The Seen and Unseen in Cinematography with Kira Kelly

Kira Kelly is a two-time Emmy-nominated Director of Photography that found her love for films by watching movies and television shows as a child and later found her niche on the set of student-led films. Her interests were sparked when she noticed all of the unseen moving parts coming together to produce what we see on the big screen. She takes us along on a day in her life by sharing what she does on set and her interactions with directors and actors. She also shares her proudest moments, including her work with Ava Duvernay on the multi-award-winning documentary film 13th. 

She shares her experience in finding out about her first Emmy nomination for 13th as the Director of Photography. She also shares her experience in working on Issa Rae’s Insecure and much more. She also gives tips on getting into the film industry and what it takes to have longevity in the profession. 

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Kira shares a day in her life as a Director of Photography. 
• Kira shares the project she is the proudest of and why it is still so important. 
• What is the difference between working on a feature film and a television show/series? 
• Kira gives her tips for getting into the profession and how to stay on the path. 

To learn more about Kira, follow her on Instagram, or visit his website.

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Shooting a scene underwater is not the same as shooting it on set. The directors have to consider variables such as the light, the camera’s weight, how to manage it in the water, and other factors to pull off an extraordinary sequence. Ian Seabrook, an Underwater Director of Photography in the Motion Picture and Television Industry, explains the difficulties of filming under these conditions and accomplishing amazing results and an unbelievable scene. He tells how they handle these sequences with the rest of the production team and how they prepare the actors for this kind of shooting. He worked on productions such as Batman v Superman, Deadpool 2, and Jungle Cruise. He also contributed his underwater skills to high-profile documentary films, television, commercial, music videos, and Imax productions and was awarded Double Gold Medals for Cinematography at the 2019 Telly Awards.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The journey of Ian Seabrook, from diver to a professional underwater director of photography. 
• Some tactics he used in different movies to achieve the right shots in challenging takes underwater. He tells his experience working on Batman v. Superman, iRobot, Jungle Cruise, and so much more.  
• The skills needed for the job.
• The difference between working underwater and onset.
• How they prepare for an underwater take. 
• Advice for anyone who aspires to become a filmmaker. 

If you want to learn more about Ian´s work, visit his Dorsalfin Productions Underwater Cinema website or his social media.  

Instagram: @dorsalfinprod

LinkedIn: Ian Seabrook

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Polyglots are great at communication, and it would seem that this talent also translates to the big screen! Sebastian Thaler is an Austrian cinematographer who shoots with a lucid immediacy that makes him a talent to watch, showcased when he lensed the feature film 7500 starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Thaler is based in Vienna, Austria, where he completed his Master in Cinematography at the Film Academy of Vienna in 2017 under the guidance of Walter Kindler and Michael Haneke. Thaler’s post-academy work includes the documentary Glory To the Queen, a tribute to the Georgian queens of chess set against the backdrop of the Cold War. It tells the story of four legendary female chess players from Georgia who revolutionized women's chess across the globe and became Soviet icons of female emancipation. Thaler is next set to commence production on director Juri Rechinsky’s latest arthouse feature, Utopia, in Ukraine, in fall 2021.

Highlights:

• Sebastian says he grew up with filmmaker parents who sparked his interest in movies from a young age.
• European films usually have lower budgets, but they try to reach big-budget movie results through creativity.
• The main goal of a cinematographer is to be a good observer and get into the inner circle of the characters, making them feel comfortable.
• Sebastian says he likes stories whose characters face problems that ordinary people face.
• How in 7500 he could move freely and create the images he wanted.
• Cinematography in 7500; long scenes without interruptions that created a realistic feel.
• Sebastian loves Tarkovsky movies because he was a director who used to build the film very slowly to get you into the characters.

To learn more about Sebastian, visit his website, and follow him on Instagram.

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There's a formula for how Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and Oprah became great TV Hosts! Michael Burger is an American comedian, speaker, author, and television host with all the charisma of a classic host. He began his career performing live comedy on cruise ships, where he built the momentum and confidence to embark on TV. Michael’s lightning-fast wit attracted a plethora of television producers, which led to him hosting shows like ABC's Mike & Maty, Iron Chef USA, and the iconic game show Match Game. All the while, Michael managed to launch a career as a successful real estate entrepreneur and author—writing three business books in the process. Michael also provides conference attendees with helpful tools to become better communicators, remain relevant, and succeed in an ever-changing business world.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Michael says that he’s loved the sound of laughter since he was a child, which is why he became known as the class clown.
• The difference between being an actor and being a TV host; when you act, what will happen is already written, and when you are a host, you have to talk and let the conversation carry the flow.
• Every great comedy is built on a structure so that one can improvise within that structure.
• To be a great host, you have to show interest in someone else.
• When they filmed Match Game, they did 135 episodes in a couple of months!
• In most talk shows, Michael says that the guest is usually interviewed in advance to perfect that eight-minute interview.
• Michael says his influences are Johnny Carson, Don Rickles, and Jonathan Winters.

