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he says, "We were constantly wetting down the street, us- ing steam and smoke sources to create that thick, layered, old London town quality, or old New York from the fi fties and sixties, where steam's rising from the grates as if the underneath of Gotham is an angry beast." Collaborating closely with series creator Bruno Heller and the late production de- signer Doug Kraner, Cannon cites Alan Moore's classic Watchmen graphic novel and Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns saga as references for the series' sinister tone. He also drew inspiration from Sidney Lumet's 1970s-era New York fi lms and fi lm noir classics from the 1940s, in- cluding Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep. "We imposed that infl uence on the graphic novel approach, where frames are rather bold," Cannon says. To reinforce the show 's vintage vibe, Cannon shot on Alexa cameras fi tted with old Primo lenses. "Regular lenses are great when you shoot contemporary stu and want a super-clear image," he explains, "but there's a softer quality to older lenses that we wanted because we were going for more of a period feeling." Gotham's densely detailed environment prompted viv- id, slightly over-the-top per- formances from Jada Pinkett Smith and Robin Lord Taylor as villainous Fish Mooney and Oswald Cobblepot (aka The Penguin), respectively. Cannon says: "The backing we created for Gotham al- lowed the actors to feel safe about going that added dis- tance because we're just a few degrees left or right from re- ality. The way Jada moves her hands or [Robin] sticks out his chin at people, the actors' physicality really pops. In my mind, it's their performances that elevate the show." Cannon took pains to coax outsized performances from his cast. "Because there's a flamboyance to these char- acters, I worked extensively with Jada. She brought such energy to the character: The more I showed her visually and the more we discussed this world, the more she was able to physically fi nd the role within her." quality to older lenses that ality. The way Jada moves her Danny Cannon, center above, encouraged vivid, over-the-top performances from cast members like Ben McKenzie, right. DGA QUARTERLY 59 PHOTOS: (L-R) JESSICA MIGLIO/WARNER BROS.; FOX