Ep211 - Jeff Cronenweth, Cinematographer ‘Tales From the Loop,’ ‘Gone Girl,’ & ‘Fight Club’

Jeff Cronenweth grew up in a family of filmmakers. His grandfather, Edward, worked on ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ with Lon Chaney. His father, Jordan, was the cinematographer on ‘Blade Runner.’ “My father recommended that I stop school and go work with a production company,” he said. After getting accepted into the Union, Cronenweth went to Film School at USC and then started working in the industry. These days, he’s best known for working with David Fincher, on projects such as ‘Fight Club,’ ‘The Social Network,’ ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,’ and ‘Gone Girl.’ Currently, he’s the Cinematographer on Amazon’s new series, ‘Tales from the Loop.’ For the latest series, Cronenweth worked on the episode “Loop.” According to the description, “The townspeople who live above "The Loop," a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe, experience things previously consigned to the realm of science fiction.” In this interview, the Cinematographer discusses working with David Fincher, rules he learned from his father, how he first reads a screenplay, how to get the best of every moment, why you should shoot as much as you can early in your career, and why creatives need a full arsenal of looks to showcase creative work. If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5