Everything You Need to Master Sports Cinematography in 2026
· 1 h 16 min
Episode Everything You Need to Master Sports Cinematography in 2026
6 Questions to Ask on a Discovery Call (FREE download) https://the505podcast.beehiiv.com/products/6questions What’s up Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Dom, aka Dom The DP, a longtime freelance cinematographer best known for shooting with NFL Films. Dom has captured 16 Super Bowls, worked across 20 NFL seasons, and recently won an Emmy for Netflix’s Quarterback. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to shoot football at the highest level, how NFL Films captures the story of a game in real time, the difference between regular season and Super Bowl assignments, why getting called back as a freelancer is about more than just being talented, the transition from film to digital, the shot that still haunts him, and what young sports filmmakers need to know if they want to break into the industry. Check out Dom here: https://www.instagram.com/domthedp/ 00:00 – Intro 01:01 – One-Handed Crack 01:54 – Shooting 16 Super Bowls 03:24 – How Super Bowl Camera Assignments Work 04:22 – Shooting Regular Season vs Super Bowl 05:34 – Sync Sound, Frame Rates, and NFL Films Coverage 06:32 – How to Shoot Better Football 08:54 – Dom’s First 10 Years Shooting on Film 10:23 – The History of High-Speed Football Shots 11:23 – The Lens Setup NFL Films Uses 12:36 – What a Weasel Camera Operator Does 13:19 – Finding the Best Backlight in a Stadium 14:35 – What Dom Would Tell a First-Time Shooter 15:46 – Why You Have to Love Football to Shoot It Well 17:56 – How Producer Notes Shape Coverage 20:06 – Inside the NFL Films Archive 21:32 – Where to Stand During Live Game Action 23:50 – Working Your Way Up at NFL Films 25:39 – Why Mic’d Up Moments Matter So Much 27:08 – Dom’s Go-To Football Lens 29:11 – Dom’s Favorite Gameplay and Mic’d Up Moments 32:21 – Shooting Film vs Shooting Digital 34:04 – How Much Time You Got on One Roll of Film 38:23 – The Shot That Still Haunts Dom 38:54 – The Minneapolis Miracle 42:28 – Learning From Missed Shots 44:17 – Getting Called Back as a Freelancer 45:42 – Why Being Likeable Matters in This Industry 47:49 – Dom’s Full-Time Jobs Before Freelancing 51:42 – Winning an Emmy for Netflix’s Quarterback 52:05 – Shooting Netflix Receiver and Quarterback 56:12 – Sports Cinematography Advice Dom Disagrees With 59:36 – Dom’s NFL Films Internship 1:02:28 – Advice for Young Sports Filmmakers 1:05:49 – Balancing Freelance Work, Family, and Travel 1:10:15 – NFL International Games 1:12:24 – Traveling Internationally With Camera Gear 1:14:51 – Shooting YouTube Content on an Alexa 35 1:15:37 – Wrapping the Episode With Dom If you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/
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