The Cinematography Podcast

DP Matheus Bastos on making budget indie films Gazer and Anima

The Cinematography Podcast

Show Notes

Cinematographer Matheus Bastos on shooting Gazer and Anima on 16mm with little money, how handheld and zooms track character, and why focusing on the work beat chasing an agent. This episode is a candid look at how limitations, story and trust shape a career, from a scrappy $80K film shoot to the call that changed everything.

Podcast highlights include: -How Gazer's look was born from necessity. Shot on 16mm over two and a half years, the micro budget meant there were no dailies. The footage was sometimes processed months after shooting. -How the 16mm feature Anima got its cleaner look. Director Brian Ivie wanted a clean negative, so Matheus never went beyond 200 speed film stock and overexposed everything. -How handheld and zooms become character psychology. Matheus’s handheld technique follows the main character’s unraveling mind in Gazer, while in Anima, operating style shifts between the characters as their lives blur together. -How focusing on his craft and professional relationships changed his career. Matheus stepped in for three days on the film Story Ave. and that job got agents calling.

Find Matheus Bastos: https://www.matheusbastos.com/ Instagram: matheusbastos_dp

Show Rundown: 02:29 Close Focus 10:22-53:53 Interview with Matheus Bastos 54:08 Short Ends 01:08:50 Credits

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