Having shot a number of shorts and the acclaimed 2010 documentary “Freakonomics,” cinematographer Darren Lew has teamed up with director Carter Smith to shoot his first narrative feature film, and discusses just what it took for him to shoot “Jamie Marks Is Dead,” a dark drama in which a lonely teenager is caught between the world of the living and the dead.
Which camera and lens did you use? ALEXA (Arriraw) and Cooke S4 lenses
What was the most difficult shot on your movie, and how did you pull it off? Shooting a huge night exterior down by a river bank that was a half-mile
down a hiking trail. I didn’t pull it off–my crew did! We had multiple
18K Arri Max pars on a state highway bridge and other lamps on a foot
bridge.
Who is your favorite cinematographer, and why? Harris Savides because he makes it look so simple–and it is simple.
What’s the best film school for an aspiring cinematographer? A liberal arts education and the school of hard knocks.
What advice do you have for cinematographers who want to get to Sundance? Find good collaborators.
What’s the best career advice you received? Shoot any project that you can.
Editor’s Note: The “How I Shot That” series is part of the Indiewire and Canon U.S.A. partnership
at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, where we celebrated
cinematography and photographed Sundance talent at Canon Craft Services on Main Street.
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