HILARY BRONWYN GAYLE, SMPSP UNI T ST ILL PHOT OGRAPHER YEARS IN GUILD: 9 LOCATION: LOS ANGELES HOMETOWN: LAKE CHARLES, LA
“Starting out, I expected to be viewed as an individual entity or even an outsider, but I have always felt like a welcome and integral part of the crew, rather than just a stranger sharing space on the truck,” says 36-year-old unit photographer Hilary Bronwyn Gayle. “Then there are the photo editors, unit publicists, with whom we work closely and support. It goes beyond our connection to cameras or publicity. As still photographers, we rely on and serve all the departments.” Gayle embraces the photojournalism aspects of BTS and EPK photography, and goes beyond the de rigueur to get more robust images. “Hilary integrates herself with the whole crew and is interwoven with each department, camera, art et cetera,” describes Michelle Graham, head of development and production at Everyman Pictures. “She works with the film and its crew, not for it, making herself an invaluable part of the creative process.” Several recent assignments of Gayle’s featured complex and choreographed dolly moves and crane shots. “I worked very closely with the grips to ensure I was able to ‘dance’ with them and get the coverage I needed,” she explains. Graham also values her grace and sincerity. “Hilary has a talent for making everyone she comes into contact with feel at ease, which is paramount for a person in her position, so close to the actors,” Graham explains. “Secondarily, but still impressively, there is no location that can stymie her; she can get into almost any spot to get the best shot, earning herself our nickname for her on set — ‘the Ninja.’” Some of Gayle’s favorite assignments have been to recreate historic photographs for the Art Department, on features like Trumbo, All the Way and Highwaymen. “I
“Hilary can get into almost any spot to get the best shot, earning herself our nickname for her on set — ‘the Ninja.’” Michelle Graham Everyman Pictures
feel really inspired working on period pieces regardless of era, and particularly historical and biographical works,” she states. It’s how Gayle got the attention of Jim Denault, ASC, who met her on Trumbo while shooting footage to evaluate the actor’s costumes, hair and make-up. “She was off to one side making stills of them for the set decorator … to replace the faces of the actual Dalton and Cleo Trumbo with Bryan Cranston’s and Diane Lane’s in some archival still photos,” Denault recalls. “When we saw the final results of her shoot on set, I thought the composites were impressively seamless.” Gayle got into the business while studying at Savannah College of Art and Design. After earning a BFA in 2006, she completed the Still Photographer on Set course at the Maine Media Workshops, taught by Kerry Hayes. “An independent filmmaker invited me to take stills on a low-budget feature,” she recalls. “I had never considered a career in film and hadn’t even known there was a still photographer on movie sets. But after that first experience, I knew that this was what I wanted to do.” It’s been a busy year for Gayle, who was accepted into the Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers and currently serves on its board as secretary. She recently wrapped an untitled feature with director Noah Hawley and cinematographer Polly Morgan for Fox Searchlight, and is working on a still-unnamed feature with director Jay Roach and cinematographer Barry Ackroyd for Annapurna. “What sustains my love for this career,” Gayle concludes, “is that every job is a new experience presenting unique challenges, lessons, and opportunities.”
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