BUDDY SQUIRES - Cinematographer
5/20/20261 hr 5 min
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 194 Buddy Squires - Cinematographer
In this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with cinematographer Buddy Squires (THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, BEYOND THE BEACH: THE HELL AND THE HOPE, BASEBALL). Buddy has worked on countless documentaries, ranging from vérité to recreations, and we spend the episode discussing how he sees his work and what he tries to achieve while capturing images of events happening in real time. Buddy has also worked with director Ken Burns since they met in college, and he gives us insight into their lifelong collaboration and their approach to portraying history. Buddy also recalls the winding path he took to reach documentary filmmaking, and he reflects on the filmmakers, photographers, and films that inspired him the most at the time. Buddy later reflects on his experiences shooting the humanitarian work featured in BEYOND THE BEACH across the Middle East, and we ask him if he feels documentaries can make a difference. We also discuss how digital camera technology has made Buddy's job easier, and he shares his review of the drone footage from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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This episode is sponsored by Aputure
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJames Deakins· Host0:00
[gentle music] Hi, and welcome to season two of The Team Deakins Podcast, a collection of informal conversations between Roger and James Deakins and a guest. We never know where the conversation will take us, so listen in and see where it goes. [gentle music] This episode is sponsored by Aputure and its new Storm XT52, the industry's most powerful LED point source light. Brighter than a 6K HMI and powered by Aputure's revolutionary Blair Light engine, the Storm XT52 is both a tunable white light and also the brightest ever adjustable color LED. Storm XT52, unrivaled output only from Aputure. [gentle music] Today, we're speaking with a cinematographer. His credits include The American Revolution, Beyond the Beach: The Hell and the Hope, and Rancher Farmer Fisherman. We're pleased to welcome Buddy Squires.
Buddy Squires· Guest1:08
Yeah.
James Deakins· Host1:09
Buddy, thank you for doing this.
Buddy Squires· Guest1:10
Thank you.
Roger Deakins· Host1:10
Thank you, Buddy.
Buddy Squires· Guest1:11
Well, thank you for having me. It's a real pleasure and an honor to speak with both of you.
James Deakins· Host1:15
We'd like to start with our normal question, which is how did you get to where you are today? Is this something that you always knew that you wanted to do? Is it something that you picked up further down the line? Do you regret it? [laughs] What's