Cinematographers Blake McClure, James Hawkinson discuss their respective Comedy Central, NBC series
By Robert Goldrich
LOS ANGELES --First-time nominee Blake McClure became an ASC Award winner on February 1 for the “Detroit” episode of Comedy Central’s Drunk History, which topped the TV Episodic Series (Half Hour) category. “It was one of the biggest things to happen to me in my professional career,” said McClure who moved from his native Nashville to Los Angeles three years ago to establish himself as a DP in features and TV. “Winning the ASC Award to this day feels surreal. As a teenager I was a huge fan of ASC, I read their magazine, American Cinematographer, and dreamed about being part of the ASC.”
McClure hopes to one day be invited to be an ASC member but for now he’s wholly gratified and satisfied to have been nominated and to have actually won an ASC Award. “Winning an award voted on by those artists is the highest honor you can imagine,” he affirmed.
While he described Drunk History as a budget-challenged show, McClure said it nonetheless affords him a rare freedom as a cinematographer. “I kind of fell into comedy with Funny or Die videos and I’m thankful that the network [Comedy Central], Jeremy [Konner, series creator/director] and Derek [Waters, series host and creator] have allowed me to make Drunk History look the way I would like it to look as opposed to what the norm has been in traditional comedy. They’ve let me make a comedy look like the movies I grew up admiring and reaching for.”
In each episode, an inebriated narrator struggles to recount a chapter or event in American history while a mix of regular cast members and celeb guest actors/comics enact the narrator’s anecdote.
The “Detroit” episode had iconic magician Harry Houdini (portrayed by Ken Marino) and Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (played by Alfred Molina) go from best friends to bitter rivals. Another chapter of Drunk History in “Detroit” had the Kellogg Brothers (Owen Wilson and Owen Wilson) inventing cereal but battling each other along the way. And consumer advocate Ralph Nader (played by Ken Marino) wages war with General Motors.
Inherently Drunk History, while clearly comedy, opens up visual opportunities, observed McClure who’s typically dealing with period pieces and 12 hour days at one location, needing to get as much as possible from that locale, at times having to create different looks and styles, experimenting with lighting styles and varied approaches.
The Comedy Central TV series Drunk History is based on the Funny or Die web series created by Waters and Konner in 2007. Back in Nashville where he was primarily shooting music videos and a smattering of commercials, McClure became a big fan of the web show. He aspired to perhaps shoot one of the Funny or Die installments but never imagined that he would wind up as the cinematographer on 17 of the first 18 television episodes.
Recalling how he got the Drunk History gig, McClure said he knew “the friend of a friend who directed for Funny or Die. I started shooting a lot of videos for the Funny or Die guys. I went to a house party in Hollywood and met Derek Waters. I told him how much I loved the web show. We swapped phone numbers, stayed in touch casually for a couple of months but nothing came of it. Then I saw him again at another party. He said, ‘We’re shooting it in three weeks. Are you interested in being a DP?’ The pilot was already shot but I’ve shot every episode since. Each episode consists of three different stories.”
In preparing for the first season in 2013, McClure was most excited about the planned “Detroit” episode because he is a big magic buff. “The Houdini episode was always in my mind. We scouted all the old movie theater palaces in downtown L.A., found our location and I just saw the potential. We decided to shoot anamorphic. In planning the season, we knew there would be some hero segments from a cinematography standpoint–and certainly the ‘Detroit’ episode would have some of those special scenes and visual moments.”
While the way he got the chance to shoot Drunk History seems serendipitous, it was outright crazy how McClure earlier got his big break with Funny or Die fare. A friend of his in Nashville, web designer Michael Eaves, started a beard growing contest, drawing traffic to a website which at the time was called whiskerino.com. Among those frequenting the site was Oz Rodriguez, half of the prolific Funny Or Die directing duo Matt & Oz. McClure connected with Oz and wound up shooting Funny Or Die content for the director.
This break into the comedy arena added to a diverse body of work for McClure who had shot ESPN documentaries such as Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story and Boys of Fall, a narrative theatrical feature Super Zeroes, assorted music videos (for such performers as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, 3 Doors Down) and commercials (Bacardi, Bud Light, Sony, Columbia Sportswear, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite). Last year, McClure lensed the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.’s For The Love Of Music chronicling the likes of Emmy Lou Harris, Kris Kristofferson and Charlie Daniels who reflected on why they live in Nashville and how that has impacted their music. Last month, For The Love of Music, a documentary directed by Zach Merck, won a Gold Pencil at the One Show for agency VML, Kansas City.
