Zoic Executive Creative Director and contributing Banshee Director Loni Peristere brings his VFX and commercial directing expertise to his Television directorial debut for Season 2 of the Cinemax hit action show.
Loni Peristere on set
How did you initially get involved with Cinemax to potentially direct for Season 2 of Banshee?
The Showrunner, Greg Yaitanes and I worked together on a Fox series called “Drive.” The Visual Effects for the show were nominated for an Emmy, the first program to originate on the Internet, in fact, to be nominated. As the sequence never “aired.”
Greg and I remained friends as my commercial career took off. Before the first season Banshee, he asked if I would be interested in directing an episode. I was. Timing didn’t work out. The following year it did.
How have you leveraged your experience directing commercials to direct for TV?
The series has strong action visual component, which is what I’ve been doing with the Bandito Brothers for the last few years. I was certainly able to use that experience to help elevate the style and I’m looking forward to doing more of that this season. Incorporating bleeding edge tools like Movi!
What were some of the major differences from directing commercials?
Time. In a commercial production you spend weeks planning 30 seconds. Your shoot days may only include a few set ups. On television, that pace is highly accelerated. We shoot on average 30 setups a day.
The expectations are however just as high, so to make great television, your director prep is the most important part of the process.
Were you already a fan of the show?
It was Greg’s show and we’d discussed directing on season one. Zoic also did some of the effects. So I read the scripts, which were great, then watched the series becoming an instant fan.
As a director, what piqued your interest in this show in particular?
I’m huge Film Noir fan/buff. I love the pulp novels of Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and Dashell Hammett. I also loved Cronnenberg’s History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Banshee was written from this cannon. It also had the good time action set pieces I loved from the films my Dad took me to in the eighties like Lethal Weapon.
How was it working with Greg Yaitanes? Was the team, as a whole, collaborative?
Greg has been the perfect mentor. He is decisive, exacting, and passionate about the medium and storytelling in general. I find we are almost always striving to exceed the medium and invent. Jonathan Tropper writes character and he provided a platform whose focus was centered there. Doug Young, who wrote the episodes I directed, was focused on clear storytelling.
Chris Faloona, the DP, was one of the best I’ve ever worked with. Commercials allow you the luxury of working with the best of best, and Chris lived up to and exceeded all around. He touches everything, always making the story better. It’s a great team. And the talent—Antony Starr, Ivana—the entire team is exceptional. The cast is committed to making the characters real! I love the passion they pour into it. They give the whole tank of gas.
Did you collaborate much with writer Doug Jung?
Doug and I were married in Banshee. We truly worked through our two hours as a team. Doug was there through prep, on the set, and in post. The writer’s position on the set in television is essential. Not only do they track their narrative, but they also track character and performance for the team. This allows for spontaneity with the actors and forensic performance.
You are no stranger to heavy action sequences. What are some of your approaches to tackling scenes with such heavy logistics?
Preparation is everything. At the outset, planning answers and questions across your departments leads to resolution before shooting begins. This includes storyboards, previz at times, and extensive collaboration with your ADs. With this prep, each member of your team comes prepared to exact the unthinkable. This prep, also frees up time to experiment on set, which allows the actors to discover and make even bolder choices without jeopardizing the schedule. Marcus Young, Jimmy Romano, and their stunt team put together elaborate stunt pre-viz for every fight. These are edited and often have effects. The pre-viz is used during rehearsal by the actors to make sure they land every punch, and there’s a camera there to catch it.
Was it advantageous for you as a director to be able to have such a close working relationship with the VFX team? Do you feel you were able to do more with the VFX sequences because of this?
The VFX experience and the Zoic team create confidence in production. Their planning and presence on the shoot again allowed us to save time during the shoot and in post. Banshee’s effects are the hidden kind, the best kind. The elaborate fire sequence at the end of Episode 7 is a great example of this. A marriage between Ray Bivens, SFX, and Zoic. Ray blew up the factory and Zoic laid in the resulting aftermath, because Ray’s bombs were superficial.
What were some of the specific challenges for Episode 8?
Episode 8 is a character driven episode, hinging on revenge. There was great deal of emotion for everyone. I’m very proud of Demetrius Grosse. He’s exceptional in this episode.
What is the most exciting part of working on this show for you as a director?
The creative landscape and freedom working for HBO/Cinemax provides. They truly give you a premium experience, allowing for adequate prep, creative development, and enough time for quality filmmaking. Coupled with Greg’s leadership and Jonathan’s narrative this makes a pretty great soup!