
Cinematographer Sebastien Pfaffenbichler, AAC has been behind the camera on commercials for such well-known brands as Adidas, Toyota, American Express, Samsung, Geico, Hershey's, and AT&T and the list goes on. Here, the award-winning director of photography outlines his creative philosophy for crafting such compelling visuals.
Panavision: How important are visual references when you're working with a director to define the look for a commercial?
Sebastian Pfaffenbichler, AAC: Visual inspiration is the essence of my work, so visual references are the core foundation of my creative collaboration with my fellow filmmakers. Once a director has shared their treatment and mood references, I search through my extensive library of books and films for analogies that will help us find an imaginative common language. We'll work closely together to define an appropriate look that best reflects the vision for the final film, and based on that, I will select the camera, lenses and equipment, as well as develop a lighting concept to craft the project in the style that we've determined during development.
What brings you to Panavision for a project?
Pfaffenbichler: Nothing is impossible for Panavision to accomplish when it comes to meeting the specifications of what I may need. Even at short notice, they always deliver my requirements, which has made their service invaluable to me. Bob Foertsch from Panavision Woodland Hills and I have a great working relationship, so I like to bring him in as early as possible to help identify the right equipment to realize our cinematic goal.
Similar to how I used to choose film stock, I base my choice of digital cameras on the quality and ability of their sensors. Spherical and anamorphic Panavision lenses are exceptional to use; I love working with them, and I always appreciate Dan Sasakis excellent advice, guidance and fine-tuning.
How do you determine which lenses to use for any given project?
Pfaffenbichler: It depends completely on the look we want to achieve the combination of the camera sensor and lenses plays a vital role in achieving the final look of the project. I recently discovered the spherical H Series lenses; they have a beautiful bokeh, nice falloff and accurate rendering of skin tones, which I love. The image texture and slightly warm highlights are wonderful, especially in combination with the Millennium DXL2.
What inspired you to become a cinematographer and what keeps you inspired today?
Pfaffenbichler: My late father was a painter and sculptor. He was and continues to be a great influence and inspiration to me. After a brief stint as a freelance photographer, and with a deep passion for movies, it was a natural progression for me to venture into visual storytelling. When I started studying cinematography in Vienna, the great cameraman Walter Kindler, AAC, BVK once said to me, Every frame in this film camera is a single photograph.' I find there is a lot of truth in that.
There's no end to creative goals, and the search for a beautiful, perfect image is always ongoing. I greatly value working with actors and filmmakers, and I love the collaborations that bring these stories to life when using these wonderful tools and visual skills. And I still deeply love to be on set!
Photos courtesy of Sebastian Pfaffenbichler, AAC.
More from Panavision France
28/11/2023
Based on the true story of two best friends, Jane (Yara Shahidi) and Corinne (Odessa A'zion), Sitting in Bars With Cake depicts a harrowing journey of matur...
16/11/2023
Set in 1950s France, The Deep Dark (Gueules noires) follows a group of coal miners who are commissioned to escort a professor through dangerous depths to retrie...
11/11/2023
Writer-director Le Chau was born in Vietnam, moved to the United States when she was 22, and graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2...
08/11/2023
Like the spoken word, visual language is a gift passed down from previous generations and capable of robust growth through shared use and collaboration. For cin...
08/11/2023
The story of a shy photographer who breaks out of his shell after attending a succession of drag shows, Three Nights a Week offers an honest look behind the vei...
31/10/2023
An expert in the exacting craft of commercial cinematography, Alexis Zab , ASC, AMC is equally adept at lending visuals of distinct humanity to long-form projec...
16/10/2023
The Hollywood Professional Association has announced the nominations for the 2023 HPA Awards, which will be presented on November 9. Light Iron senior colorist ...
13/10/2023
Director Charl ne Favier's feature La fille quon appelle focuses on Laura Le Corre (Alba Ga a Bellugi), a young woman placed in a vulnerable position after ...
06/10/2023
This video takes viewers inside the manufacturing department at Panavision's headquarters in Woodland Hills, California. Follow along from blueprint to CNC ...
06/10/2023
Before going on to serve as cinematographer on such varied and beloved features as Witness, Rain Man, Dead Poet's Society, The English Patient, The Perfect ...
29/09/2023
Now streaming on Disney+, Launchpad Season 2 comprises six original live-action short films from underrepresented filmmakers whose unique voices bring new persp...
20/09/2023
It's one of the most powerful mediums of art, I believe, that we have, David Procter, BSC says of motion pictures. Having gotten his start in documentaries...
19/09/2023
ANDOVER, England (19th September, 2023) LEE Filters, a leading manufacturer of high-quality lighting gels and photographic filters and a member of the Panavis...
11/09/2023
Boots Riley writer, director and acclaimed vocalist of the hip-hop group The Coup is the definition of a colorful and exacting thinker. Some five years afte...
05/09/2023
Created by Annie Weisman, the 1980s-set Apple TV+ series Physical focuses on Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) as she navigates a path toward self-discovery after unloc...
02/09/2023
My first day on set, I thought, This is what I want to do,' reflects Ben Davis, BSC, whose credits range from dramas like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...
