Ep. 78 - Shawn Peters "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey"

On this episode, cinematographer Shawn Peters discusses how he captured the aesthetic of the new Apple TV+ series, THE LAST DAYS OF PTOLEMY GREY, premiering March 11th. Based on the novel of the same name, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey follows Ptolemy Grey (Samuel L. Jackson), a 91-year-old man forgotten by his family, by his friends, by even himself. Suddenly left without his trusted caretaker and on the brink of sinking even deeper into a lonely dementia, Ptolemy is assigned to the care of orphaned teenager Robyn. When given the tremendous opportunity to briefly regain his memories, Ptolemy uses this precious and fleeting lucidity to solve his nephew's death, beginning a journey toward shocking truths about the past, present and future. Shawn shares how his partnership with series director, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ramin Bahrani (99 Homes, The White Tiger), was integral in informing the aesthetic and the overall worldbuilding of the series. Additionally, Shawn shares what the experience was like working on-set with Samuel L. Jackson and the challenges in shooting across multiple time eras. Prior to this series, Shawn's work was seen mainly in shorts and music videos, featuring the talents of artists such as Alicia Keys, Common, H.E.R., and Solange. He was also the cinematographer on the this past year's Oscar-nominated documentary feature Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).