{"id":10170,"date":"2020-06-26T08:16:44","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T15:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?p=10170"},"modified":"2021-05-29T20:16:24","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T03:16:24","slug":"mississippi-burning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi Burning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Novelist Rodes Fishburne’s new series, Paradise Lost<\/em>, for Spectrum Originals is a rich, Southern slow burn in\u00a0front of the camera, and a path toward\u00a0inclusivity behind the lens.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

by David Geffner \/\u00a0<\/span>Photos and Framegrabs Courtesy of Paramount Network \/ Spectrum Originals<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

When Director of Photography Alan Caso, ASC, whose many years<\/strong> lensing episodic television include four Primetime Emmy nominations (Into the West<\/em>, Six Feet Under <\/em>and George Wallace<\/em>) and acclaimed shows like American Gothic <\/em>and The Americans, <\/em>signed on to shoot Paradise Lost<\/em>, a new drama for Spectrum Originals, his first ask was that his alternating director of photography be female and\/or a person of color.<\/p>\n

Why? Because as Caso reflects: \u201cThe biggest change for me [in crewing up a show] has been to identify unconscious bias, and work against that to create a more fair and diverse industry, and honestly, a much better product,\u201d he states. \u201cTo be surrounded by people who have shared a similar or even identical life experience puts you in a very narrow place of creativity and world view. An inclusive crew opens up new artistic sensibilities and an entire range of voices; it\u2019s the difference between playing a piece only with the middle-C octave as opposed to the entire keyboard. To deny all those notes is the antithesis of creating real art and telling important stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caso\u2019s mandate was fully supported by Paradise Lost<\/em>\u2019s creator, novelist Rodes Fishburne, and co-executive producers Mark McNair (also the 2nd<\/sup> unit director), David Kanter, and Local 600 Director of Photography turned Producing Director Romeo Tirone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe threw out a very wide net and ultimately landed on Nicola [Daley, ACS], who has worked a lot in Australia and the U.K.,\u201d Caso continues. \u201cWe were very impressed with Nicola on that first Skype call. [Daley is based in London.] Her reel [and her website] show a taste in lighting and composition that\u2019s on par with what we were going for with Paradise Lost<\/em>, which is set in a small town in the South, where the heat, humidity, and texture had to seep right into the filmmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Caso’s desire to have an alternating director of photography who was female and\/or a woman of color, was fulfilled by U.K.-based Nicola Daley, ACS, whose work, Caso says, displayed, “a taste in lighting and composition that\u2019s on par with what we were going for with Paradise Lost<\/em>, which is set in a small town in the South, where the real texture of the locations had to seep into the filmmaking.” Above: The Daley-shot Episode 8 on location in Clinton, Louisiana. \/ Screengrab courtesy of Nicola Daley \/ Spectrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to Caso, Daley\u2019s work also showcased an ability to<\/strong> \u201cbeautifully model faces, and keep the lighting simple, sourced and natural,\u201d he continues. \u201cWhile her compositions are evocative and asymmetrical, with good use of negative space, she\u2019s also not afraid to center-punch as a choice. Probably the most important thing, aside from her easy-going personality, is that I could tell that Nicola knew how to use wide lenses \u2013 a prerequisite when working with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fishburne, who describes Caso as a \u201chighly infectious collaborator,\u201d says the veteran lenser came up with \u201cfive different ideas at our first meeting, so we all knew Alan was a perfect fit,\u201d he offers. \u201cWhat was so wonderful about Nicola is that she hasn\u2019t spent a lot of time in the South. She brought a fresh, outsider\u2019s perspective to a place where I was born and raised. For me, that was key to creating a tone that didn\u2019t mirror the many depictions of the South we\u2019d already seen. My question was: \u2018How do you make sure that Southern Gothic tone\u2014as one character in the show says, \u201cNothing is more alive in the South than the dead,\u201d\u2014doesn\u2019t come off as one-dimensional?\u201d<\/p>\n

