Director of Photography, Camera Operator. Location: Texas, United States.
#FlashbackFriday #FBF Do you remember our Community Spotlight with Taylor Rudd?
“I work with the director and create the image that represents his or her vision. I have to factor in everything – from focal length and camera placement to lighting and set design – in order to capture the scene in a manner appropriate to the story. The director determines how involved I am with the production. You truly need to be a jack-of-all-trades, as you are the middleman between the camera and lighting department, as well as the director’s technical resource on what they can and cannot do with the camera. Cinematography is the fusion of technical skill with creative vision. You must first know your tools inside out before you can manipulate them to break the rules.”
Biggest Challenge:
“I was asked to be the DP on a short film a friend (fellow studentfilmmakers.com site user, ‘bkgarceau’) was directing. I had just wrapped on another short film that went a week past schedule, and we were attempting to complete this film in 14 days for a film festival. We only had days to shoot, as we were both going to NAB for an internship with Sony. Everyone who worked on the film was also a full-time student – the director and I were both taking 18 hours of classes. On top of that, our lead actor (Justin Locklear) could only shoot on one of those days.”
Solution:
“With a tight shooting schedule, willing actors (Lindsay Hallin, Justin Locklear, and Michael Herbert), and an excellent producer (Ashley Smith), we completed principal photography in days. The following week was spent in Las Vegas working at NAB in the day and editing in the hotel room at night. The film made it to the Black Glasses Film Festival and won 3 of 6 awards. We shot all of our lead actor’s scenes in one 16 hour day – he went on to win Best Actor. The film also won Best Cinematography and Audience Choice for Best Film.”
Favorite Technique:
“When illuminating a scene, light with one light at a time. Flooding the set with lights is easy – you’re able to see the actors, but the lighting should reflect the mood and intention of the scene. By focusing on one light at a time, I ensure I am not being careless with the story.”
Filmography includes:
1st AC for feature-length film Endings
DP for short film Violet
DP for short film Thirty Pages
DP for documentary Generations
Co-Director/ Editor for short form documentary From the Flight Light
Director for promotional documentary in Honduras, Señas de Amor [Signs of Love] Promo
Co-Director/DP for short film Ruse
Favorite tool:
“My Rocket Blower (a little squeeze ball that shoots air out of the nozzle). It comes in handy when blowing bits of loose dust off of the lens and camera.”
Join the Filmmakers Network or Update Your Profile!
networking.studentfilmmakers.com
Subscribe to StudentFilmmakers Magazine
StudentFilmmakers Magazine: Each issue addresses the needs of the five distinct phases of film and video making.
