Meet Rachel Morrison: A Smart Girl Rocking the Cinematography World
What do the challenging, pleasantly surprising, and thought provoking indie films, Fruitvale Station, Cake, Dope, Little Accidents, and Any Day Now have in common? An incredibly talented cinematographer named Rachel Morrison heading up the camera department.
For those who aren’t familiar with the term ‘cinematography’, allow Rachel to de-mystify: “The cinematographer is in charge of camera and lighting. If the director has a vision, it’s the cinematographer’s job to translate that vision into imagery.” Rachel found her love of cinematography through playing around with her mom’s still camera as a child. She went on to earn her M.F.A. at the American Film Institute Conservatory and ultimately settled on cinematographer as her profession, as it offered a collaborative space that allowed for the complete process of storytelling.
When picking her projects, Rachel utilizes the skills she learned in film school. “Story comes first. It begins and ends with the script. I have to find something that I connect to, and that I can approach with a very subjective eye.” It’s also about the people. A respectful director and producer are a necessity. “Little by little I’m realizing that when you sign on to do a film with a group of people, you’re going to battle together. You have to really care about the people around you. Together we’re going to take this journey, and hopefully become a little family.” Given that it can take a many months of on-set work to complete principal photography on a film, often in remote locations and extreme conditions, she’s right on the mark with that sentiment.
Every film has its unique challenges. “On Fruitvale Station, it was all the scenes on the Subway platform. Emotionally, that was really hard because we were shooting on the platform where Oscar Grant was killed, so that meant that Mike [Michael B. Jordan] was laying on the exact marred tile where the bullet went through [Oscar’s back]. That was very hard for all of us.” And on top of that, logistics left the crew with limited time to shoot. “The BART transit system would only let us shoot in the middle of the night while it was closed, but also so that nobody knew what we were doing. We had to shoot that scene from 1am to 5am over the course of three nights. Then on Cake, the challenge was photographing a very recognizable actress [Jennifer Aniston] in a whole new light.”
When I asked Rachel if she had any advice for women pursuing cinematography, she emphasized patience above all else. “Quite frankly, you’re going to see a lot of your male peers skipping ahead. It’s like playing Chutes and Ladders or Cranium, and they roll the fast track while you’re taking the slower way around. [And] this isn’t like becoming a doctor or a teacher; there’s no clear-cut career trajectory. As a woman, you have to be prepared to prove yourself time and time again. But if you’re patient, persistent, committed, courteous, and respectful, you will eventually rise to the top.” Of course, what she’s talking about is simply being the best version of yourself — something Smart Girls strive for every day, in any profession.
As for 2016 and what lies ahead for Rachel, there are some exciting projects brewing. “I’m hoping to collaborate with Dee Rees on a film called Mudbound, based on the book [by Hillary Jordan]. Then there’s hope of doing Black Panther [with Ryan Coogler of Fruitvale Station, and most recently, Creed].” That would obviously be a huge project, and an action-packed addition to an already illustrious career. I look forward to catching up with Rachel again in the future, as she is a fantastic example of an intelligent woman pursuing what she loves to do, and making serious waves in a physically demanding, male-dominated career.
Are they any girls out there interested in pursuing cinematography? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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Image courtesy of Rachel Morrison
