Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty cinematographer Todd Banhazl, ASC

When cinematographer Todd Banhazl, ASC was hired by creator Adam
McKay for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, he knew he
wanted to capture the look and feel of TV broadcasts from the 70's
for season 1. As the timeline of the show moved into the mid-80's
in season 2, Todd wanted to embrace the gloss and glamour of the
era, with more dynamic camera moves on the court. Perhaps the most
striking aspect of Winning Time is its signature look. The show
integrates and embraces the camera formats used during each time
period in the show. They used 8mm and 16mm film and for season 2,
VHS-C camcorders. Each scene was also always covered with two 35mm
cameras, so that the period look of Winning Time doesn't weigh on
the viewer too much. The series is based on the book “Showtime:
Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the
1980s.” McKay and Todd wanted the show to be as loud, bold and
maximalist as the personality of Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Todd and
McKay tested the different camera looks for months before shooting
the pilot, and they fell in love with mixing the formats. Todd made
a look book approved by HBO, and shot the pilot that way. Next,
they had to figure out the editing and post process, to make sure
that the look stayed dirty- they wanted film grain, hairs and video
imperfections to stay in and even be emphasized. Todd thinks they
found the line where the look doesn't overwhelm the story. He
enjoys creating art where the form and the way it's made is part of
the emotional experience. For Todd, finding crew is much like a
casting process. A TV shooting schedule requires finding people who
you can trust and rely on. When it came time to find other
cinematographers, he wanted to hire artists that he respected for
their work, and he wanted his fellow DPs to be able to put their
own stamp on the show. John chose to work with Mihai Mălaimare Jr.
(a former guest of the Cinepod) for season 1 and John Matysiak
(also a former guest) for season 2. He has always admired Mihai's
work, and Todd felt that he and John had the same taste. In season
2 of Winning Time, Todd had the chance to direct episode 3, “The
Second Coming,” which tells Larry Bird's backstory. The episode
also deals with Larry Bird's father's suicide, and he and the crew
had a lot of conversations about how to be deeply respectful and
responsible about portraying an event that really happened. Even
though there has been some criticism of the show by a few of the
real people portrayed in Winning Time, Todd feels that their job on
the series is to treat the real-life characters with humanity and
empathy. Todd grew up in the suburbs of San Dimas, and he knew he
always wanted to work in the movies. As a kid, he made home movies
all through junior high and high school. He studied film at San
Jose State, where he became the class's defacto cameraman. After
film school, he went to AFI graduate school where he realized that
cinematography was the career he wanted. Todd worked his way up,
shooting music videos, camera assisting, and then becoming a
director of photography. Blow the Man Down, a critically acclaimed
feature he DPd, won awards at the Tribeca Film Festival. Todd was
also the cinematographer for 2019's Hustlers, starring Jennifer
Lopez. You can watch Winning Time streaming on Max. Find Todd
Banhazl: https://www.toddbanhazldp.com/ Instagram: @toddbanhazl
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