Director of Photography Reel 2016

New reel is done and up, finally.  It's taken quite a while to get some of these projects released to show some clips of, and I'm still waiting on a few more [ahem, Adrian Wong-Ken and Chris Reed :)].  Looking back, last year was the busiest I've had as a freelancer since moving to Portland, ME, and I'm really excited about the projects I got to work on and the people I met and worked with.  There are some really wonderful, talented folks up here in Maine, and it's been a pleasure getting to know a lot of them.  2017 has already been busy, but I can't wait to see what the second half has in store for us all.

Take a look, and if you need a Director of Photography for your next project, contact me for more info on rates and availability.   

Director of Photography Reel_2015

I finally finished my reel for 2015, with all new clips from this past year.  It’s a welcomed chance during the slower winter to take a step back and look at all the work done in the hectic spring/summer/fall of the previous year.  It’s really helpful for me to see where I’ve grown as a technician and artist, and (more importantly) where I still need to keep honing my craft.

The biggest change I see from comparing last year to the year before, is how most of the work I did was as a Director of Photography, and not just a camera operator or assistant.  I’m really proud of this growth, and am really looking forward to more DP opportunities this year, as well as learning from other talented DPs while operating/assisting.  Bring it on, 2016- let’s get some great work done!

Tribeca Film Festival

Wow, what a weekend.  Two films that I have had the pleasure of working on, "Requiem For The American Dream" and "Tumbledown", had their premieres at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.  My wife and I went down to NYC and got to go to both of the premieres, which was a really special moment for me.  I even got to get a few photos taken on the red carpet at the Requiem premiere.  As the Associate Producer on Requiem, it was awesome to see it play on a big screen in front of sold-out crowd (including my wife and also one of my closest friends from growing up).  It was also great to see the whole PF Pictures crew again and the directors, Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks and Jared P. Scott.    They are an incredibly thoughtful and talented group of filmmakers and it was a real pleasure working with them on Requiem and other projects.  These guys are going to shake things up and I can't wait to see what they do next.  

View fullsize

PF Pictures crew (and family) at Requiem premiere

After the Requiem premiere, we headed over to the Tumbledown premiere, which was a whole other ballgame in terms of press and scale, due to the stars of the film, Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis.  I was an assistant camera/tech for some of the establishing shots/scenics that were shot in Maine for this film.  The husband and wife directing/screenwriting duo of Sean Mewshaw and Desi Van Til (respectively) are wonderful people and it was a pleasure to get to work on such a great film and story.  It took them years to get the film made the way they envisioned it, and to get a bit of Maine in the film (which is set in the mountains of Western Maine) was a real labor of love on their part.  Seeing the finished film on screen, you don't see any of the countless hours of work and struggles to get an "indie" film made- just the great writing and directing, the powerful, funny performances of all the actors, and a beautiful film.  They make it look easy.  I can't wait for this film to get out to a wider audience- it really deserves it!

View fullsize

"Tumbledown" Q&A after the premiere.  From far right: Sean Mewshaw (director), Desi Van Til (screenwriter), Jason Sudeikis and Rebecca Hall.

After the screening we went to the premiere party and got to hang with some good friends and meet some new ones (more talented Portlanders), and got to say hello to Mike O'Brien from SNL, who's "7 Minutes In Heaven" sketches Caitlin and I are big fans of.  All in all, a pretty amazing weekend.

View fullsize

*Mind officially blown from excitement*

Jim Boyle Campaign Ad

This was another Maine State Senator campaign ad I DP'd this Fall for Projects by CD2, this time for Jim Boyle. 3 interviews with supporters and some supporting b-roll, all outdoors which made for simpler setups on a beautiful fall day.

DP: Theron Powell

Produced and Edited: projectsbycd2.com

Theriault Campaign Ad

This was a really fun spot to DP, way up in Allagash, Maine (as far north as you can go, ~5 hours driving north of Portland).  Louis is the main character in the spot, whom we spent the day with watching him at work cutting wood.  He's been a lumberjack for over 60 years.  I feel like he should be in every LL Bean ad.  I got to put my Red Epic's slo-mo to good use on this shoot and I'm glad everything turned out as nice as it looked in camera.  

DP: Theron Powell
Produced and Edited by: projectsbycd2.com

Interview setup inside Louis' work shop.