The No Film School Podcast

How 'The Creator' DP Challenges Big Budget Filmmaking with an Indie Mindset


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Can you make a big budget, sci-fi film that isn’t a franchise, or a sequel, or a reboot, and tackle it using an indie mindset? That’s what the team behind the film, The Creator did. The film, which tells a story about war between humanity and artificial intelligence, is currently in theaters. 


In today’s episode, No Film School’s Charles Haine speaks with DP Oren Soffer to discuss:

  • Being offered a co-dp position on the film
  • How shooting on one lens made the VFX much easier to work with
  • The differences in lenses over time that affect their consistency 
  • Leaning into natural light as much as possible
  • Wanting to maintain the creative energy of guerilla style filmmaking 
  • How the project originally got the green light from the studio
  • Working in a very trusting environment
  • Looking at tons of references images the director pulled from


  • Memorable Quotes

    • “The visual effects approach was designed to fit the footage and not the opposite.” [6:53]
    • “What do we need to add or subtract from that lighting to create a more curated lighting environment?” [22:04]
    • “The filmmaking process itself felt really scrappy in the best way possible.” [36:39]

    • Resources:

      The Creator 

      Oren’s website



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