28/08/2023
The Hollywood Professional Association recently announced the latest recipients of its League Honors. This year's honorees include Panavision President and ...
25/08/2023
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is back for its second season on HBO, pushing deeper into the 1980s as it continues to recount the on- and off-cour...
22/08/2023
Created by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck and directed by David Mandel, the five-part miniseries White House Plumbers shines a fresh light on the real-life comedy...
14/08/2023
I was a kid who liked to play, and cinematography is like playing, shares Stephen H. Burum, ASC, the recipient of the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award from the C...
08/08/2023
The new feature Haunted Mansion delivers spooky fun inspired by the famed Disney theme park attraction. Telling the story of single-mom Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) ...
28/07/2023
Director Yuval Adler's Sympathy for the Devil is a road movie designed to subvert expectations. The story depicts one extremely long night for one sorely un...
21/07/2023
Ben Smithard, BSC's credits include the features The Father and The Son, both with director Florian Zeller. In this video, the cinematographer retraces his ...
12/07/2023
Since childhood, I had a photo camera, reflects acclaimed Polish cinematographer Piotr liskowski, PSC. In this exclusive video, he recalls preparing for entra...
11/07/2023
In writer-director Leo Milano's debut feature, The Crusades, three friends find their school year thrown into turmoil by the possibility that their all-boys...
27/06/2023
Eva Longorias feature directorial debut, Flamin' Hot, tells the story of how America fell in love with the Flamin Hot Cheeto. Longorias inspired direction c...
21/06/2023
The story of the friendship between Aristotle Mendoza and Dante Quintana has captured the hearts of teenaged readers and the adults who care for them since Benj...
21/06/2023
Cinematographer Camilo Monsalve, ADFC understands the language of cinema as well as he knows his hometown of Medell n, Colombia. When presented with the opportu...
14/06/2023
I suppose you've got two sides to your lighting, says chief lighting technician Harry Wiggins. One is what you're going to rig, and the second thing i...
13/06/2023
LONDON, England (13th June, 2023) LEE Filters, a leading manufacturer of high-quality lighting gels and photographic filters and a member of the Panavision fa...
12/06/2023
My first idea was not to be a cinematographer, says director of photography scar Faura, AEC. I wanted to be an editor. In this exclusive video, Faura discus...
05/06/2023
Written and directed by Miles Warren, the feature Bruiser takes an unflinching look at the role that hand-to-hand combat plays in a boys maturation into manhood...
31/05/2023
The Silent Twins tells the story of identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons, who grow up only communicating with each other. The movie which was serviced by...
23/05/2023
The BBC drama series Blue Lights tells the story of three rookie cops on the police force in Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast. Directed by Gilles Bannier...
16/05/2023
Director David Cronenberg's 1988 horror film Dead Ringers, about twin OBGYNs whose penchant for tricking others threatens to shatter their own psyches, has ...
16/05/2023
Chief lighting technician Julian White's credits include features such as Locke and Murder on the Orient Express with Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC; Control ...
09/05/2023
The four-episode HBO Max limited series Landscapers focuses on an ordinary couple, played by Olivia Colman and David Thewlis, who become entangled in an extraor...
03/05/2023
Created by Tony Basgallop and executive-produced by M. Night Shyamalan, the horror series Servant has delivered 40 episodes of psychological torment across four...
21/04/2023
Cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski and writer-director Ari Aster began their long-running collaboration when they were both students at the American Film Institu...
18/04/2023
My celestial ride with Star Trek: Picard began when I was shooting Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 in Toronto. Thank you to Olatunde Osunsanmi, who gave me that c...
18/04/2023
Viewed over 19-million times, Tourism Australia's G'day, the short film has set a new bar for tourism videos. The short follows two talking toys, one a ...
18/04/2023
Cinematographer Erik Henriksson knows how to deliver a well-curated visual aesthetic the expertly blends experimentation, experience and craft. Having worked wi...
12/04/2023
LOS ANGELES (April 12, 2023) LEE Filters, a leading manufacturer of high-quality lighting gels and photographic filters and a member of the Panavision family ...
12/04/2023
The CW original series Kung Fu follows the life-changing decision of Chinese American college student Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang) to trade her life as a student f...
12/04/2023
For the Apple TV+ limited series Black Bird, cinematographer Natalie Kingston worked with Panavision New Orleans to assemble a camera and lens package that incl...
05/04/2023
Cinematographer Sebastien Pfaffenbichler, AAC has been behind the camera on commercials for such well-known brands as Adidas, Toyota, American Express, Samsung,...
05/04/2023
As the storied fast-food chain's recent U.K. ad campaign makes clear, Fancy a McDonald's? is a question best asked and answered with a raise of th...
05/04/2023
For director Ryan Coogler's feature Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC worked with Panavision's Woodland Hills a...
29/03/2023
TORONTO, Can. (March 29, 2023) Panavision, the entertainment industry's leading designer, manufacturer and rental provider of high precision optics and ca...
29/03/2023
The feature Soft follows three adolescent queer friends as they navigate the pardons and perils of summer break in the streets of Toronto. Written and directed ...