Latasha M. Ford with Awards Buzz had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Bricker who was just recently received his 6th Emmy award nomination; 2nd nomination in this Outstanding Cinematography for a Non-Fiction Program category for the same show — yes, that would be ‘Chef’s Table’.
Latasha and Adam’s conversation was so delightful as they both learned they are from the same hometown Chicago and attended the same university Depaul University. Adam goes into depth about his professional approach to capturing the vulnerable essence of each chef’s story? What the experience is like when filming on-set, capturing the authenticity of each dish without optically commercializing the look and uniqueness of every dish, the timing of capturing key shots at the perfect time and in the perfect moment and so much more.
Full interview below:
Latasha: Emmy Award nominee Adam, Adam Bricker! First of all, I have two things that I want to start with saying … a huge congratulations to you for your recent Emmy Award nomination, which is nomination number six, if I’m not mistaken. Congrats on that. And Adam, I really want to know if you and I know each other. The reason why I say that is because I too am originally from Chicago and I attended DePaul University as well.
Adam: Let’s go Blue Demons. Yeah!
Latasha: Let’s go. Blue demons. Blue demons. So yes, it’s such a pleasure to chat with you today, Adam. How are you feeling? Nomination number six, this is your second nomination for Chef’s Table. What’s going through your mind? What’s going on?
Adam: I’m feeling so lucky and so grateful. I am just so thrilled with this nomination. Thrilled for the whole Chef’s Table team. We’re so lucky to be able to make this show. We started a decade ago and we’re just so grateful to be able to keep doing it 10 years. We’re thrilled. I’m thrilled people are watching them and deeply honored that the work of the whole team and specifically our crew on the cinematography side is being recognized. It’s very special.
Latasha: Yeah. And you’ve done chef table pizza, barbecue and more.
Adam: All the food groups. Yeah, I think I originally shot the pilot episode of Chef’s Table 10 years ago in Australia with director Brian McGinn and David Gelb had made J Dreams of Sushi, the feature documentary, and that was sort of the visual basis for the show and myself and Brian and cinematographer Will Besa were sort of tasked with taking Giro to the next level and set off on this great adventure. Giro David shot that out of film school over the course of many months, maybe even a year. And we were sort of tasked with matching that visual integrity on a tight television documentary, shooting schedule, seven days. So it was quite the undertaking and honestly, really fun to figure out and to develop the look. And I think it took us, honestly, that first season, maybe a couple of seasons before I felt like we really started hitting our stride, and then the challenge became not repeating ourselves and making it different and varied.
And these spinoff seasons, pastry and pizza and barbecue really provided us with an opportunity to take the visuals in new directions. Those early seasons were often shot in three star Michelin kitchens and obviously pizza found us in very different locations. Barbecue, sometimes there wasn’t even a kitchen that you would recognize as being outdoors, and those were just really interesting ways to vary the visual aesthetic and that ethos of just keeping it fresh and keeping it different. One for the audience, but also to challenge ourselves and keep us interested as filmmakers. Culminating for me in this Jamie Oliver episode, I’d always wanted to do an episode, a chef that was outside of the kitchen, Jamie, as I wanted to do an episode on a TV personality. He’s a cultural figure and was just really interested in what the visual aesthetic might look like once we were no longer behind the scenes in a Michelin kitchen, but now behind the scenes on a television set. And just thought that that would be a really interesting different visual challenge. So yeah, we’re always trying to keep it varied and keep it fresh.
Latasha: I feel like I can ask six questions just based off that one response and I want to try to pose this next question in the most polished way possible, the visuals, the aesthetic of dishes. How do you as a cinematographer encompass the overall look in a way, whereas it does not come off commercialized when you look at these dishes, it’s like, oh my God, the shot is capturing every detail, and it still feels like it’s so real and authentic. What’s your approach to not commercializing these dishes?
Adam: Right. I think it’s a great question. I think when you go back 10 years, when I first was hired for the job prior to Chef’s Table, I had very minimal documentary experience and I had absolutely no experience shooting food. So it’s remarkable and I’m so grateful that Brian and David and Andrew Freed took a leap of faith and trusted me with this and brought me on. And then I think in a lot of ways that naivete has really served me well and served the show well visually, because since I didn’t know the tabletop tricks of the food commercial world, I couldn’t use them. I wasn’t naive, I didn’t know how people did it. I thought about these episodes less like a documentary series and more like a narrative feature film. And these chef’s stories were so inspiring and worthy of cinematic treatment, and these chefs also were bringing such attention to detail to their own craft of cooking.
