Curse of the Chippendales
Director of photography on three episodes of the true crime documentary series: lit interview sets and period recreations.
I shot this 2021 documentary for Discovery+ as director of photography.
The brief
Curse of the Chippendales is a true crime documentary series on Discovery+. I shot it in 2021.
My role
I was the director of photography on three episodes. The work on this series was split between two kinds of setups: lit interview sets and period recreations.
What the frames show
The interview side is visible in the first frame, where Eric Gilbert sits on a lamp-lit interview set with filing cabinets behind him. Another frame has an interview subject in a white shirt against a dark background with soft bokeh.
The recreations are quieter. One shows a lamp-lit desk with a glass of whiskey, books, and crumpled notes. Another is a close-up of an ashtray full of cigarette butts beside a rolled bill and a whiskey glass.
Both kinds of setup follow a rule I have written about on my blog: every light source on a set needs a reason.