As for what’s next for McClure, he’s shooting season one of Big Time In Hollywood, FL for Ben Stiller’s Red Hour production company and Comedy Central. McClure lensed the pilot, which featured guest star Stiller, in August 2013, and Comedy Central picked up the series which centers on two delusional brothers who are forced out into the world to attempt to live out their dreams as self-proclaimed filmmakers. McClure described the show as a comedy mixed with an action/adventure movie dynamic.
James Hawkinson
While his television credits include multiple episodes of such sitcoms as Community and the original Arrested Development–not to mention darker feature fare such as The Hitcher–cinematographer James Hawkinson landed the opportunity to shoot the NBC hour-long dramatic series Hannibal based in part on his work in commercials and music videos. Hawkinson had lensed spots and music clips for director David Slade, who helmed the pilot for Hannibal. Their working relationship on ad and music video fare helped put Hawkinson on Slade’s DP short list for Hannibal. Slade has gone on to direct multiple episodes of the series.
Hawkinson said he was drawn to Hannibal for the chance to diversify further into darker, dramatic content. “To have a balance of comedy, drama and suspense in your career is ideal; it makes for a healthy range of work and creative challenges.” After doing Community, it was a breath of fresh air to stretch myself into drama and suspense,” related Hawkinson. Hannibal explores the early relationship between psychiatrist Hannibal Lechter and his patient, Will Graham, a young FBI criminal profiler who has a hauntingly deep understanding of serial killers. Hawkinson added that he was very much drawn to the high caliber cast, including Hugh Dancy as Graham and Mads Mikkelson as the infamous Lechter.
Besides the cast, Hawkinson cited other factors that make Hannibal a dream gig. “The main challenge is to keep the suspense, mystery and that beautiful consistently dark world going. We’re making a TV show that looks like a feature film which is a challenge with the TV shooting schedules you’re given. What’s great is that [series creator/writer/executive producer] Bryan Fuller always encouraged me to embrace the noir look and feel. We always wanted the show to look like an R-rated crime drama to support the real adult material and aesthetic.”
Hawkinson deployed ARRI’s Alexa on the 23 episodes of Hannibal he shot in seasons one and two (with season three possibly in the offing). “I’m very happy with the results I get from the Alexa. I’m able to achieve a cinematic look with that camera,” assessed Hawkinson.
Asked about reviews that have described Hannibal as Kubrick-esque, Hawkinson said, “I’m a huge Stanley Kubrick fan. Whenever I come onto the set for the first time, my first composition is completely symmetrical like Kubrick. Bryan [Fuller], David [Slade] and I are all big Kubrick fans so if people see some of that, it’s coming from our subconscious. There are parallels to The Shining maybe. This show has that same kind of fall, wintry cold feel. Certainly the music and sound design has certain atmospheric strains you would find in Kubrick films.”
In addition to The Hitcher, Hawkinson’s darker creative side was also earlier in his career reflected in some music video work, including scary clips he did for the band Tool. “I’ve always enjoyed dark, dramatic material.”
Still, he’s derived much for his sitcom endeavors, bringing a documentary look to Arrested Development, and a more sophisticated, cinematic feel to Community.
While he continues to shoot commercials and videos during select windows of availability, Hawkinson said that his spot experience has impacted his longer form work in another respect. “When I do a TV show, I don’t want the commercials to look better than the show which happens quite a bit when you see, for example, a gorgeous Dior or Mercedes commercial. I’m proud to say that with Hannibal, we don’t have that problem.”
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Review: Writer-Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood’s “Heretic”
"Heretic" opens with an unusual table setter: Two young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are discussing condoms and why some are labeled as large even though they're all pretty much a standard size. "What else do we believe because of marketing?" one asks the other.
That line will echo through the movie, a stimulating discussion of religion that emerges from a horror movie wrapper. Despite a second-half slide and feeling unbalanced, this is the rare movie that combines lots of squirting blood and elevated discussion of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Our two church members — played fiercely by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East — are wandering around trying to covert souls when they knock on the door of a sweet-looking cottage. Its owner, Mr. Reed, offers a hearty "Good afternoon!" He welcomes them in, brings them drinks and promises a blueberry pie. He's also interested in learning more about the church. So far, so good.
Mr. Reed is, of course, if you've seen the poster, the baddie and he's played by Hugh Grant, who doesn't go the snarling, dead-eyed Hannibal Lecter route in "Heretic." Grant is the slightly bumbling, bashful and self-mocking character we fell in love with in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," but with a smear of menace. He gradually reveals that he actually knows quite a bit about the Mormon religion — and all religions.
"It's good to be religious," he says jauntily and promises his wife will join them soon, a requirement for the church. Homey touches in his home include a framed "Bless This Mess" needlepoint on a wall, but there are also oddities, like his lights are on a timer and there's metal in the walls and ceilings.
Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Wood — who also... Read More