One way Fishburne achieved that goal was by injecting what he and Caso called \u201cVitamin C\u201d into the frame, \u201cwith the C<\/em> representing color,\u201d he adds. \u201cAnd Nicola\u2019s fearless when it comes to trying unexpected color palettes. Her approach is based on her personal experiences, which owed nothing to how I saw Mississippi, and that was a good thing. I would also add that as a showrunner, shooting in 90-plus degrees in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in August, you quickly discern the true professionals. I would consider myself lucky to work with Alan and Nicola again. They were amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Creator\/showrunner Rodes Fishburne avoided a cliche depiction of the South \u00a0\u201cby injecting what Alan and I called \u201cVitamin C\u201d into the frame, he explains, \u201cwith the C representing color.” Caso says he dared to go much bolder than he ever has with color, “thanks to [Daley], who’s a big believer in the emotional impact of color on the viewer.” Above: Ep. 9 when Bridget Reagan’s Frances and Gail Bean’s Gynnifer visit an adult book store. \/ \u00a0Photo by Eliot Brasseaux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amazement (mixed with some trepidation and awe) <\/strong>was how Daley (Harlots<\/em>, The Letdown<\/em>, Pin Cushion<\/em>) approached her largest-budget project to date, which included a camera crew she\u2019d never met and her first-ever use of the Sony VENICE full-frame capture system. Of course, when it came to Caso, she already knew she had an ally.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlan\u2019s speech at the ASC awards had gone viral among many female cinematographers, so he was already famous in my mind,\u201d Daley recounts. \u201cThe speech [about inclusivity in hiring film crews] had a huge impact on our community and was a true beacon of light. While the numbers of men and women coming out of film school may be relatively close, the actual percentage of female directors of photography [in the U.K.] is only six percent, so it\u2019s a war of attrition, and I get that. When I was starting as a camera assistant in Australia, I endured all kinds of comments, things today we call \u2018micro-inequities\u2019 and \u2018microaggressions.\u2019 This systematic chipping away of a person [because of their gender or race] means that the micro eventually becomes the macro, and the behavior, if unchecked, feeds into the film and TV culture as a whole. This is what needs combating every day, and why a person like Alan is so vital to creating change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shooting in the U.S. was not the only first for Daley, who says the size of Paradise Lost\u2019<\/em>s sets, <\/em>the approach to lighting them, and the use of slant focus lenses were all new. \u201cI hadn\u2019t used [slant focus lenses],\u201d she adds, \u201cand Alan shared his learning curve in terms of movement of the actors, and what you can feasibly get away with within the plane of focus. As a cinematographer, it does no good being a closed shop. If we\u2019re open and free with our creativity, then everyone becomes a better artist, and [crews] are inspired along the way. Cinematography is a craft you keep learning throughout your career. That\u2019s what keeps me excited every day to go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

