In this Geektown Talks To interview, Dave chats with cinematographer Hillary Fyfe Spera, the lead cinematographer behind both seasons one and two of Marvel’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again’.
Hillary was there from the very beginning of the Disney+ series, shooting the pilot, finale, and seven of the nine episodes in season one, helping to establish the grounded, cinematic look of Matt Murdock’s return to Hell’s Kitchen. She also returned for season two, shooting half of the episodes, including the opening two, as the story pushed further into the conflict between Daredevil, Wilson Fisk, and a city under increasing pressure.
During the interview, Hillary discusses how she first came to cinematography through still photography, and how her love of collaboration led her into film and television. She also talks about how ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ came to her, and how classic 1970s New York films such as ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘The French Connection’ helped inform the visual direction of the series.
We also dig into the visual contrast between Matt Murdock’s world and Fisk’s world, with Daredevil and the vigilantes shot in a more handheld, human, street-level style, while Fisk’s side of the story becomes more controlled, symmetrical and oppressive. Hillary explains how those visual rules evolved across the two seasons, and how they could shift as characters moved between worlds or began to lose control.
Hillary also breaks down the show’s practical approach to Daredevil’s heightened senses, including the in-camera “sensory grande” technique, which uses multiple cameras, lenses, movement and aspect ratio changes to represent something that is not inherently visual.
There is also plenty of discussion about the action, including working with the stunt team, keeping fight scenes grounded while still making them cinematic, and why the best sequences need emotional pauses rather than just relentless punching. Hillary talks about the huge East River boat oner in season two, shot at night with drone lighting, choreography and practical location challenges, along with the series’ BB Report segments and how they changed visually as the story developed.
Plus, Hillary chats about what she is watching at the moment, her love of ‘The X-Files’, and why her dream future project would be a Western.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Disney+.
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