Director of photography Blake McClure, ASC shoots in a wide variety of styles, across multiple genres.
He’s currently in production on a new Ryan Murphy series Grotesquerie; starring Niecy Nash, Lesley Manville, Travis Kelce and Courtney B. Vance. He previously wrapped production on Season 2 of Apple TVs, Loot and was just nominated for an ASC award in the Half-Hour category for his work on season 2 of the Starz series, Minx; starring Ophelia Lovibond, Jake Johnson, Oscar Montoya, and Lennon Parham.
In addition, McClure shot seasons 2-4 of the TBS Anthology Series, Miracle Workers, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi; including directing episodes 408 & 307. Seasons 1 & 2 of the NBC series, A.P. Bio, starring Glenn Howerton, Patton Oswalt and Paula Pell; including directing episode 208. He shot episodes 7 & 8 of the Hulu limited series, The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried, William H. Macy, and Naveen Andrews and various episodes on American Crime Story: Impeachment, Hollywood & Ratched, all for Ryan Murphy TV.
In 2014, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) honored McClure with the Award for Best Cinematography in a Half-Hour Episodic Series for his work on the first season of Drunk History. The show focuses each episode on a famous moment in history as narrated by a drunk person and acted out by a cast of famous comedians. Every episode of Drunk History takes place during a different time period, for which McClure created an entirely new look and tone for each story – displaying his diverse skills with lighting styles, lenses and camera movement. He shot seasons 1-4.
Other TV series McClure has lensed include: Still the King for CMT; You’re the Worst for FX; and Big Time in Hollywood, FL. for Comedy Central. He also filmed numerous segments for NBC’s hit show, Saturday Night Live!
McClure’s earliest on-set experiences include working as a PA on the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? shot by Sir Roger Deakins. He credits those two months on set with Deakins with teaching him as much about cinematography as he learned in film school. McClure has worked in almost every department, from editing and casting to the camera department, before narrowing his focus to his preferred role of cinematographer.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, McClure got his first spark of inspiration from an unlikely source, the Ernest movies (Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Scared Stupid, etc.), because they filmed in and around his East Nashville neighborhood. Seeing crews moving about and setting up big lights revealed the world of filmmaking to McClure, who went on to attend and graduate from Watkins Film School.
While always striving to innovate with his lighting, McClure takes great pleasure in the collaborative nature of filmmaking. He values working with actors, crew and directors to tell a story above all else. He has shot in a variety of locations including Prague, Cambodia, Mexico City, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Copenhagen, Toronto and all over the United States.
McClure is currently based in Los Angeles. A member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) and represented by UTA.
CV available upon request.