What also kept Caso and Daley motivated was Fishburne\u2019s desire to \u201clet the story breathe,\u201d and play scenes in long takes. \u201cNeema Barnette, who directed my first episode,\u201d Daley relates, \u201cfought to maintain the style [pilot director] John Lee Hancock had established with Alan, which didn\u2019t pander to all the typical over-the-shoulders and coverage so many TV shows want to live in. The flashback scenes, for example, are a nice instance of shooting outside the box.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\u201cOne of the things we were adamant about with all of the interiors,\u201d Caso recalls, \u201cwas creating the feeling that the environment was pushing into these people\u2019s lives \u2013 heat, moisture, humidity, and bright sunlight.” Judge Forsythe (Nick Nolte) in his bedroom from Episode 2 \/ Screengrab courtesy of Alan Caso \/ Spectrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paradise Lost<\/em> centers around the return of hometown high school<\/strong> football hero Yates Forsythe (Josh Hartnett) and his family, wife Frances (Bridget Regan) and sons Reynolds (Jackson Tessmer) and Davis (Michael Kendall Kaplan), to Bishop, MI, after a failed stint as a Palo Alto, CA entrepreneur. Yates comes back to run his father, Judge Forsythe\u2019s (Nick Nolte\u2019s) fading newspaper, Southern Trees<\/em>, while living in the guest house belonging to Judge and his mother, Byrd (Barbara Hershey), with a steamer trunk full of dark, violent secrets.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the puzzle box (and the source of most of the flashbacks) is Judge\u2019s deceased daughter, Janus (Autry Haydon-Wilson), who lorded over a teenage Yates and his best friend, Dickie Barrett (Shane McRae), in a barn\/art studio filled with her psychosexual, deeply metaphoric oil paintings. When Frances, a psychologist, sets up shop in Bishop and hears the \u201cstrange visions\u201d of her first client, Boyd Suttree (Silas Weir Mitchell), secrets begin to unravel, propelling each successive episode like a nesting doll whirling out of control.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things we were adamant about with all of the interiors, but particularly with Janus\u2019 art studio,\u201d Caso recalls, \u201cwas creating the feeling that the environment was pushing into these people\u2019s lives \u2013 heat, moisture, humidity, and bright sunlight. So for the barn set, I had the art department widen all the wooden slats to let in more light. Whenever we could, we\u2019d have one of our big lights in the shot to appear as the sun. Nearly everything was shot on sets save for a few key locations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daley says those included the house where Janus\u2019 favorite painting, Mississippi Ophelia<\/em>, hangs. \u201cOur production designer, Meghan Rogers, built a lot of practical lights into the location and dressed the room where the painting hung in a fantastic style,\u201d Daley recalls. \u201cI truly think our craft is so reliant on that creative give-and-take with the production designer. It\u2019s such a key relationship these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fishburne also credits producing director Romeo Tirone, whose background as a Local 600 cinematographer helped protect the texture and breathability Fishburne sought for the show\u2019s look. \u201cWhen you\u2019re riding on a covered wagon across the country, you need to be careful who\u2019s there with you,\u201d the first-time showrunner explains. \u201cRomeo is one of those guys who is a problem-solver; he would help brainstorm with Alan, Nicola, Meghan, the whole creative team about the best way to surmount any obstacles in our path.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Many of Paradise Lost<\/em>‘s\u00a0flashbacks come abruptly with an overlapping, frenetic quality that Daley says owed to shooting those scenes in 35mm film with an ARRI IIC. “We would hand crank and dolly forward, then stop and crank back to repeat and overlay,\u201d she reveals. \u201cThe technique was a memory trigger to get you into the character\u2019s head, but the editors loved it so much it was used throughout those scenes.” Above: A teenage Yates Forsythe (Denis Shepherd) in his sister’s art studio from Ep. 1 \/ Framegrab courtesy of Alan Caso \/ Spectrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some potential bumps, like the flashbacks Daley referenced above<\/strong>, turned into speedways that were later embraced in editorial as standout narrative moments. Caso says the flashbacks skewed toward saturated pastels \u201crather than the more common desaturated look we often see,\u201d he offers. \u201cOur colorist, Maxine Gervais at Technicolor, brought a lot to those scenes, as the flashbacks varied throughout in density and saturation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the flashbacks come abruptly with an overlapping, frenetic quality that Daley says owed \u201cto us shooting those scenes in 35-millimeter film with an ARRI IIC. We would hand-crank and dolly forward, then stop and crank back to repeat and overlay,\u201d she reveals. \u201cThe technique originally was a memory trigger to get you into the character\u2019s head, but the editors loved it so much it was used throughout those scenes. Every time we began to shoot the flashbacks, the operators would get excited seeing the film cameras come out.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for shooting on Sony VENICE, done, in part, to fulfill Spectrum\u2019s mandate for a native 4K deliverable, Caso says he\u2019s typically not a fan of false color. \u201cBut the VENICE allows you to go into the camera\u2019s programming and assign colors to different areas of the exposure,\u201d he explains. \u201cI knew we\u2019d be doing a lot of setups and not have time for a DIT tent and video village. So to quickly establish an exposure level, I set the green color to 38 to 42 percent, eliminating all the other colors and making the only false-color my calculated green. Then I would find something that I felt was a middle gray and iris until that object was green to find my exposure value. It was sort of like having an in-camera light meter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daley, who had tested the VENICE for a show in Australia (but was not able to use it due to the project\u2019s budget limitations), says Sony\u2019s new capture system \u201crenders skin tones beautifully. We softened it with Hollywood Black Magic diffusion to give the image the texture and weight Rodes wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
For a key scene that begins at the end of Ep. 8 above (shot by Daley) and concludes in the opening of Ep. 9 (shot by Caso) Daley changed Caso’s moonlight package slightly from a plus green to a white flame green to get a dirtier quality. “I\u2019m always looking to create planes of depth with color,” she explains. \/ Screengrab courtesy of Nicola Daley \/ Spectrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of Paradise Lost\u2019<\/em>s key moments that\u2019s filled with the Southern<\/strong> atmosphere Fishburne was seeking concludes Episode 8 \u2013\u00a0shot by Daley \u2013\u00a0and opens Episode 9 \u2013 shot by Caso. The extended night scene begins inside the vestibule of Boyd\u2019s ramshackle home on Dickie Barrett\u2019s property and then moves outside to a moonlit pool nearby, where Yates finally reveals his past to his wife. It\u2019s a prime example of what Daley describes as \u201ctwo cinematographers collaborating\u201d across a series, \u201cwhich, believe it or not, in our industry doesn\u2019t happen all that often,\u201d she observes.<\/p>\n

