Cinematographer Orlando Briones discusses his work on the Max Original series, 'The Takedown: American Aryans.' Using ARRI’s ALEXA Mini LF and Mini cameras along with Cooke S4 prime lenses, Briones says he achieved his "best visuals" to date. The four-part series was filmed across locations in Texas and Cape Town, South Africa
"Talking with Director Neil Rawles, we knew we wanted dark, moody imagery—pushing into the shadows to reflect the weight of the story. The Mini LF made that vision effortless, delivering stunning highlights, rich textures, and beautifully rendered skin tones straight out of the box. Its industry-standard design meant we could work seamlessly with any crew, keeping us fast and efficient no matter if in Texas or South Africa. The camera’s versatility let us move fluidly between setups, from studio mode to handheld to gimbal, without slowing down. No matter the conditions, the Mini LF consistently gave us breathtaking images—it’s why I tell everyone ARRI is my cheat code." -- DP Orlando Briones
🎬 "The Takedown: American Aryans" is now streaming.
👀 Watch it on Max (
@streamonmax )!
👉 check out the trailer (link in bio).
Director: Neil Rawles
Director of Photography: Orlando Briones (
@thisisfilmatic )
Production Company: October Films (
@octoberfilms_ ) & Trilogy Creative Studios (
@trilogycreative )
Executive Producers: Matt Warner, Matt Robbins, Pamela Deutsch
Co Producer - Carolyn Canville (
@carolyncanville )
Line Producer - Susie Field
Junior PM - Bethany Quinlan
Texas:
Gaffer: Christian Briones (
@christianfedericobriones )
1st AC: Joshua Williams (
@stixx_vision )
Sound: James M. Willis
PA: Fabian Mandujano (
@storiesbyfabian )
Cape Town, South Africa
Gaffer: Steve Hickson (
@stevenhicksongaffer )
Focus Puller: Adrian Boerlage (
@adrianfocusboer )
Data Wrangler: Nkanuiso Ncube (nktalks)
Key Grip: Dion Frylink
Grip Assist: Jason Abrahamse
Movi Tech: Duncan Walker (
@duncwalker )
Art Director: Brent Leppan (
@red_devil_heaven )
1st Ad: Jonathan Peterson (
@1stadcapetown )
Line Producer: Dominic Karayiannis (
@dominickara )
Location Manager: Stephen Box McLachlan
