Author: Shaudi Bianca Vahdat
Ryan Broomberg is a cinematographer with a wide range of projects under his belt. Before working on Glass Casa, he had already tackled everything from commercial projects for high-profile clients to indie shorts, documentaries, television work, and more.
In our conversation, Ryan shared the behind-the-scenes insights that only a cinematographer could offer—from a subtle lens choice that reshaped the film’s visual narrative to his creative tricks for handling glass and reflections on camera.
Ryan Broomberg. Image source.
So Ryan, can you start by sharing a little bit about what your job is as a cinematographer?
As a cinematographer, my job is to visualize the script, bring that to the director, listen to their vision, and then we collaborate together. So basically, it’s our two visions becoming one, but at the end of the day, my job is to make the project look and feel how [the director] wants, as much as possible.
A lot of cinematographers have a lot of experience, because they’re on so many sets, where directors are on fewer sets. So [cinematographers] have the technical knowledge of what it’s going to take to accomplish what you’re asking.
Then you go to your team and you have your gaffer, key grip, and AC team to figure out what parts and what things you need to make it happen for the budget that you have. Because really, that’s what it comes down to: the budget kind of dictates what you can do.
There’s a lot of visual language that cinematographers use. Like you could be the inside of the scene or you can put the camera on the outside with a longer lens and it feels different. It puts the audience inside the scene or outside looking in.
A still from Glass Casa.
And that’s what a cinematographer does. It’s basically taking the story and making it a reality.
What were some of your first thoughts when you read the script?
When I read a script, I like to take a long time on it. I don’t just sit there and read the whole thing. I kind of do it in little bits.
I feel like throughout the process of pre-production and just talking to [writer/director] Laa, reading it, I felt excited because this film felt like Laa’s love letter to filmmaking and film genres, and just incorporating as many layers and film genres as you can in this one project.
So I was excited about that, because you get to play around with different looks and feels, from the dark comedy to film noir black and white in some flashback scenes.
A still from Glass Casa.
And then the house itself was a challenge and a beautiful location. And, you know, I’ve never shot an exact project like that. So, I was excited to do something new.
Also, the nice thing about shooting a feature primarily in one location is you have more time because you don’t have location moves. So you can really spend more time on scenes instead of worrying about making your days, which is the worry on every set. But the cool thing about being in the one location is if you didn’t make your day or you’re missing a shot or two, you could just do it another day.
You mentioned the location was a challenge. What were some of the challenges of shooting with all that glass? And would you have any tips for any other cinematographers who are dealing with a similar situation?
So my biggest tip for filmmakers or new filmmakers or new cinematographers that are shooting in a location like that, or just in general where there’s mirrors or reflections: I wouldn’t try to avoid them. I feel like that’s the common beginner mistake where you go, oh, there’s mirrors. That’s going to be a challenge. Let’s take the mirror off or let’s dress it different. That’s kind of the easy way out, and it may be easier, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best decision for the project or for the shot. I feel like mirrors and reflections give a lot of depth.
A still from Glass Casa.
And in this movie, the locations were a big part of the movie. It definitely made it challenging because you would see the other rooms in the house when you’re shooting in one room.
For example, the kitchen, you would see across the patio into like, three other rooms. So you couldn’t have people outside. You couldn’t have people in the other rooms hanging out. You can’t stage gear there, so that was one of the biggest challenges, because normally there’s like a safe holding area. We had a safe spot which was the garage, but even the garage had glass that you could see through.
A still from Glass Casa.
So to fix the problem of the reflections, because we always had glass behind us or in the shot, we would have black duvetyne [a semi-blackout fabric commonly used in the film industry] and we would just put it over our bodies. Because there was me and a B Cam operator, and so a lot of times when we’re doing the scenes with five characters talking, the second camera was in the reflection. So we would basically just drape them with black, and they’re in the shot, but you don’t notice it.
Do you remember a favorite moment from the shoot?
Yeah. The stripper scene was a very fun time for everyone, I think. It was pretty early on in the shoot. I remember just laughing as I’m shooting it, and I’m operating the camera, so I’m like right in there, seeing everything.
There’s no full nudity or anything, for the viewers watching. But it was just fun to film, and we got a lot of angles, like reactions, and I feel like even the actors just had so much fun doing it. You could tell that it was like genuine laughter, not just acting.
A still from Glass Casa.
Were there any choices you made as a cinematographer on Glass Casa that you particularly want to call out—maybe something subtle or behind-the-scenes that most viewers wouldn’t even notice, but felt meaningful to you?
We used a certain set of lenses for the first part of the movie, before the conflict happens, before we find out that someone died. Before that it’s clean, very symmetrical glass.
And then as soon as it changes and they go down to the bathroom and they see the dead body, the lenses turn distorted and curvy and a little bloomy, and that was a choice that I made to give the film a distinction between the normal and the chaos.
A still from Glass Casa.
And no viewer would know, but hopefully they feel it and they’re like, oh something just went down.
How do you recommend the movie to people? Who should see this movie?
You know, there’s a lot of TV out there, and there’s TV and movies that I watch that are very depressing. Handmaid’s Tale, Chernobyl, Euphoria. They’re really good and well-made, but you don’t feel good afterwards. You feel stressed out. But as a filmmaker, I feel like I need to watch that stuff, because of how good it is. I’m learning from it and the way they tell those stories and those examples are so well done.
Glass Casa, like I was saying earlier, because there’s like so many genres mixed in and so many layers that I think a lot of audience members will see that and feel it and enjoy it and at the end of the movie, come out feeling happy and not depressed with what’s going on in the world. And kind of escape and just have a good time.
Ryan on the set of Glass Casa.
Thank you so much for chatting with us Ryan!
Ryan’s been busy with commercial work lately, including a commercial shoot for Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego—a meaningful project that includes his niece playing ice hockey. He’s also gearing up to shoot an Archer Roose commercial with Elizabeth Banks and is in pre-production on a creative short horror film. Follow Ryan on Instagram at @ryanbroombergdp to stay in the loop, and be sure to check out his work in Glass Casa, streaming now on your favorite platform!
Please note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.