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At the end of season two of The Gilded Age, a battle between two opera houses — the Metropolitan Opera and the Academy of Music — comes to a head, with Bertha (Carrie Coon) emerging victorious at last, gazing out over the star-studded premiere she facilitated. In order to re-create the opening of the Met and capture Bertha’s triumph, cinematographer Manuel Billeter used visual effects and on-location shooting at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.

“This opera house, as we see it, doesn’t really exist,” explains Billeter. The front of the house, with the columns, was captured in Philly: “Bob Shaw, our production designer, felt it had the scope and the majesty to really convey this enterprise,” he elaborates.

But the Academy of Music does not have boxes, key to this episode’s story. The photography department was able to get a sweeping pan of Bertha standing at the balcony looking down,...

“I was obsessed with Edith Wharton when I was a teenager. That whole world was very much a part of my imagination when I was a young girl,” remembers Deborah Kampmeier, who directs two episodes of the second season of “The Gilded Age.” The HBO drama series draws heavily on the works of the legendary writer, and the director’s affinity for her writing and the opportunity to step into “the decadence of the world” of that period drew her to the project. She was also inspired by the “epic nature of the style” of the show that was established in its first season by directors Michael Engler and Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

To acclimate herself to the visual style of the lavish period piece, which is set in 1880s New York, Kampmeier “really studied season one,” sharing, “I watched those episodes multiple times.” She worked...

Cat Person, the viral short story by Kristen Roupenian that first appeared in The New Yorker, can stoke the flames of discourse anew with the film adaptation from director Susanna Fogel. The premise remains the same: College student Margot (Emilia Jones) develops a mutual crush on 33-year-old townie Robert (Nicholas Braun). Yet when Margot’s attraction for him fizzles out, she becomes the target of Robert’s misogynistic rejection-fueled ire. Cinematographer Manuel Billeter tells Filmmaker about his experience working with Fogel and shooting the anticipated short story adaptation. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]

The post “Weaving a Texture of Human Behavior”: Dp Manuel Billeter on Cat Person first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Cat Person, the viral short story by Kristen Roupenian that first appeared in The New Yorker, can stoke the flames of discourse anew with the film adaptation from director Susanna Fogel. The premise remains the same: College student Margot (Emilia Jones) develops a mutual crush on 33-year-old townie Robert (Nicholas Braun). Yet when Margot’s attraction for him fizzles out, she becomes the target of Robert’s misogynistic rejection-fueled ire. Cinematographer Manuel Billeter tells Filmmaker about his experience working with Fogel and shooting the anticipated short story adaptation. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]

The post “Weaving a Texture of Human Behavior”: Dp Manuel Billeter on Cat Person first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

When cinematographer Manuel Billeter sat down to read Julian Fellowes’ scripts for HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” he immediately connected with the story of main character Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson). “Marian comes into the big city by herself without knowing much of how the city works,” notes the director of photography, something he felt was “intriguing” because he also came “to the city as a newcomer” some two decades ago. He shares that he thinks of his work on the show as an “homage” to his New York home. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

Billeter is one of two cinematographers on the series, sharing responsibility with Vanja Černjul. He talks about how they collaborated to “establish a look that is consistent throughout the episodes.” Černjul lensed the first two episodes, so Billeter had the opportunity to “observe and learn and adapt” to his style. For the cinematographer’s four episodes,...

In the second season of “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” long-time friends Trish (Rachael Taylor) and Jessica (Krysten Ritter) are falling apart, as a spiraling Trish becomes entangled with the mysterious organization Igh. In a pivotal 11th episode scene, Jessica finds Trish in a parking lot, and attempts to reach out. However, Trish gets in a car and takes off, leaving Jessica to chase after her — including jumping on the parked cars in her way.

Rocco Nisivoccia

Location manager

“Scenes like this are a lot fun to break down with a director, especially when you are working with someone like Jennifer Lynch. We had to find a garage that had height to it for Jessica to be on top of the cars, and the ramp that led to the street was a bonus. We scouted this garage first and never looked back. It just had elements that let Jen and others...