Brandon Scott Trost (born August 29, 1981) is an American cinematographer, screenwriter, and film director whose credits include writing and directing The FP (2011) with his brother Jason, as well as being the cinematographer of several films, including Crank: High Voltage, Halloween II, MacGruber, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and That's My Boy. Trost is also a frequent collaborator with Seth Rogen, including the films This Is the End, Neighbors, The Interview, The Night Before and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Trost's first film as a solo director, An American Pickle, was released in 2020.
Brandon Trost | |
|---|---|
 Trost at the premiere of The FP, 2011 Fantasia Festival | |
| Born | Brandon Scott Trost August 29, 1981 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Alma mater | Los Angeles Film School |
| Occupation(s) | Cinematographer, screenwriter, director, producer, actor |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Relatives | Jason Trost (brother) |
Trost was also the cinematographer of the films Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and its 2024 sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the sequels to the 2020 film adaptation of the video game, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Early life
editTrost was born in 1981 in Los Angeles, California, to Karen (née French)[1] and Ron Trost, a special effects coordinator. His grandfather, Scott Maitland, was an assistant director,[2] and his great-grandfather was a stuntman. His uncle was actor Victor French.[3] He attended Frazier Mountain High School[4] and later graduated from Los Angeles Film School.[5] He grew up in Frazier Park, California with his brother Jason and sister Sarah.[6][7]
Influences
editTrost has cited Andrew Laszlo as one of his favorite cinematographers, calling Streets of Fire "one of the most amazing-looking movies from the 1980s."[8]
Filmography
editDirector
editShort film
- The FP (2007)
- The Day the Dead Weren't Dead (Also producer) (2007)
Feature film
- The FP[a] (2011)
- An American Pickle (2020)
Television
| Year | Title | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Future Man | "Pandora's Mailbox" |
| 2024 | Knuckles | "The Shabbat Dinner" |
Cinematographer
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Deuces | Michael Winnick | |
| 2004 | Lightning Bug | Robert Green Hall | |
| State's Evidence | Benjamin Louis | ||
| 2005 | The Salon | Mark Brown | |
| Val/Val | Gustavo Camelot | With Tobias Datum | |
| Chaos | David DeFalco | ||
| 2006 | Outside Sales | Blayne Weaver | |
| Special Ops: Delta Force | Cole S. McKay | ||
| 2007 | He Was a Quiet Man | Frank Cappello | Jury Award for Best Cinematography |
| Broken Glass | Gustavo Camelot | With Tobias Datum and Alejandro Lalinde | |
| One of Our Own | Abe Levy | ||
| Days of Darkness | Jake Kennedy | ||
| The Last Season | Bryan Kramer | ||
| 2008 | Pulse 2: Afterlife | Joel Soisson | |
| Pulse 3 | |||
| Presence | Brian Kramer | ||
| 2009 | Weather Girl | Blayne Weaver | |
| Crank: High Voltage | Mark Neveldine Brian Taylor |
||
| Halloween II | Rob Zombie | ||
| Karma Kova | Michael Buechler | Documentary film; With Ted Gianopulos and Bradley Ragland | |
| 2010 | A Buddy Story | Marc Erlbaum | |
| MacGruber | Jorma Taccone | ||
| Mad World | Cory Cataldo | ||
| 2011 | The FP | Himself Jason Trost |
|
| Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance | Mark Neveldine Brian Taylor |
||
| 2012 | That's My Boy | Sean Anders | |
| The Lords of Salem | Rob Zombie | ||
| 2013 | This Is the End | Seth Rogen Evan Goldberg |
|
| 2014 | That Awkward Moment | Tom Gormican | |
| Neighbors | Nicholas Stoller | ||
| The Interview | Seth Rogen Evan Goldberg |
||
| 2015 | The Diary of a Teenage Girl | Marielle Heller | Sundance: U.S. drama, special jury award for cinematography |
| Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse | Christopher B. Landon | ||
| The Night Before | Jonathan Levine | ||
| 2016 | Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising | Nicholas Stoller | |
| Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping | Akiva Schaffer Jorma Taccone |
||
| 2017 | The Disaster Artist | James Franco | |
| 2018 | Can You Ever Forgive Me? | Marielle Heller | |
| 2019 | Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile | Joe Berlinger | |
| 2021 | Dear Evan Hansen | Stephen Chbosky | |
| 2022 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Jeff Fowler | |
| Bros | Nicholas Stoller | ||
| 2023 | Coyote vs. Acme | Dave Green | Unreleased[9] |
| 2024 | Nightbitch † | Marielle Heller | Post-production |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 † | Jeff Fowler | ||
| 2025 | The Naked Gun † | Akiva Schaffer | Filming |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Director(s) | Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dark Wall | Toby Wilkins | "6:14" |
| 2017 | Future Man | Seth Rogen Evan Goldberg |
"Pilot" |
| 2018 | Barry | Bill Hader | "Chapter One: Make Your Mark" |
| 2019 | The Righteous Gemstones | Danny McBride | "The Righteous Gemstones" |
| 2024 | Knuckles | Jeff Fowler Ged Wright Jorma Taccone |
"The Warrior" "Don't Ever Say I Wasn't There for You" "The Flames of Disaster" |
Acting roles
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Kazaam | Student | Uncredited |
| 1998 | Rushmore | Vietnamese soldier with rocket launcher | |
| 2004 | Lightning Bug | Seismograph drummer | |
| 2009 | Crank: High Voltage | White Slave Boy | |
| 2010 | MacGruber | Brick's boyfriend | |
| 2013 | This Is the End | Cannibal | Uncredited |
| 2019 | Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile | Interview Cameraman |
Notes
edit- ^ Co-written and co-directed with Jason Trost; credited as "Trost Bros."
References
edit- ^ "Brandon Scott Trost, Born 08/29/1981 in California". California Birth Index. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^ Reynolds, Rebecca (July 1, 2013). "All Indie Family". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ Gale, Wayne (April 18, 2013). "The Lords of Salem - Exclusive Interview with Cinematographer Brandon Trost". Dread Central. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ Barrera, Brandon (August 15, 2008). "Filmmaking Brothers to Make Feature Of 'The FP'". Mountain Enterprise. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "Brandon Trost shoots 'This is the End'". British Cinematographer. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ Mancini, Vince (March 15, 2012). "Smiles Humped All up My Face". The Portland Mercury. Index Publishing. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
- ^ Carey, Anna (March 19, 2012). "Makers of 'The FP' discuss inspiration for their surreal film". The Daily Californian. Independent Berkeley Students Publishing Company.
- ^ S., Iain (March 17, 2011). "SXSW/American Cinematographer: The FP's Brandon Trost". CHUD. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (February 9, 2024). "The Final Days of 'Coyote vs. Acme': Offers, Rejections and a Roadrunner Race Against Time | Exclusive". TheWrap. Retrieved February 9, 2024.