During this period he first worked with frequent collaborator Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) in addition to other directors in the New York independent film world including: Todd Solondz (Storytelling), Paul Schrader (Auto Focus) and Spike Lee (25th Hour).

After a short break from features to help care for his young daughter, Chinlund returned to the feature world in 2012 to work on The Avengers for Marvel which set a record for the highest grossing opening weekend ever.

Two for his work on the Fox films Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes directed by Matt Reeves, and most recently for his work on The Lion King directed by Jon Favreau which was the first feature film ever shot entirely in Virtual Reality.

Collaborators include: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Rupert Sanders, Spike Jonze, Marc Forster, Lance Acord, Gus Van Sant and Harmony Korine.

James was a production designer on The Batman directed by Matt Reeves, which was released on March 4, 2022.