Michael Bauman on building horror for Monster: The Ed Gein Story

DP Michael Bauman, ASC on shooting Monster: The Ed Gein Story, building a visual language with period lenses, and lighting with just reflectors and flashlights.

Podcast highlights include:

-How Michael built a distinct visual language for each era with lensing shifting from period to period. Color and texture gave the digital image a weathered, film-period feel. -Lighting the Emmy-nominated Episode 6 sequence almost entirely with reflected and practical light. Rather than lighting the set conventionally, the crew bounced light and had actors sweep real flashlights themselves, revealing the horror gradually. -Why the "less is more" philosophy shaped how the show handles its most gruesome material. Instead of extreme gore, props and details were shot so that it was hard for the audience to see clearly, with sound design and suggestion doing the work. -How a single unbroken shot in the hardware-store reveal scene grew out of a scheduling crunch. Short winter daylight forced a one-take solution that ended up becoming one of the episode's most cinematic moments.

Find Michael Bauman: Instagram @baumanlights Monster: The Ed Gein Story is currently streaming on Netflix. Hear our previous interview with Michael Bauman on One Battle After Another. https://www.camnoir.com/ep343/

SHOW RUNDOWN: 02:14 Close Focus 11:37-53:40 Michael Bauman Interview 53:57 Short Ends 01:03:50 Credits

The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social