{"id":13857,"date":"2025-09-09T15:21:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T22:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?p=13857"},"modified":"2025-09-09T16:32:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T23:32:16","slug":"pas-de-deux-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/pas-de-deux-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Pas de Deux"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00c9toile<\/em> captures the raw elegance of ballet with long takes, handmade rigs, and a crew that moves as one. The real drama? Making it all look easy.<\/p>\n

by Jay Kidd \/ Photos by Philippe Antonello \/ Amazon Content Services LLC<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Step into any ballet studio in the world <\/strong>and the first thing you\u2019ll hear is pli\u00e9<\/em> \u2013 the French word that means \u201cto bend.\u201d The language of ballet, codified in 17th-century France, has always united dancers in a global pursuit of movement, ambition, and, in the case of the new Amazon Prime series \u00c9toile<\/em>, the occasional bruised ego.<\/p>\n

Inspired by documentaries like Frederick Wiseman\u2019s La Danse<\/em>, \u00c9toile<\/em> pulls back the curtain on the cutthroat world of professional ballet, where two world-renowned companies attempt a risky transatlantic talent swap between New York and Paris. The whimsical dramedy is the latest high-gloss offering from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel<\/em> masterminds Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. Lensed by directors of photography M. David Mullen, ASC, and Alex Nepomniaschy, ASC, \u00c9toile<\/em> pulses with the signature energy that Mullen brought to Mrs.<\/em> Maisel <\/em>for five seasons (and that earned him three Emmys): long takes and incredibly fluid camera work to support the Palladinos\u2019 rapid-fire dialogue.<\/p>\n

Mullen cites the musicals from the 1940s and ’50s, such as An American in Paris<\/em>, as inspiration for his 2025 Emmy nomination for \u00c9toile<\/em>\u2019s pilot. Each of the episodes\u2019 brief dance flashbacks featured \u201ca strong color scheme, so that when you cut to it, you\u2019d have a scene that\u2019s all red, a scene that\u2019s all blue, one that\u2019s green, one that\u2019s yellow,\u201d Mullen recalls. But, he doesn\u2019t think his graphic use of color and light is what gained him the nod. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have a nomination if there wasn\u2019t dancing in this show because that\u2019s the real highlight,\u201d he continues. In fact, \u00c9toile<\/em>\u2019s other 2025 Emmy nomination went to Marguerite Derricks for Outstanding Choreography (who took home the award).<\/p>\n

Derricks has been in Amy Sherman-Palladino\u2019s orbit for over a decade, since their first collaboration in 2012 on the ballet-themed series\u00a0Bunheads<\/em>. They reunited for the\u00a0Gilmore Girls\u00a0<\/em>reboot in 2016, then once more for\u00a0Mrs. Maisel<\/em>. As\u00a0Maisel<\/em>\u00a0matured, so did the choreography. Season 3 brought an elaborate and dance-heavy USO extravaganza, while Season 4 delivered a fresh burlesque number in every episode, earning Derricks an Emmy nomination. For\u00a0\u00c9toile<\/em>, Derricks was elevated to producer and tasked with casting not one but two elite-level ballet troupes \u2013 work she had to begin the very next day after wrapping\u00a0Maisel<\/em>. It was, she says, a dream assignment. \u201cI come from a ballet background \u2013 that\u2019s where a big bulk of my training is,\u201d Derricks shares. \u201cI didn\u2019t even take any other styles of dance until I was seventeen years old. This show was such an opportunity for me to go back to my roots and fulfill that dream of working with a ballet company.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
In\u00a0\u00c9toile<\/em>\u2019s world, everything feels like a dance, from the background players to the camera itself. \u201cAmy always finds a way to make something musical, even if it\u2019s not a musical,\u201d explains Emmy-nominated Director of Photography M. David Mullen, ASC. \u201cI think she thinks of life as a musical.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Palladino’s shows, the frame is always alive<\/strong> with motion, zooming and twirling alongside the actors as they talk or move. In\u00a0\u00c9toile<\/em>\u2019s world, everything feels like a dance, from the background players to the camera itself. \u201cAmy always finds a way to make something musical, even if it\u2019s not a musical,\u201d Mullen explains. \u201cI think she thinks of life as a musical.\u201d In fact, every movement, not just the dance sequences, is choreographed. For example, Derricks designed the swirling, one-take opening shot of\u00a0Maisel<\/em>\u2019s second season. In it, the camera sweeps past window dressings, spins around a store packed with customers, follows a letter down a mail chute, and ends with Midge flying around on a rolling chair, working a telephone switchboard. \u201cIf anything moved on\u00a0Maisel<\/em>, I was part of it,\u201d Derricks says. \u201cAmy uses me for everything, big and small.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her role even shaped casting. Derricks recalls an incident during\u00a0Maisel<\/em>\u00a0where a background performer once struggled with the show\u2019s musicality, slowing down the day. From then on, the Palladinos insisted on casting trained dancers for background roles in scenes that involved complicated camerawork. \u201cDancers have an understanding of timing and staging that is vital to moving the camera,\u201d Derricks explains.<\/p>\n

