DYNAMIC DUOS
Cinematographer Christine Ng and director Jonathan Krisel talk us through their partnerships on English Teacher and Adults , and what makes them gel creatively Jonathan Krisel & Christine Ng DYNAMIC DUOS
INTERVIEW NICOLA FOLEY IMAGES FX
DEFINITION: How did you guys first meet, and what were your
also fun for me on English Teacher because I was coming in on Season 2 – which I hadn’t done before – and it was this process of figuring out the tone and how to step in creatively. The first meeting I had with Krisel and [show creator] Brian Jordan Alvarez, we thought about how we wanted to film this in a way that is helpful for the comedy. It reinvented the way I approach comedy: how do you maximise coverage and maximise the tone of the comedy and the scene? Traditionally, I’m trained to start with the wide and work your way in. But on English Teacher , and Adults too, we started with the coverage and worked our way out, which I think was helpful for the performers and the writers to have more play with it. JK: It’s trying to figure out, where can this be funny? I’m thinking of the edit right away. But from a lighting perspective, it’s nice to see, so you’re not painting yourself into a corner. Christine figured out how to do that,
knowing I’ll eventually have to see all these walls at the same time. But once the cinematographer becomes aware of that, actors are also part of the cinematography, and their performance can elevate the cinematography. It’s not just about the lighting. DEF: And the oner at the start of Season 2 is the perfect example of the cinematography and performances working together… CN: It was such a technical and performance-specific thing that it really helped bond all of us together quickly. We were able to play around a little bit and let everyone feel it out – the timing, the crosses, the dialogue. It was really fun to just dive in and do something hard.
first impressions of one another?
CHRISTINE NG: We met on a pilot in New York. I was the B cam operator and a bit of a fly on the wall. I remember Krisel had this amazing blue Moncler jacket – I was obsessed with it. A few years later, I got called to shoot English Teacher and that’s when we worked together as DOP and director. I was like, ‘Oh, the guy with the jacket. Yes, I want to work with him again!’
JONATHAN KRISEL: Christine’s name was definitely around a lot.
She had a good reputation. And then when it came to hiring her for Adults , I knew she’d be the perfect vibe.
DEF: What do you remember about that first collaboration
JK: Yeah, and there’s just so many oners around now, we
on English Teacher?
wanted to call attention to it with a wink to the audience, but we still actually had to pull it off and make it a decent one!
CN: I loved Portlandia and was excited to work with him. It was
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