To learn more about Michael, visit his website, and follow him on Facebook.

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If you were wondering why the effects of movies like Jurassic Park or Terminator 2 are still so real, it’s because they were made by a team that knew their limits. Daniel Martin is an award-winning VFX designer and model maker. He has developed his incredible talents in films such as Possessor, Host, Color Out of Space, Lords of Chaos, and many more. Since he was a child, Dan has been fascinated with special effects as a form of magic; a hoax in the service of a narrative for an audience eager to suspend disbelief. As such, it approaches each effect as a unique challenge, not just as an isolated product, but as an event integral to the world of history. With an ever-growing list of award-winning film and television series credits, Dan has developed quality work that meets the unique creative and budgeting requirements of each film.

Here is what you’ll learn:

• Daniel tells how he became interested in magic as a child and then, watching movies, learned about special effects, and felt that it was like magic but with a greater end.
• The importance of experience to know how to establish your limits within the industry and not burnout.
• With a mixture of planning and experience, you can make a cheap effect look good, as long as you know what you're doing. 
• Why Daniel likes working with directors who know what they want, but listens to ideas that come from his subordinates.
• Daniel’s happiness for being part of Possessor, a fantastic movie where there are no digital effects, and everything is in camera.
• Movies like Jurassic Park and Terminator 2, have visual effects that stood the test of time, because they had a very experienced team that knew the limits of the medium they were working with.

To learn more about Daniel visit his website, and follow him on Instagram.

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Not everyone is willing to do the same shot 80 times. But when the director is David Fincher, you know he does it to make the end result unique. Monika Gossmann is a Kazakh actress, known for Iron Sky, Maximum Impact, and Mank, David Fincher's latest film. After high school she trained for three years as a singer, dancer, and musical performer at the Hamburg School of Contemporary Dance. In 2007, she graduated from the famous Moscow Stanislavsky Art Theater School. She is a member of the Moscow Theater CDR, where she had successful appearances before moving to Los Angeles to train in the Meisner method of acting. In 2016, she founded her own theater company, Teamonfire Productions and wrote several plays. Most recently, she starred in David Fincher's latest film Mank with Gary Oldman, and is currently working on Staircase, an HBO series.

Here is what you’ll learn:

• Monika's goal since she was young to have a voice in the arts.
• How she prepares her characters, and her need to have a few weeks to get into it.
• The doors that started to open after working with David Fincher.
• The mix of talent and work that an actor must have.
• How David Fincher has pushed her limits, because it can take over 60 takes to make a perfect scene.
• The experience of working with Gary Oldman, one of her favorite actors.
• How good works of art, be it theater, movies, or literature, continue to live because they stand for something.

To learn more about Monika visit her website, and follow her on Instagram.

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Is it possible to write the script for a movie that both children and adults love? Without a doubt, Shrek is the irrefutable proof that with a great story anything is possible. Roger S. H. Schulman is an American television and film writer and producer. He co-wrote the animated feature Shrek, for which he won a British Academy Award (BAFTA) and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He earned a master's degree in journalism from the Columbia University School of Journalism and was a journalist for several years until he began writing for television. Among other projects, he wrote the animated feature Balto for executive producer Steven Spielberg, Mulan II, and The Jungle Book II for Disney. When he's not writing, Roger teaches television and feature film writing at schools like the University of Southern California, The New School in New York City, and on his website: TheWriterCoach.com.

Here is what you’ll learn:

• Roger explains how he started his writing career after Steve Martin offered him a job as a comedy writer, when he was only a journalist.
• The two ways Roger’s writing evolved: It has become better and more personal.
• The importance of writing is expressing your inner voice, but considering what audience you are trying to communicate with.
• Roger says that writing for children is extremely difficult, because children don't have a filter and if they don't like something they won't see it anymore.
• His writing process was more aware and structural, and as time went by, he learned that most of his best ideas came when he was not thinking about them.
• How Roger feels about Shrek meme culture.
• The experience of writing a show like Alf, where not much was expected and was incredibly successful.
• Roger believes that the great gift of writing is that you can always do it because you don't need anything, except maybe a pencil and a napkin.

