NFS: Hey Nick! Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing spent several weeks in Netflix’s Top Ten upon its release earlier this year. What was it like to see the project find such a wide audience?
NK: The big reason Claire, Sophie, and the rest of the kids decided to share their stories was to offer a cautionary tale to their generation, so to see the series reach such heights gives me hope that the message might have hit home.
NFS: The series walks a fine line as it explores both the tragedy and the absurdity of these young influencers’ lives. How did you aim to capture those dueling elements in the visual palette of the show?
NK When I first learned about the story, my gut instinct was to really lean into the shadows and create a relatively moody look. But after subsequent conversations with directors Jenna Roshar and Kief Davidson, my approach somewhat evolved. While we were never going to avoid the tragic nature of the story, we also felt it was important to highlight the perseverance and hope demonstrated by the kids as they navigated the traumatic fallout. So, for example, you’ll notice that for most of the interviews we positioned a “sunlit” window in the background, and many of the verité sequences also feel sunny and bright. In particular, the exterior scenes with Claire and Sophie or the group TikTok on the roof are both playful and vibrant. However, by carefully controlling the contrast on faces and backgrounds, we were able to simultaneously convey an appropriate level of seriousness, especially for the interviews.
NFS: Who were some of your key collaborators on Bad Influence?
NK: In my crew were Marlon Savenelli, my gaffer, Andy Sladek, my AC and cam op, and then also Han Radjawane, who served as DIT but also chipped in as a grip. Nowadays, at least with my projects, you really need a tightly knit crew who together can punch above their weight. Marlon and I were constantly trying to iterate on our frames based on what we felt was working well. He’s like me: not satisfied with ‘good enough.’ Andy and I have been in the trenches together for years now, and we have a shared language that’s so invaluable. Han did a bit of everything in addition to making sure we were maintaining consistent IRE levels and ratios throughout the series. Also, we’re all friends outside of set, and I find the work really benefits when you like the folks you’re making frames with.
NFS: You previously won an Emmy for your cinematography on Showtime’s The Trade. What kinds of ethical and creative considerations went into your work capturing the struggles of migrants attempting to cross the border into the United States?
NK: When you’re shooting with marginalized communities, it’s important to ensure that the subjects understand the consequences and implications of being on camera before beginning. And when you’re working with victims of sexual abuse, the issue of consent becomes even more complex and dire. To be honest, these situations are always unique and oftentimes fluid, so the crew and production are having constant conversations about ethical considerations based on ground conditions. And then, from a creative standpoint, the show is all about deep immersion and observational cinematography. Most of the time, it was just me and a producer in the field, and in many instances, only me in the room while we’re rolling. In such environments where you have limited control over the environment, I shoot very reactively and instinctively. You have to have a tight grasp on the emotional undertones of each scene, and then it becomes almost like a dance between camera and subject. I am ultimately very proud of how we navigated the psychological and physical intricacies of The Trade and managed to craft some compelling imagery and storylines along the way.
Nick Kraus Credit: Nick Kraus
NFS: Considering your background shooting a variety of different documentaries, what are the elements you look for in a great nonfiction project?
NK: First and foremost, I look for a director with whom I have chemistry and shared tastes. Secondly, I look for interesting characters who are undergoing some kind of internal struggle that is playing out externally. And thirdly, I want to make sure we have the right team and resources in place to pull it off.
NFS: I also understand you shot several episodes of VICE News Tonight. Do you have any memorable anecdotes from your time on such an unpredictable news program?
NK: Ah, so many! I was one of the staff DP’s responsible for crafting the look of the show. In the three years I was with VICE, I probably shot over 100 pieces around the world. To just name a few: diving the Great Barrier Reef, taking in a mother’s grief after Sandy Hook, the devastation of the war in Afghanistan, and the fires in the American West. As a cinematographer working in documentary, I’m oftentimes dropped into someone’s world as it’s being stretched or condensed, testing the limits of human capacity. While it can be devastatingly sad at times to witness, these experiences also can offer hope and inspiration. My job is such a gift in that respect.
NFS: Can you tell us more about your work on the recently released Vitalik: An Ethereum Story? What was it like to capture an enigmatic figure like Vitalik Buterin?
NK: Director Zach Ingraci and I originally envisioned a very patient, composed look and feel to the film. We’d shoot on primes, locked down on sticks, and really try to seek out strong geometry and symmetry within our frame. However, during our first shoot, we found that this strategy didn’t totally mesh with Vitalik. He’s extremely curious and quite perceptive, so we realized that the camera needed to be highly mobile and as invisible as possible to gain access to the moments we wanted to capture. Plus, we ended up in some fluid situations like Ukraine, where being light-footed was very advantageous. For the sit-down interviews, however, we were able to devise a very cool and motivated look. The concept behind the name Ethereum is Ether, this mysterious, invisible substance theorized to pervade the universe. While the science was eventually debunked, Vitalik was drawn to the notion and named his cryptocurrency after it. So, Zach came to me and said, "How do we make our interview light feel viscous like Ether?" That was a fun prompt! We did a bunch of testing and ultimately landed on these nifty Lindsay Swirl filters. When you ping the filtered lens directly with a light, it yields a controllable flare that looks almost like someone painted on top of the image. Those frames took much longer to set up, but I was super happy with how they turned out.
Nick KrausCredit: Nick Kraus
NFS: Do you have any other upcoming projects you can tell us about?
NK: I have a few projects on the horizon. The Alabama Solution, directed by Charlotte Kaufman and Andrew Jarecki, is an incredibly powerful exposé of the inhumanity of the American prison system. Shot over the course of seven years in Alabama, the film blends documentary filmmaking with investigative journalism as we attempted to shed light in some very dark spaces, whether we were welcomed or not. It will be one of the more important films I ever work on in terms of its social impact.
In a completely different direction, I’m also shooting a scripted comedy short with director Katy Yeiser and writer Dan McGraw – both former Onion folks – about a terribly anxious man contemplating purchasing a new leather jacket. It’s a quiet film that meanders into some dark territory, and yet I’ve been struggling to hold in my laughter during the shoot days so far.
Lastly, I just started working with director Emma Shwartz and Maxine Productions on a new investigative docuseries series surrounding a high-profile sexual abuse case. I can’t go into the details, but I’m super excited about it. We’ve been shooting in some beautiful locations, which plays into the interesting anamorphic look we’ve cooked up.
![How to Write a Screenplay [FREE 100-page eBook]](https://nofilmschool.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52108916&width=1245&height=700&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C242%2C0%2C242)
Nick Kraus Credit: Nick Kraus
Nick KrausCredit: Nick Kraus 
