Petr Cikhart is an EMMY winning Czech cinematographer living in Los Angeles. As a 19-year-old Assistant Director covered the war in Chechnya for Czech TV, and was arrested and held hostage for two days by Russian soldiers during the assignment. It was his first ever field shoot, and he was hooked.
In June 2012 he received MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute. His thesis film FIRST IN FLIGHT competed at Camerimage cinematography festival in Poland and was nominated for the ASC Harris Savides Student Heritage Award. While at AFI Petr won the College Camera Operator of the Year award from the SOC.
Subsequently Petr worked as a cinematographer on several feature films of four continents including World War II drama AGAINST THE SUN starring Tom Felton, TAMARA (Nueva Vision Award, 2017 Santa Barbara Film Festival) with Luis Fernandez, ID2: SHADWELL ARMY for Universal, DUNNING MAN, DAY OF RECKONING, THE NANNY or the Chinese production ESCAPING VALENTINE'S DAY and CONRAD & MICHELLE: IF WORDS COULD KILL for Lifetime.
Traveling to more than 100 countries he also made films such as FARMINGVILLE (Special Jury Prize, 2004 Sundance Film Festival) and BLINDSIGHT (Audience Awards, 2006 AFI Film Festival & 2007 Berlin Film Festival). In 2007 Petr won his first Prime Time Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for his work on the THE AMAZING RACE.
Episode Breakdown:
- 00:00-03:00 - Introduction and current location (Mumbai), discussing recent short film premiere at Bangalore International Short Film Festival
- 03:00-07:00 - Discussing Emmy nomination for Amazing Race, work in India, and career path from cinematography to directing
- 07:00-10:00 - Exploring the creative process behind his 6-minute short film and comparing directing vs cinematography roles
- 10:00-15:00 - Background on Amazing Race career spanning 20 seasons, first Emmy win, and nomination history
- 15:00-20:00 - Growing up in communist Czechoslovakia, early love for travel through World Atlas, finding passion in Amazing Race
- 20:00-25:00 - Behind-the-scenes insights on Amazing Race filming techniques and challenges
- 25:00-30:00 - Physical demands of filming Amazing Race, keeping up with contestants while carrying equipment
- 30:00-35:00 - Discussion of emotional moments captured during filming and storytelling approach
- 35:00-40:00 - Working with release forms and managing spontaneous moments during filming
- 40:00-45:00 - Impact of AFI education on cinematography style and approach
- 45:00-50:00 - Evolution of filming techniques on Amazing Race, including new technology while maintaining core storytelling focus
- 50:00-51:15 - Closing thoughts on balancing technical skills with authentic storytelling
Website: After Film School Podcast
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