In this episode of #BehindtheGlass, Albert Ayzenberg sits down with Cinematographer David Klein on the set of "Homeland" to discuss preparation, video gear, and what it's like to join in on an Emmy Award-winning show already in full swing. There's a lot of great insight here on what goes on behind the scenes of filming for television.
One of the first topics touched on is the value that Klein places on his focus puller. As he made clear in his interview with Ayzenberg, no one else is more important to him in doing his job. He explained that traveling for the show allows him to bring only one person along to join the remote crew, and it will always be the focus puller because it's a critical area that he doesn't want to worry about. For him, a focus puller is the manager of the camera department in charge of gear and personnel.
Getting into the gear aspect of shooting "Homeland," Klein said that 75 to 80 percent of their shots are handheld. This prompted him to drop using full-size Arri Alexas and move his camera operators to the Alexa Minis in a Tilta cage. Another switch that Klein oversaw was moving from Cooke S4 prime lenses and Angenieux Optimo zooms he inherited when joining the show to Canon primes and zooms along with Arri Master Primes.
There's a lot more information packed into the full interview above including the similarities in shooting digital versus film, working with colorists and LUTs on set, and the lengths of preparation that Klein makes to film a season of the show.
You can find more episodes of #BehindtheGlass on the a.a. productions Vimeo page.
love how blunt honest and to the point he is.
Its a beautifully shot show, this was awesome