Chris Miller
There has been an abundance of new shows hitting the screen this fall TV season including the much anticipated The Penguin (HBO), Brilliant Minds (NBC), Doctor Odyssey (ABC) and Nobody Wants This (Netflix). FOX’s new lifeguard drama Rescue: HI-Surf is also making a splash as TV’s highest-rated fall drama debut in six years, since the CBS premiere of God Friended Me in September 2018.
The show follows the personal and professional lives of the heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of O’ahu—the most famous and dangerous stretch of coastline in the world. Each episode will feature these dedicated, heroic, and adrenaline-seeking first-responders saving lives in the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaii’s Seven Mile Miracle. The show is co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment Studios. Matt Kester created the series and serves as showrunner/executive producer. John Wells executive produces through John Wells Productions along with JWP’s Erin Jontow. Daniele Nathanson also is an executive producer.
Serving as the show’s DP is Anka Malatynska. While Anka is no stranger to Hawaiian productions (she shot Amazon’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and CBS’s NCIS: Hawai’i both in Hawaii), Rescue: HI-Surf has been like nothing she has ever worked on. When discussing the production process Anka says, “This production was like making an independent film; we would come in, block the scenes and make decisions on the day. It was a huge collaboration whenever the water and land unit got together. It was this beautiful, organic, fast-moving machine.”
Anka goes into more detail about the look of Rescue: HI-Surf in the below interview. Catch a new episode of Rescue: HI-Surf every Monday.
-The sun is very unique in Hawaii, in that it’s constantly changing. Has it been easier or harder to light Rescue: HI-Surf than some of your other non-Hawaiian projects?
Working in Hawaii presents unique challenges from a photographic perspective due to the rapidly changing weather. I’ve learned to embrace uncertainty while shooting there; often, a rainstorm that seems imminent will veer off, while a day that starts sunny can suddenly turn into a torrential downpour. Instead of fighting against these conditions, I focus on collaborating with nature and maintaining a creative flow, which has proven beneficial about 90% of the time. It’s fascinating how we can begin a scene in sunlight and, as we move into coverage, soft cloud cover can roll in, almost as if we’re controlling the lighting.
This show was shot differently from any other television project I’ve worked on, resembling more of an independent film. Given our location on the North Shore, we had to be nimble with our resources. Many beaches have strict permitting restrictions, and we had to be mindful of the endangered species that inhabit them. At one point during the season, we relocated one of our standing locations to accommodate turtle nesting.
This production was truly like making an independent film; we would arrive, block scenes, and make decisions on the fly. The collaboration between the water and land units was a beautiful, organic process, creating a fast-moving and dynamic workflow.
-Don King is the water DP on the show, but do you also do some of the water scenes? At what point does he step in?
Yes, Don King is the water DP. I was responsible for all the narrative storytelling on land, but there were times when Don stepped in to shoot some scenes on land based on our schedule needs. For example, he often took on stunt-like roles, such as handling motorcycle chases while we focused on the performances with our cast. At least once per episode, our units would collaborate to shoot the connective scenes of getting people in and out of the water. These days were quite dynamic, as both the water and land units operated with two cameras each, allowing us to effectively leapfrog our coverage.
When Don is shooting, he operates as a DP in the water, pulling focus himself. Hawaii’s environment is incredibly unpredictable, especially in the water, where everything is constantly moving and changing. Don and I have developed a skill set that enables us to adapt to these shifting circumstances and support each other. There were a few occasions when I shot in the water, including some underwater scenes toward the end of the season, as the water unit was busy and the work needed to be done.
-You are a surfer yourself. How has your surfing abilities been beneficial on the series?
I didn’t surf during the series, but my surfing abilities helped me feel more comfortable in the water. For example, I shot a scene with Arielle where she was swimming toward the camera with her surfboard. I simply jumped in with my camera and swam out. I had a lifeguard for safety and an AC swimming alongside me. If I weren’t a surfer or comfortable in the water, situations like that could be quite intimidating. My knowledge of surfing also helped me gauge the authenticity of some sequences.
As you can imagine, the North Shore doesn’t always have big waves; the surf is seasonal. This sometimes meant we had to stitch together POV shots from different months and beaches to match what our lifeguards were seeing.
-In the beginning of the third episode, two kayakers get caught in rough waters and need saving. The waters actually look pretty rough in this scene. Is there ever a point when the water gets too rough to film in?
Yes, there are times when the water gets too rough to film. We constantly pivot our schedule to adapt to changing weather conditions. Our water safety team, along with Don King, tracks weather apps and swells to identify the best windows and locations for shooting. Much of the water work was actually filmed on West O’ahu instead of the North Shore, as the visibility and conditions there are generally better. To answer your question, we definitely do not take the cast out in 40-foot surf.
-How would you say Rescue: HI-Surf is different, cinematography wise, than some of the previous shows you have worked on, such as Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin and Monsterland?
I think it’s completely different. Rescue: HI-Surf felt like a small independent film. We aimed to create a creative environment that was responsive to the circumstances rather than controlling them. Our goal was to minimize our footprint so we could blend in with and adapt to the real environment, allowing us to capture the stunning vibe of the North Shore.
In contrast, shows like Monsterland and Pretty Little Liars were heavily lit, particularly Pretty Little Liars, which involved extensive planning and previsualization. Those episodes required significant prep time. For Rescue: HI-Surf, however, the schedule was tight, and I was the only cinematographer. Often, my prep consisted of reading the script over the weekend and arriving an hour early on shooting days to figure out our approach. It felt almost like shooting a documentary, but with a scripted narrative.
With Hawaii’s unpredictable weather, we would sometimes plan for a specific direction based on the expected sunrise, only to arrive to rain with no sunrise in sight, but golden rays breaking through clouds in the opposite direction. Keeping a small footprint was essential for us to remain reactive and adaptive to these ever-changing conditions. This experience was unlike anything I’ve done on television before.
-About how long does it take to shoot one episode?
Each episode had seven land days. Each director went out on the water with the water unit for one day and then they had two additional days on the water without the director to clean up the water work. So roughly ten days per episode, but really on a seven-day schedule because there were two units going at the same time.
-Loren Yaconelli served as the director of the third episode. She was one of the directors of NCIS: Hawai’i, which you also worked on. Was your approach different with her, than a director you have not worked with before?
I actually had not worked with Loren before; I wasn’t her director of photography on NCIS when she directed there. She was our producing director on Rescue: HI-Surf and directed four episodes.
I felt honored when Loren and John’s team reached out to me about becoming the DP on Rescue. I’ve always been impressed by her creative achievements as a camera operator, cinematographer, and director. She is incredibly easy to work with, organized, and well-planned. She knows exactly what she wants and has a wealth of experience with the camera.
On her episodes, it was nice to hand over the keys and not drive the visuals as much. Every visiting director had to get used to a different approach than most network television shows. We never put people on marks or did standing dialogue; the entire show is on the move and feels completely organic, not staged. I found that some directors needed help to feel liberated in approaching a story like this, especially those coming from more traditional television.
Working with Loren was awesome. I think she is the next Orson Welles—a genius filmmaker— there is a gravitas in the way she carries herself and it was such an honor to work with her.
–Rescue: HI-Surf premiered as the highest-rated fall drama debut in six years. It must feel good to see all your hard work paying off.
It feels amazing! We worked incredibly hard on the show, and it’s always nerve-racking to see how it will be received. Will people continue to watch? I really hope they do, because the show just keeps getting better.
