Insight AMBER BOURNETT-MCCLAIN What is your most memorable day in the industry? I was filling in for A camera for a couple of days. The shot, a night exterior, was a super long truck shot of one actor chasing another actor through the woods at high speeds. It was my first time in a tomcar and I nailed it on the first take. Who is the person who helped you most in your career? I have a community, but I have to mention first AC Justin Noel. He arranged the opportunity for me to interview for my first episodic.
Nick Molvano
What is the job you have yet to do, but most want to do? A syfy/fantasy trilogy. I've shot aliens but I haven’t been to space yet. What is the most important improvement you would like to see in our industry? More diversity among department heads. Credits: Naomi (CW); Kindred (FX/Hulu);The Other Black Girl (Hulu); Ms. Marvel (Disney)
BRIAN TAYLOR, SOC What was one of your most challenging days in the industry? It was a shoot at the top of the Angel Fire resort in waist-deep snow shooting a battle between US Special Operations forces and Taliban forces for a week on Apple’s Echo 3. The grit, resolve and grace under pressure shown from my New Mexico AC crew, including 1st AC René Vargas, was incredible and created an unshakeable bond.
Lewis Jacobs
What is your most memorable day in the industry? My most memorable days in the industry were the series of daybreak and sunset shots I captured with Allan Graf shooting 2nd Unit on Walter Hill’s Dead for a Dollar. It was impossible not to smile while getting to do those iconic backlit shots of riders silhouetted on the horizon, or with a camera low on the ground as the riders kicked up dust galloping past the lens. Credits: Dead for a Dollar; El Paso 11:55; The Canyons
QUAID CDE BACA, SOC
Courtesy of Quaid Cde Baca
What is your most memorable day in the industry? A day I will never forget was early in my career when I was operating on a US film shot in Italy. We were in Venice and I was in the canals, hard mounted to a boat with my Steadicam. We had dozens of background actors placed throughout our route, on bridges and walkways, dancing as we played “Volaré” by Dean Martin. I’m Italian. I love Dean Martin, and I was in . . . my . . . zone! As I looked up from my monitor in that moment, life was euphoric, and operating was bliss. It’s these moments that fuel our fire, and inspire us to create—the aroma of pizza helps, too. What is the most important improvement you would like to see in our industry? I would love to see our industry improve its work-life balance outlook. We work in an immersive hyper-reality, filled with popular slogans perpetuate a toxic imbalance: “life on set,” “film is life,” “set life.” However, there is more to life—and each of us—than our careers, and it’s easy to lose sight of that. Credits: Fool’s Paradise; 9-1-1 (S.6, E.11); FX 2023 Promos: American Horror Story; Kindred; Snowfall; Kentucky; Retreat
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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG