Category: Cinematography

The motion picture work of Jeff Gatesman. Feature films, documentaries, short films and music videos as well as commercial work.

Breaking Bread

To break breaGina Breaking Breadd is to come together informally for social interaction, usually over a meal or drinks. Breaking Bread is a web series I developed with Gina Ruccione. The concept is that a group of strangers come together over a meal prepared by a great chef in a comfortable surrounding, and potentially leave as friends.

Our first episode, which featured an Italian Modern meal prepared by Dustin Trani of Doma Restaurant in Beverly Hills had it’s premiere at the San Pedro International Film Festival. The meal was seafood driven and finished up with a wonderful duck breast, and was served at the Studio of Eugene Daub and Anne Olsen in San Pedro, CA (as were the still photos of Gina). The epsiode can be streamed below.

Breaking Bread episode 1: Italian Modern from Jeff Gatesman on Vimeo.

The web series Breaking Bread was developed by Gina Ruccione and Jeff Gatesman
Hosted by Gina Ruccione
Cinematography and Editing by Jeff Gatesman
Hair and Makeup by Janice Bremec Blum
GinaRucc-895

First Twilight Concert of 2016

The first Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier was last night featuring Mayer Hawthorne and it was one of the more packed shows I have been to. It was so crowded that I couldn’t actually get up on the pier, so I wandered around near the pier and made these images. As always, click on the images so get a larger view.

Smoke Free

After more than 10 years of living life as a reformed smoker, I wanted to look into what made it such a draw for me. I wanted to explore what made me love it so that in the face of a true health risk I would continue to do it. Smoke Free is a double entendre shot entirely at 240 frames per second, and includes portraits of the people I interviewed.

I just love how relaxing and hypnotic it is…

Continue reading “Smoke Free”

Beth W

Sunset-RideIt’s a Honda CB550 Four, with an air cooled, transverse four cylinder, single overhead cam engine producing 50 horse power at 8000 RPM. Top speed, with a petite rider, around 103 mph. The rider, Beth W, is an environmentally friendly construction manager and yoga enthusiast. She rides a vintage Honda.

Speed Dating For Documentaries

This is one in a series of Micro Doc’s I have been making as a personal project. A Micro Doc is my idea of speed dating for documentaries. You get a really fast look at someone fascinating. It’s media snacking for the short attention generation (a group I believe defines us all to a certain extent). My only desire is that my tiny contribution to this medium be hopeful, positive and uplifting… or at least entertaining.

2015 Bronze Telly Award Win for Gatesman Photography

telly_site_bugs_bronzeI am proud to announce that our PSA, Because, for the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) has been honored with a Bronze Telly Award!

Because is a PSA compelling deaf women to get an HIV test. By listing some of the reasons for getting an HIV test, we try to impart that reasons are varied, and the test is simple. Award-winning Director Hilari Scarl wrote and Directed the PSA and Jeff Gatesman was the Director of Photography.

Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and web commercials, videos and films. The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world. The Telly Awards is a widely known and highly respected national and international competition and receives over 12,000 entries annually from all 50 states and many foreign countries.

Director/Co-Producer – Hilari Scarl – Worldplay, Inc.
Cinematographer/Graphics/Editor and Co-Producer – Jeff Gatesman gatesman.com, & Rocket 88 Studios
Music – Kubilay Uner
Sound Design – Joe Milner/Puget Sound
ASL Consultants: Robert DeMayo, Lisa Hermatz
Executive Producer: Patty Hughes
Producer: Heidi Booth
Special Thanks: Maisha Franklin, Jennifer Chi
Produced by Worldplay, Inc.and Rocket 88 Studios
Cast (in order of appearance):
Natasha Ofili, Maria Correa, Karla Gutierrez, Christine Visser, Lisa Hermatz, Ashley Fiolek

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Why I chose Digital Bolex D16 to shoot “Passport”

As a Director of Photography just starting a new project, most times I read the script and have creative meetings with the Director about the look of the film and how to best capture that look. I try to do as much camera/lens testing as possible, have more meetings, and finally come up with a camera package that fits the look of the film as well as the budget. In the case of Passport, as I was reading the script, the only camera that was going through my mind was the Digital Bolex D16.
Continue reading “Why I chose Digital Bolex D16 to shoot “Passport””

Dubai Desert Oasis

More images from Dubai. Today we shot a Desert Oasis scene complete with camels, Dancers and musicians and Horse Riders. And it all ended with a spectacular sunset. Daydreams of Dubai is a magical journey through some of the most picturesque areas of the United Arab Emirate of Dubai and is being produced by Filmation 3D in Dubai with production support from 21st Century 3D and AeroCine.

Burj Al Arab

I get the feeling that Dubai is the epitome of desert Oasis. In what would seem a terribly hard and unforgiving land, they have built gleaming edifices, Palaces to opulence, magnificent resorts and spa’s to cater to any and all luxurious pleasure. Today our little production company was at the only 7-star hotel in the world, the incomparable Burj Al Arab which has a staff of 8 for every patron staying in the hotel and a butler for each floor. The resort is so exclusive there is no check-in desk, all of the arrangements take place in the privacy of your own suite (oh, I forgot to mention, there are no “rooms”, only suites). Here are a few of the images I made today.

I am in the UAE with 21st Century 3D and AeroCine to make the film Daydreams of Dubai for Producers Lulu Mahaini and Humaid Mohamed Humaid of Filmation Film Production in Dubai.

Mabel Screening at Santa Barbara Int’l Film Fest

Last week I was at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for the Premiere screening of a short documentary film I shot for Director/Producer Pia Clemente called Mabel. The film chronicles the life of Mabel Sawhill who, at 99 years old, and with a little help from her niece, who is deaf, still runs her own catering business, doing the shopping, cooking and serving for as many as 100 people several times a week.

Not unlike Mabel herself, the film is charming and delightful, and had audiences at SBIFF laughing and inspired. The film was edited by Geoffrey O’Brien, and features a wonderfully playful soundtrack by Aiko Fukushima.

Mabel is likely to be playing more festivals in the near future, so keep in touch and I’ll let you know where you find her.

There were a lot of other films at the festival worth talking about, but I just wanted to mention two features that are standouts, and oddly both have musical themes to them: Ragnar Bragason’s film Metalhead is a striking film from Iceland, a darkly comic drama about a grief stricken young woman who turns to Heavy Metal music after she witnesses her older brother die in a farm accident. And a beuatiful film by Felix Van Groeningen called The Broken Circle Breakdown which uses Bluegrass music to help tell the story of an unlikely couple who fall instantly and deeply in love.