Cinematographer Michael Bauman and editor Andy Jurgensen are well versed in the world building of writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson.
Bauman and Jurgensen have come up the ranks in that world. Bauman first worked with Anderson as chief lighting technician on The Master and Inherent Vice, and next a lighting cameraman on Phantom Thread before becoming cinematographer on Licorice Pizza and the recently released One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures).
Meanwhile editor Leslie Jones brought Jurgensen in as first assistant editor on Inherent Vice. This led to a turn for him as associate editor on Phantom Thread and then the opportunity to cut a couple of Anderson-directed music videos for singer-songwriter-actress Joanna Newsom. Jurgensen later took on full-fledged editor duties on Licorice Pizza–for which he earned BAFTA and ACE Eddie Award nominations–and then One Battle After Another.
Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” One Battle After Another–directed by Anderson who also wrote the adapted screenplay–centers on a father-daughter relationship. Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Bob Ferguson, a revolutionary from the 1960s being hunted down years later, thrust into having to rescue his grown daughter Willa Ferguson (played by Chase Infiniti) from an old enemy. The narrative is a mix of genres, including drama, satire, thriller and adventure, with DiCaprio and newcomer Infiniti heading a cast also featuring Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall and Alana Haim, among others.
Michael Bauman
In the early going with Anderson on The Master–shot by Mihai Mălaimare Jr.–Bauman learned and embraced the auteur’s process. Bauman said of Anderson, “He leans into department heads a lot in terms of dialoguing. He develops a strong relationship [with collaborators]. He has specific ideas on the lighting, for example. But he creates an environment where you can ask a question, share what you think of visual references.”
Next on Inherent Vice, Bauman as chief lighting tech reunited with cinematographer Robert Elswit, ASC whom he had worked with on Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck. Bauman then took on camera operator/lighting cameraman responsibilities on a pair of Anderson-helmed music videos for Radiohead.
Helpful in Bauman’s rise to cinematographer for Anderson is their shared collaborative bond with camera operator Colin Anderson. Starting with There Will Be Blood, Colin Anderson has operated on all of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films. Bauman and Colin Anderson too had teamed assorted times–so they’re coming together again on films such as Licorice Pizza and One Battle After Another was a seamless transition in support of Paul Thomas Anderson.
Paul Thomas Anderson throughout has been a film advocate, electing not to go the digital cinematography route in his feature movie-making. Bauman loves the experience of shooting on film but One Battle After Another brought another dimension to the fore–the decision to go with the rarely used VistaVision high-resolution format, which runs 35mm film horizontally through the camera. The result is a larger, more detailed negative, yielding sharp yet natural looking images. Developed by Paramount in the 1950s to reinvigorate the movie theater-goers’ experience in light of the threat posed by television, VistaVision, noted Bauman, has long been on the mind of Anderson who considered it at one point for The Master (ultimately shot on 65mm) and actually deployed it on a short, Anima, featuring the music of Thom Yorke (shot by Darius Khondji).
Bauman noted that for One Battle After Another, Anderson’s visual references were rooted in 1970s’ cinema, including The Last Detail and The French Connection–the latter emerging as the North Star for its “rawness and realness,” particularly in its lighting. For Bauman the challenge became how to utilize the VistaVision format to capture that French Connection feel–a “roughness” while still doing justice to stellar actor performances. The heavy Beaumont VistaVision camera, designed for a studio environment, had to be taken handheld, bringing the mechanics of this format into scenes marked by lots of movement to create “the energy of what you see in The French Connection” which had a unique “kinetic visual language.” Bauman described the task as being to somehow “blend the technical challenges with the aesthetic he [Anderson] had in his head.” Bauman went with a trio of Beaumont VistaVision cameras while turning to the Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 camera for select scenes often entailing lengthy dialogue.
Invaluable to Bauman on One Battle After Another was his collaborative relationship with production designer Florencia Martin whom he earlier teamed with on Licorice Pizza. Prior to that, they also worked together when she was a set decorator on varied Ryan Murphy projects, including the Feud series.
Bauman also has a history with supervising art director Andrew Max Cahn and set decorator Anthony Carlino, Martin’s colleagues on One Battle After Another. When Bauman was gaffing on the original Iron Man, Carlino was in the art department. They also worked together as cinematographer and in the art department, respectively, on Licorice Pizza. As for Cahn, he and Bauman went to film school together. Production designer Martin and set decorator Carlino shared a Best Production Design Oscar nomination in 2023 for Babylon.
This close-knit relationship and rapport with the production design/art director/set decorator ensemble on One Battle After Another was important for Bauman who cited the creation of lighting integrated into the sets as essential. They talked extensively about and planned for where light was coming from to get the most out of scenes. This helped put Bauman in a position to chronicle the actors who at times brought spontaneous, “insane interpretations of characters to the party.” Bauman as a cinematographer could tap into, capture and harness that energy.
Bauman is drawn to the qualities mined in the photochemical film process. With innovations in the digital realm and AI being hot topics of conversation, Bauman noted the compelling allure of an “organic filmmaking process” with long-time collaborators coming together such as himself, Paul Thomas Anderson, Colin Anderson, Martin, Carlino, Cahn, and first assistant director/producer Adam Somner, among others. Somner passed away about a year ago. He and assorted others were critical to the success of One Battle After Another, affirmed Bauman–and they were all attuned to shooting film, the mechanics behind it and the workflow it necessitates. Operating within the parameters of the photochemical process–as opposed to digital–can be arduous at times but yields a cinematic alchemy that can enhance every element, including actor performances. Bauman cited the growing number of high-profile features that are embracing the film medium, including Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia.
“There’s something about shooting film,” observed Bauman. And while there are problems inherent in the analog film world, it can give you intangibles–feel, texture, vibe, and an ethereal magic–when artists come together “and wrap their arms around” its potential.
Andy Jurgensen
Editor Jurgensen noted that Anderson had been working on and off again on One Battle After Another for some 10 years. Jurgensen first saw the script two to three years ago, getting involved before casting. He went through the casting process and saw how the story evolved from its original form. Still, it retained a multi-faceted tone–with an absurd streak, misadventures, crazy characters. While the movie has a message, Jurgensen related that Anderson always insisted that it be entertaining. That remained the case even as times changed in society, making the storyline more relevant–particularly in light of the current immigration crackdown which has sparked fear in many communities.
Jurgensen was grateful to have been brought in early, watching Anderson tackle a kind of action movie he hadn’t directed before, replete with car chase scenes and the like–seeking a visceral feel akin in some respects to The French Connection. There were camera tests, screenings of that material, the chance to see performers adapt, including newcomer Infiniti. “Chase [Infiniti] was amazing,” assessed Jurgensen, adding that sometimes editors don’t get involved until a couple weeks of shooting have been wrapped. To be included up front, to see a project develop and have the chance to give your opinions was creative nirvana for Jurgensen.
It also made the daunting task inherently in the movie a bit easier to take on–namely having different genres co-exist, shifting from comedy to drama, satire to high emotional content, and sometimes having those distinctly different tones play out simultaneously. Gaining the right balance came through give and take, back and forth with Anderson, test screenings where audience reactions to tonal shifts could be seen. Were the laughs coming naturally without losing the emotional core of the father-daughter relationship–all while the action keeps moving, almost relentlessly? For Jurgensen there’s the subtle art of letting the audience breathe for a moment–or figuratively catch their breath. “Without that breath, we cannot ramp up again” to experience the wild narrative ride, explained Jurgensen.
Avoiding a spoiler alert, suffice it to say that among the pacing marvels of One Battle After Another is the concluding car chase, with vehicles and action shot from different perspectives. Jurgensen helped piece together moments from all the angles–and varied character points of view.
There’s also much earlier on the underground railroad-like operation headed by Sensei St. Carlos (who’s portrayed by del Toro). His relatively safe haven for immigrants and revolutionaries breaks down when paramilitary authorities (of the comical yet dangerous Christmas Adventurer’s Club led by Penn as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw) chase down Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio) who is caught when he falls off a rooftop. This sequence builds and is juxtaposed with a pursuit elsewhere in which Bob’s daughter Willa Ferguson (Infiniti) and Deandra (Hall) seek to escape zealous combatants .
For Jurgensen, the biggest takeaway or lesson learned from One Battle After Another–which he regards as his biggest, most complex film to date as an editor–is the undeniable power of collaboration. Everyone working together–with precision–as part of a huge team ranging from high-profile cast and crew to production assistants manning the opposite ends of the street, stunt people and assorted other artists and support people. Often ideas surfaced and evolved from different contributors–Jurgensen recalled del Toro’s input for the pursuit through the underground railroad-type labyrinth, through apartments, up and down staircases, across rooftops. Ideas were shared in a very “organic” way, contributing to the authenticity of that and other select sequences.
This mesh of detailed planning and inspired improvisation is made possible, said Jurgensen, by the creative environment shaped by Anderson. It has helped put One Battle After Another in the awards season conversation, building on a career pedigree for Anderson which currently stands at 11 Oscar nominations–three for Best Picture (Licorice Pizza, Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood), three for directing (Licorice Pizza, Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood); and five for writing (Licorice Pizza, Inherent Vice, There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Boogie Nights).
This is the second installment of SHOOT’s 16-part The Road To Oscar Series of feature stories. Shining a light on such disciplines as directing, cinematography, producing, editing, production design, visual effects and animation, this series will appear weekly all the way through to the Academy Awards gala ceremony. Nominations for the 98th Oscars will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Hollywood, Calif., televised live on ABC and streamed on Hulu.