The Episode 8 ending, steeped in shadows and checkered with fiery reds and oranges, is a final severing of Yates\u2019 and Dickie\u2019s friendship, forever damaged by Janus\u2019 manipulations of their lives as teenagers. Yates puts a rifle to the head of his friend, who challenges Yates to either \u201cpull the trigger or tell Frances the truth.\u201d As Daley explains, \u201cI wanted the lighting ratio to be high and the contrast to be a character, as it\u2019s a major unraveling of all the secrets and dark memories that have been hinted at in previous episodes. Boyd\u2019s location has several layers, so I put light in the depth of the building behind them. It\u2019s volatile and the lighting needed to reflect that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daley discussed running bug lights with Chief Lighting Technician Kurt Pomerleau around the eaves of the house outside that would provide a sickly yellow cast. \u201cWe made one of those insect lights flicker to enhance the feeling everything was breaking down,\u201d she continues. \u201cI also changed Alan\u2019s moonlight package slightly from a plus green to a white flame green to get a dirtier quality. I\u2019m always looking to create planes of depth with color, which can be a bit subconscious for the viewer, but I love using color in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caso layered the exterior of Suttree\u2019s home as well, using areas of shade and silhouette to recess lighting elements, one deeper than the other. \u201cI hid the main key backlight partly behind a tree, so you\u2019d feel this creeping moonlight. The opening shot in Episode 9 is a pan-up from this algae-ridden swimming pool to the reflection of the moon, which is just a light. The crazy thing \u2013 when I watched that episode \u2013 is I realized there were two moons out that night,\u201d Caso laughs. \u201cOne looking toward Boyd\u2019s house, and then another when you turned around. I didn\u2019t realize our planet had two moons!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Caso says filmmaking doesn’t discriminate between gender or race. “It’s the same camera, lights, and dolly for everyone,” he laughs. “What is different is when those voices who have been muted or not heard from for so long, like women, and people of color, are brought into the process in equal measure \u2013 the flower from that filmmaking bloom is more enriched.” Above: Daley (far left) on set with 1st AC Chris Flurry (back) Alan Caso (middle) and 1st AD Phil Hardage (right) \/ Photo by Eliot Brasseaux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Such self-deprecation and humility are typical of both <\/strong>directors of photography, who were each quick to praise the other\u2019s talents and leadership qualities in interviews for this story. They also lauded their Local 600 camera team, which included A-Camera\/Steadicam Operator Luke Rocheleau; A-Camera 1st AC Chris Flurry; A-Camera 2nd AC Bryce Marshall; B-Camera Operator\/Splinter-2nd Unit Director of Photography Steven Parker, SOC; B Camera 1st AC\/B Camera 2nd Unit Operator Lisa Lengyel; B-Camera 2nd AC Nancy Piraquive; Loader Michael Reynolds and DIT Earl Fulcher.<\/p>\n

