As the cinematographer for such beautiful work as A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Manchester by the Sea, and I Know This Much is True, Jody Lee Lipes brings an emotional honesty to all his work.
Of course, every element within the filmmaking process is a part of delivering on that honesty, with arguably two of the most important aspects being the performance and cinematography. Those two elements work together in a creative dance – if one is out of step with the other, the intention won’t land and the emotional impact would be lost. Imagine the scene in Contagion where Matt Damon’s character learns his wife has died, but with constant dolly moves and lens flares.
That emotional honesty is something that Jody pulls off with ease. Today he and Ryan chat about leaning into that meaning and honesty, working with technically difficult scenes (like the twinning in his latest HBO show), and what made him want to be a filmmaker.