Cinematographers
Interviews - Cinematographers
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“The Alexa Has a Wonderful Creaminess to Its Capture”: DP Scott Miller on A Little Prayer
In writer-director Angus MacLachlan’s A Little Prayer, a father-son relationship becomes strained when family patriarch Bill (David Strathairn) discovers that his son David (Will Pullen) is cheating on his wife Tammy (Jane Levy). While attempting to guide David back onto the path of monogamy, he realizes that his own bad habits might have unintentionally been passed down to his son. DP Scott Miller tells Filmmaker about the shoot, including his affinity for the Alexa Mini on this project. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of […]
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“I Was Basically Operating as a One Man Band”: DP Nelson Walker on Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV
Seminal video artist Nam June Paik and his extensive roster of iconic collaborators are the subject of Amanda Kim’s documentary Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV. Utilizing archival footage and interviews with Paik’s contemporaries, the film also features Steven Yeun reading excerpts from Paik’s journals and artistic statements to bring the revolutionary creative to life anew. Cinematographer Nelson Walker discusses how he approached lensing the project, which began remotely due to COVID protocols. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What […]
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“The Freedom To Find My Own Way Through Such a Personal Story”: Director-DP-Editor Sierra Urich on Joonam
In her personal documentary film Joonam, director, editor and DP Sierra Urich attempts to make sense of her complicated identity as an Iranian-American. Growing up in Vermont, the culture and homeland of her mother and grandmother has never been truly known to her—only through stories, cuisine and holidays has she been able to connect with her Iranian heritage. Particularly with the current political climate of Iran, the prospect of visiting seems all the more impossible. Urich briefly discusses shooting and editing her feature debut, touching on how instrumental supervising editor Maya Daisy Hawke was during the process. See all responses […]
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“Our Cinematography Hopefully Emphasizes the Elegance of Mariachi”: DP Michael Crommett on Going Varsity in Mariachi
Competitive scholastic mariachi in South Texas is the subject of Going Varsity in Mariachi, the documentary from filmmakers Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn. Specifically, the focus is on Edinburg North High School’s Mariachi Oro team, featuring passionate coach coach Abel Acuña, driven team captains Abby, Marlena, and Bella as well as the vibrant music produced by the entire team. DP Michael Crommett discusses lensing the project, including how his past documentary work aided him on this shoot. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your […]
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“I Wanted the Camera To Be an Actor”: DP Johan Aidt on Poacher
In Poacher, the limited series from director Richie Mehta, a group of NGO workers, wildlife officials and well-intentioned volunteers band together to take down some of India’s biggest ivory poachers. In the process, they uncover conspiracies and cover-ups often involving those who are tasked with protecting these endangered elephants who calls the the jungles of Kerala home. Johan Aidt, the cinematographer of the series, cites the “strong connection” he felt with Mehta, who he collaborated with previously on the first season of Delhi Crime. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you […]
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“Nobody Shot a Feature Film on 16mm in Lithuania for a Long Time”: DP Laurynas Bareiša on Slow
Writer-director Marija Kavtaradze’s sophomore feature Slow follows the complicated romance between a contemporary dancer named Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) and an asexual sign language interpreter named Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas). Though the pair share an intense chemistry, their individual sexual needs and desires (or lack thereof) are a source of constant compromise and adjustment, leading to inevitable strain. Cinematographer Laurynas Bareiša talks about working on the project, which is distinct for being the first Lithuanian film shot on 16mm in approximately a decade. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
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“It Was up to the Subject To Choose Their Own Eyeline”: DP Bobby Bukowski on Willie Nelson & Family
Filmmakers Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman capture the seven decade-spanning legacy of one of America’s greatest living musicians in Willie Nelson & Family, a seven-part docuseries that weaves together archival and present-day footage to create a non-linear portrait of an iconic artist. DP Bobby Bukowski talks about lensing the series, touching upon his longtime collaboration with Moverman and how “no artificial enhancement was employed” on the shoot. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to […]
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“You Hope the Work Can Play a Small Part in Moving the Needle Forward”: DP Jeff Hutchens on Murder in Big Horn
Dozens of Indigenous women and girls from the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Nations have gone missing over the past decade in Montana’s Big Horn County and its surrounding areas. These cases often go cold, leaving grieving families without any closure—especially when met with the ambivalence of local police. Murder in Big Horn, a documentary from directors Razelle Benally and Matthew Galkin, confronts the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) by interviewing loved ones in mourning, Native journalists and law enforcement. DP Jeff Hutchens talks about shooting this project with the utmost sensitivity while also capturing the “palette of […]
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“It Was -30 to -40 Degrees Celsius for Most of the Shoot”: DP Bryn McCashin on My Animal
Heather (Bobbi Salvör Menuez), a hockey player with a troubled home life, becomes instantly drawn to figure skater Jonny (Amandla Stenberg) who’s just rolled into town. Despite being held captive in her own house during each full moon, Heather yearns to escape and have Jonny by her side. Teeming with queer sensuality and lust-fueled lycanthropy, director Jacqueline Castel’s My Animal injects originality into a classic monster mythology. DP Bryn McCashin tells Filmmaker about lensing the film, which entailed frigid night shoots in Northern Ontario, Canada. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did […]
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“We Had To Capture Bioluminescence on Camera in the Most Organic Way”: DP PJ López on La Pecera
In La Pecera, the feature debut from writer-director Glorimar Marrero Sánchez, Noelia (Isel Rodríguez) decides to relocate to the Puerto Rican island of Vieques where she grew up after her cancer returns. Reunited with her mother and the island’s natural beauty (and traumatic past of being a U.S. Army testing ground), Noelia refuses treatment and reflects on the root of her long-term illness. DP PJ López discusses lensing the film, which included a difficult night shoot that captured bioluminescence on camera. See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being […]
