Nickel Boys
SOC Creative Spotlight

A Conversation with Sam Ellison, SOC, Jomo Fray & Nora Mendis​
Hosted by David Daut

What does it mean to see and be seen? That is the question at the heart of Nickel Boys. Not just in the nature of the film’s central creative choice to be presented entirely from a first-person perspective, but also in the story of two young Black men navigating life in the Jim Crow–era South, where everything they choose to—or not to—look at carries with it an enormous weight.

For this SOC Creative Spotlight, we are joined by A camera operator Sam Ellison, SOC; Jomo Fray, director of photography; and Nora Mendis, production designer. They discuss this striking, unique film and the ways in which the choice to shoot entirely from a first-person perspective fundamentally changed every aspect of the film’s design and presented a challenge to the camera operator to not just capture a moment, but replicate the very feeling of sight.

Across three different periods of time, we see through the eyes of Elwood Curtis: the life he had with his grandmother, Hattie; the life that he is forced to rebuild for himself as an adult; and the aftermath of an ill-fated car ride that irrevocably alters the course of his life. Nickel Boys is directed by RaMell Ross from a screenplay by Ross and Joslyn Barnes and stars Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Aunjanue Ellis-Tayor, Hamish Linklater, and Daveed Diggs.

SOC Creative Spotlight: Nickel Boys

A Conversation with Sam Ellison, SOC, Jomo Fray & Nora Mendis

Hosted by David Daut

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Sam Ellison, SOC

Sam Ellison, SOC, is a camera operator and cinematographer based in New York City. He works between feature film, documentary, and television, and has twice been nominated for the SOC’s Camera Operator of the Year Award, for Severance (2022) and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). His other notable credits include Nickel Boys (2024), The Penguin (2024), The Jinx (2024), Dead Ringers (2023), I Know This Much is True (2020), and Academy Award–winner Manchester By The Sea (2016).

His debut feature documentary, Chèche Lavi (Looking for Life), premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2019 and played at more than 40 film festivals around the world, winning Best Cinematography at the Atlanta Film Festival 2020 and Best Documentary Director at RiverRun 2020. He received a BA from Harvard College in 2008 and an MFA from Stanford University in 2017.

Jomo Fray

Jomo Fray is an award-winning cinematographer whose work has been screened worldwide. Utilizing a strong background in visual aesthetics and philosophy, his aim is to create innovative and evocative visual stories based in empathy. He seeks to build upon a long tradition of what he calls experiential storytelling—films that strive to have the viewer not only see the story, but feel it as well. 

Some recent honors include a 2024 Independent Spirit Award nomination for his work on the film All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. He was also featured as one of the 2018 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine as well as one of the 2022 American Cinematographer Magazine’s Rising Stars of Cinematography. His most recent feature film work includes Selah and the Spades (Sundance 2019), Port Authority (Cannes 2019), No Future (Tribeca 2020), Runner (TIFF 2022), All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Sundance 2023), and The Young Wife (SXSW 2023). Television credits include Terence Nance’s Random Acts of Flyness and Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad. He has also shot commercial content for Nike, Dove, Tumi, Levi, and other premium brands. He attended Brown University for his undergraduate education and received his MFA in Cinematography at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Nora Mendis

Nora Mendis is a powerhouse in production design whose work consistently elevates the films and series she works on. She is renowned for her ability to create visually stunning and emotionally charged environments that enhance the narrative. Her upcoming work on Nickel Boys (Dir. RaMell Ross) is highly anticipated, showcasing her exceptional talent for blending historical authenticity with compelling storytelling. Nora’s career is marked by collaborations with visionary directors like Janicza Bravo, Terence Nance, and Crystal Moselle. Her work on Passing (Dir. Rebecca Hall), a period film set in 1920s New York and shot in black-and-white, is a testament to her meticulous attention to detail and her skill in bringing the past to life. 

Nora won the Mario Serandrei Award at the Venice film festival for Best Technical Achievement on the film Topside (Dirs. Celine Held and Logan George). She designed the pilots Kindred with director Janicza Bravo, Hot Pink with director Desiree Akhavan, and designed two seasons of HBO’s Betty (Dir. Crystal Moselle), capturing the vibrant and raw energy of the show. Nora also designed the groundbreaking set for Couples Therapy. Her portfolio is rich with standout projects, including Random Acts of Flyness (created by Terence Nance); Goldie (Dir. Sam de Jong), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival; and several films that debuted at Sundance: The Sound of Silence (Dir. Michael Tyburski), Adam (Dir. Rhys Ernst), and The Incredible Jessica James (Dir. Jim Strouse).

A writer and critic for more than a decade, David Daut specializes in analysis of genre cinema and immersive media. In addition to his work for Camera Operator and other publications, David is also the co-creator of Hollow Medium, a “recovered audio” ghost story podcast. David studied at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and works as a freelance writer based out of Long Beach, California.

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