Rohn Schmidt

In The Shield (2002), the camera gives us little opportunity to settle back and admire the composition. Rohn Schmidt’s handheld Super 16mm photography gives Shawn Ryan’s police drama a rough, newsreel-like urgency, well suited to its confrontational dialogue. We felt on edge watching it, because that restless photography makes the exchanges harder to sit back from. It is forceful work, most effective when the actors remain the reason for looking.

Schmidt began as a cinematographer on features and Roger Corman productions in the late 1980s, before moving to films including Lord of Illusions (1995). His directing debut came on The Shield, where he also photographed the majority of episodes across seven seasons. Later directing work includes Saving Grace, Stargate Universe and Chicago P.D. (2014). Those credits should not obscure how much of his work has been in cinematography. That is where his contribution to The Shield is clearest, and where we have the strongest reason to recommend him.

In The Mist (2007), working with director Frank Darabont, Schmidt uses fog and tight framing to heighten isolation and dread. His photography for The Walking Dead draws on graphic novels through wide lenses, extreme framing and high and low angles. The difference is worth noticing: his work is not confined to making a scene look as though a news crew happened to catch it.

The Shield also makes clear how much the photography gains from the work around it. Michael Chiklis provides a compelling centre, while editors including Padraic McKinley and Angela M. Catanzaro keep the ensemble moving without making scenes away from him feel like interruptions. Schmidt’s images serve those performances well, although the insistence on roughness occasionally becomes distracting. The actors are strong enough to hold our attention without quite so much agitation from the camera. Start with The Shield; do not expect a restful evening.