American Cinematographer

04/23/2026

At NAB 2026, Hollyland introduces the Mello P1 microphone system, combining wireless audio capture with a built-in receiver that doubles as a portable mixing device. With 3.5mm input support for instruments and app-based control, the system is designed to make professional audio recording and mixing more accessible in a compact form.

Also on display, the Pyro Ultra video transmission system upgrades the line to 4K60 with HDMI and SDI support, offering flexible power options and the ability to connect a single transmitter to multiple receivers with backward compatibility.

Watch the full video on YouTube.

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04/22/2026

At NAB 2026, Mitch Gross introduces the Storm CS32 from Aputure .lighting , a compact 3,200W fixture built around the BLAIR-CG light engine, delivering up to 90% of the Rec.2020 color spectrum and a tunable white range from 1,800K to 20,000K. Despite its size, the CS32 supports a wide range of modifiers via the XT52 mount and is designed for portability, versatile power options, and high-output performance across both hard and soft lighting setups.

The Storm lineup also expands with Nova panels and new Spotlight Mount 2 projectors, offering narrow-beam punch, modular rigging, and precise light control across multiple fixture sizes. Watch now on YouTube.

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04/21/2026

Reporting from NAB 2026- Invizigrain presents a film emulation system that is not a LUT or overlay, but a process that reconstructs digital images using real film grain data. The system takes footage from cameras such as the ARRI Alexa, Sony Venice, and Blackmagic Pocket and recreates the image using actual film scans, rebuilding color and texture from dye clouds and silver halides in real time. It can be seen processing material from 16mm film and digital sources, fully recreating both color and texture from the chemical structure of film.

The technology has been developed in collaboration with ASC cinematographers and leading colorists, and is being demonstrated at NAB 2026 in a joint booth with Atlas Lens Company. Thank you to our sponsors

04/21/2026

Now on YouTube- Kino Flo and Light Gear showcase new lighting tools at NAB 2026, including the Celeb Ikon 12 and Icon 6, both IP65-rated soft lights with zone control and expanded color spectrum output. The booth also features a mixed lighting setup combining hard and soft sources, along with updated LiteTile Spectrum systems offering increased brightness and pixel control.

Watch the full video on American Cinematographer’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMBZn7LbBJg

04/20/2026

Historical: Revisiting The Departed, Michael Ballhaus, ASC on shaping the film with hard light, practicals, and a desaturated palette. Shot on Super 35mm with Kodak Vision2 stocks, using wide lenses and a DI finish to support its pace.

https://theasc.com/articles/the-departed-cinematography-ballhaus

An in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the cinematography of Martin Scorsese's contemporary crime classic 'The Departed,' shot by Michael Ballhaus, ASC.

04/19/2026

Jackson Parrell crafts Heated Rivalry with custom LUTs, practical lighting and LED-volume work, using color to drive the story from cool restraint to warm optimism.

Read:

Cinematographer Jackson Parrell details the custom LUTs, virtual-production work and lighting scheme that helped give 'Heated Rivalry' an elevated look.

04/17/2026

Thomas Riedel has acquired ARRI , marking the largest deal of his career and a major shift for the century-old camera and lighting manufacturer. The company will remain headquartered in Munich, with its existing management team continuing to lead operations under the new ownership.

The partnership aligns ARRI’s film technology with Riedel Group’s expertise in live production, opening new opportunities across broadcast, sports and live events.

Read more at the link in bio.

04/15/2026

Coming off Dune, Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS took a different approach on Project Hail Mary , using Unreal Engine not for an LED volume, but as a techvis tool to plan the film’s complex sets and lighting.

Digital builds of the spacecraft allowed the team to map camera positions, lighting rigs, and dual-orientation sets in advance—ensuring continuity whether scenes were shot horizontally or vertically for different gravity states. Every major lighting decision was worked out virtually, then executed practically on stage.

That groundwork supported a heavily in-camera approach, from large-scale circadian lighting boxes to tungsten rigs simulating rotating starlight, along with animatronic puppetry for Rocky to give performances a physical presence.

Read more in the April issue.

04/14/2026

Presented by Kodak last week, a special screening of Eclipse lit up Universal CityWalk Theater 19 in IMAX 70mm — showcasing the first film to capture a total solar eclipse in real time without a filter, an achievement only possible on photochemical film.

Following the screening, director and cinematographer Gus Bendinelli shared insights into the making of the film, joined by former ASC President Shelly Johnson, ASC , for a presentation and Q&A.

04/13/2026

James Cameron opens the doors to Pandora, inviting members of the ASC inside the evolving technology behind Avatar . At Lightstorm, Cameron demonstrates how performance capture prioritizes emotion over motion—capturing every nuance of an actor’s work before cinematography is built around it.

Using a volume tracked by 180 infrared cameras and head-mounted stereo rigs that reconstruct facial depth topology, performances are captured in full before a second pass of virtual cinematography and lighting. As Russell Carpenter, ASC notes, this workflow allows cinematographers to shape camera, lensing and light after the performance is locked—redefining traditional production order.

Read more in the April issue.

04/10/2026

Linus Sandgren, ASC, FSF collaborates with director Emerald Fennell to shape Wuthering Heights around the emotional story, designing weather, time of day, composition and camera movement to reflect desire, obsession and isolation. Shooting on Kodak Vision3 500T 5219 and 200T 5213 with Panavision Primo lenses in 3-perf Super 35 and VistaVision, he combines naturalistic lighting with expressive techniques — including candlelight, fire and mixed color temperatures — drawing on Romanticism and Rococo influences to create painterly images.

Read the full article in the April 2026 issue.

04/08/2026

Harry Stradling, ASC brings an uninhibited visual style to A Streetcar Named Desire, using low-key lighting and precise lensing to preserve its claustrophobic intensity. Originally published in American Cinematographer, October 1951.

Cinematographer Harry Stradling, ASC established a new high in cinematic artistry with his imaginative camera treatment of 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'