Women Cinematographers, Ageism & Why Film Is Back | Nancy Schreiber
Women cinematographers are the directors of photography who decide how every frame of a film or TV show looks, and Nancy Schreiber ASC has been one of the most respected of them for decades.
If you've ever been told you're too old, too early, or the wrong fit for the work you love, this conversation is for you. Nancy answered an ad in the Village Voice, landed on a crew as a production assistant, and worked her way up to gaffer in New York. When nobody would hire a woman to shoot, she borrowed a 16mm camera and made her own film.
In this episode of The Holly Hughes Podcast, Holly Hughes, TEDx speaker, author of Real, Not Perfect, and former Hollywood production coordinator, reconnects with the award-winning cinematographer she first met as a PA on Lush Life.
Nancy Schreiber ASC, the first woman to receive the American Society of Cinematographers President's Award, explains why women directors still hesitate to hire women DPs, how double-up days and LUTs shape episodic TV, and why shooting on film is back in 2026. She also shares Seeing Stars, the disability-themed musical film she is directing and shooting in New York. Once it's in your blood, you don't retire. You keep shooting.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
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How women cinematographers broke in before film school was the path, from Nancy's jump from electrician and gaffer to shooting Columbia University shorts on a 16mm camera her mentor loaned her.
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Why women directors still hesitate to hire women cinematographers, and what Nancy Schreiber ASC tells director friends who complain that their male DPs keep trying to take over the set.
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Whether shooting on film is really back, why a new generation is choosing analog the way it chose vinyl, and why Nancy still prefers filters in camera over fixing it in post.
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How episodic TV cinematography actually works, from alternating DPs and double-up days to protecting a show's visual signature when a new director walks in every episode.
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What a LUT, or lookup table, does for a director of photography, and how carrying one look from dailies to the final color grade protects a streaming series.
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Why ageism in Hollywood keeps experienced crew out of the room, and how Nancy stays strong, keeps hauling heavy cameras, and flat out refuses to retire.
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How Nancy uses AI to break down the script for Seeing Stars, Ellen Gould's disability-themed musical about five women living with Stargardt disease.
If you enjoy conversations about creativity, storytelling, personal growth, podcasting, and authentic living, be sure to subscribe for more episodes of The Holly Hughes Podcast.
We talk about:
00:00 Meet award-winning cinematographer Nancy Schreiber ASC
03:14 How did a gaffer become a cinematographer
05:02 The mentor who loaned her a 16mm camera
08:17 Why she was told she could not direct and shoot
09:21 Ageism in Hollywood and refusing to retire
10:37 Is shooting on film making a comeback
13:49 Why don't women directors hire women cinematographers
17:54 How episodic TV cinematography really works
28:18 Using AI to break down a film script
30:29 Seeing Stars and hiding a visual disability
34:56 Is a cinematographer the same as a DP
44:00 Nancy's warning label and a full circle moment
If you are looking for a way to actively journal to reveal and heal the thoughts, emotions, and truth you’ve been hiding your whole life check out my guided journal, Heal to Real here: https://linktr.ee/hollyhughesintuitive
Connect with Nancy
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancyschreiber_asc
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Website: https://nancyschreiber.com/
Connect with Holly