DP Yamit Shimonovitz Blends Zeiss Supreme Primes & Batis Lenses in Spy High

How did you get involved in Spy High?

I had a call with the director, Jody McVeigh-Schultz. I proposed shooting the interviews with wide angle lenses, which I thought would be great for the story. The initial call happened through Arlene Nelson, who recommended me. Arlene has been a great collaborator, role model, and champion of mine.

What drew you to this story?

I was intrigued by the colorful characters and the subject. I have two sons who get laptops from school, and I always remind them that nothing they do on those devices is private. I was happy to be part of shedding light on the subject through this story.

Tell us about your camera and lens choices.

For the interviews, I used the Angénieux EZ zoom lens so I could go from a full body wide to a close-up without changing lenses. We shot the X-OCN LT in Super 35 so I could use the 15-40mm range with T-2. Once we start shooting an interview, I do my best not to change or adjust anything, including lenses, so I don’t interrupt the flow of the conversation. A zoom lens helpful in that context.

For all the B-roll, I used the Zeiss Supreme Primes. They have this beautiful contrast and flare quality I love—great blacks and gorgeous out-of-focus roll-off. That was our high-gloss, intentional look.

Then, for the recreations, especially the surveillance footage, I used the Zeiss Batis lenses paired with a see-through dome I built for it.

A dome?

Yeah! I wanted the security footage to feel legit, with natural reflections and light aberrations. I took a clear plastic dome and rigged it with hardware so I could attach it to a camera arm.

Holding it a little away from the lens gave me more ambient reflections—lights, rooms, all that. It helped sell the look. All the ‘security cam’ stuff, like the shots of kids in school hallways or on computers, was shot that way using the Batis lenses.
 

What made you choose the Batis lenses for this?

Because they’re fast, beautiful, and have great autofocus—especially when paired with Sony’s Monitor & Control App. I could operate everything remotely: recording, focus, etc. It was fast, flexible, and let me capture scenes that felt real and gritty.

After this shoot I actually bought my own set of Batis lenses. Even if they’re not my A-cam lenses, they’re incredible for second-unit, B-roll, driving shots, and on the Ronin.

What was your approach to the interviews?

I always feel that the more cameras you have capturing an interview, the better. This series was all shot on location with a small crew and footprint. At the end, it comes down to time, budget, and the size of the crew, directing what is possible.

Jody and I settled on shooting the interviews with three cameras. A-cam was going to go from close up to full shot, all using a wide-angle zoom. The B-cam is from a side angle, positioned on a slider with a longer lens. That way, the shot catches foreground elements, while short framing the subject. Then the C-cam is a high angle shot–resembling a security camera POV.

Let’s talk recreations. Did you shoot them after the interviews?

Yes. Once the edit was coming together, we returned for a few days to shoot recreations. Almost all the footage you see that feels like found footage—we shot. Even the computer footage. For that we used my phone recording in ProRes, clipped onto a laptop where its camera would be. That let us open and close the computer, move it around, and still degrade the footage later in post.

Were there any emotional highlights for you?

Yes. One of the young men we featured, Kieran, was so lovely. We recreated his bedroom on the first floor of his house to accommodate all three cameras. He brought down all his academic awards, student of the year plaques—it was incredibly touching. He had a rough journey, but I really connected with him. We shot him at his home and at his family’s church. His mom was so warm. That kind of access and vulnerability—that’s what stays with me.

How was the reception at SXSW?

It was great. We screened all four episodes back-to-back—two and a half hours. The response was really strong, and I was glad people stuck with it. It was fun to be back at SXSW. This was my second time at SXSW. “Los Wild Ones,” an independent doc I shot, premiered there in 2013. It's a fun festival.

It was great to get to hang out with the rest of the team, from the producers and post team, to the Amazon studio side. It takes a village to make a series like this, and winning the Audience Award was an extra validation for the team effort.
 

You seem to always be innovating.

I like to create a look for each project I work on. I like to innovate and push the limits of the media, whether it’s handheld filters or building a dome, using wide-angle lenses for interview setups. I like to adjust my shooting to fit the story.