Part of the reason why I love to operate is because I find that so much of what we do is instinctual. It's dancing with the actors and responding to their body language, and you feel what the right place for the camera is at any given moment.
Authenticity, to me, is something that you feel, and if it doesn't feel authentic, you pick up on it right away.
If there's anything consistent about my work, it's not flat.
I think there's this assumption that everybody would rather be a director, and I don't know that that's the case for me, so we'll see.
For me, I just like new challenges.
I kind of grew up with a camera in my hand.
When I was studying photography, I became interested in conflict photojournalism, and that got me interested in lighting. Then I realized there was this amazing thing called cinematography where you could kind of tell more complete stories photographing for film. So I ended up going to AFI grad school for that.
Having a family is a compromise on some level, but it's so incredibly worth it. It actually informs the work that I do as a DP.
I really do believe that the experience of having a child is going to actually make me a much better cinematographer.
My dad, before he passed away, never understood what I did. What I say is that I'm responsible for translating the director's vision, hopefully turning an idea into something people can connect to and relate to.
Photos have the real task of bringing exposure to places that we otherwise don't have much awareness of.
I think lighting is a reflection of what is at stake emotionally in a movie.
We really owe it to our world to infuse our entertainment with messaging.
