‘The Curse’ cinematographer Maceo Bishop on referencing ‘To Catch a Predator’ and ‘Candid Camera’ for Showtime drama [Exclusive Video Interview]

“Having worked with them on ‘Uncut Gems,’ I was excited about anything that they were doing,” says “The Curse” cinematographer Maceo Bishop when asked about executive producers Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie approaching him for the Showtime drama series. “And then they said, ‘We’re doing this with Nathan Fielder,’ and I didn’t know Nathan’s work that well. I’d heard his name before, so I did some research and I was like, ‘This is a really interesting combination of aesthetics and ideas coming together.’ The conversation started and almost right away, Benny said ‘To Catch a Predator’ and ‘Candid Camera’ were two of the references for us.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.

“The Curse” stars Oscar winner Emma Stone and Emmy nominee Nathan Fielder as a newlywed couple struggling to make their vision for eco-living a reality in a small New Mexico town.

One of Bishop’s favorite scenes from the series is the opening from Episode 1 titled “Land of Enchantment.” “What I love about that, not only do we see from outside this building, you’re already looking through a dirty window and you can sort of almost not make out the person inside, and then we come inside. The first time you see Benny’s character Dougie, his face is buried behind a monitor. You don’t see him. It encapsulates in some way the whole series, that little scene, which is a great opening.”

SEE ‘The Curse’ looks like Emmys good luck charm for Nathan Fielder

“I think each person, each audience member is coming at it from a different place, but for me, there was this sort of an all-seeing eye that was witnessing the humanity of these people,” he says of his shooting style. “You felt like you were really spying, but other times it was very nonjudgmental. And that was for me, the all-seeing eye part where these are human experiences.”

The cinematographer admits he was shocked to read the first script, particularly the uncomfortable conversations had between Asher (Fielder) and his father-in-law played by Corbin Bernsen. “I sort of was like, ‘Is somebody going to let us actually do this?’ he laughs. “I couldn’t believe it, but then I heard that Emma Stone was a part of it and I was like, ‘No, I think we’re actually going to do this.’ We all had a fantastic time together and it was so nice to have Emma make yet another great choice in her career.”

Bishop goes on to discuss the season finale that set the internet on fire. “It’s really for the viewer to interpret,” he teases before discussing how the complex technical aspects came together.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?