What is your artistic background leading to your career in cinematography?

I started as a photographer before moving into the world of cinematography. As a kid I worked alongside my father in his photoshop in Brooklyn. I’ve been around film since I was a young boy. Most of the photography I did was non-commercial. It was mainly street photography. My favorite thing to do was to wander the streets of NY listening to music and taking pictures… especially at night when the people had all gone to their safe homes. I’ve always felt that the city and its streets have a very special presence. I especially loved to shoot with high speed black and white film. Although I never really watched many film noirs, as I became more knowledgeable of cinema, I noticed that’s what I was shooting. For many years, I printed in a darkroom that I built in the basement of my father’s store.

Name 3 films that have been very influential to you as a cinematographer.

Natural Born Killers, Blade Runner, and Apocalypse Now.

How would you describe your visual aesthetic?

It’s definitely dark. I love to play with shadows and contrast. I’m very influenced by Chiaroscuro paintings and it feels right to keep those roots. Some of my favorite painters are Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Goya, Bacon, Velazquez, Dali, Turner and Vermeer. I love the texture and mood. Their images evoke such deep feelings. I think when one can translate this to film there is little need for dialogue. I’m also very influenced by cinematographers of this past century. Some of my favorite cinematographers are Robert Richardson, Vittorio Stararo, Harris Savides, Jordan Cronenweth, Conrad Hall…. to name a few. The list is very long for sure

What was your favorite shot to light & compose in Caterpillar?

This is definitely a tough question because all of David’s ideas were really amazing. The set was beautiful and the story so rich in content. One of my favorites is the shot of Leslie, who plays the main character, as she works on the spinning wheel. It’s supposed to be daytime and I had light coming in through the window behind her and we angled it so that it created beams of light off to the side of her. We started the shot with a closeup on the spinning wheel and dollied out to reveal the entire room. It’s really beautiful.

For the tech geeks, what camera setup did you use on Caterpillar?

We used the Red MX camera at 4K 16:9 and we framed for widescreen (2.4). The glass was Red Pro Primes – 18mm through 100mm.

Describe your workflow on Caterpillar

We’d start directly off David’s storyboards which were very detailed and amazing. Our amazing AD Jeremiah Kipp would put all the storyboards on poster board the night before and we’d work directly off of it. Something I would do with David is preview the composition using iPhone’s amazing app: Artemis Director’s Viewfinder. It’s really crazy. You can choose the format, camera, and specific lenses you’re going to be working with. We’d use this for the blocking and determining camera positions. It’s especially helpful for dolly shots. Once we had the blocking and camera framing down I would direct my crew on the lighting, motion (dollying), and camera specs (i.e.: specific lenses, over cranking, etc.) I emphasize the importance of doing a blocking and finding the camera’s key positions during a scene / shot before doing any kind of lighting, make-up, etc.

Any funny stories from the production?

I think the funniest story from production was David and Leslie’s dynamic. It reminded me of Lily Tomlin and David O’Russell’s on “I Heart Huckabees”. I’m sure most people are familiar with them as the behind the scenes videos went very viral. Of course they never blew up to that extreme. In a way it was like an old married couple. All David was doing was giving her direction as a director should do but she seemed to always disagree.

See more on Eric Giovon at www.ericgiovon.com

What is your artistic background, and how did it lead you to becoming a storyboard artist?

I grew up in Oregon and have drawn ever since I could hold a pencil. While at film school in Los Angeles I found the perfect synthesis of filmmaking and drawing: Storyboards. I’ve worked for filmmakers, advertisers, inventors, contractors, musicians, and more. Anytime my client has an idea they need to sell, I put it down on paper so they can communicate their thoughts to others. I turn brainwaves into a picture.

Describe your process behind creating the storyboards for Caterpillar.

Working with David Field on Caterpillar was a fun and creatively satisfying experience. We went through the script line by line and worked out the best angle to show each action. For each scene we established a layout of the room based on location photos and overhead views. We staged the scene, placing the actors and cameras and using arrows to show movement. My drawings showed everything David wanted to see in the frame. By the end of our first meeting we had a giant table covered in sketches and pages of notes. After David left I redrew the sketches and cleaned up the frames.

The point of storyboards is to make as many decisions as possible before the shoot day, which will inevitably be rushed and hectic. At the same time, a good storyboard is drawn loosely, not so rigid that it restricts creative freedom on set. The other artists involved in the production, such as the director of photography, production designer, and actors, need room to work their magic.

Outside of storyboarding and illustration, what personal art projects are you working on?

The flexibility of a freelance career has allowed me to pursue personal projects on the side, in the mediums of painting and animation. My style is revelatory, not only to audiences (whose payoffs come from deciphering the images), but also to myself, as themes and relationships appear on the canvas and screen subconsciously. I am an excavator, uncovering hieroglyphs, idols–a mythology of the soul. In animation, I experiment with traditional and digital techniques to make short films, music videos, and commercials.

What lead you to a career in production design?

I grew up painting, drawing, and eventually sculpting. This all led to conceptual art and multi-mediums and eventually performance. The few that I did where to emerse the viewer in an experience. This all occuring in college, I had to find a job when it was over. The first film I worked on I was hired as the carpenter. From here it went from film to film to commercial to advertising and editorials. I enjoy them all.

The word on the street is that you’re a man with an uncanny knack for procuring things.  What are some of the the most obscure props you’ve been able to find?

I consider myself a Minister of Acquisitions. Although, if its word on the street I hope the word is only legal procurements. I have had some strange requests, but none are more obscure as the next its usually the amount of time I have to get them. Some favorites have been working with my taxidermist and butchers. They have provided me with animals for everything from a still life to a sacrificial lamb. I’ve made adornments from animal parts, like goat eyes, beef hearts, and talons. These have been most sensational, but my favorite is to build my own creations. Currently, I am making masks.