That seamless melding of image and dance is what makes all Palladino productions unique.\u00a0According to First AC Anthony Cappello, Sherman-Palladino, a former ballerina, is \u201cobsessed with dance\u201d and \u201chas an affinity for dancing and dancers.\u201d Cappello notes that Palladino\u2019s goal in making \u00c9toile<\/em> was \u201cto present ballet on a grandiose scale and give the dancers the credit they deserve,\u201d while also acknowledging the art form\u2019s grueling reality.<\/p>\n

To achieve Palladino\u2019s vision, the team realized they needed to make their camera feel lighter than air. This proved challenging because, unlike the ALEXA MINIs they used on Maisel<\/em>, \u00c9toile<\/em> utilized the ALEXA 35. Weighing 1.4 pounds more than the MINI, Mullen elected to use the ALEXA 35 for the look of the sensor and because the 4.6K resolution gives extra room for shot stabilization. But he was also motivated by a desire for change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been using the same camera for so long,\u201d Mullen admits. \u201cI used the original ALEXA and then the MINIs when they first came out. But it\u2019s still the same sensor, and I\u2019ve been using them with Panavision Primo lenses all that time, too. So, when \u00c9toile <\/em>started, I wanted to do something slightly different. I wanted to get experience with a new camera, so I pushed to switch to the ALEXA 35.\u201d<\/p>\n

To compensate for the added weight, Mullen searched for lighter lenses that would match the look and feel of the show. He eventually settled on Panavision\u2019s VA lenses, noting, \u201cThey have a creamy look, a little problem with chromatic aberration, but it wasn\u2019t too bad. They\u2019re very pleasant on the skin tones. They almost have a little built-in low-con effect when you point them into bright windows.\u201d To differentiate between his two international locations, Mullen chose to shoot with Tiffen Black Satin filters for New York and Hollywood Black Magic filters for Paris. \u201cBut sometimes I used Tiffen Pearlescent filters, and I also have my collection of nets.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
“You have to land the camera in front because this pose is meant to be seen from the front. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t make sense visually from the side,\u201d says Mullen (far left) about Sherman-Palladino. That meant most of \u00c9toile\u2019s stage performances had to be captured with A-Camera Operator Jim McConkey (above, center) on stage, inside the dance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

To create the show\u2019s floaty camera moves,<\/strong> Mullen turned to longtime Local 600 operators Jim McConkey and his brother, Larry. Together, the siblings developed a variety of tools for shooting dance. One rig, nicknamed the \u201cWonderstick,\u201d integrates a three-axis M\u014dvi Pro stabilizer and a Steadicam post, where the electronics and batteries can be positioned either at the bottom of the rig or directly on the camera. The key feature is its central pivot point, which allows the camera to swing from floor level to twelve feet in the air or more, depending on the configuration. It also allows for tight corkscrew movements that would be difficult to accomplish with a traditional Steadicam or crane, perfect for twirling around a dancer.<\/p>\n

