NEWS
1.12.15
5 more days until the premiere of "Billions", which I had the great pleasure of operating on for a good chunk of the season. Hoping it's as wonderful a show as it was an experience.
12.30.15
I will be working in January and February as B-camera operator on "Drunk Parents", a feature starring Alec Baldwin and Selma Hayek as two parents who struggle to stay afloat amid an avalanche of financial setbacks. Looking forward to working with this great team, including director Fred Wolf, producer Jamin O'Brien, DP Timothy Burton, and a wonderful camera department.
10.10.15
I am humbled to have been asked to speak at The School of Visual Arts to share my experiences as a director of photography and operator and impart whatever I can about my career path. I will do my best to make it sound like I know what I'm doing!
9.16.15
Since joining the union, I have found it surprising that there is no LGBTQ affinity group within 600. I believe that though we work within the generally accepting world of the entertainment industry, a working set can still be a challenging place to be out. The union camera and electrical department world can make for an intimidating environment for those who may be struggling to come out or to feel comfortable expressing their sexuality. The assumption of heterosexuality can lead to awkward moments and puts LGBTQ people in a difficult position of having to decide how to reveal their sexuality. Because we in this field work on so many sets with so many different people, coming out becomes something you have to do not just once, but several times in order to counteract that assumption of heterosexuality. For this and a whole host of other reasons, I proposed to the union the formation of an LGBTQ affinity group. My proposal is making its way up the chain of command to National President Steven Poster and Executive Director Bruce Doering. Hopefully something will come of it and we can start creating a bit more awareness on set and help form a stronger support group. Wish me luck!
8.21.15
I will be working as a camera operator on a new series for "Billions", a new Showtime series with Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis. Very happy to be working with my good friend Radium Cheung, who will be the tandem unit DP for the show.
8.20.15
Working on a pilot cinematic travelogue short form series for Tastemade with sometime collaborator and good friend Oden Roberts. The series poetically shows off parts of cities through the eyes of a particular resident, in this case, a young photographer who goes by the name KOSTEN guided us around his favorite New York City spots.
8.12.15
Just wrapped on great shoot for a new book by David Baldacci called "The Keeper". The promo is intended to play as a trailer before the latest Hunger Games film and features the main character of the book, "Vega Jane." We shot an overnight in a forest in Queens. We used the T-Rex lens system in order to dolly right into the eye of the subject. I was aided in the challenging night time lighting setup by a crack crew headed by gaffer Adam Lukens and key grip Brian MacLean. The two delivered a big setup short staffed and on an indie budget. The results are here.
8.4.15
It has been a fairly routine stretch of promos, live concerts, and TV shows of late, but I did get to collaborate with the talented Alex Karpovsky of "Girls" fame to shoot a music video for the band RAC. We shot over two days in upstate New York after a week of prep. It was a great wacky concept dreamed up by Alex and co-director Teddy Blanks. The two were a pleasure to work with and had an unerring sense for what they wanted to do with this fun and catchy song. The results are here.
7.17.15
Just finished working with Bette Gordon again as second unit DP for the title sequence for "Border Crossing". She wanted some abstract POV shots from a train to play under the opening credits. I used tilt shift lenses to create an unnervingly depth of field as the train careened through the northeast corridor, creating images with great frenetic energy abstract imagery.
5.15.15
Just wrapped principal photography on "Broder Crossing", a film by Bette Gordon about a psychiatrist who finds himself haunted by a former patient recently released from juvenile detention, where he landed for his role in a brutal murder. I was honored to work for my great friend and mentor Radium Cheung as his A-Camera operator. Always a pleasure to work with this seasoned pro.
3.5.15
Been busy shooting more schlocky recreation shows, but took a breather to shoot a music video for They Might Be Giants with director Jeremiah Crowell, one of my favorites. You can see the results here.
1.15.15
Just got back from LA after shooting a live concert for Matt Goss at the phenomenal iHeartRadio theater in Burbank. We shot with 5 Sony F55 cameras and a variety of different zoom lenses. I helped the client to build out their camera package for the venue, which called for a 35mm sensor camera that could handle the colors of the theatrical lights and their various frequency issues and strobing effects.
12.13.14
Just finished shooting and directing a two day commercial shoot for Wood Mode showing off their high-end factory and process for manufacturing custom kitchens and cabinetry. Pretty impressive operation. You can see the results here.