Daley\u2019s self-effacing nature went so far as to immediately tell Pomerleau and Key Grip\u00a0Jerone Orden, when she first arrived on set, that \u201cbecause the system is different in the U.K. [in that the grips\u2019 responsibility lies in the movement of the camera only; they don\u2019t set diffusion and flags, et cetera<\/em>], I said, \u2018I\u2019m going to tell you to do the wrong thing, so please excuse me if I get mixed up,\u201d she laughs. \u201cThe whole crew was so supportive \u2013 I sat down with the operators before shooting my episodes to show them inspirational photos. I\u2019m a big believer in using everyone\u2019s brain on set to come up with a team vision. I\u2019m the team leader, but my job is also to inspire everybody to do their best work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fishburne says the approach Daley describes was enabled by some \u201cterrific location scouting, where we were able to find places like Clinton, Louisiana\u00a0, that had not been shot out,\u201d he shares. \u201cJob number one was ensuring that when you watched this series, it could not have been done in any other place but the deep South. For example, the scale and scope of the huge mural Janus had painted on Main Street was important to this story, and Alan and Nicola captured that in such a powerful way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also important is the mystery of the death of two young women after leaving Bishop\u2019s debutante ball twenty years prior. The cause of death was listed as an accident, with their car being hit by a train as it stalled on the tracks. But Frances and her assistant, Gynnifer (Gail Bean), have other theories. So they go out one night to investigate rumors of the ghosts of the \u201cdead debutantes\u201d and are terrified by an intruder. (It turns out to be Dickie, who rushes at them with his weapon.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
When Frances and Gynifer investigate the ghost of the “dead debutantes,” in Ep. 8, Daley and director Neema Barnette wanted to play the railroad tracks as an important motif, “so we had a cherry-picker at the end of the tracks with an 18K\u00a0backlighting the tracks and our actors,” Daley recounts. “Neema and I talked about having the railroad tracks fade off into the darkness, like they go on forever to create this sense of mystery.” \/ Framegrab courtesy of Nicola Daley \/ Spectrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to play the railroad tracks as an important motif in that scene,\u201d<\/strong> Daley recalls,\u00a0\u201cso we had a cherry-picker at the end of the tracks with an 18K\u00a0backlighting the tracks and our actors. Neema [Barnette] and I talked about having the railroad tracks fade off into the darkness, like they go on forever to create this sense of mystery.\u00a0That scene, too, has a color\/contrast idea for me with the sodium\u00a0vapor\u00a0three-quarters backlight in contrast to the silvery green moonlight.\u00a0All of the night scenes have smoke and humidity in the deep background \u2013 real moisture \u2013 that glazes the air.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daley adds that the diversity of her Louisiana-based production crew was broader and deeper than her experiences overseas. \u201cI think America is making a big push to make their crews diverse, and that\u2019s highly commendable,\u201d she reflects. \u201cIt is something I could see just walking on the set of Paradise Lost<\/em>. It was a visible change that was immediately apparent. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not been so apparent in the U.K., where we pay lip service to the notion, but the actual diversity of a typical crew is changing very slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daley had two female directors on the show (Barnette and Elodie Keene), as well as a veteran female 1st AD, Jessica Pollini, whose TV credits include Boardwalk Empire<\/em>, Vinyl <\/em>and Yellowstone<\/em>. \u201cSo my first day on the job there are women in key creative and logistical positions all over the set,\u201d she smiles. \u201cAnd I thought, \u2018This is fantastic.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone kept calling me \u2018ma\u2019am\u2019 because it\u2019s the South,\u201d Daley continues, \u201cand I said, \u2018You can\u2019t call me that! \u2018Ma\u2019am\u2019 is only for the Queen! I told everyone to just call me \u2018Guv\u2019nor,\u2019 which is kind of a silly British joke, and from then on that was it. Everyone called me \u2018Guv\u2019 with these fake British accents, and we got on like a house on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caso says the process \u2013 the workflow of filmmaking \u2013 doesn\u2019t discriminate between gender or race, \u201cas it\u2019s the same camera, lights, and dolly for everyone,\u201d he laughs. \u201cWhat is different is when those voices who have been muted or not heard from for so long, like those of women and people of color, are brought into the process in equal measure, the flower from that filmmaking bloom is more enriched. It\u2019s bigger and deeper because the pool now includes people with many different life experiences and different sensitivities as artists. And that\u2019s certainly what we had on Paradise Lost<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Daley says Caso’s speech “at the ASC awards \u00a0[about inclusivity in hiring film crews] was a true beacon of light. As a camera assistant in Australia, I endured all kinds of comments, things today we call ‘micro-inequities and microaggressions’…that kind of behavior, if unchecked, feeds into the film and TV culture as a whole. This is what needs combating every day, and why a person like Alan is so vital to creating change.” Above: Caso-shot Ep. 6 on-board Poochie La Verne’s (Charmin Lee, left) houseboat, with reporter Nicque Green (Danielle Deadwyler) \/ Photo\u00a0by Eliot Brasseaux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While Daley says she learned a lot from Caso\u2019s extensive years in the TV<\/strong> trenches, Caso is quick to credit his counterpart for expanding his chops. \u201cHaving come up in the 1970s and 1980s, I\u2019ve always been that John Frankenheimer-desaturated guy, with this grim view of the world,\u201d he states. \u201cBut right before Paradise Lost<\/em>, I shot the pilot for the reboot of Roswell<\/em>, and [creator] Julie Plec wanted tons of color and all long lenses. Working with Nicola, I learned to trust my instincts with bold colors. The scene on Poochie\u00a0\u2019s houseboat, where [Southern Trees<\/em> reporter] Nicque [Danielle Deadwyler] gets caught up in a water patrol raid, is a good example, as are the scenes inside Claude\u2019s [Jason Davis\u2019] Adult Book Store, where Frances is given tapes Claude made with Janus. If not for Nicola, I doubt I would have gone as far as I did [with color] in either case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daley\u2019s love for breaking convention wasn\u2019t only confined to color. For a scene in a Memphis motel room, where Yates and Dickie spend a drug-addled weekend, she used a rig grips had built to house a Sony a7S from Hartnett\u2019s bodycam-like perspective, \u00e0 la ASC member Matty Libatique\u2019s work in Requiem For A Dream<\/em>. She also convinced Keene to let her wave pieces of an old chandelier [which Daley travels with\u00a0] \u00a0in front of the camera to simulate the hallucinogenic trip Yates and Dickie were experiencing.<\/p>\n

