The Cinematography Podcast

The Cinematography Podcast


Jakob Ihre, FSF: Chernobyl cinematographer on shooting the incredible HBO series, his early career, working with director Joachim Trier

March 11, 2020

The Cinematography Podcast Episode 66: Jakob Ihre

Jakob Ihre believes that making movies is very personal, and it's important to create a connection to the material that the audience can feel. From a young age, Jakob wanted to work in film, but didn't realize until he entered film school that he could do something besides directing or acting. He graduated from the National Film and Television School in London knowing that he wanted to do smaller, quality projects that told personal stories. He collaborated with fellow NFTS graduate Joachim Trier on several films, including Reprise, Louder Than Bombs, Oslo, August 31 and Thelma. The 2015 film, The End of the Tour, about writer David Foster Wallace, marked the Swedish cinematographer's first English language movie. The HBO TV series Chernobyl came to Jakob through the series' director, Johan Renck. The two were friends but had not had the chance to work together. Writer and creator Craig Mazin had a completed 600-page script, and once Jakob read it, he knew he had to work on the project. The story was so gripping and mesmerizing, everyone involved felt a calling to tell the story in a way that was solemn about the material and accurate about what it looked like. Chernobyl shot for eight months in Lithuania and Ukraine and has won multiple awards.

Find Jakob Ihre

Chernobyl on HBO

Episode Sponsors:

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Ben's short end: The podcast Reply All, episode 158- “The Case of the Missing Hit” a fascinating story about a man's obsession with finding a 90's pop song that seemingly only he can remember.

Illya's short end: “Better Call Saul” continues to follow the antihero story of Saul Goodman.

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Podcast Credits:

Editor in Chief:  Illya Friedman
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@illyafriedman instagram

Ben Rock:  @neptunesalad twitter
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Producer: Alana Kode

Editor: Ben Katz