The Best Film I've Watched All Year (Part 2): Cinematographer Tom Ford of URCHINS (2026

At the risk of sounding corny (and real in a world of AI slop podcast descriptions), let me add a fourth F: Ford. As in Tom Ford. No, not that one -- the cinematographer Tom Ford, who made my favorite film of the year absolutely shine through his work years ago.What do I mean by that? As we talk about, much of what I love about URCHINS is its lighting, and that came from enduring relationships that Tom built over the years that he brought on for this film. There's a huge lesson in that and Tom's career; you can have all the talent in the world, but if you aren't a team player, the big brands and great films won't call you.That's not this Tom Ford's problem. Just the opposite. Film Independent Spirit Awards, are you listening? URCHINS should win awards for its visually stunning canvas, and I'm so glad to be joined by the person who made it happen.Tom and I talk about:how he got to be such a great shooter for top brands and films like URCHINS;learning vs. innate understanding of cinematography;why he's been so successful working with brands like Nike and top fashion;how freeing it was to have a director that kept him separated from clients' demands;advice for people wanting to work with top brands;whether he wants to direct and how to properly manage that relationship;the general state of cinematography in independent film and how it relates to URCHINS;how a guy from the United Kingdom shoot a love letter to Florida;the importance of the team Tom Ford has assembled throughout the years;his favorite shot in the film;avoiding cliches in URCHINS;his advice for aspiring filmmakers;what's next for him;working on short films;where cinematographers can go wrong.Tom's Indie Film Highlight: SOME RAIN MUST FALL (2024) dir. by Qiu Yang Memorable Quotes:" Framing's always been more instinctive versus yeah, rule of thirds."" it's all about just building connections with other people who have an interest in that kind of work."" I grew up in a kinda small town in England where it has some similarities to Florida."" Adam also offered back ends to everyone."" Sometimes we can try and always show the face too much, and sometimes it's interesting to withhold a bit from the audience so they can put two and two together themselves or come up with their own meaning."" Yeah, I definitely wouldn't put loads of money into a short. I think it's worth doing a short as a proof of concept, but even if it's a proof of concept, you don't need everything to be perfect as long as the storytelling's good."" If it's just white walls and a camera, it's like you can have the nicest lenses in the world, but it's not gonna do as much for the story as a proper like decked out place."Links:Follow Tom On InstagramListen To Part One With URCHINS Director Adam Rioux