The M\u014dvi is a tool Mullen\u2019s team uses every day, but in a specific configuration. Jim McConkey describes the build as \u201ca speed rail connected by a mount to a big fluid head on a dolly. On one end is the M\u014dvi, and on the other end are counterweights,\u201d he shares. \u201cAnd then there\u2019s a smaller counterweight that you can shift up and down the pipe depending on how you want it to feel.\u201d This setup allows the camera to \u201cget almost anywhere, and quickly. You can also go through certain lighting setups because it\u2019s just a thin pipe that doesn\u2019t cause massive shadows.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the hero rig of any Palladino show is always the Steadicam because, as Mullen explains, \u201cAmy likes to work directly with Jim to make adjustments. When you do a Technocrane move, you have to talk to the camera operator, the boom operator, and the pickle operator \u2013 three people are creating the move. With the M\u014dvi, there\u2019s the dolly grip and the wheels operator. So, that\u2019s two people who have to be in sync with each other. But when it\u2019s Steadicam, it\u2019s just one person.\u201d<\/p>\n

McConkey agrees. \u201cWhen we rehearse, Amy likes to physically steer me into what she\u2019s feeling. Her guidance is so simple and yet so incredibly complex. Over the years, I\u2019ve developed what I call my \u2018Amy brain.\u2019 I really feel like I know what she\u2019s thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Choreographer Marguerite Derricks (far right), who has been working with Sherman-Palladino since 2012 and won the 2025 Emmy for \u00c9toile<\/em>, calls the show a dream assignment. \u201cI didn\u2019t train in any other style of dance until I was seventeen,” Derricks shares. “This was such an opportunity for me to go back to my roots and fulfill that dream of working with a ballet company.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like filmmaking, ballet transports audiences<\/strong> into a fantastic realm where humans appear weightless enough to fly. But the mimetic aspects of ballet required the dancers\u2019 poses and gestures to be filmed from very specific angles. As Mullen recalls: \u201cAmy would suddenly say, \u2018No, no, you have to land the camera in front at this moment because this pose is meant to be seen from the front. We can\u2019t see it from the side; it doesn\u2019t make sense visually.\u201d That meant most of \u00c9toile<\/em>\u2019s stage performances had to be captured from the house direction, but the camera was rarely out in the audience. Rather, Jim McConkey\u2019s Steadicam had to be on stage, inside the dance, with the same speed and precision as the dancers.<\/p>\n

It was also important to depict \u00c9toile<\/em>\u2019s performances in a series of long, unbroken takes, using a single camera without coverage. McConkey explains, \u201cChoreography is about being in the moment. Every time you cut, you\u2019re going to a new place, and you\u2019re reoriented. There\u2019s just something about cutting from a moment to a moment that takes away a lot of ballet\u2019s personality.\u201d<\/p>\n

McConkey says he understands why many filmmakers hesitate to shoot live performances with a single camera. \u201cDirectors want an escape hatch in case something doesn\u2019t work. They want all the choices, or they fear they\u2019ll need to control the tempo or tighten something up. And that\u2019s all true, except when you work with Amy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmy is very musically oriented,\u201d Mullen confirms, \u201cand so is Dan. They\u2019re very precise about timing and how many bars and beats they need for something to happen.\u201d \u201cAt her heart, Amy\u2019s a choreographer,\u201d McConkey adds, \u201cand she understands lenses and three-dimensional movement. So, it\u2019s easy for me to show her what she wants to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derricks appreciates this commitment to filming dance in uninterrupted takes. \u201cIt is heartbreaking for a choreographer and dancers when their work is shot with multiple cameras, zoomed in. Then the work is never seen as it was meant to be, it\u2019s just cut up.\u201d With the Palladinos, Derricks confirms, \u201cThere has never in thirteen years been one time where I shed a tear over the way the choreography was shot. Not one.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
One of the rigs the McConkey brothers made use of was nicknamed the \u201cWonderstick,\u201d which integrates a three-axis M\u014dvi Pro stabilizer and a Steadicam post. The electronics and batteries can be positioned at the bottom of the rig or directly on the camera, and the central pivot point allows the camera to swing from floor level to twelve feet in the air or more.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although dancers make it look effortless,<\/strong> ballet is a punishing sport. Its raw physicality meant \u00c9toile<\/em>\u2019s ballerinas, who are true athletes, couldn\u2019t endure endless takes. Cappello notes that \u201cworking on \u00c9toile<\/em> made me realize how much strength and effort go into every jump. Every guy lifts a woman like he\u2019s lifting a feather. But I learned, \u2018Wow, we\u2019re not going to be able to do this too many times.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