And every moment for a diner, every dish, every ingredient, great thought and research and intention is brought to that. And we really thought it was important that we match that with our filmmaking. So it was intended to be a more intentional documentary. And then for the food, I sort of just would light the food. I would light an actor in a narrative film, often simple is better, putting a dish by a window with the soft light that’s natural, maybe a little diffused, just really trying to make sure there was, it was a singular source, a minimal shadows that the cobbler temperature was natural, so you weren’t imparting a color on the dish that wasn’t what the chef intended. Just really keeping things simple and narrative driven was the goal. I really sort of believe that food is the most mouthwatering and delicious on screen when it’s relatable. So if you sort of over-engineer it and turn it into something that it’s not, you’re sort of defeating the purpose. So it’s trying to keep things really grounded and natural and delicious and visceral, and that’s sort of the name of the game. But yeah, it’s through, I didn’t know the commercial tricks and so I wasn’t able to deploy them and maybe that was for the best.
Latasha: Another element of the show that I am personally obsessed with is the emotional impact of each chef story and journey. So what is your overall approach with not losing the emotional element and aspect of the chef story, how do you approach that and withhold and capture the vulnerable genuineness of their stories, if that makes sense?
Adam: Thank you for that. I think that’s really the success of that is a testament to David Gelb and to Brian McGinn and Andrew Free and all of our directors that work on this show. I think from a cinematography point of view, I think I sort of touched on the fact that we’re on a tight television schedule and it’s challenging to tell someone’s life story in 7, 8, 9 shoot days. There’s a responsibility that comes with telling someone’s life story. We have to be both efficient and are sort of forced to be really because of that efficiency. We’re forced to be really, really intentional, and our directors are just incredible. Both David and Andrew and Brian are able to sit down and based on the research that they’ve done, but also they’re just understanding of narrative structure. They’re able to communicate to the crew and sort of explain the narrative structure of an episode.
They tell it to us almost like a podcast. These are the emotional beats. And we, instead of, I think on other documentary projects where you maybe can embed yourself over the course of many months and gather things and sort of find the narrative and the edit, we don’t have that luxury. So it’s really important and the show works because our directors are so strong. And so then we start piecing together the schedule to achieve that story structure that they’ve laid out for us. And what’s wonderful about that is the cinematographer is that more often than not in advance where a certain scene might be falling in the narrative, and if it’s a happier moment, like in Jamie Oliver, the scene where he is cooking focaccia with a dear friend and it’s intended to feel almost like a happy memory, you start thinking, okay, let’s structure that scene so that there’s sunlight pouring in through the window so it feels like a happy moment, or if it’s going to fall in the tough part of the second act and be a more challenging moment, maybe you decide to shoot the scene where they’re picking tomatoes instead of at sunset when it’s warm, you shoot it an hour later at dust when it’s colder.
And so by knowing in advance where things are going to fall in that narrative, you’re able to make story choices as a documentary cinematographer that helps support that emotion and use your tools to convey that to the audience.
Latasha: Oh, I love that. You literally just answered two other questions that I had. It worked out seamlessly.
Adam: What’s the third? Let’s go.
Latasha: Let’s get a little bit personal. Adam, when it comes to your overall preference, no, no need to be scared. Okay. When it comes to your preference, do you prefer shooting people or food? Do you prefer shooting during the daytime versus night? Is there a certain or special camera that you have that captures the perfect shots for you personally? Give me some of your secrets.
Adam: Oh my goodness. Well, I mean for preference, I’m going to totally opt out of this question. Total cop out and say that I like it. I do like it all. I mean, I think what’s great about filmmaking, it’s great about being the cinematographer, is that you get to jump from one thing to the next. And there’s great variety. And if you’re lucky, you’re moving from, I’ve loved going, I’ve been shooting hacks in the fall and spring, which is a larger narrative scripted show, and then spending my summers shooting documentary on Chef Stable. And I think that’s just a wonderful balance. I think your preference maybe if you’re going to answer the question is whatever you were last doing is what you don’t want to do again. So if you’ve been shooting a lot of food, you’re like, okay, get me a script with some people.
You know what I mean? So it’s like the variety is sort of what you’re craving. And then I think through that variety, I think one thing tends to impact another. So I think that on Chef’s Table, I learned early on both because of our relatively limited resources and the tight schedule that it was a less is more approach. So when you are going to light a kitchen, it’s more about walking into the space and thinking about what lights you can turn off versus adding. You’re trying to make things focused, you’re trying to make the lighting intentional. And a lot of it is turning off the bad stuff and really leaning into the good stuff. And I think that’s a great approach also in narrative. And so the lessons that I’ve learned on Chef’s Table about less, more have impacted the way that I’m lighting hacks. And then vice versa, like on hacks, you’re thinking a lot about the narrative structure when you’re getting these scripts and really thinking about how you can be making subtle choices to underscore the emotion of a character. And that’s sort of what we were talking about earlier. And so that sort of mindset has impacted the documentary work. So I think you’re going back and forth and that’s really healthy and fun. So I love both. All. I do. I’m really lucky. I’m really lucky. I love it all.
Latasha: I know our time is coming to a close, Adam. I always feel like with individuals such as yourself, I can talk with you all day.
Adam: Let’s go. We can do an extended cut. Let’s keep going!
Latasha: I love getting to the nitty gritty of the meat, and I did not prep this question, but I’m curious, has there ever been a time that a certain dish has been made completely and the shot is not coming up, you’re not capturing the type of shot that you feel is TV appropriate and the chef had to go back and completely redo the dish for you to get that perfect shot?
Adam: Yeah, I think no. And I don’t think that hasn’t happened necessarily because it was the Chef’s fault. It’s more like our own shortcomings or our high standard as filmmakers. I think that the best day on Chef’s Table is what we call the Food Symphony Day, which is where we’re shooting. We spend about a half day, maybe a little bit more shooting the dishes for that climactic montage where you see the dishes sort of spinning through frame with David’s iconic title cards. The day where you shoot that is fabulous because one, you’re deviating from the verite documentary shooting that you have been, and you’re in this tabletop world. So it’s a change of pace, but honestly, it’s because everyone gets to eat dishes, and we do have a high standard, and so we’ll shoot the dish one or two or three times. It needs to be fresh. And then of course, if it’s especially delicious, maybe we’ll shoot it a fourth or a fifth time so that the crew gets to eat a little bit more. But yeah, it’s always because we’re just trying to capture it just right and get the perfect shot and the food needs to be fresh. So you’re doing it several times, but there are no food stylists on Chef’s Table. We have the greatest chefs in the world, and the dishes always look incredible. It’s our shortcomings of filmmakers that maybe make us have to do a second take.
Latasha: Adam, I think you are the perfect conversationalist because another question that I had for you was in regards to the timing and temperature, do you get the best shots when the food is freshly cooked?
Adam: Yeah, and I think that that’s also how these chefs work for the diners and the speed in which they’re able to operate. I remember season one, we were in Magnus Nielsen’s Kitchen in northern Sweden, and Magnus had an enormous clock on the wall that was counting down 30 seconds as the chefs were really specifically plating and using tweezers to put the finishing touches on the dish and the speed the dish would be done as the clock went off and be picked up and sent to the table. And the speed in which all that happens, the efficiency and the intentionality, which happens in these dining rooms is so remarkable and really, really fun to watch. And we’re definitely setting up the shot with a stand, and then the dish comes, and more often than not, you’ve got to shoot it within 30 seconds or else that no longer looks it’s best and you’re onto the next one. So yeah, you’ve got to be on it.
Latasha: So do you have a different respect and appreciation for food having continuously worked and been a part of Chef’s Table for all of these years? Yeah,
Adam: Absolutely. I’m in awe of what these chefs are able to do. And I also think there are a ton of parallels, I think between filmmaking and cooking, especially cooking at this level. I think as filmmakers, we’re trying to express ourselves in an industry, and you’re both trying to be artistic, but also work within the system. And it’s the same thing in the culinary world. These chefs are trying to express themselves through their food, but then the economics of the restaurant industry are really challenging. And then also the collaboration, there’s not, there’s the head chef, there is the director, but the relationship that these chefs have with their sous chefs, and I just remember watching Grant ATTs talk with his team, working with Mike Bagalia and Dave Baron and Jenen, and just really saying, oh, this is very similar to how Brian McGinn, my director talks to me and how he talks to Charlie Panion and just the collaborative effort and what goes into putting on these productions, both for the diner and for the audience. There are a ton of parallels there. Great appreciation.
Latasha: Yeah. So as I wrap with you, let’s be clear. You do get to taste the food.
Adam: Yeah, we’re very lucky.
Latasha: And how much weight have you gained over the years?
Adam: Tons! Yeah, I know in the early years I was operating the camera myself, and then the show got much better when Joel Marsh, our steady camera operator, came into the mix and he took over that responsibility because one, he’s just a much better operator than I am. So the show improved, but as a downside, I think I was burning a ton of calories operating, and now that I’m just sort of sitting at a monitor, I do have to get back in shape after an episode and up during an episode of Chef’s Table. But yeah, no, we taste all the food and that’s a great privilege, but also a responsibility I think, to understand what these chefs are all about. You have to engage with their art and really understand it, and if the menu’s particularly good, I feel like it’s my responsibility.
Latasha: Adam, you are the best, and not only because you’re originally from Chicago and are a blue demon like me. I am so happy for your six nomination. My fingers are crossed for you, and I’ll see you on that red carpet at the Emmys.
Adam: Thank you so much. You have a good rest of your day.
