Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom on the film Thirteen Lives and working with director Ron Howard

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 196: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom The film Thirteen Lives is about the rescue of the Thai soccer team who were trapped in an underwater cave in 2018 for 18 days. Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who is Thai, knew that it was important to make the film seem as realistic as possible since everyone in Thailand was very familiar with the story. He liked director Ron Howard's movie Apollo 13, which vividly dramatized a real-life event, so he was excited to work with Howard on Thirteen Lives, a true story he was familiar with. After reading the script, Thirteen Lives was a movie he could clearly see in his head, because it dealt with people against the elements. Sayombhu decided to approach the film like a documentary, as though the viewer is right there in the cave with the characters. His first task was to think about how to shoot and light underwater, and he worked closely with the second unit crew to find the best methods. When shooting, Sayombhu did a lot of handheld camerawork, operating the B camera on first unit. He would actually occasionally duck underwater with the camera, so that it looked as dynamic as possible, even though the second unit handled most of the underwater work. The caves were all a set built in Australia, except for some exterior shots of the real cave in Thailand. Because the caves had no light sources at all, Sayombhu knew all the light had to be motivated. He had to pick the color and intensity of the light, and figure out where to place lights and cameras during the cave design set build. The actors became part of his lighting crew, since much of the light had to come from their flashlights and headlamps. Sayombhu would often ask them to hold the lights and point them up or down to help illuminate the scene- actors Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell practically became a part of the lighting crew, he jokes. Find Sayombhu Mukdeeprom Thirteen Lives is currently on Amazon Prime Close Focus: Director James Cameron's big risks and Avatar: The Way of Water Ben's short end: Adobe uses AI to fix audio, using their free speech enhancer through Adobe Podcast or through Adobe Sensei on Adobe Creative Cloud. Illya's short end: It's time for the Unadvertised Sale at Hot Rod Cameras, which goes through the end of the year. Hot Rod Cameras can offer tailored, special discounts for specific items, especially on package deals, but you must call or email the shop and see what kind of savings you can get. Listen to Ben's new horror series Catchers, available NOW only on Audible! Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras LIKE AND FOLLOW US, send fan mail or suggestions! Rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts! Email: [email protected] Facebook:@cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Twitter: @ShortEndz YouTube Podcast Credits: Producer: Alana Kode All web and social media content written by Alana Kode