{"id":121197,"date":"2019-10-10T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T11:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=121197"},"modified":"2019-10-08T11:50:11","modified_gmt":"2019-10-08T16:50:11","slug":"interview-learan-kahanov-dp-madam-secretary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/interview-learan-kahanov-dp-madam-secretary\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Learan Kahanov, DP of “Madam Secretary”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learan Kahanov talks about his journey to becoming the DP of “Madam Secretary” \u2014 and where he looks for inspiration.<\/h2>\n

PremiumBeat got a chance to talk with cinematographer Learan Kahanov<\/a> about his progression in the industry \u2014 from childhood aspirations to working on indie films, and now as the DP for Madam Secretary<\/a> <\/em>starring T\u00e9a Leoni<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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PremiumBeat:<\/strong> Can you talk about your background and how you got your start in the industry?<\/p>\n

Learan Kahanov:<\/strong> I am first generation to Israeli parents and I grew up in the Midwest, of all places. My mother was a fine artist, and my dad was a management consultant. My mother actually went back to college to get a degree in fine arts, despite already being an artist. She minored in photography, so I ended up doing my middle school homework in her lab hours. In the photo lab, I learned how to print and that started my love of photography.<\/p>\n

As a teenager, I was working at a children’s museum, and one of my roles there was to teach younger kids how to use a dark room. Then we started getting into basic video skills and editing. It really kind of cemented my love for the moving image. I found myself at NYU and quickly met some people who got me on a set. I was cutting classes to work in the indie film world and commercials in New York during the early ’90s.<\/p>\n

\"Interview:<\/p>\n

I decided early in school that I wanted to focus on lighting, rather than cameras. So I started my professional career as a gaffer in the electric department. I was able to work on some great indie movies like Chasing Amy<\/a><\/em>. I was the gaffer for David Klein<\/a>, who is an amazing DP and has done many great things in his career.<\/p>\n

PB:<\/strong> What lead you to become the DP for Madam Secretary<\/em>?<\/p>\n

LK:<\/strong> Around 2012, I made the transition into television as a camera operator and a second-unit DP. Working on shows like Nurse Jackie<\/a><\/em>, Royal Pains<\/a><\/em>, and a show called Unforgettable<\/a><\/em> with Poppy Montgomery<\/a>. That’s where I really honed my DP skills in the episodic world. Then I was called to work on Madam Secretary<\/em> by producer Sam Hoffman<\/a>, who had worked with me on Unforgettable<\/em>, he came in to do some second unit directing, and I was his DP.<\/p>\n

I interviewed with the original cinematographer of Madam Secretary<\/em>, Jonathan Brown<\/a>. In the interview, he and the showrunner basically said, “We’re looking for an A-camera operator, but we need someone who can potentially take over the show, because Jonathan wants to direct.” I was like, “I’m your man.”<\/p>\n

\"Interview:<\/p>\n

PB:<\/strong> With Madam Secretary<\/em> being a political drama, I imagine a character\u2019s emotions and motivations play a role in how a scene is shot. Can you break down how you approach that process?<\/p>\n

LK:<\/strong> I would say that it’s three-fold on our show. There’s Elizabeth’s home life, her political life, and then there’s the world outside of that. You know, the foreign entity for that episode. There’s usually a connection between all three. I try to help the directors bridge that visually.<\/p>\n

It gives you an opportunity to play with connecting the emotions of the characters in all those worlds. As well as creating new visual language for discerning between those three worlds.<\/p>\n

PB:<\/strong> Can you talk about the camera and lens setups you have used on the show?<\/p>\n

LK:<\/strong> We’ve always shot with ARRI Alexas. Eventually we switched to the Alexa SXT. The biggest change we made when I took over the show was switching from ARRI Ultra primes to the Leica Summicrons. I would say 95% of the show is shot with prime lenses.<\/p>\n

We shoot a lot of blown-out windows. We light from outside in so the actors can move around the space a lot easier. The Leicas have an interesting flare characteristic that ends up giving an extra bit of softness. I can actually lay off the diffusion filters, especially to try to get some of the sharpness out of these digital cameras, because the lenses do it for me.<\/p>\n

PB:<\/strong> With this being the final season of Madam Secretary<\/em>, did that have any influence on the look of show?<\/p>\n

LK:<\/strong> There are certain things I’ll do, trying to be a little more gutsy with the look, while still retaining a certain beauty and elegance. My key lights are softer, but my fill levels are less. You get a higher contrast image, but the light is a little softer on faces. Just being a little more daring, while still respecting the look of the show.<\/p>\n

\"Interview:<\/p>\n

PB:<\/strong> Where do you look for creative inspiration?<\/p>\n

LK:<\/strong> Quite honestly, my inspiration comes from the world around me. I think that we forget to look around the every day. Those little aspects of life that we seem to forget, I try to bring to work.<\/p>\n

I’m also a musician and a foodie. I recently took a trip to Israel, and I was inspired by going to restaurants and eating the food. A connection between a product and an emotional response. That product can be music, a plate of food, or an art form.<\/p>\n

PB:<\/strong> With the rise of streaming services, there seems to be a high-demand for episodic content and long-form narratives. What’s next for you as a DP? Are you looking to continue with episodic content?<\/p>\n

LK:<\/strong> There is a part of me that would love to delve into something where I can get a little bit more outside the box. I do think that one of the benefits of the streaming services, at least currently, is more room for exploration and freedom in how you shoot things.<\/p>\n

One of my biggest challenges on Madam Secretary<\/em> was to create a show that was more cinematic than other shows you see on network television. I think we succeeded with that. That’s due to the production designer, directors, and the producers. It comes from the top down.<\/p>\n

I hope that people recognize the look of our show. And if they see something else and they say “Oh, that show looks like Madam Secretary<\/em>“. That’s a testament to us doing our job as filmmakers.<\/p>\n

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Cover image via <\/em>Madam Secretary (CBS).<\/em><\/p>\n

Looking for more industry interviews? Check these out.<\/p>\n