Geektown Behind The Scenes Podcast 04: Cinematographer Yamit Shimonovitz (Surviving R. Kelly Part II/The Goop Lab) Interview

In the latest edition of the Geektown Behind The Scenes podcast, I had the chance to interview Yamit Shimonovitz, cinematographer on two wildly different shows - 'Surviving R. Kelly Part II', and new Netflix series 'The Goop Lab'.

In creating the 'Surviving R. Kelly' documentary, it was very important to the filmmakers that the camera crew was all-female for the comfort of the survivor interviewees. Yamit speaks to creating an environment in which they were able to adjust the lights and cameras quickly and quietly, as well as how they used different lighting and cameras to differentiate the survivor interviewees and the rest of the interviewees.

At the opposite end of the scale, 'The Goop Lab' with Gwyneth Paltrow, Yamit discusses using a bright colour palette to give the show an airy feel, and how they had to always be prepared to shoot every angle to cover the entire space, giving the talent the freedom to be spontaneous and dictate the story.

In addition to these two tv series, we discuss Yamit's recent documentary film work on 'Half The Picture' and 'The Public Image Is Rotten'.

'Half The Picture', which premiered at Sundance last year and has been screening at festivals worldwide, looks at the discriminatory hiring practices concerning women directors in Hollywood, and has inspiring conversations with those who have succeeded against all odds.

'The Public Image Is Rotten', follows British rock icon John Lydon and fellow bandmates as they recall the years they spent performing as Public Image Ltd. The movie played at festivals and Raindance in London, and was called by the New York Times “affectionate and frank” with “valuable insights”.

Besides documentaries, her work includes commercials for Apple, Ford, Intel and Whole Foods as well as TV shows for HBO, CNN and Amazon. Born in Israel, and currently based in Los Angeles. Yamit has a gift for tuning into the energy of her subjects. She brings attention to cinematic detail and inventive problem solving to all the forms in her repertoire: documentaries, features, episodic TV and commercials.

For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy