Jake Swantko's guest appearances

Jake Swantko

The Cinematography Podcast

Demystifying Media at the University of Oregon

Jordan Peele

Tom Ford

Quentin Tarantino

Bill Hader

Aaron Sorkin

Todd Phillips

Rian Johnson

Norman Lear

Taika Waititi

Ava Duvernay

Bradley Cooper

John Singleton

Jason Bateman

James Mangold

Bryan Fogel

OwlTail

Cinematographer Jake Swantko spoke with us last year at the Sundance Film Festival after the premiere of The Dissident, the documentary he shot with director Bryan Fogel. Jake and Bryan had previously collaborated on the Oscar-winning film, Icarus. The Dissident explores the assassination and international coverup of outspoken Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Once director Bryan Fogel learned more about the circumstances surrounding the death of Khashoggi, he knew this was another important- and dangerous- subject to film for his next documentary. Bryan took the idea to Jake, who also worked as a producer on the film, and they began the grueling process, traveling to Canada and Turkey multiple times to interview Khashoggi's close friend and Saudi insurgent Omar Abdulaziz, speaking to Khashoggi's fiancée Hatice Cengiz, spending a year digging into the case and meeting with the Turkish government. The Dissident team knew they had to have the cooperation of Turkey to shoot the story, since Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and they eventually scored an interview with Irfan Fidan, the chief prosecutor in Istanbul who investigated the murder. Since The Dissident was so huge in scope, Jake knew he wanted to elevate the production value of the film and shot it like a dark thriller. He set up most interviews formally instead of run-and-gun style, with three cameras and one on dolly track to push in on the subject's face.Despite being well received at Sundance, The Dissident struggled to find a distributor, even from Netflix, who had championed Icarus. Amazon Prime also would not buy the film, despite Jeff Bezos briefly being in The Dissident- Jamal Kashoggi wrote for his newspaper, The Washington Post and Bezos' phone was hacked by Saudi Arabian government hackers. It seems the streaming services feared retaliation by the Saudi government and didn't want to risk losing viewers in that market. Briarcliff Entertainment finally championed The Dissident, and it is currently available on VOD.The Dissident is available to stream now on video on demand services. https://thedissident.com/You can hear our past interview with Jake Swantko in 2018 talking to us about the Oscar winning documentary, Icarus. https://www.camnoir.com/special-swantko/Find Jake Swantko: https://www.jakeswantko.com/Instagram @swantkoIT'S A GIVEAWAY! Last week to enter to win Bruce Van Dusen's book, 60 Stories about 30 Seconds: How I Got Away with Becoming a Pretty Big Commercial Director Without Losing My Soul (or Maybe Just Part of It). Like and comment on our Bruce Van Dusen post on Facebook and we'll choose a winner from the comments. https://www.facebook.com/cinepod Find out even more about this episode, with extensive show notes and links: http://camnoir.com/ep108/Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: www.hotrodcameras.com Website: www.camnoir.comFacebook: @cinepodInstagram: @thecinepodTwitter: @ShortEndz

Cinematographer Jake Swantko spoke with us last year at the Sundance Film Festival after the premiere of The Dissident, the documentary he shot with director Bryan Fogel. Jake and Bryan had previously collaborated on the Oscar-winning film, Icarus. The Dissident explores the assassination and international coverup of outspoken Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Once director Bryan Fogel learned more about the circumstances surrounding the death of Khashoggi, he knew this was another important- and dangerous- subject to film for his next documentary. Bryan took the idea to Jake, who also worked as a producer on the film, and they began the grueling process, traveling to Canada and Turkey multiple times to interview Khashoggi's close friend and Saudi insurgent Omar Abdulaziz, speaking to Khashoggi's fiancée Hatice Cengiz, spending a year digging into the case and meeting with the Turkish government. The Dissident team knew they had to have the cooperation of Turkey to shoot the story, since Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and they eventually scored an interview with Irfan Fidan, the chief prosecutor in Istanbul who investigated the murder. Since The Dissident was so huge in scope, Jake knew he wanted to elevate the production value of the film and shot it like a dark thriller. He set up most interviews formally instead of run-and-gun style, with three cameras and one on dolly track to push in on the subject's face. Despite being well received at Sundance, The Dissident struggled to find a distributor, even from Netflix, who had championed Icarus. Amazon Prime also would not buy the film, despite Jeff Bezos briefly being in The Dissident- Jamal Kashoggi wrote for his newspaper, The Washington Post and Bezos' phone was hacked by Saudi Arabian government hackers. It seems the streaming services feared retaliation by the Saudi government and didn't want to risk losing viewers in that market. Briarcliff Entertainment finally championed The Dissident, and it is currently available on VOD. The Dissident is available to stream now on video on demand services. <a href="https://thedissident.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://thedissident.com/</a> You can hear our past interview with Jake Swantko in 2018 talking to us about the Oscar winning documentary, Icarus. <a href="https://www.camnoir.com/special-swantko/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.camnoir.com/special-swantko/</a> Find Jake Swantko: <a href="https://www.jakeswantko.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.jakeswantko.com/</a> Instagram @swantko IT'S A GIVEAWAY! Last week to enter to win Bruce Van Dusen's book, 60 Stories about 30 Seconds: How I Got Away with Becoming a Pretty Big Commercial Director Without Losing My Soul (or Maybe Just Part of It). Like and comment on our Bruce Van Dusen post on Facebook and we'll choose a winner from the comments. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cinepod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/cinepod</a> Find out even more about this episode, with extensive show notes and links: <a href="http://camnoir.com/ep108/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://camnoir.com/ep108/</a> Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: <a href="http://www.hotrodcameras.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hotrodcameras.com</a> Website: <a href="http://www.camnoir.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.camnoir.com</a> Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Twitter: @ShortEndz

Jake Swantko, DP and producer of The Dissident, on working with director Bryan Fogel and shooting the controversial documentary

About our guest:Jake Swantko has worked on a number of films, shooting for the Associated Press, ESPN, HBO, National Geographic, PBS Frontline, Time Magazine, Passion Pictures, and Nike. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.As director of photography, he has shown three films at Sundance: Entrapped (2016), Icarus (2017), and The Dissident (2020), which explored the story of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.At the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Icarus received a special jury prize, the first ever "Orwell Award" for revealing "the truth at a time when the truth is no longer a commodity."Find Jake online:WebsiteIMDB pageQ&amp;A with Around the OShow Notes:0:04 - Introductions01:24 - What is The Dissident about?05:14 - The role of hacking in Jamal Khashoggi's murder06:20 - Audience takeaways from The Dissident at Sundance09:22 - What goes into film distribution?11:14 - The ethics of film distribution13:48 - A documentarian's sense of duty to the subject16:38 - The relationship between documentarian and subject19:41 - Choosing a stopping point/conclusion for a documentary26:51 - The importance of screening one's work31:06 - How to please your audience33:51 - How did you launch your career in documentary?35:55 - What have you learned that you didn't know when you started in this field?37:59 - Media recommendations for aspiring documentariansRead the transcript for this episodeVideo interview with Jake in the studioListen to Jake's lectureWant to listen to this interview a different way? Find us wherever you get your podcasts:iTunesStitcherSpotifyFind more Demystifying Media talks on YouTubeWatch our Q&amp;As with media experts on fake news, data journalism, privacy in the age of Google, indigenous media, technology trends, Facebook algorithms, and so much more.

About our guest: Jake Swantko has worked on a number of films, shooting for the Associated Press, ESPN, HBO, National Geographic, PBS Frontline, Time Magazine, Passion Pictures, and Nike. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.As director of photography, he has shown three films at Sundance: Entrapped (2016), Icarus (2017), and The Dissident (2020), which explored the story of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.At the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Icarus received a special jury prize, the first ever "Orwell Award" for revealing "the truth at a time when the truth is no longer a commodity."Find Jake online: <a href="http://www.jakeswantko.com/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5448424/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IMDB page</a> <a href="https://around.uoregon.edu/content/uo-grad-jake-swantko-winning-oscar-we-just-exploded" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Q&amp;A with Around the O</a>Show Notes: 0:04 - Introductions 01:24 - What is The Dissident about? 05:14 - The role of hacking in Jamal Khashoggi's murder 06:20 - Audience takeaways from The Dissident at Sundance 09:22 - What goes into film distribution? 11:14 - The ethics of film distribution 13:48 - A documentarian's sense of duty to the subject 16:38 - The relationship between documentarian and subject 19:41 - Choosing a stopping point/conclusion for a documentary 26:51 - The importance of screening one's work 31:06 - How to please your audience 33:51 - How did you launch your career in documentary? 35:55 - What have you learned that you didn't know when you started in this field? 37:59 - Media recommendations for aspiring documentarians<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/rqri1c4k7mi9xru/Demystifying%20Media%20Podcast%20with%20Jake%20Swantko.pdf?dl=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript for this episode</a><a href="https://youtu.be/4BbK8ZkHw1g" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Video interview with Jake in the studio</a> <a href="https://demystifying-media.simplecast.com/episodes/44-guest-lecture-a-masterclass-in-documentary-with-jake-swantko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen to Jake's lecture</a>Want to listen to this interview a different way? Find us wherever you get your podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demy%E2%80%A6ia/id1369395906" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a> <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/university-of-oregon-school-of-journalism-and-communication/demystifying-media-podcast?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> <a href="open.spotify.com/show/2Och6Oxpkhyo1nC7D6psHI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiELNjgZJJI&amp;list=PLoqXTlv_f5zEJifP55GP1ghtQjY3tzoI0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Find more Demystifying Media talks on YouTube</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTiuV9h-MKA&amp;list=PLoqXTlv_f5zGu5TJeuL1SMBVCXlM4ViyL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch our Q&amp;As </a>with media experts on fake news, data journalism, privacy in the age of Google, indigenous media, technology trends, Facebook algorithms, and so much more.

#45 Creating compelling documentaries with Jake Swantko

About our guest:Jake Swantko has worked on a number of films, shooting for the Associated Press, ESPN, HBO, National Geographic, PBS Frontline, Time Magazine, Passion Pictures, and Nike. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.As director of photography, he has shown three films at Sundance: Entrapped (2016), Icarus (2017), and The Dissident (2020), which explored the story of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Hear more from Jake:Watch this lecture on YouTubeVideo interview with Jake in the studioListen to our interview with Jake on the Demystifying Media podcastWant to listen to this interview a different way? Find us wherever you get your podcasts:iTunesStitcherSpotifyFind more Demystifying Media talks on YouTubeWatch our Q&amp;As with media experts on fake news, data journalism, privacy in the age of Google, indigenous media, technology trends, Facebook algorithms, and so much more.

About our guest: Jake Swantko has worked on a number of films, shooting for the Associated Press, ESPN, HBO, National Geographic, PBS Frontline, Time Magazine, Passion Pictures, and Nike. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.As director of photography, he has shown three films at Sundance: Entrapped (2016), Icarus (2017), and The Dissident (2020), which explored the story of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Hear more from Jake: <a href="https://youtu.be/mzx2SSlXCug" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch this lecture on YouTube</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/4BbK8ZkHw1g" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Video interview with Jake in the studio</a> <a href="https://demystifying-media.simplecast.com/episodes/45-creating-compelling-documentaries-with-jake-swantko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen to our interview with Jake on the Demystifying Media podcast</a>Want to listen to this interview a different way? Find us wherever you get your podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/demy%E2%80%A6ia/id1369395906" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a> <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/university-of-oregon-school-of-journalism-and-communication/demystifying-media-podcast?refid=stpr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> <a href="open.spotify.com/show/2Och6Oxpkhyo1nC7D6psHI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiELNjgZJJI&amp;list=PLoqXTlv_f5zEJifP55GP1ghtQjY3tzoI0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Find more Demystifying Media talks on YouTube</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTiuV9h-MKA&amp;list=PLoqXTlv_f5zGu5TJeuL1SMBVCXlM4ViyL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch our Q&amp;As </a>with media experts on fake news, data journalism, privacy in the age of Google, indigenous media, technology trends, Facebook algorithms, and so much more.