The Road to Cinema Podcast welcomes Nelson Cragg, the (DP) cinematographer behind all 10 riveting episodes of the critically acclaimed FX limited series ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson.’ The series expertly dramatizes the media circus surrounding the famed football player who was put on trial for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown-Simpson in 1995. We have the privilege to watch stand-out performances from Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson, Emmy winner Sarah Paulson as prosecutor Marcia Clark, Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, Oscar nominee John Travolta as Simpson legal counsel Robert Shapiro, David Schwimmer as Simpson legal counsel and confidante Robert Kardashian, and one of my personal favorites Courtney B. Vance as legendary litigator and Simpson counsel Johnny Cochran.
Adapted from the best selling book by Jeffrey Toobin ‘The Run of His Life: The People vs. O.J. Simpson’, veteran screenwriters and former Road to Cinema guests Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski developed the show in-conjunction with producer Ryan Murphy (‘Glee’, ‘American Horror Story’) who also directs some of the episodes along with director Anthony Hemingway, and Oscar nominated director John Singleton.
Watch this inside look inside the development of ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
(DP) Cinematographer Nelson Cragg shares his experiences as a grad student at USC, his work on such acclaimed television shows as ‘Homeland’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ as well as advice shared by the talents of actor Mandy Patinkin and prolific television writer Vince Gilligan. We’ll then delve into his process of collaborating with executive producer Ryan Murphy on ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson’ which also includes the visually astonishing and logistically challenging bronco chase in episode 2 which was filmed on an active freeway in Los Angeles. Nelson also emphasizes the importance of a cinematographer’s collaboration with actors and how he developed the dynamic visual style of the show which carried through all 10 episodes.
Watch below as the (DP) cinematographer Nelson Cragg and the cast and crew discuss the riveting bronco chase episode of ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson.’
Listen and enjoy! Subscribe to The Road to Cinema Podcast on iTunes for the latest updates! Watch ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson’ every Tuesday night at 10pm and anytime on-demand on the FX Now app!