11.23.14
That's a wrap! Principal photography for "Americana" is complete! It has been a wonderful journey with an incredibly talented, patient, and utterly devoted crew from producers to PA's. I lucked out on a phenomenal lighting and grip team that stayed with me and delivered with shining colors no matter how demanding the setup. Without them, I simply would not have been able to achieve the very specific look we wanted for this film. It's in post's hands now! They are looking to finish for Sundance submissions next September.
10.13.14
And we're off! Flying to lovely San Francisco to shoot "Americana". Can't wait. It has been a challenging preproduction process but we are ready to make something great!
10.4.14
Worked with the wonderful Jeremiah Crowell on another TV sausage factory of a show for NatGeo or something called "Mysteries at the Castle". The shoot days are ambitious, the budgets tiny, and the days long, but as always, greatness is still possible, especially with a director with the skills of Mr. Crowell.
9.21.14
Done working another iHeartRadio Music Festival, featuring more top 40 artists than a teenage girl's Pandora playlist. Always a fun time, though. Now on a plane to begin scouting for my next feature film "Americana", a thriller about an alcoholic film editor who decides to start his own investigation when his starlet sister is killed by a man with deep connections with their dark past. The feature is being produced by Flies Collective. Our visual references are mainly 70's American paranoia thrillers, my personal favorite genre, so I'm quite excited for the visual storytelling possibilities.
9.13.14
DP'd a couple episodes of a scripted murder recreation show called "Redrum" for Discovery ID. It's a great TV grind of a production that requires speed and a healthy dose of patience, but great things are possible, especially with a great crew.
7.24.14
It was a pleasure working with director Matt Wolf on shooting part of his "Whitney Stories" series about artists and other individuals with a strong connection to the museum on the eve of its relocation.
6.18.14
Had the pleasure of working with Ghost Robot to shoot the multi-talented Reggie Watts performance for the Blue Note Jazz Festival. If you haven't seen this guy perform, change that!
6.9.14
I'm excited to announce that my film Conclave has been accepted to the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival! You can check out all the details at the film's website by clicking here.
6.6.14
I just wrapped production on a commercial for 4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization that focuses on science, healthy living, and food security. The project gave me the opportunity to work with a long time friend, Oden Roberts, whom I have known since film school. As a former DP himself, Oden's vision for this spot put a major focus on powerful, somewhat abstract imagery meant to capture cinematic moments that hint at an overall feeling rather than tell a distinct story. To this end, we endeavored to create counterintuitive framings and focus choices, infusing every frame with a sense of movement and poetry. Oden's eye for creating moments gave us some great results and we are very happy with the dailies. We shot all handheld on Alexa 2K 4444 with a Cabrio 19-90mm zoom. Working with a director who came up through camera is always such a pleasure and I can't wait to see the final product. In the meantime, below are some frame grabs...
5.27.14
I've had the pleasure to be working with the team behind the hit documentary "P-Star Rising", which ran on PBS's Independent Lens series after a great festival run. Most recently, we have been shooting some profile spots for Glamor Magazine that portray influential women in New York City who have risen to places of prominence in their industries. Prior to that, I shot a short documentary for these talented filmmakers on a retired NYPD sergeant whose experiences in demonology provides the basis for the Eric Bana horror film "Deliver Us From Evil", which hits theaters on July 2nd. The New York Post highlighted the doc recently in this article. You can see the trailer below...
4.21.14
I have just been hired to shoot a pilot for NatGeo that will take me to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and China in May. Relativity TV is producing the show, which, without giving away too much, will involve trekking through exotic locales in very short periods of time. I am thrilled to be returning to SE Asia and exploring more of this amazing part of the world.
4.15.14
Just returned from shooting a pilot for TLC about lost loves attempting to reconnect. Ardaban produced the pilot, and as always, it was a great pleasure to work with this production company. Taking a more cinemtaic approach than normal for a TLC show, we shot on Sony FS700's with Canon L Series lenses. I worked alongside fellow DP Jae Song, who chose an interesting combination of black frost and pro mist filters to lend a nostalgic feel to this show about memories and second chances. The show will air this summer. Yes, it's a reality show, but working with great people trying to do something a little different is always a pleasure.
3.12.14
The music video I shot earlier this year for the Richmond, VA based Black Girls has been released! The video was directed by Matt Petock and produced by Flies Collective, a production company based out of Brooklyn that works mainly on commercials and features. Their latest film, "Hide Your Smiling Faces" was recently picked up for distribution by Tribeca Films and will be having its theatrical debut later this month. You can find the music video below...
