Clubhouse Conversations — Schmigadoon! (Season 2)

In this episode, cinematographer Jon Joffin, ASC and production designer Jamie Walker McCall are joined by interviewer Dave Perkal, ASC to discuss their work on Season 2 of Schmigadoon! — the musical-comedy series from creators Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio that lovingly satirizes the prevailing trends in various eras of Broadway productions.

Season 2 of Schmigadoon! follows a New York couple's journey through the seedy streets of Schmicago — a city whose citizens frequently break out into musical numbers in the vein of 1960s and '70s musicals like Cabaret, Sweeney Todd and Hair. Joffin, who shot all of its episodes, is currently nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour), for his work on Episode 4, entitled "Something Real"; McCall is also nominated for an Emmy, in the category of Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour), for her work on Episode 5, entitled "Famous as Hell."

In this interview, Joffin and McCall discuss how they developed a workflow that was both complementary and efficient; how they collaborated to ensure that set designs would best suit the show's lighting schemes; how they both worked to incorporate "theatrical" touches to the lighting; and how their shared love of film history helped provide key reference points for their overall approach.

Jon Joffin, ASC is a cinematographer whose credits include the series Motherland: Fort Salem and Titans (both of which earned him ASC Awards in 2021 and 2022); Beyond (for which he won an ASC Award in 2019); and The Andromeda Strain (for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2008).

Jamie Walker McCall is a production designer whose credits include the series Candy, American Crime Story: Impeachment, Prom and Pose. She received an Emmy nomination in 2017 for her work on the FX miniseries Feud.

Dave Perkal, ASC is a cinematographer working in film, TV and commercials whose recent series credits include Marvel’s Runaways, Netflix's Cowboy Bebop and Warner Bros.' The Vampire Diaries.

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