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Clubhouse Conversations — Loki
In this 68-minute episode, cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC (below) details her Emmy-nominated camerawork in the Marvel Studios/Disney Plus series Loki, in discussion with interviewer Patrick Cady, ASC.
It was announced on July 12 that Durald Arkapaw had earned an Emmy nomination for her work in the Loki episode “Lamentis” in the category Outstanding Cinematography for A Single-Camera Series (One Hour). This episode sees the titular antihero (played by Tom Hiddleston) teamed up with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a female “variant” of Loki from yet another timeline, as they attempt to escape an inhabited moon that’s on the verge of destruction. They race through the chaos of a neon-splashed city to reach the last space-bound transport.
Durald Arkapaw shot the entire season in widescreen anamorphic with Sony’s CineAlta Venice (at a base of 2,500 ISO) and custom-tuned Panavision T Series lenses that were expanded for full-frame coverage.
In this discussion, she further explains her use of smoke in her lighting, the complexity of shooting the three-minute “oner” action sequence seen in this episode, and much more.
A feature story on the previz, prep, and production of “Lamentis” was published by AC in our October 2021 issue, and you'll find the complete story here.
After growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Durald Arkapaw attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where she received a BA in art history, and went on to receive her MFA in cinematography at the American Film Institute in 2009. After gaining experience while shooting music videos and indie features, Durald Arkapaw gained notice with writer-director Gia Coppola’s drama Palo Alto, which had its world premiere at the 2013 Biennale di Venezia and screened at the Telluride Film Festival. She was selected in 2014 as one of Variety’s “10 Cinematographers to Watch” and included in their “Up Next” roster for their “Below the Line Impact Report,” as well as added to Indiewire’s “On the Rise 2014: Cinematographers to Watch” list.
Among other projects, Durald Arkapaw then shot One & Two (2015) for director Andrew Droz Palermo, which premiered at the Berlinale 2015; Max Minghella’s debut feature film Teen Spirit (2019), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; and The Sun Is Also a Star (see AC June ‘19), directed Ry Russo-Young. Teaming with director Spike Jonze, she photographed the comedy special Aziz Ansari: Right Now (2019) and the documentary Beastie Boys Story (2020). After shooting Coppola’s latest feature, Mainstream (2020), which premiered at the 2020 Biennale di Venezia, Durald Arkapaw began work on the Marvel Studios series Loki for Disney Plus (see AC Oct. 2021). She subsequently joined director Ryan Coogler for Marvel’s anticipated superhero feature sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Interviewer Patrick Cady was raised in rural New York and attended Ithaca College, later studying cinematography and directing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. “My middle-school teachers encouraged me that a country kid could actually end up working in the movie business,” he told American Cinematographer. “I then learned from a slew of wonderful cinematographers in the 1990s when I was a gaffer. Sol Negrin, ASC and [honorary ASC member] Larry Parker have mentored me in both film and family.” His career took a turn in 2000 after shooting his first feature, director Karen Kusama’s award-winning drama Girlfight. His extensive television credits include Cold Case, Make It or Break It, Suits, Rizzoli & Isles, Body of Proof, Betrayal, Rectify and Bosch. He earned a 2018 Emmy Award nomination for his work on the series Insecure. He has been a member of the ASC since 2011.
You’ll find all episodes in our ASC Clubhouse Conversations discussion series here.
