was working on the series, and I was inspired to learn more about my family history. I went as far back as the 1700s, uncovering my indigenous and Spanish roots.
There has always been tension and challenges of identity for any group of people who are displaced, and I view the explorer as a displaced person, an immigrant, a dreamer. Each journey is an opportunity to use one's gifts, which is ultimately the treasure for all of us. That's the story of our lead, Jess Valenzuela.
What inspired you to become a cinematographer?
Mart nez: After watching The Killing Fields shot by Chris Menges, BSC, ASC in middle school, I wanted to become a combat cameraperson, but by my senior year in high school, I realized I was in love with movies. Fortunately, every step of the way, I've had tremendous support and love from my camera-department family, who have encouraged me along the way to my own adventurous journey.
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...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
22/07/2026
Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...
22/07/2026
The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...
22/07/2026
From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...
22/07/2026
TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...
22/07/2026
Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...
22/07/2026
Harmonic has announced a $25,000 donation to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) fo...
22/07/2026
Telemundo has announced it has acquired from UC3 exclusive U.S. Spanish-language...
22/07/2026
The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, ...
22/07/2026
Sports Studio has announced a partnership with TheSoul Group to distribute Free ...
22/07/2026
Daktronics has concluded its 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day hybrid event combining virtual sessions with hands-on host school visits across the countr...
22/07/2026
FOR-A America will exhibit at the MMCA Show in Pensacola, Florida (July 21-24), marking the company's first appearance at the house of worship AV event. FOR...
22/07/2026
The New York Yankees have selected Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) to connect Ya...
22/07/2026
Calrec will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47) with demonstrations of its IP-native audio ecosystem built around the Argo console range, and will announce two ne...
22/07/2026
Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format consoles in Italy, covering the Live, Broadcast, and Studio...
22/07/2026
FloSports has announced the launch of the FloSports Channel, a free ad-supported streaming channel premiering on Prime Video in the U.S. on July 21. The channel...
22/07/2026
Banana Ball TV (BTV), the broadcast operation of the Savannah Bananas, has insta...
22/07/2026
SiriusXM and Audacy have announced an agreement bringing 42 Audacy sports, news, and talk stations from 29 U.S. markets to SiriusXM. Twenty-three Audacy sports ...
22/07/2026
The collaboration produced more than 500 short-form videos across four cities th...
22/07/2026
At 2,600 sq. ft., the new home of digital content houses a main studio, podcast space, and an auxiliary control room
NFL franchises are accelerating their prod...
22/07/2026
Library now available in Engine Player
Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...
22/07/2026
All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled
Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...
22/07/2026
The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit
Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...
22/07/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Proven managed IP solution helps broadcasters confidently navigate the future of broadcast distribution
LTN announces it has completed successful satellite-to-...
22/07/2026
Today, Chaos announced V-Ray 7, update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Arti...
22/07/2026
An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app
Marc Levoy July 22, 2026
0 Comments
At left is the user interface of our Playground, running on an ...
22/07/2026
Custom Consoles announces the completion of a large technical furniture project for Radio T l vision Suisse (RTS) at the networks recently inaugurated productio...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Culver City, CA, July 21, 2026 3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced glTF intake, including the binary .glb form, to its spatial streamin...
22/07/2026
Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's versatile design allowed filmmakers to c...
22/07/2026
AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back
Jerome Gardier July 21, 2026
0 Comments
A two-way converter for macOS and Windows...
22/07/2026
From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...
22/07/2026
A poisoned spy, a secret war, and a small English city contaminated by a deadly chemical weapon. Available on Sky Documentaries from 4 AugustWednesday 22 July 2...
22/07/2026
Audio at Parity: Comscore Launches Transcript-Level Targeting and Measurement wi...
22/07/2026
Arvato Systems and Lobster Enter into a Partnership and Combine the Integration Platform and Managed Services
Flexible integration solutions for cloud, hybrid...
22/07/2026
RT REPORTS NET SURPLUS OF 22.5 MILLION IN 2025...
22/07/2026
In the Opinion of the Censor airs Monday 27 July at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
In the Opinion of the Censor looks at how films for theatrical release wer...
22/07/2026
Before a healthcare robot can be useful in the real world, it has to learn how the physical world pushes back. Anatomy varies. Instruments bend, press, slip and...
21/07/2026
New research involving a cross-section of Mongolias independent media landscape finds enthusiasm for AI as a tool to improve efficiency, sustainability and resi...
21/07/2026
With winners Spain having already paraded the World Cup trophy through Madrid in front of millions of fans and the dust now settling on an epic tournament of th...
The popular National Treasure franchise has embarked upon a new adventure on Disney+. The 10-episode first season of National Treasure: Edge of History follows 20-year-old Jess Valenzuela (played by Lisette Olivera) as she joins the hunt for a much sought-after lost treasure and, in so doing, unlocks her own family's hidden history. Following Declan Quinn, ASC's work on the pilot episode and working with settings that evoked the rich palettes of famed Mexican muralists, cinematographer Abraham Mart nez worked alongside fellow director of photography Tom Camarda to craft a cohesively colorful look for the series.
