[Watch the video interview on Youtube here]
Film Courage: How did you like the movie Oppenheimer?
Illya Friedman, Founder of Hot Rod Cameras, Entrepreneur, Inventor, Podcaster: I just saw it. I did enjoy it. I’d say this to anyone who’s involved in it, I probably could have cut 40 minutes out of that movie and I think I would have liked it even more but I understand and it definitely feels like a Christopher Nolan style now to really go into some of the minutia. I didn’t know it’s based on existing material, it’s based on a book, haven’t read the book so I don’t know how true it is, but I liked it a lot.
I had some trepidation about seeing it because both of my grandfathers worked on the atomic bomb project and because of that I wasn’t exactly sure exactly how I was going to feel. But, I thought they did a great job.
Film Courage: Did either of your grandfathers tell you about this or maybe you didn’t interact with them?
Illya: My paternal grandfather actually died when my father was 15 of cancer and he was one mile from ground zero at the first Trinity test so he was there with a few other people and was out in the desert the very next day picking out…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
About:
Illya Friedman is an entrepreneur, inventor, cinema technologist, studio builder, podcaster and producer. A renowned camera technologist spanning the eras of film, video and digital cameras, he worked on the team that invented the world’s first 4K cinema camera. Illya got his start working professionally in the camera department in Hollywood in the early 1990s, and is the inventor of camera, lighting and optical products used by filmmakers of every level. Upon opening his company, Hot Rod Cameras, Illya became widely credited as a pioneer in the ‘DSLR Filmmaking Revolution’ and his L.A. based brick and mortar store sells cameras, lenses, lighting, grip and workflow tools to professionals and aspiring professionals alike. Hot Rod is a primary supplier to both the traditional entertainment industry, the new creator economy, and even performs full studio build outs. Along with co-host Ben Rock, Illya created the weekly Cinematography Podcast, which features interviews with hundreds of cinematographers, directors and filmmakers. Notable guests include Academy Award-winning DP’s, such as Robert Richardson, Linus Sandgren, Robert Elswit and Vitorrio Storaro. The show also features prominent directors like Ron Howard, Antonie Fuqua, Ruben Fleischer and Randall Einhorn. Many guests of the podcast are also clients of Hot Rod Cameras. Occasionally, Illya produces feature films, his most recent is a fictional story about young skateboarders in Los Angeles, entitled Concrete Kids. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Roku, Tubi and other platforms.
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