Clubhouse Conversations — One Battle After Another
November 12, 2025

Clubhouse Conversations — One Battle After Another

In-depth coverage of cinematographer Michael Bauman's work on One Battle After Another is featured in American Cinematographer's November 2025 issue. Learn more here about how to subscribe to the industry's leading journal of motion-picture production techniques.

In this episode, cinematographer Michael Bauman is joined by interviewer Eric Steelberg, ASC to discuss his work on One Battle After Another — the action-thriller from director Paul Thomas Anderson centered on an ex-revolutionary's return to his former group in pursuit of his imperiled daughter.

Top and above: Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills and Sean Penn as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in 'One Battle After Another.'

One Battle After Another follows the journey of Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a paranoid, has-been revolutionary who survives off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When Willa suddenly vanishes, Bob rejoins his former radical faction to find and rescue her from the clutches of an enemy militia. The film marks Bauman's fifth feature collaboration with Anderson; Bauman served as gaffer on The Master and Inherent Vice and as lighting cameraman on Phantom Thread before advancing to cinematographer on Licorice Pizza, which he co-shot with Anderson.

Watch: The History and Inner Workings of the VistaVision Camera

Director Paul Thomas Anderson checks a take on a monitor with DiCaprio and members of the crew, including camera operator Colin Anderson (behind DiCaprio) and cinematographer Michael Bauman (third from right).

Conversation Highlights

Bauman's conversation with Steelberg explores a range of strategies, as well as the creative and practical challenges he encountered, including:

  • How he made use of the VistaVision format to capture a character-driven story on an epic scale
  • The rigorous process of sourcing and updating the production's vintage cameras
  • How his location work and integration of lighting with set design helped create a raw, 1970s-inspired aesthetic
  • Selecting film stock and lenses, and avoiding traditional coverage, to set the film's visual tone
  • The importance of embracing the imperfect and spontaneous aspects of actors' performances during the shoot

Michael Bauman is a cinematographer whose credits include Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza (2021), as well as the anthology series American Horror Stories and Monster.

Eric Steelberg, ASC is a cinematographer whose credits include the features Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Saturday Night (2024), as well as the series Hawkeye (2021) and Ahsoka (2023).

You’ll find all episodes in our ASC Clubhouse Conversations discussion series here.

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Unit stills by Merrick Morton, SMPSP. Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.