To learn more about Roger visit his website.

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Have 3D movies taken advantage of technological advancements or is 2D even better? Julius Horsthuis knows the answer better than anyone. He is a digital artist, specialist in VFX and fractal art, and worked on the Oscar-winning movie Manchester By The Sea, and on several Dutch films such as Nova Zembla. From the age of 12 he was already in love with movies and tried to recreate his favorites with an old VHS camcorder. After high school, Julius worked on various movie sets as a sound recorder, clapper loader, and focus puller. Once he had enough experience, he assumed the creative supervision of the film with the most visual effects in the Netherlands: Koning van Katoren. In 2013 he began experimenting with fractal environments, creating his film Fractal Time, a unique combination of abstract and cinematic animation, which was recognized by Forbes as one of the 35 Best XR Experiences of 2019. 

Here is what you’ll learn:

• Starting when he was 12 years old Julius recreated his favorite movies with a VHS and knew that he wanted to dedicate himself to the cinema and create spectacular visuals.
• How do you create a dragon without a budget for Game of Thrones? At Koning van Katoren they had to do 850 visual effects shots to get it done.
• The two main branches of visual effects; one who tries to do everything possible in front of the camera and the other who uses the latest digital effects.
• The importance of technical knowledge, but also creativity to achieve great visual effects.
• 2D vs 3D. Which is better?
• Why it’s important to use visual effects to do something new and not try to replicate something that has already been done. 

To learn more about Julius, follow him on Instagram, or visit his website.

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The best cinematography is the one that most faithfully reflects what the director seeks to convey. Andrew Wehde is a cinematographer, known for his work on Bo Burnham's Movie, Eighth Grade, and for the Netflix series, Grand Army. He entered the Digital Cinema Program in DePaul University, one of the most important digital schools. In that place, he began to have access to all the equipment and took advantage of them to work with models and made short films. That's where he developed his expertise in naturalistic lighting, his understanding of lenses, and photography. All that work from a very young age made him realize that he wanted to work more with a group of people than alone, and he focused on making cinematography. He is currently working on an Amazon original series called Lightyears and was part of Queenpins, an action drama film with Vince Vaughn and Kristen Bell.

Here is what you’ll learn: 

• What made Andrew Wehde want to pursue a career in the film industry.
• How Andrew likes the execution and the satisfaction of seeing something finished made from scratch.
• The importance of trusting the people around you to elevate the work you do.
• Roles you need to have while working; technical side, creative side, managerial side and a political side to play the game and understand your role.
• Andrew is focused on making sure he can execute what the director envisions.
• His next project; Queenpins, a beautiful film which he thinks has incredible visual execution.
• Why Andrew doesn't like cinematography that stands out, but one that tells the story well.

To learn more about Andrew, follow him on Instagram, or visit his website.

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Never before was the phrase "art imitates life" so precise. Denise Grayson began working as a lawyer but soon turned to being an actress and producer. She has a broad career in theater, television, and a prominent appearance as a lawyer on The Social Network, from David Fincher. Founder of Denise Grayson Productions, her films in development include the novel Killing Johnny Fry by Walter Mosley and Blood And The Rye by Rajiv Shah. Her most recent production effort is the Oscar 2021 submission, The Crossing, a short documentary directed by Juliana Penaranda-Loftus, about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Although Denise is steeped in her acting and producing career, she also trains actors, comedians, individuals, groups, and politicians with their acting, voice, and presentation skills.

Here is what you’ll learn:

• What made Denise Grayson want to work in the film industry when she was a practicing lawyer.
• How her business experience helped her become a producer and actress in show business.
• The non-existent difference between smaller productions and larger productions as an actor because you need to have the same preparation and professionalism.
• The importance of working on the lines and knowing why you say what you say, to whom you say it, and always being prepared.
• What Denise looks for in her work as an actress; telling the truth and being credible.
• Her experience in The Social Network; a movie with a big budget that felt very intimate.
• The concept that time is money so how, as a producer, she avoids conflicts and always tries to mediate.

To learn more about Denise, follow her on Instagram, or visit her website.

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