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Emmy Season: Schmigadoon! Season 2 DP Jon Joffin, ASC

By Randi Altman

Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon! is a modernized and comedic take on the classic musical tale Brigadoon. Created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, it stars Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong as a couple who, while backpacking, happen upon a magical town that essentially lives in the world of a 1940s/1950s musical.

Jon Joffin

DP Jon Joffin

The series earned four Emmy nominations for its first season and three for its second, including Outstanding Cinematography for DP Jon Joffin, ASC, for the episode “Something Real.” This season sees our couple looking for the simpler life of Schimgadoon, but instead they find Schmicago, which is darker, sexier and more edgy than the Eden they found in the first season. This world takes place in the musicals of the 1960s/1970s.

We reached out to Joffin, who was brought on a few months before shooting on Season 2 began, to find out more about his workflow while shooting all six episodes.

How was being brought in early helpful? 
The early prep was essential because there were so many different sets and a lot to do on a short shooting schedule. By the time I came on, most of the sets had already been designed by our amazing production designer Jamie Walker MCCall. Construction was just beginning so we worked together on set placement in the studio, built-in lighting and shooting access. Jamie was a great collaborator, not only did she design gorgeous sets but she also made them very easy to shoot.

What direction were you given about that look? And how did you work with the showrunner?
Showrunner Cinco Paul wanted a look that was based on a three-strip Technicolor film. (Technicolor’s three-strip process involved a beam-splitter prism behind the lens that allowed for the separate capture of red, green and blue filmstrips. This process offered an unrivaled richness and vibrance.) Cinco often referred to Cabaret, Chicago, Sweet Charity and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. He wanted Season 2 to be darker and grittier than Season 1, but he also told me that Lorne Michaels said it was very important for the show not to be so dark as to lose its delightful tone.

What about the different looks between the couple’s regular life and their life in Schmigadoon? And what about Schmicago?
Initially, when Josh and Melissa return from the magical town, they bring color back with them. But as the years progress and life gets more mundane, we slowly desaturate, as if the life is getting sucked out of them until there is barely any color at all.

Jon JoffinWhen they arrive in Schmicago, we are in full-on vibrant Technicolor mode, and it seems even more vibrant because we are cutting from the desaturated look. Even though there are several looks within Schmicago — the hippie camp, the butcher shop, the orphanage and the Kratt Klubb — they are all unified by the three-strip Technicolor look.

What about the grade and working with the colorist? What are some notes that you exchanged?
We were extremely lucky to have Jill Bogdanowicz as our colorist. It was like winning the lottery. Jill was involved right from the start — before we even shot a test. She designed several LUTs for us to try out. We went to Keslow Camera and did a preliminary test with the seven LUTs she sent. There was one that was absolutely perfect.

When I called Jill to share my excitement, before I could say anything, she said “You chose LUT number 5.” She knew exactly which one we would pick! Jill and I worked hard to keep the look rich and modelled while maintaining the light tone that Cinco was after. It was a fine line, but in the end, I think everyone was happy. The look wasn’t so much about saturation as it was about discrete color separation. Jill describes it as each color staying in its own lane.

What was it about the episode you submitted for the Emmys that you felt stood out?
I absolutely love the musical performance of “Talk to Daddy.” It is so much fun, and the actors are next-level brilliant, even the reactions of those who aren’t singing and dancing. I also love “Good Enough to Eat.” Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming and all of the orphans make me smile every time I watch it.  Jamie Walker McCall, our production designer (also nominated for an Emmy this season for the episode “Famous As Hell”) delivered stunning set after stunning set. I love the night street scene with the umbrellas.

What did you end up shooting on and why?
The Sony Venice 2 was the perfect choice for many reasons, especially for its rich color science, which helped us to achieve the three-strip technicolor look. We tested many different vintage lenses but ended up settling on Zeiss Radiance lenses. To my eye, they have a vintage feel when shot wide-open, and I love the quality of the out-of-focus blur. I also love the flare characteristics. You get a beautiful veil, which can lift the contrast if you hit the lens with just the right amount of backlight. The lenses feel vintage but are extremely reliable.
Can you talk lighting?

Three-strip Technicolor was often lit with hard and flat lighting. This was due to film stocks at the time needing a lot of light and also having to shoot through those dark-colored filters. I worked to give Cinco the Technicolor look, but I also wanted to put my stamp on it with a more modern lighting style, using soft yet contrasty light.

Jon JoffinI didn’t want to be too flashy with the light, as I didn’t want to take away from the beautiful production design and stunning costumes. We mostly kept our key light very neutral in order to be true to the colors.

Any happy accidents along the way?
We were testing a probe lens in prep and realized that it also did a kaleidoscope effect. I pitched this idea to Cinco, and we used it in “Everyone’s Gotta Get Naked.” Honestly, though, there weren’t many accidents, as Cinco has such a clear vision of what he wants. I think that this comes from his background in animation (the Despicable Me franchise, The Secret Life of Pets), where everything is so well-planned.

Are there some scenes that stick out as challenging?
The greatest challenge was time. We just didn’t have enough of it. There were twice as many performances as in Season 1. One of my favorite performances is “Bells and Whistles” with the insanely talented Jane Krakowski. She comes down from the ceiling on a trapeze, swings upside down, roller skates blindfolded, does the splits, rattles off a song at hyper speed and is absolutely fearless.

We saw what she was going to do in the morning and were blown away, but we only had a day and a half to film it. We were so inspired. We wanted to make sure we got every single shot and angle. It ended up being the greatest collaboration I’ve ever had with an actor. I saw an interview where Jane said it was the greatest day she’d ever had on a set, and we all felt the same way.

Looking back, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, I don’t think I would change a thing. It was definitely a career highlight.

Any tips for young cinematographers?
It’s very important to work with like-minded people who will support you and share a common goal. Also, I believe strongly in having a plan, but I believe it’s equally important to listen and consider other ideas. Always keep an open mind.


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