Cabinet of Curiosities cinematographer Anastas Michos, ASC, GSC

Cinematographer Anastas Michos ASC, GSC humbly calls himself a
journeyman cinematographer. However, after 25 years and multiple
awards, Anastas possesses expert skill and versatility that can be
seen across all genres. Most recently, Anastas was nominated for an
Emmy for “The Autopsy,” an episode of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet
of Curiosities anthology TV series on Netflix. Del Toro selected
the directors for each episode of Cabinet of Curiosities, and he
chose idiosyncratic directors who brought their own sensibilities
to each piece. Anastas had worked with “The Autopsy” director David
Prior before on a horror film called The Empty Man, and they
enjoyed collaborating together again. Anastas enjoyed working on
Cabinet of Curiosities because it felt like making a short film
rather than a TV show, with each piece a crafted short story rather
than a serialization. For a consistent look, each episode used the
same production designer, Tamara Deverell,  who also did the
production design for del Toro's Nightmare Alley. While shooting
the episode, Anastas was always conscious that “The Autopsy” should
fall under the look of del Toro's brand. Anastas has always enjoyed
shooting horror films because they explore the human condition in a
very specific way. The cinematographer can creatively stretch the
imagination and the image in a way that can't be done as much in
dramas, comedies or romances, since they're usually based in our
day to day reality. But Anastas likes to switch around among
genres- after working on an intense horror film such as Texas
Chainsaw 3D, a light rom com might sound really good. He's
interested in any project that has a great story, script, director
and crew. Before finding his way behind a camera, Anastas thought
he'd go into the music business since he grew up in a musical
family. Instead, he became a news cameraperson, learning visual
storytelling on the job. He's found that his music background has
actually served him well as a cinematographer- he feels musicality
is very much a part of camera movement. One memorable time early in
his career, Anastas was working Steadicam for Born on the Fourth of
July. Director Oliver Stone pulled him aside and had Anastas put on
a walkman so that he could move the camera to the pace of the music
Stone wanted. After working as a camera and Steadicam operator for
several years, Anastas got to shoot his first feature as a DP for
Man on the Moon. Anastas found director Milos Forman to be
simultaneously generous and demanding, with the capability of
recognizing someone's potential and holding them to it. Guillermo
del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities anthology TV series is on
Netflix. Find Anastas Michos: http://anastasmichos.com/ Instagram:
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