3.11.14
Today found me shooting another Lean Forward promo for MSNBC starring Chris Matthews today. We photographed in Philadelphia, using the dramatic backdrops of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and The Constitution Center. Unlike the usual off-camera interview format, we chose to shoot with more of a sublte, observational, doc-style approach, following Chris as he interacted with the various artifacts and symbols of the founding of the United States and its democratic system of government. I'm excited to see how this new kind of promo works for them. We were supported by a phenomenal local crew of technicians. Looking forward to the next time I need a crew in Philly!
3.1O.14
On Saturday, I wrapped production on a new pilot for A&E that I have been working on for the past few weeks. Without revealing too much, the show found us shooting period scenes depicting life at an asylum in Pennsylvania in the 1960's. We also did some shooting at the actual abandoned asylum depicted in those scenes.
I'm thrilled to have been hired onto the job by director Rick Lopez and the producers behind "The Men Who Built America". An emmy award nominated DP himself, Rick has spent years honing his craft and has recently begun making the transition to directing. His careful attention to and emphasis on the visual style allowed us to really focus on the look of the project, which we shot on two Alexas with Angeniuex Optimo 24-290mm and Fujinon Cabrio 19-90mm lenses. We also had a third camera (a Canon C300) for some Movi work, operated by A Camera 1st AC Chris Aran. The pilot will air on A&E sometime in the next couple months. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I'm off to shoot another "Lean Forward" promo for MSNBC in Philadelphia.
2.26.14
Going about my daily duties as DP, it's hard not to think about the horrifying accident that claimed the life of Sarah Jones and injured several other crew members on the set of the "Midnight Rider" in Georgia. Just today, on scout in Philedelphia, I couldn't help but see reminders everywher: the train I rode to get there, the countless freight tracks and various freight train bridges that smatter south Philly. Not more than ten minutes into meeting the local location manager, we had launched into a tag-team tirade against any potential target responsible for protecting the lives of that crew:
"Where was the location manager to object, or PM, or AD, or key grip?"
"How could they not get permission?"
"It's not like it was a guerilla film"
Variety has reported certain crew members have retained lawyers in anticipation of what will no doubt be a number of claims against the production. The police have seized the camera and footage as evidence in their ongoing investigation, and though many details remain unclear, there are already doubts about whether the producers had proper permission to shoot on this precarious location. The initial report is that they had not observed the usual safety etiquette required by union productions when shooting aroud live train tracks - a process that involves extensive safety training for the crew. No matter what the specifics of the scenario that led them to believe they could pull off this shot, I think we can say with certainty as a community that this NEVER should have happened.
This is a very competetive, freelance industry, and as such, inherent in what we do is a proclivity to please. This is how we maintain clients and get that holy grail of the next job. Young crew members especially are often inclined to ignore risk in order to please. I have done it plenty of times:
"Strap me to the hood of a moving car for a shot? Sure"
"Spend the day in an asbestos-contaminted building for a shot? Can do"
"Lean over that ledge for that handheld shot? Fine"
"Stand in that Pirhanna infested river for a shot? I'm your guy"
Sometimes saying no is the most difficult thing you can do as a freelancer because so much of what we do is being the guy or girl who says "yes, I can do that." This incident has reminded us that no life is worth getting a shot. The nature of what we do requires us to assume some level of risk in some scenarios (shooting docs in dangerous places, car chases, dealing with electicity, lugging large equipment); after all, there's a reason we rejected the world of easy staff employment. That said, we have to be sure that the desire to please and not disappoint never gets in the way of our need to protect ourselves and our fellow crew members from unreasonable risk. I'm confident some good will come from this accident. For my part, I try to do my best in to protect my crews, but I have a renewed sense of responsibility now and a hope that I can do a better job at saying no when that time comes. The more of us who can resolve to be more vigilant in the wake of this, the better armed we all are to avoid being led unwittingly into the path of danger. Yes, the producers are ultimately responsible for what happened, but film sets are not dictatorships and those of us below the line have to keep our wits about us when it comes to making decisions for ourselves about risk.
Rest in Peace, Sarah.
2.24.14
The new site is here! I have given my site a facelift for 2014, completely revamping and redesigning everything! Each page's background, such as this one, features a 35mm photo taken by yours truly. I have migrated my videos to Vimeo for a more user-friendly experience and updated much of the content to reflect more recent work. Of particular note is the Music section, which features brand new content culled from the dozens of concerts and artist interviews I have shot for top recording artists. You will also find a new montage reel highlighting recent features, shorts, commercials, concerts, and more I have shot. The TV Spots section features full length commercial and promo work as well. I also encourage you to click on the "Conclave" link on the homepage to check out my own short film, a psychological drama now in the midst of festival submissions. In the meantime, please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to get in touch. You can find my contact info on the home page