McConkey agrees, explaining the immense pressure he felt to nail every shot. \u201cIf we did four takes, it was a lot. Around the fifth or sixth time, asking all these people as a troop to be perfect or almost perfect \u2013 it\u2019s too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cappello often removed his focus-assisting tools \u2013 a LightRanger 2000 or a CineTape, depending on the situation \u2013\u00a0to make the ALEXA 35 even lighter. His forty years of experience enabled him to predict critical moments for focus. For one challenging shot of ballerina Lyrica Woodruff (using an FX3 on a lightweight Wonderstick), Cappello says he \u201cwas able to put a motor on the lens, but that was it. So, I took old-school measurements and prayed. There\u2019s no focus assistance when you use that rig. It was technically very difficult, but we nailed it on the first try. Amy said, \u2018That\u2019s perfect! We don\u2019t have to go again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
A-Camera Ist AC Anthony Cappello often removed his focus-assisting tools to make the ALEXA 35 even lighter. “There\u2019s no focus assistance when you use rigs [like a Sony FX3 on a Wonderstick],” Cappello describes. “Some shots were technically very difficult, but we nailed them on the first try. Amy said, \u2018That\u2019s perfect! We don\u2019t have to go again.\u2019\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The AC\u2019s experience was also essential<\/strong> for another key sequence<\/strong> \u2013 the storm scene in Episode 1 that introduces Cheyenne, played by two-time C\u00e9sar nominee Lou de La\u00e2ge. As Mullen remembers, \u201cDan and Amy mentioned their inspiration for that opening shot was the famous push-in on John Wayne in Stagecoach<\/em>. Supposedly, that\u2019s the shot that made him a star.\u201d Though that shot required a crane, the rest of the sequence was filmed on Steadicam in a water tank in Brussels. It used real water cannons to create massive blasts and waves, making the set a wet and intense environment for the crew.<\/p>\n

Cappello wasn\u2019t intimidated. His many credits include the famously difficult (and saltwater-heavy) Master and Commander<\/em>, so he knew just what to do. \u201cSpinning rain deflectors and other things don\u2019t work when you\u2019re shooting storms and using water cannons,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou need air blowers. It\u2019s the only way.\u201d He chose the Prodigy Air Deflector from Bright Tangerine to keep his lenses spot-free. To protect the Steadicam, he used simple plastic bags. \u201cI covered the whole rig, making sure there was room for it to move around, and then I strapped the air compressor to the back of Jim\u2019s rig, where the MDR is,\u201d Capello shares. He also cut tiny holes in the rain protection to avoid restricting the camera. \u201cI just put little slits right where I knew the air compressor was sucking in the plastic. I knew there was going to be a lot of water, but I also knew from how the bag was formed that it wouldn\u2019t get inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