As for improving inclusivity in hiring, Caso says that when he came to Hollywood in the 1970s, the term wasn\u2019t on anyone\u2019s radar. \u201cThe biggest hurdle I had was not being the son or the brother of someone. I got in during an open season as an operator, so I was further vilified. But I was a young white guy and the jobs eventually came, and I took advantage, helped along by white privilege. That\u2019s not even close to what people of color and women have to endure today. I admire and applaud those [marginalized union members] for breaking through the barrier, and I truly understand their reticence in not wanting to \u2018stick their necks out\u2019 and jeopardize their positions by being loud voices for change.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s now up to those with hiring power,\u201d Caso concludes, \u201clike Rodes Fishburne, Mark McNair, Romeo Tirone and me \u2013\u00a0basically white men in positions of power \u2013 to create the momentum that will change the status quo. Once that has happened, those reticent union members can shed their token roles and safely contribute to the advancement of prospective members currently marginalized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fishburne, who echoes Caso, says working with talented, collaborative artists like Caso and Daley was like \u201cdiscovering, every day on a creative level, that one plus one equals three. As a novelist I\u2019m used to putting together a jigsaw puzzle, alone in a room, trying to figure things out. It\u2019s wonderful and great, but you don\u2019t get the feeling I got on Paradise Lost <\/em>that people of the caliber of Alan Caso, Nicola Daley or Romeo Tirone are lifting the material to another place altogether. Doing a TV show is more like a crossword puzzle, where the group works together to solve all the problems. I found that aspect of making Paradise Lost<\/em> so rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fishburne, who echoes Caso’s words about using his own hiring power to bring more women and people of color into production, says working with collaborative artists like Caso and Daley was like \u201cdiscovering, every day on a creative level, that one plus one equals three.” Above: Gail Bean from Daley-shot Ep. 3 \/ Screengrab courtesy of Nicloa Daley \/ Spectrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paradise Lost – Local 600 Crew<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Dir of Photography (Ep: 101, 102, 105, 106, 109, 110):\u00a0Alan Caso, ASC<\/p>\n

Dir of Photography (Ep: 103, 104, 107, 108): Nicola Daley, ACS<\/p>\n

A Camera\/Steadicam Operator: Luke Rocheleau<\/p>\n

1st<\/sup> AC \u2013 A Camera: Chris Flurry<\/p>\n

2nd<\/sup> AC \u2013 A Camera: Bryce Marshall<\/p>\n

B Camera Operator\/Splinter-2nd<\/sup> Unit Dir of Photography: Steven Parker<\/p>\n

1st<\/sup> AC \u2013 B Camera \/ Operator B Camera 2nd<\/sup> Unit: Lisa Lengyel<\/p>\n

