American Cinematographer - May 2016 - 62

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Family, Friends and Infection
the gaffer continues. "Litepanels has
since introduced a newer generation of
LEDs, the Astra, and we used those the
second season. Our larger HMIs are
almost always bounced [into either
Ultrabounce, or bleached or unbleached
muslin], whether exterior fill or interior
key, and usually warmed with Quarter
CTO. For street lighting at night, we
use Plus Green, CTB and Sodium gels
on the lights. We also discovered that a
tungsten light with Full Green and Half
CTB is very close to metal halide -
Jaime likes to use a lot of 'Home
Depot'-style sodium-vapor and metalhalide lights - and we often add Full
Plus Green to already green fluorescents
to create an eerie mood."
The production shoots eight-day
episodes, with two of those days on a
stage - an old lumberyard that has
been partially enclosed and repurposed.
Reynoso treats it like a practical location, eschewing wild walls. The cinematographer estimates that 85 percent
of the show's lighting is provided by
practicals fitted with household bulbs.
And with the right practical location -
such as the honky-tonk bar, with its
colorful, neon lettering on the front
window, strings of small lightbulbs
along the walls, and lamps hanging
from the ceiling - additional lights
aren't even necessary.
Reynoso says the Florida Keys
are a good match for Bloodline's dark
subject matter. "The Keys have a bleakness to them," he asserts, "a Las Vegas
element, in that many people there are
running away or dropping out. But the
area also offers a lot of texture."
Some of that texture comes from
the intense heat and sticky, saltwater
humidity, both of which play havoc with
movie equipment. "Salt water vaporizes
and goes into the vents of every piece of
electronic equipment, including the
camera," says Reynoso. To protect the
cameras, the crew wraps them in plastic
whenever they're near water. "This takes
time," Reynoso explains. "We cover the
camera just for the takes, and leave the
bottom open for air."
With the exception of the pilot,

May 2016

Best friends Hap Collins (James Purefoy, third from left) and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams,
second from left) become involved in a get-rich-quick scheme that introduces them to a collection of
interesting characters in the 1980s-set "swamp noir" series Hap and Leonard.

Reynoso has been the sole cinematographer on the series. Born in Mexico
City, he studied photography while
growing up, and began his film career as
an electrician. After studying cinematography at the American Film
Institute, he returned to Mexico and
began shooting. His television work
also includes Persons Unknown, The
Glades, Ballers and Outsiders.
Bloodline's final color grade is
performed remotely, and Reynoso
praises Los Angeles-based postproduction supervisor Lori Jo Nemhauser for
overseeing things on the Los Angeles
end.
Observing the KZK showrunners - who write or co-write every
episode - has taught Reynoso that
"projects take on a life of their own, and
the processes of shooting and editing
have to adapt. The KZK team had a
very precise idea of what [each] episode
would be, but once production began
the material sometimes took them in a
different direction. This possibility of
evolution and change makes the project
that much richer."
- Jean Oppenheimer

American Cinematographer

Hap and Leonard (SundanceTV)
Cinematographer: Ryan Samul
Based on the characters created
by author Joe R. Lansdale, Hap and
Leonard is a six-episode series
photographed by cinematographer
Ryan Samul, who previously went
behind the camera for the production's
director, Jim Mickle, on the feature
adaptation of Lansdale's Cold in July.
Samul describes Hap and Leonard as a
comic "swamp noir" set in the late
1980s. Two best friends - East Texas,
white, working-class Hap Collins
( James Purefoy), and gay, black,
Vietnam-veteran
Leonard
Pine
(Michael Kenneth Williams) - are
roped into a get-rich-quick scheme by
Hap's seductive ex-wife, Trudy
(Christina Hendricks), and soon find
themselves involved with a crew of
washed-up revolutionaries and a pair of
murderous psycho-killers, not to
mention the local constabulary. Samul
recently corresponded with American
Cinematographer via email to answer
questions about his work on the series,
which premiered in March on
SundanceTV.

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