Cinematographers
Interviews - Cinematographers
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Vincent Laforet on Directing, Cinematography and Knowing Your Craft
Vincent Laforet is a Los Angeles based director and DP who has directed a number of commercials and short narrative films. A prize winning still photographer who has worked for The New York Times, he is perhaps best known for Reverie, the short movie that introduced the world to the video capabilities of the Canon 5D Mark II. Laforet is currently undertaking a US workshop tour with the Directing Motion workshop, which will visit 32 cities over the next ten weeks. “I knew that there was a hunger for learning about the craft of filmmaking, and I thought this would be […]
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Five Questions for Twenty Feet from Stardom Cinematographer Nicola Marsh
Nicola Marsh was one of two cinematographers for Twenty Feet from Stardom, this year’s Oscar winner for Best Documentary. She’s worked with director Morgan Neville on a number of projects, including Troubadours and The Night James Brown Saved Boston as well as other directors including Cameron Crowe on Pearl Jam Twenty and The Union. Marsh, who has just finished shooting a reality show in the Caribbean, spoke to us about shooting Twenty Feet from Stardom, the different cameras used on the project and the hidden strengths of older lenses. Filmmaker: For Twenty Feet from Stardom you were shooting with […]
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The Women of SXSW: Evaporating Borders Director Iva Radivojevic
Following “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of interviews highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this interview, she talks with the director of the hybrid documentary, Evaporating Borders, Iva Radivojevic. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Radivojevic: It was one of those ideas that keeps churning in your stomach for years and years and finally finds a way to come out. The film is also personal and has to do with who I am and my experience (although […]
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Interview with Watchers of the Sky D.P. Mai Iskander
Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Iskander: Edet Belzberg’s film Children Underground was one of my favorite docs. When I went to meet her for the first time to talk about potentially working on her new film, I was simply excited to meet her and hear about her experiences as a documentary filmmaker. So I was thrilled to be have the opportunity to work with her on Watchers of the Sky. The prospect of traveling to Chad and working closely with Edet was very exciting. Filmmaker: Why do you think you were the right choice to D.P. each film? Iskander: […]
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Women of Sundance: The Foxy Merkins
“How elaborate is the camera?” The Foxy Merkins director Madeleine Olnek texted me as I was walking to photograph her with her female laden crew at Columbus Circle. “We would like to stage ourselves being hit by a cab,” she explained simply and obviously. As it happened, a few months prior to making The Foxy Merkins, a film about lesbian hookers, Olnek was in a taxi driven by a woman named Debbie. They got to talking and Debbie threw out the “If you ever need an [insert random gender, race, or career here]” phrase filmmakers always get. In Debbie’s case it […]
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Interview with The Skeleton Twins and War Story D.P. Reed Morano, ASC
When you meet cinematographer Reed Morano, ASC, you immediately start to think of cultivating ways you could maybe become a little cooler, because she seems to do life – in general – so well. For our photoshoot, Morano invited me over to her home in Brooklyn, which she shares with her husband and two young sons, who are five and three. Her apartment is cozy and magically extends outside into an unusually large Narnia-esque garden, replete with a swing set and slide for her kids to play on. Her kids are like calm, respectful, independent yet obedient unicorns: “We just […]
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Interview with E-TEAM D.P. Rachel Beth Anderson
Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Anderson: For me shooting for this film was a fast YES after learning about the E-Team concept, and knowing I would be working in Syria with Human Rights Watch. I had recently witnessed HRW in action while filming during the Egyptian and Libyan uprisings and respected the quality of their work. It had been difficult to watch the devastating situation in Syria unfold from affair, but with this film I knew I would be in safest hands possible smuggling across the border with an HRW team. Filmmaker: How much of your […]
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Appropriate Behavior and Obvious Child D.P. Chris Teague
In every young filmmaking scene, there are always one or two up-and-coming DPs you want to shoot your movie. These are the guys, or women, who have shot award-winning student films, who have loyal crews, and who know how to bring extra style, assurance and compositional smarts to first-time features. In the New York independent film community, Chris Teague has been one of those folks, and this year his talents are receiving greater recognition at Sundance, where two of his narrative feature films are debuting. In the Premiere section is the debut of Gillian Robespierre’s Obvious Child, a sly comedy […]
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Joseph Oxford and Bradley Stonesifer Create a World in Cardboard for Me + Her
Director Joseph Oxford and cinematographer Bradley Stonesifer created an imaginary world using cardboard boxes and rubber bands for their animated short film Me + Her. A labor of love that evolved over four years, their work was rewarded when the film was accepted into Sundance’s Short Film program. Oxford has worked in the industry since 2007 in a variety of roles, including production assistant and art director, but Me + Her is his first project as writer and director. Oxford first met cinematographer Stonesifer through a director friend, and they both worked on the film The Vicious Kind in 2008. […]
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D.P. Phedon Papamichael Talks the B&W Imagery of Nebraska, Lighting Movie Stars and his Online Film School
Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael is finding a new audience of fans with his striking black-and-white camerawork in Nebraska, a father-and-son road trip starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte. With this third collaboration with director Alexander Payne, following Sideways and The Descendants, Papamichael is on a list of potential Oscar nominees. He was recently included in a Hollywood Reporter roundtable of five top cinematographers, a series that often portends year-end award winners. His other work includes James Mangold’s Walk the Line and Oliver Stone’s W. He just completed Monuments Men with George Clooney. Papamichael was born in Athens and studied photography and art […]
