SEASON 2 - EPISODE 116 - Melinda Sue Gordon - Still Photographer

On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, still photographer Melinda Sue Gordon (OPPENHEIMER, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, LICORICE PIZZA) joins us to discuss the ins and outs of on-set still photography. We learn how Melinda Sue fulfills studio requests while navigating the many personalities of a cast and crew just trying to make the day, and she shares her approach to capturing images that faithfully represent the characters and tone of a film’s story. We later learn why Melinda Sue pivoted to still photography after studying cinematography at AFI, and she reveals how she cold-called her way onto RAISING ARIZONA early in her career. We also discuss how she successfully adapted to the advent of digital photography, and we learn how most of her images are only ever used internally at a studio to develop a marketing campaign—and (in a major scoop) Melinda Sue reveals which widely-distributed still from KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON was actually a composite. At the end of the conversation, Melinda Sue shares her advice to aspiring on-set still photographers listening in, and we reflect on the pleasure of staring at one static photograph amidst today’s glut of imagery.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure