Contributors
01 — The people behind the conversation
Contributors
The People Behind
The Cinematography Podcast is made by people who care deeply about how images are made, how stories are told, and what the two have to do with one another.
Co-host
Ben Rock
One half of our hosting duo, director Ben Rock is an accomplished interviewer and one of the biggest cinematography fans on the planet.
Ben started his career in the mid-90s, working primarily in indie films in the make-up department. In 1997, Ben was asked to join the team to make The Blair Witch Project. As Production Designer, he worked to create the immersive atmosphere for the cast and created the iconic stickman symbol.
Building much of the legend of The Blair Witch, he wrote Curse of the Blair Witch for SyFy; wrote and directed The Burkittsville 7 for Showtime; and Shadow of the Blair Witch for SyFy. He has directed numerous film projects including sci-fi/horror feature Alien Raiders for WB, the sci-fi romcom Future Boyfriend, the award-winning web series 20 Seconds to Live, and the acclaimed narrative audio series Video Palace for Shudder.
Co-host and Editor in Chief
Illya Friedman
Illya is the co-host and Editor in Chief of The Cinematography Podcast as well as the President of Hot Rod Cameras, the presenting sponsor of the podcast.
For more than 25 years, Illya has worked in advanced forms of imaging for the motion picture industry, including holding positions in about every capacity one can in the camera department. A former Local 600 1st AC and operator, Illya has hundreds of credits spanning feature films, television series, commercials and music videos.
After a brief stint as an assistant at CAA, Illya transitioned into a senior executive position in the professional camera rental industry. In 2006, he joined Dalsa Digital Cinema, manufacturer of the world's first 4K digital cinema camera. After Dalsa's digital cinema division closed in 2008, Illya invented the professional PL lens mount for HDSLR and mirrorless cameras, the first professional PL mount modifications of Canon DSLR cameras, and dozens of other original products.
Showrunner and Producer
Alana Kode
Alana came on board as the showrunner for The Cinematography Podcast in 2017. As the show producer, Alana keeps all things Cinepod running smoothly, from keeping the hosts on task to booking guests, editing and posting episodes, and handling web and social media content.
Alana started her career in television in the mid-1990s shortly after graduating from San Francisco State University and moving to Los Angeles. She relocated to Portland, Oregon in 2022. She has worked in entertainment, news, and documentary television for decades before moving into podcast producing.
She recently launched Greentree Creative, a social media marketing and podcast production service. Besides movies and television, Alana's interests include raising her kids to be good humans, political and environmental activism, reading, listening to podcasts, cooking, and the great outdoors.
Photo by BRIAN LUCO PENA
Composer
Kays Al-Atrakchi
Composer Kays Al-Atrakchi created all of the music heard on The Cinematography Podcast.
After graduating Cum Laude with a Film Scoring degree from Boston's Berklee College of Music, Kays rapidly became one of the key creative forces in the emerging Florida film and music scene of the late 1990s.
Along with a prolific songwriting partnership with Rob Thomas, Kays connected with visionary filmmaker Dan Myrick, with whom they developed a lasting creative relationship. Kays' work ethic, dedication, and curiosity for technology continue to yield original music.