McConkey, for one, was impressed. \u201cIt was the first time I\u2019ve ever been in water where I didn\u2019t care. It was so great because I could get hit with a wave, and the image just looked incredible. It took my fear of water away. It felt like we could do anything.\u201d The system\u2019s consistent performance meant McConkey could stop thinking about equipment safety and focus on the scene. \u201cOnce you get to these moments with the camera, where you stop worrying something might fail, that\u2019s when things become more real, creative, and possible. It just becomes about the shot at that point.” As Cappelo adds proudly, \u201cWe were supposed to be there all day. We started at 10 and were done by noon.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
As for depicting \u00c9toile\u2019s performances in a series of long, unbroken takes, using a single camera without coverage, McConkey notes, \u201cChoreography is about being in the moment. Every time you cut, you\u2019re going to a new place, and you\u2019re reoriented. There\u2019s just something about cutting from a moment to a moment that takes away a lot of ballet\u2019s personality.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Trust, it seems, is the secret sauce behind \u00c9toile<\/em>.<\/strong> It\u2019s what allows Sherman-Palladino\u2019s team to capture entire performances in uninterrupted takes with no safety nets or coverage. And it empowers them to take big, creative swings, trying moves that no one has tried before. \u201cIt\u2019s a more difficult way to work,\u201d McConkey concludes, \u201cbut it\u2019s also more rewarding.\u201d The operator believes his success starts and ends with the Palladinos. \u201cAmy supports me like I don\u2019t think any other director has supported a person doing what I do,” he shares. “She believes that success is inevitable. That\u2019s such an amazing quality. It\u2019s such a positive atmosphere for me that I never feel fear.\u201d Derricks puts it this way: \u201cNothing is impossible with Amy. She challenges us, herself, everyone\u2026 That\u2019s why we\u2019re able to do incredible shots that surprise people when they get on screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it\u2019s this profound level of trust within the \u00c9toile<\/em> crew that enables them to create, as Cappello puts it, \u201cspecial images that truly capture the spirit\u201d of their projects. Nobody on this team is simply a technician; they\u2019re collaborators trying to capture a spirit. \u201cEveryone really cares about what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Cappello concludes. \u201cThey love the subject matter, and that makes them ten times better because they want to do a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

That passion is what allowed the \u00c9toile<\/em> team to make a far-reaching emotional impact on audiences. As McConkey reflects, \u201cIt\u2019s the power of video, but also the power of dance. It can be healing. You rarely get a chance to understand the cumulative, positive effect it can have on large numbers of people simultaneously. I had a producer come up to me recently with tears in her eyes, telling me how much she loved \u00c9toile<\/em>\u00a0and about how much the dancing meant to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

For McConkey, this ability to bring people together is the ultimate goal of his craft: \u201cFilmmaking is at its best when you can create something that deeply connects to a wide variety of people,\u201d he concludes. \u201cSometimes you never know about it until you have some small interaction, and then you realize how big it was, how powerful it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Trust is what allowed the union camera team to capture entire performances in uninterrupted takes with no safety nets or coverage. “It\u2019s a more difficult way to work,\u201d McConkey concludes, \u201cbut it\u2019s also more rewarding.\u201d “Nothing is impossible with Amy,” Derricks adds. “That\u2019s why we\u2019re able to do incredible shots that surprise people when they get on screen.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00c9toile – Local 600 Crew Listing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Directors of Photography: M. David Mullen, ASC, Alex Nepomniaschy, ASC<\/p>\n

A-Camera Operator: Jim McConkey<\/p>\n

B-Camera Operator: Niknaz Tavakolian<\/p>\n

A-Camera 1st AC: Anthony Cappello<\/p>\n

A-Camera 2nd AC: Brandon Babbitt<\/p>\n

B-Camera 1st AC: Liz Singer<\/p>\n

B-Camera 2nd AC: Brian Giallorenzo<\/p>\n

Digital Imaging Technician: Malika Franklin<\/p>\n

Loaders: \u00a0Trevor Brenden, Nicholas Misisco<\/p>\n

Unit Still Photographers: Phillipe Antonello, Lesley Robson-Foster, Daniel Novarro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00c9toile captures the raw elegance of ballet with long takes, handmade rigs, and a crew that moves as one. The real drama? Making it all look easy. by Jay Kidd \/ Photos by Philippe Antonello \/ Amazon Content Services LLC   Step into any ballet studio in the world and the first thing you\u2019ll hear is pli\u00e9 \u2013 the French word that means \u201cto bend.\u201d The language of ballet, codified in 17th-century France, has always united dancers in a global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13863,"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":[],"class_list":["post-13857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-exclusive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPas de Deux - 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\/pas-de-deux-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pas de Deux - ICG Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00c9toile captures the raw elegance of ballet with long takes, handmade rigs, and a crew that moves as one. 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