2nd<\/sup> AC \u2013 B Camera: Nancy Piraquive<\/p>\n

Loader: Michael Reynolds<\/p>\n

DIT: Earl Fulcher<\/p>\n

DUT: Emmett Crockett<\/p>\n

Unit Photographer: Eliot Brasseaux<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Novelist Rodes Fishburne’s new series, Paradise Lost, for Spectrum Originals is a rich, Southern slow burn in\u00a0front of the camera, and a path toward\u00a0inclusivity behind the lens. by David Geffner \/\u00a0Photos and Framegrabs Courtesy of Paramount Network \/ Spectrum Originals   When Director of Photography Alan Caso, ASC, whose many years lensing episodic television include four Primetime Emmy nominations (Into the West, Six Feet Under and George Wallace) and acclaimed shows like American Gothic and The Americans, signed on to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10184,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[29,37,38,40],"class_list":["post-10170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-exclusive","tag-cinematography","tag-icg-magazine","tag-international-cinematographers-guild","tag-local-600"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMississippi Burning - ICG Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mississippi Burning - ICG Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Novelist Rodes Fishburne’s new series, Paradise Lost, for Spectrum Originals is a rich, Southern slow burn in\u00a0front of the camera, and a path toward\u00a0inclusivity behind the lens. by David Geffner \/\u00a0Photos and Framegrabs Courtesy of Paramount Network \/ Spectrum Originals   When Director of Photography Alan Caso, ASC, whose many years lensing episodic television include four Primetime Emmy nominations (Into the West, Six Feet Under and George Wallace) and acclaimed shows like American Gothic and The Americans, signed on to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ICG Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theicgmag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-26T15:16:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-30T03:16:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@DGeffner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@theicgmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"23 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/person\/172e4f67e262cc8d0f5b2e21026a77c8\"},\"headline\":\"Mississippi Burning\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-26T15:16:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-30T03:16:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/\"},\"wordCount\":4505,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"cinematography\",\"ICG Magazine\",\"International Cinematographers Guild\",\"Local 600\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Web Exclusives\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/\",\"name\":\"Mississippi Burning - ICG Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-26T15:16:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-30T03:16:24+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mississippi Burning\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/\",\"name\":\"ICG Magazine\",\"description\":\"Showcasing the members of the International Cinematographers Guild\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ICG Magazine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ICG_logo_blkbox.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ICG_logo_blkbox.jpg\",\"width\":1294,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"ICG Magazine\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theicgmag\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/theicgmag\",\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theicgmag\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/person\/172e4f67e262cc8d0f5b2e21026a77c8\",\"name\":\"editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a241ea268a2580b1b2b3c275c7c5dfa4257fff9cfa94dbc6b1d0215c5a648b31?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a241ea268a2580b1b2b3c275c7c5dfa4257fff9cfa94dbc6b1d0215c5a648b31?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"editor\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/@DGeffner\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mississippi Burning - ICG Magazine","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mississippi Burning - ICG Magazine","og_description":"Novelist Rodes Fishburne’s new series, Paradise Lost, for Spectrum Originals is a rich, Southern slow burn in\u00a0front of the camera, and a path toward\u00a0inclusivity behind the lens. by David Geffner \/\u00a0Photos and Framegrabs Courtesy of Paramount Network \/ Spectrum Originals   When Director of Photography Alan Caso, ASC, whose many years lensing episodic television include four Primetime Emmy nominations (Into the West, Six Feet Under and George Wallace) and acclaimed shows like American Gothic and The Americans, signed on to […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/","og_site_name":"ICG Magazine","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theicgmag","article_published_time":"2020-06-26T15:16:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-30T03:16:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@DGeffner","twitter_site":"@theicgmag","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"editor","Est. reading time":"23 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/"},"author":{"name":"editor","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/person\/172e4f67e262cc8d0f5b2e21026a77c8"},"headline":"Mississippi Burning","datePublished":"2020-06-26T15:16:44+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-30T03:16:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/"},"wordCount":4505,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg","keywords":["cinematography","ICG Magazine","International Cinematographers Guild","Local 600"],"articleSection":["Web Exclusives"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/","url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/","name":"Mississippi Burning - ICG Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg","datePublished":"2020-06-26T15:16:44+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-30T03:16:24+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/10_031E-01-A-1272.jpg","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/mississippi-burning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mississippi Burning"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/","name":"ICG Magazine","description":"Showcasing the members of the International Cinematographers Guild","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#organization","name":"ICG Magazine","url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ICG_logo_blkbox.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ICG_logo_blkbox.jpg","width":1294,"height":1080,"caption":"ICG Magazine"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theicgmag","https:\/\/x.com\/theicgmag","http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theicgmag"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/person\/172e4f67e262cc8d0f5b2e21026a77c8","name":"editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a241ea268a2580b1b2b3c275c7c5dfa4257fff9cfa94dbc6b1d0215c5a648b31?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a241ea268a2580b1b2b3c275c7c5dfa4257fff9cfa94dbc6b1d0215c5a648b31?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"editor"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/@DGeffner"],"url":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10170"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10217,"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10170\/revisions\/10217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}