Among the DPs profiled in this issue’s Cinematographers & Cameras Series is Eigil Bryld who shot the first 11 episodes of House of Cards. Bryld’s work on the pilot earned him a primetime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series category. House of Cards garnered a total of nine Emmy nominations, the others for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series (David Fincher), Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series (Kirk Baxter, ACE), Casting, Music Composition, Original Main Title Theme Music, Lead Actor and Lead Actress In A Drama Series.
From this week’s Cinematographers & Cameras feature story as well as this year’s ongoing The Road To Emmy coverage, the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the pivotal contributions of the cinematographer are crystal clear.
Discussing what Bryld brought to Netflix’s breakthrough House of Cards, showrunner/executive producer/writer-creator Beau Willimon–who works closely on the series with executive producer David Fincher (director of the pilot and the second episode)–observed that the DP took “a very classicist approach. No pans. No unmotivated moves of the camera. No long lenses. No Steadicams. A very specific color palette. Puts the acting first and foremost–doesn’t try to ‘create’ energy with the camera. Let’s the action dictate the motion.”
Willimon added that Bryld “mostly worked with the directors using a visual language he created with Fincher that was consistent throughout the series. Our interaction was about discussing the feeling of given scenes, and sometimes practical problem-solving if we were short on time or had to switch a location unexpectedly. Or talking about ways to shoot a recurring location or set differently to keep it fresh.”
In terms of Bryld’s impact on him as a writer, Willimon said, “At a certain point you start to see the way Eigil would light it and shoot it as you write. You get a sense of his frame, his mood. It informs the writing because you start to think cinematically…Eigil has a deep, expert sense of craft but more importantly, he brings a creative vision to it that elevates the drama. He is nimble and adaptable when necessary. He never thought of this as a ‘TV show.’ He thought about it in terms of cinema.”
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More