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THE WORKS PRESENTS: SEAMUS MCGARVEY

The Works Presents - John Kelly in Brooklyn Image Name: The Works Presents - John Kelly in Brooklyn Description: The Works Presents - John Kelly in Brooklyn
The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn Image Name: The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn Description: The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn
The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn Image Name: The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn Description: The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn
The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn Image Name: The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn Description: The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey - cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and John Kelly in Brooklyn

The Works Presents: Seamus McGarvey, RTÉ One, Tuesday, February 14th at 11.10pm

The Works Presents returns with its new eight-part series in which John Kelly meets key figures from the worlds of film, literature, music, theatre and the visual arts.

In the third episode of the series, John catches up with his good friend Seamus McGarvey, one of the world’s leading cinematographers. Always passionate about photography and film, McGreevy discusses how he forged his successful career through an outstanding combination of his creative skill, hard work and absolute fascination with the craft.

This dedication is obvious when he explains the behind-the-scenes life of a cinematographer in Hollywood, sharing insights into what the work involves. He also explains some of the challenges of capturing the visual tone of films like Atonement – talking through processes and techniques he used for the now famous war-torn beach scene of the Oscar-nominated work: “I wasn’t gutted not to win Oscars, just shocked. It’s a great experience, I had a laugh – I didn’t expect to walk up there.”

In preparation for his latest project Life on a similar scale to his work on previous productions like Nocturnal Animals, Godzilla and Anna Karenina – Seamus talks to John about the impact of technology on his craft: “If you’re obsessed with technology, you obsess over it when you are meant to be looking on a set. You’re wondering what the lens is, what the F-stop is – all of those things should be forgotten when the important stuff has to be considered.”

Seamus is very open and honest about how much he loves his work, but also how highly challenging it can be as well: “I always get really nervous driving to the set. I pass the trucks and think ‘my god, there’s a lot of money’. The Avengers was like Dante’s Inferno of hell, with truck after truck. It was the moment you think, “don’t fuck up today.” But the weird thing is though, at the inner sanctum, as soon as the clapper board goes, it’s the same as any movie. That’s what I love. That silence, there is something religious about it. Like a sacristy.”