"Barbarian" Cinematographer Zach Kuperstein on his Filmmaking Approach, Crafting Suspense, & More

In this episode, we welcome Zach Kuperstein, cinematographer of films such as Barbarian, Woman of the Hour, Don’t Move, The Eyes of My Mother, and Buddy, that just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In our chat, Zach shares on his early days, filmmaking education, career path, and about the making of Barbarian and Woman of the Hour. He also talks about his approach for shooting each film, camera technology choices, as well as many insights for younger filmmakers today. The Making Of is presented by AJA:From cinema to proAV: gaining a competitive edge with streaming knowledgeThe worlds of cinema production and proAV are converging. Cinema-grade equipment is making its way into more stadiums, houses of worship, and concert venues. Because of this, professionals that understand the tools and disciplines powering both will stand out. Get ahead of the curve with the latest streaming insights and gear from AJA.Imax Closes Out 2025 With $1.28 Billion At Global Box Office, Up 40% And Its Best Year EverImax ended 2025 with a record $1.28 billion grossed worldwide, the best year it’s ever had. The slate grew overall and local language films busted out with two of its top five films for the year — Ne Zha 2 ($167 million) and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle ($95.9 million) — coming from beyond Hollywood.Read more hereNow with Massive 8TB Capacity—Thunderbolt 5 SpeedThe OWC Envoy Pro Ultra now comes in a new 8TB capacity, pairing enormous space with next‑generation Thunderbolt 5 performance. With real‑world speeds over 6000 MB/s and a rugged, bus‑powered design, it’s perfect for 4K/8K workflows, on‑location shoots, and fast media offloads. High‑speed, high‑capacity, and ready for serious creative work.Browse hereIntroducing the LiveU Solo PRO:Deliver an outstanding live video experience with the LiveU Solo PRO. Designed for creators and professionals alike, the Solo PRO video encoder provides one-touch, wireless live streaming directly from your camera to popular online platforms and any web destination. Stream with confidence using bonded 4G/5G connectivity and enjoy superior reliability and image quality up to 4K resolution. To learn more, contact Videoguys at 800-323-2325. Browse hereDonate to Help The Digital Cinema Society Survive:DCS, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to keeping filmmakers current on motion picture technology is currently in dire financial straights. We are trying to make the best of a tough situation and asking those who can afford it to help keep us afloat.Please consider donating to DCS herePodcast Rewind:Feb. 2026 - Ep. 117.Feature your products or services in this newsletter and reach 250K film and TV industry professionals. To activate a sponsorship, contact [email protected] Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe