Clubhouse Conversations — Pedro Páramo

In this episode, director-cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC and co-cinematographer Nico Aguilar, AMC, are joined by interviewer Nancy Schreiber, ASC, to discuss their work on Pedro Páramo — the feature adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s influential magical-realist novel.

Pedro Páramo tells the story of Juan Preciado (Tenoch Huerta), who searches for his father, the Pedro of the film's title (Manuel García Rulfo), in a ghost town haunted by the specter of brutal violence and unrequited love. The film marks Prieto's feature directorial debut, following a banner year in 2023, during which he served as cinematographer on Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. (Watch Prieto's Clubhouse Conversations on Barbie here, and on Killers of the Flower Moon here.)

Also Read — Killers of the Flower Moon: Greed, Hubris and Homicide

In this interview, Prieto and Aguilar discuss crafting the film's surrealist look; blending day-for-night and night-for-night techniques; their use of infrared for dream sequences; the role of practical effects for key moments, such as the film's "melting-mud scene"; collaborating with production designer Eugenio Caballero, and more.

Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC is a cinematographer whose credits include Amores perros (2000), 8 Mile (2002), 21 Grams (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Babel (2006), Argo (2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Irishman (2019) and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).

Nico Aguilar, AMC is a cinematographer whose works include Chupa and Fool’s Paradise (2023).

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