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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nThat collaborative fluidity extended to Schwartzbard\u2019s work with directors and cast alike. While Yacenda approached episodes with extensive preparation and carefully mapped visual planning, Waldron\u2019s responsibilities as showrunner often required a more improvisational energy on set as scripts continued evolving during production.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Tony, we made more decisions in pre-production because we had a longer pre-production period,\u201d Schwartzbard explained. \u201cWith Michael, a lot of things we were jumping into last minute, figuring things out pretty quickly, but in both cases they\u2019re both open to collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Schwartzbard, the process ultimately became less about rigid shot design and more about discovering visual solutions organically with the directors and cast in real time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey both know the things they feel are important about the scene,\u201d he said, \u201cand then we kind of bat around ideas of how to make that work with the camera, and where the blocking is, and figure that out with the cast, and then how to shoot it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authenticity also proved critical to the football action itself.<\/p>\n
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Schwartzbard credits veteran football cinematographer Steve Andrich \u2014 whom he laughingly called one of the production\u2019s \u201csecret weapons\u201d \u2014 with helping shape the show\u2019s authentic sports coverage. A longtime NFL Films veteran and second-unit specialist on major football productions, Andrich brought decades of institutional football-photography knowledge to the series.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trick to shooting football is hire Steve,\u201d Schwartzbard joked.\u00a0\u00a0But Andrich was only part of the equation.<\/p>\n
Schwartzbard also pointed to football coordinator Mike Sheldon and his company Game Changing Sports as instrumental in transforming the series\u2019s football sequences into something immersive, cinematic, and emotionally coherent.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe basically assembled the team,\u201d Schwartzbard explained. \u201cHe was the coach. He was the real coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Schwartzbard, Sheldon recruited dozens of athletes with genuine collegiate and professional football experience \u2014 including former college players, XFL talent, and athletes with NFL experience \u2014 to populate both sides of the on-screen teams. More importantly, Sheldon helped bridge the gap between athletic realism and cinematic execution.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMike would set up all the plays,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cAnd it turns out football players \u2014 I didn\u2019t realize this because I\u2019m not a big football fan \u2014 football players follow a play. The play is the plan of what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
That highly structured methodology proved invaluable for camera choreography.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys are experts at integrating the information, learning how to hit their marks, and then improvising when it goes wrong,\u201d Schwartzbard explained. \u201cSo it\u2019s kind of like working with dancers.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a cinematography team navigating multiple cameras, long lenses, complex blocking, and live-action football movement, that precision became indispensable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very camera-friendly group of people,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cYou could kind of organize action to happen in very, very precise ways, and it would happen repeatedly and precisely, which is just what a camera crew needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Remarkably, Powell\u2019s elaborate prosthetic transformation required far less photographic manipulation than Schwartzbard initially feared.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chad21.jpg\")
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Prior to production, the cinematographer admitted he had become increasingly anxious after hearing repeated warnings about the challenges of photographing prosthetics convincingly on camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had gotten calls in the past about shooting things with prosthetics,\u201d Schwartzbard recalled. \u201cPeople would ask, \u2018Have you shot prosthetics before? Do you know the tricks to light prosthetics?\u2019 And I got really nervous that there\u2019s like a whole thing about prosthetics.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Schwartzbard, the concern wasn\u2019t simply aesthetic. It was technical. What details would the camera expose? Would harsh lighting reveal seams, texture inconsistencies, or flaws in the makeup design? Would he need to alter his lighting philosophy to protect the illusion?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I going to see?\u201d he remembered wondering.<\/p>\n
The answer came quickly during the production\u2019s first camera test.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlen went into the trailer, got the prosthetics, came out, we put the camera on him, and it just looked amazing,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cThere was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than cautiously avoiding difficult lighting conditions, Schwartzbard deliberately pushed the makeup to its limits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just took a handheld camera and started running around, getting right up in his space, looking for pores,\u201d he explained. \u201cI took him out into the hard, brutal sun with no fill light, looking for things, just trying to see what was going to fall apart.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Nothing did.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all was fine,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cThere were no flaws. Nothing I had to hide with the camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That freedom ultimately became essential to the visual philosophy of CHAD POWERS. Because the prosthetics could withstand harsh daylight, long lenses, close-ups, and aggressive naturalistic photography, Schwartzbard never had to compromise the show\u2019s grounded visual realism in order to protect the illusion.<\/p>\n
Instead, the production fully embraced Georgia\u2019s unforgiving sunlight, sweaty football practices, and documentary-style immediacy \u2014 allowing Chad Powers\u2019 increasingly absurd deception to exist inside a world photographed with complete sincerity.<\/p>\n
For all of the large-scale football spectacle and elaborate production logistics, Schwartzbard insists the defining visual philosophy behind it was actually simplicity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the lighting was as simple as anything I\u2019ve ever done,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0That simplicity, however, was anything but accidental.<\/p>\n
Working alongside gaffer Mitch Mcdandallad, key grip Luis Pagans, and their crews, Schwartzbard deliberately avoided overly glossy or hyper-stylized lighting setups in favor of something more grounded and immediate \u2014 an aesthetic rooted in the gritty realism of NFL Films and the emotional authenticity of classic sports dramas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t doing such complicated glossy lighting,\u201d Schwartzbard explained. \u201cWe were really trying to be as simple as we could.\u201d<\/p>\n
That philosophy extended across every environment in the series, from Danny Cruz\u2019s cramped apartment to sprawling stadium exteriors under brutal Georgia heat.<\/p>\n
Danny\u2019s apartment, with its soft twinkle lights and intimate warmth, relied on remarkably minimal augmentation.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe had to black it out because we were shooting day-for-night,\u201d Schwartzbard said, \u201cbut I think it was a couple of LED tubes taped to the wall in strategic places.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even the stadium sequences embraced practicality over excessive manipulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we were in a stadium at night, we had too many other problems,\u201d Schwartzbard laughed. \u201cSo we just turned on the stadium lights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additional lighting would only be introduced when necessary for closer coverage, allowing the large football environments to retain their authentic atmosphere and documentary immediacy.<\/p>\n
For Schwartzbard, the objective was never visual perfection. It was emotional believability.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really trying to be as simple as possible and trying to go for a kind of naturalism,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd somehow, as we went along, it developed into something good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, having a cast led by Powell certainly helped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s many reasons Glen Powell is Glen Powell,\u201d Schwartzbard joked. \u201cOne of them, I think, is it turns out you point a camera at him in any light, he looks amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That commitment to grounded realism extended even to one of the series\u2019s more unexpected recurring environments: Chad Powers\u2019 Cyber Truck.<\/p>\n
Despite the vehicle\u2019s futuristic appearance, Schwartzbard approached the interiors with the same stripped-down naturalism that defined the rest of the series. And while the Cyber Truck presented fewer logistical headaches than one might expect, it still created specific photographic challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to go on record as an apologist for the Cyber Truck in general,\u201d Schwartzbard laughed, \u201cbut it\u2019s actually a pretty big vehicle, and it\u2019s not terrible to film in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The real issue, according to Schwartzbard, was visibility and depth.\u00a0\u201cThe worst thing about filming it is the rear window,\u201d he explained. \u201cThis is something that bugs me about all modern cars. The rear windows get smaller and smaller.\u201d<\/p>\n
For cinematographers, those design choices create significant compositional limitations during dialogue scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re shooting a two-shot from the hood, there\u2019s just kind of no depth,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cYou\u2019re just looking into a dark cave.\u201d<\/p>\n
To create the illusion of movement and environmental realism inside the vehicle, Schwartzbard and the crew frequently relied on practical blue-screen and green-screen techniques combined with carefully motivated lighting.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of that stuff was blue screen or green screen,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe truck was rarely moving during those dialogue scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than relying on elaborate virtual-production techniques, the crew often staged the vehicle outdoors or onstage while carefully simulating shifting natural light and environmental movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would maybe block out the real sun and have a 4K up on a lift to be a fake sun,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cAnd kind of have a branch on a stand that we\u2019d spin in front of the light to emulate the shadow of passing trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
The approach perfectly reflects the production\u2019s overall visual philosophy: practical, restrained, and rooted in illusion through simplicity rather than technological excess.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIn other words,\u201d Schwartzbard joked, \u201cjust your general blue screen, green screen stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
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One particularly stunning sequence in Episode 6 unfolds inside a darkened auditorium after the truth about Chad Powers\u2019 identity begins unraveling. Rendered largely in silhouette with minimal illumination pouring through distant open doors, the scene strips away visual certainty and emotional safety alike as Danny confronts Chad\/Russ in the aftermath of the revelation.<\/p>\n
For Schwartzbard, the sequence evolved out of both logistical necessity and thematic discovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a lot of back and forth about where to stage that,\u201d he explained. \u201cSome of which had to do with scheduling realities and where we were going to be and where we had to fit that in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally, the production explored smaller, more practical locations inside the school, including hallways and side rooms connected to the nearby cheer rehearsal sequence. But the more the filmmakers explored the geography, the more the auditorium itself began speaking to the emotional subtext of the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a big auditorium right here,\u201d Schwartzbard recalled. \u201cIt\u2019s a little crazy that they would have that very private conversation somewhere they could be heard by someone waiting out there, but we figured it was visually interesting enough that we would overlook that reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
What ultimately sold the location was its thematic resonance with the character of Danny himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Danny is a theater guy, this is a place that he\u2019s comfortable and familiar with. It\u2019s his natural place,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cAnd the content of the scene is again about the deception and the identity and all that stuff, and that all seems to fit somehow with the idea of theater.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As the production team began photographing the darkened space with only natural spill light filtering through the open doors, the visual concept suddenly clicked into place.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe kind of put our reservations aside,\u201d Schwartzbard said. \u201cWe started looking in there and taking some pictures on our phones. We were like, \u2018Yeah, this is great. We gotta do it here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The result is arguably the emotional apex of the season \u2014 a haunting meditation on performance, shame, identity, and reinvention staged within a literal theatrical space. By withholding full visibility of the actors\u2019 faces and embracing silhouette, the cinematography forces the audience to focus less on disguise and more on emotional truth.<\/p>\n
And while the series delivers elaborate football spectacle and outrageous comedy, Schwartzbard admits his favorite sequence is far quieter and emotionally devastating.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I\u2019m torn,\u201d he said when asked about his favorite scene from the series. \u201cPart of me wants to say the opening scenes is our big fancy football scene, but I think maybe my real favorite was the scene on the bus at the end of Episode 6, towards the end, where Ricky (Perry Mattfeld) comes and confronts Glenn on the bus.\u201d<\/p>\n
What makes the moment particularly striking is its restraint. Set largely within the confined space of the team bus, the sequence relies less on technical flourish and more on emotional honesty and performance.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty simple scene, camera-wise,\u201d Schwartzbard explained, \u201cbut it was a very emotional scene, and I think the cast did amazingly with it. We were able to shoot this confined thing on a bus. I don\u2019t know\u2026 it just felt like the moment where this series is starting to turn into something darker and more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
That emphasis on simplicity \u2014 allowing performance, framing, and emotional tension to drive the sequence rather than overt visual embellishment \u2014 mirrors the same grounded naturalism Schwartzbard brought to The Lowdown<\/em>. Even amid the heightened absurdity of CHAD POWERS, the cinematography consistently remains anchored in emotional truth.<\/p>\nAnd while Schwartzbard won\u2019t return for Season Two due to scheduling conflicts, his visual fingerprints remain permanently embedded in the DNA of the series.<\/p>\n
By grounding outrageous comedy within the visual sincerity of classic football cinema, Schwartzbard helped it transform into something unexpectedly heartfelt, visually dynamic, and emotionally authentic \u2014 proving that even the most absurd premise can resonate deeply when photographed with honesty, restraint, and soul.<\/p>\n
By debbie elias, exclusive interview 04\/22\/2026<\/p>\n
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All episodes of Season One of CHAD POWERS are now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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