"Happy Gilmore 2": DP Zak Mulligan Tees Up on Revisiting a Comedy Classic

Filmmaker Interview: How DP Zak Mulligan Made Nostalgia Fresh in Happy Gilmore 2

Mulligan first met Newacheck when he shot Sandler's sports comedy-drama Hustle, bringing him into the Happy Madison family and setting the stage for him to take the visual reins on Happy Gilmore 2. The original film was an iconic part of the cinematographer's childhood, which gave him a unique perspective into the sequel. 

"I can still remember watching [Happy Gilmore] with friends and quoting the lines endlessly," Mulligan said. "Reading the new script felt like being invited back into a world I knew by heart, but now with the chance to help shape a whole new chapter. There was something both nostalgic and fresh about it. That combination is a rare gift for a cinematographer."

Mulligan's work is deeply rooted in dramatic storytelling, and Happy Gilmore 2 would be the cinematographer's first comedic project. However, Mulligan discovered striking similarities between the stories he'd already explored and the new comedy world he was venturing into.

"It was a real journey for me. I came in expecting drama and comedy to feel like completely different muscles, but I learned quickly that they share the same DNA," Mulligan said. "The real challenge was in calibrating tone. I wanted the camera to support the joke without ever being the joke unless that was intentional.”

"Sometimes that meant staying wide and letting the absurdity breathe. Sometimes it meant revealing something in a way that surprises the audience."

Crafting a sequel can be a difficult task for any creative but following in the footsteps of a comedy classic poses storytelling challenges that must meet the expectations of adoring fans. To discover the visual language of Happy Gilmore 2, Mulligan and Newacheck diligently prepped and explored compositions that evolve over the course of the story. 

"From the beginning, we knew this movie could not simply look like the first Happy Gilmore. Happy himself has changed, so the world around him had to feel different too," Mulligan said.  "Early in the film, the visuals are more grounded, even understated, reflecting where he is in life now. As the story escalates, the camera work starts to open up and lean into the spectacle. We were always thinking about how the audience's emotional journey could be mirrored visually."

Filmmaker Interview: Why Mulligan Chose the Sony Cinema Line to Lens Happy Gilmore 2

During production, uncertain weather constantly changed exterior lighting conditions and stringent golf course rules restricted the type of equipment the team could bring onto the green. Mulligan needed a camera system that would scale with his needs, provide consistent imagery across his entire toolkit, and enable the crew to move efficiently from scene to scene. 

"The VENICE 2, along with the whole [Sony Cinema Line], gave us a scalable toolkit for whatever crazy idea we wanted to pull off," Mulligan said. "Our A camera was the VENICE 2, but the Rialto extension [system] was a game changer for mounting in golf carts and other tight spots. The FX6s and FX3s became our go-to for drone work, crash cams, and specialty rigs. We even mounted an FX3 directly to a golf club, which was light enough for the actors to swing naturally."

"The golf courses had strict rules against big overheads or fly swatters, so we had to think smart and stay nimble. That is where the FX3 and FX6 really shined," Mulligan added. "They were light, compact, and could slip into rigs or angles that would have been impossible otherwise.”

This combination of versatility and freedom was the key to capturing the comedic moments that audiences were expecting from Happy during his time on the green. But the toolkit also gave Mulligan and his team creative opportunities to explore unique types of coverage. 

In one example, the FX6 was paired with ENG lenses that mimicked ESPN-style footage — as the FX6 is often used to capture sports — allowing Mulligan to mix the layers of live sports and cinema in Happy Gilmore 2.

"We frequently used the FX6 as a news camera," Dobbertin explained. "I would rig it out with an ENG lens in a way that would let it fit into the world, yet we could still record what that camera was recording and have it done in a way that our DIT can keep exposure and check on all of our settings.”

The VENICE 2 provided the camera team with the tools they needed to tackle the lighting challenges posed by inconsistent weather, while also offering creative opportunities for contrasting compositions using different lenses. 

"The built-in ND filters on the VENICE 2 are worth their weight in gold for exterior work," Mulligan said. "Shooting golf in New Jersey during late summer and fall meant we were dealing with four seasons' worth of light in a single afternoon. If a cloud rolled in or the sun blasted out again, we could adapt instantly without slowing down performance."

By using the Dual ISO, the VENICE 2 cameras could be fitted with telephoto zooms and super-fast primes without a mismatch in exposure. Even probe lenses were used with filters to tap a golf ball and mimic a golf club hitting the ball. 

"[We had] one camera on this crazy zoom lens that required so much light to be able to photograph anything with, and the other one next to it is on a prime that's shooting wide open at a T1.7," Dobbertin added. "The ability to have two cameras next to each other and have the settings be so wildly different but have it match in post was so unbelievably useful."

Even with such a large set of cameras at his disposal, Mulligan found that he could rely on the entire ecosystem to work cohesively. Skin tones and colors remained consistent across all the cameras, even in changing, mixed, and low-light scenarios. 

"Because we dialed in our color pipeline early, the footage from all these cameras matched beautifully, which kept the visual consistency that was so important for the film's tone," Mulligan said. "It still surprises me with how beautifully [the VENICE 2] renders skin tones and handles mixed light. The dynamic range gives you so much freedom to work with difficult contrast, and the low-light performance lets you lean into practical sources at night without fear."

"The latitude of the chip itself is quite unparalleled," Dobbertin added. "We were able to shoot straight at the sun while shooting in the opposite direction and get an image that we were able to work into something that looks very polished, very put together, and very precise."

This support enabled the cinematographer to take bold creative risks. Even with technically risky sequences, Mulligan could explore creative opportunities instead of playing it safe, leading to unique sets, custom camera rigs, and distinct perspectives. 

"The final hole of Maxi was easily the toughest. We shot it over five days in the fall, which meant light continuity was a constant battle," Mulligan said. "The scene also called for the green to spin, and we wanted the physics to feel real, so the art department built an actual spinning green on a motion base."

"For one of the signature shots, we used a rig the crew nicknamed The Aardvark. It was a stripped-down VENICE 2 mounted on a cheese plate and connected to beach wheels, allowing us to roll right on the turf and create a dynamic golf ball POV as it traveled across the green."

Finding Confidence and Trust in Collaboration, Tools, and Creative Problem Solving

Happy Gilmore 2 was a project of discovery for Mulligan. Finding trust in his tools fed his creativity and pushed him to take risks. Risks that rewarded not only the filmmaker, but also an eager audience.

"On this film, the surprise was how much the flexibility of the camera encouraged risk-taking," Mulligan said. "Between the Rialto's adaptability, the clean color science, and the confidence that no matter the setup, we could deliver the same quality, I felt free to chase shots in the moment that might have felt too technically risky on another system. That sense of trust in your tools really does feed creativity.”

This trust extended beyond the confines of the camera, creating a unity within the crew that enabled them to tell Happy's story in a new light, while also honoring the original narrative. 

"Working on Happy Gilmore 2 was a reminder of why I love this job. It was a blend of technical problem-solving, creative storytelling, and collaboration with a team that trusted each other completely," Mulligan said. "The VENICE 2 was a constant ally, whether we were chasing golden light on a fairway or rigging it in the strangest of places. It allowed us to honor the spirit of the original while giving the sequel its own visual identity."

To see Mulligan's work, stream Happy Gilmore 2 now on Netflix. To learn more about the Sony VENICE 2 and the other cameras in the Sony Cinema Line, explore our Camera Comparison Chart.