As in years past, a healthy percentage of those SHOOT interviewed relatively early on for its The Road To Emmy Series--as well as prior Guild Awards Preview coverage and our Cinematography & Cameras features--has gone on to land nominations from TV Academy voters. For example, among those SHOOT connected with were director Mark Mylod for Succession (HBO) and cinematographer Adriano Goldman, ASC, BSC, ABC for The Crown (Netflix).
Mylod just added to his ongoing Emmy recognition for Succession as executive producer/director, picking up his latest nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Directing for a Drama Series (on the strength of the “Conor’s Wedding” episode). Those were just two of the award season-leading 27 nominations garnered earlier this week by Succession.
Mylod’s latest nods give him a total of seven for Succession over the years--four for Outstanding Drama Series (winning twice--in 2020 and ‘22), and three for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.
In part five of this year’s Road To Emmy Series, Mylod observed that his journey over four seasons of Succession in some respects is akin to that experienced by many of the show’s fans. Mylod recalled first walking onto the series thinking, “I just love this big bold, bombastic creative swing we’re taking where we don’t give a damn.” He felt he could just dive into stories driven by these characters who were on some level “irredeemable.” The vein was rich for satire on the human condition.
At the end, though, Mylod found himself more “protective” of the characters, embracing them in his heart. The opportunity over four seasons to explore the context for their behavior led to an empathy and understanding, finding the tragedy in their lives and caring for the characters despite conduct that at times was “heinous.” For the last two seasons in particular, Mylod observed that he was “fiercely protective” of the characters, “almost like an overprotective dad on some level.” He started out being aboard “a Trump era satire on abusive parent and family dynamics” which by the end of the series run evolved into the feeling that “I would do anything to help mitigate their suffering.”
Mylod acknowledged that the final season generated its own anguish for him, embodied by the “elephant in the room”--namely, he said, “how do we continue past episode three without Brian Cox’s character?” Yet while that quandary was “terrifying,” it was also “entirely necessary” as the story and its conflicts shifted. The season’s storyline was distilled down to some two weeks in time with the protagonists grieving over their father’s death, looking to protect their legacy, trying to stop the company’s sale, and engaging in a heightened sibling rivalry, jockeying for position in order to somehow succeed. Mylod observed that among his prime responsibilities this final season was “to try to keep all these plates spinning with a sense of emotional truth.”
Another dynamic at least in part informing Succession for Mylod was his feature directorial debut, The Menu. Actually The Menu sprung from a collaboration between Mylod and writer Will Tracy on a season two episode of Succession. The two hit it off as Tracy went onto co-write The Menu and the two gravitated toward one another for that theatrical film.
Mylod noted that The Menu, particularly working with actor Ralph Fiennes, “gave me an appetite for stillness,” an appreciation of what it could bring to a story. Mylod acknowledged that “stillness” was “something I’d been a little wary of, particularly with Succession,” which always had a sort of “rolling momentum” with stillness being “a rarity” on the show. But for the season four arc of Succession, Mylod felt that stillness was a quality that helped define the characters at times and advance the story.
In the big picture, continued Mylod, the show was profoundly and positively impacted by the growth experienced by cast and crew over four seasons of being together. Mylod noted, for example, that his collaboration with series creator Jesse Armstrong “grew organically over the seasons,” which proved invaluable to the final product--and most gratifying for Mylod.
Adriano Goldman
Goldman’s lensing of The Crown has picked up an Emmy nomination each of its five seasons--the latest coming this week for the “Mou Mou” episode. He has twice won the Emmy for The Crown--in 2018 and 2021.
The Crown picked up a total of six Emmy nominations this season, including for Best Drama Series.
Goldman shot a pair of season five episodes of The Crown--“Mou Mou” (the third episode) and “Decommissioned” (the season finale), both directed by Alex Gabassi, a newcomer to the series. “Mou Mou” brings a fresh view to the show, staying true to its period drama excellence yet breaking away from the Royal family, shifting focus for instance to Mohamed Al-Fayed, taking us back to his modest beginnings in Alexandria, his ascent to great wealth and his aspirations related to royalty.
Goldman noted that over the years he’s been entrusted with shooting for directors who are new to The Crown--Gabassi being a recent example though they weren’t total strangers to one another, having earlier teamed on some commercials.
Having worked on The Crown from the outset, Goldman has a deep rapport and comfort level with the crew which are of value to a director coming aboard the series for the first time. The DP has also welcomed such directors to The Crown over the years as Benjamin Caron and Jessica Hobbs.
Still, though, it was his prior bond to a director, Stephen Daldry, which brought Goldman into The Crown fold to begin with. Goldman described himself as a longtime admirer of Daldry’s work, citing such films as Billy Elliot and The Reader. Upon seeing the former, Goldman recollected that “the energy and performances blew me away.” The DP was thus honored to get to collaborate with Daldry on the feature Trash in 2013. Trash told a story set in Brazil where three kids make a discovery in a garbage dump only to soon find themselves running from the law and trying to right a terrible wrong.
When Daldry came back to Rio de Janeiro for the Trash premiere in 2014, word of The Crown was out and about. Goldman had heard of Daldry’s involvement in the project and that showrunner/creator Peter Morgan was prepping for the series. Goldman reached out to Daldry in Rio, expressing his interest in The Crown. Daldry on the spot replied, “If you want it, it’s yours,” recalled Goldman who was elated over the prospect of delving into history and the challenge of delivering work that would eventually look different from other period dramas in Britain.
While he shot episodes one and two of the series which were directed by Daldry, Goldman noted that episode five was shot first--“Smoke & Mirrors” with director Philip Martin. In many respects, “Smoke & Mirrors”--for which Goldman earned his first Emmy nomination--helped set the look and tone for The Crown with the input and approval of Morgan and Daldry.
Through all five seasons thus far, Goldman says constants have remained in place--such as the prioritizing of story and characters, and a collaborative mindset. At the same time, though, the show has evolved, adapting to the more contemporary times depicted as the story advances, marked by a progression in the show’s overall visual grammar, and the creative imprint of different directors and cinematographers.
Yet there’s an element of continuity among some of the cinematography talent gracing the series. Goldman observed that several DPs have come up through the ranks on The Crown. For instance, Goldman’s operator during season one, Stuart Howell, started shooting episodes in season two, continuing into the third and fourth seasons. Ben Wilson replaced Howell as Goldman’s operator for seasons two and three. Wilson then graduated to full-fledged cinematographer on season four, then season five and the much anticipated season six.
This familiarity with The Crown from artists who worked on the series before becoming DPs on it brings a consistency and continuity to the process, observed Goldman--even when the nature of the cinematography called for changes over time as the show moved forward chronologically, taking on more modern-day settings and requiring approaches decidedly different from those deployed in the initial seasons.
This is the 10th installment of SHOOT’s weekly 16-part The Road To Emmy Series of feature stories. The Creative Arts Emmy Award ceremonies are slated for the weekend of September 9 and 10, and the primetime Emmy ceremony is scheduled for September 18.