Describe your thought process behind constructing the multi-layered world within Caterpillar

Caterpillar was a challenge, due to some parameters to work with at the location and the methods of dressing a historical landmark.  Ben was great for this, a true pro at his craft in developing the application method for the silk webbing. Fortunately I had most of the propping already in my storage. I believe the vision we see in the film, was shared from the start by myself and everyone that worked on it.

Your line of work seems to be a never-ending adventure, and is surely composed of some quirky tales.  Is there any specific story that stands out among the rest?

The best part of this job is that everyday is different. I go from putting a chair on a white cyc, to sweeping a 1/2mile of Caribbean beach clean, to crucifiying the devil.  It isnt so much the job itself that stands out. As it is the variety of colorful and creative people I get to work with. They all stand out to me

To view Jesse Kaufmann’s website, CLICK HERE

Jesse is represented by, The Magnet Agency

Photograph by Mark Rubenstein

Originally Posted on: THE WHIRLING BLOG 

Hi David! Thank you so much for setting aside some time to do this for The Whirling Blog. I’ve been a fan of your photography work for a while now. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your work?

In my personal life, I’m a simple guy.  I need little stimulation and find comfort in the ordinary.  I can’t say the same for my artwork.  It lives in a world unto itself.  My imagination began to develop as a child, when my dad would read bedtime stories to my sister and me.  For some reason, we always ended up reading dark scary stories, and this was the tone I would bring into my dreams.  I attribute this to my creative growth and a tendency to lean towards dramatic, moody subject matter.  It’s just how my brain developed!!

All of your photography work is truly captivating but whenever I visit your website, I find myself spending most of my time viewing your ‘Conceptual’ photos. I’m wondering if you could, without giving away any secrets, explain how you go about creating these pieces? What comes first? What inspires you?

Many times, my inspiration comes from music.  I enjoy listening to dramatic film scores and channelling that emotional energy into my sketchbooks.  This is where my creative process begins.  Most everything you see on my website previously existed as a drawing.  After enough people suggested I do so, I started posting some of those drawings on my website.  The ability to draw has helped me tremendously.  So many of my productions  aspire towards the surreal, so it helps to be able to illustrate what I want, when words aren’t enough.

One of the things I admire about you David and actually derive much inspiration from, is the fact that you don’t seem to allow anything or possibly anyone, get in the way of your creative endeavors. Correct me if I’m wrong but you set your sights on a project, whether it’s a photo shoot or now, a movie, and you persevere until said project is complete. Not many artists can say they do that. Many of us can get scared easily from attempting large projects that we might not think we’re either ready for or have the money to fund it. I’m interested in knowing what your mental process is when you come up with an idea, no matter how big or expensive, in order to carry it through to completion.

I’d like to say I’ve got the heart of a lion and balls of steel, but more often than not, my determination is a product of mild insanity.  Maybe not, but I feel one has to be somewhat delusional to have such a capacity for believing in themselves.  I’ll come out and admit that I have an obsessive personality.  This is a great strength, in that  nothing distracts me from what I want, but it’s also a weakness.  If obsession was a superpower, I’d say I’m still in the early stages of wielding it.

There have definitely been times when I nearly gave up though.  Take for instance, my film Caterpillar.  Financing and producing that film was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  It cost nearly the price of a house, required a year of my life, and all the while, there was the likelihood that it would end up a failure.  In times like this, one asks themselves the same questions that you raised… “Am I not ready for this?  Is this beyond my scope of ability?”  Then, I remind myself that I’ve seen less talented people achieve similar goals, and I’m at least comforted in knowing that it is hypothetically possible.

A little less than a year ago, I was visiting you and we spoke about this idea you had for a short film. Now, “Caterpillar” is almost completed. I’d love to know more about the story and how & when it originally came to you.

Caterpillar was a long time in the making, and for much of that time, I didn’t even know it.  Various random ideas in my sketchbooks started to fit together like puzzle pieces, and one day, it dawned on me that I had a story.  There was too much of a narrative for it to fit within the constraints of my photography, so the only option was to write a film.  I collected about a dozen books on film making and wrote my treatment while reading them.  Several versions later, I decided it was time to commit and begin thinking practically.  How would I do this??  Luckily, I’m used to producing far-fetched hair-brained schemes such as this, but on a smaller scale (many of my photography productions handle like miniature film shoots).  I collaborated with a producer, and after much research, we arrived at a game plan and a dollar amount.  I realized that I wasn’t even halfway near our financial goal.  It took almost a year of straight hustling until I miraculously raised the cash.  I mean I did every job under the sun…  I even sold my fancy new camera system awarded to me by Hasselblad.  In addition to this, I borrowed another $15,000 from friends and family.   The beauty of all of this was that it allowed me to distance myself from the story.  So when I finally returned to my notes, I was able to spot the weakpoints with a non-biased eye.  Once we moved into production, the story really became interesting…. but that’s a tale unto itself. I swear, you could easily make a movie about the process of making a movie.

I have to tell you that the trailer alone looks magnificent and I was immediately struck by the entire look of the piece . . . it’s quite exquisite. How would you describe your approach to the “look” of the film? What were you going for?

First of all, I have to give due credit to my cinematographer, Eric Giovon.  He and I share the same wavelength when it comes to photography.  From day one, I knew I could trust him to take my storyboards to the next level.  In deciding on the “look” of the film, I always knew that I wanted it to feel like a historical painting.  It’s through this context that I would sell the audience on all of the surreal elements.  It’s like a marriage of science fiction meets art history.  Eric and I were channelling all of the greats, Caravaggio, Vermeer, etc.  Production-wise, the first major decision was to find the right location.  We picked a famous residency of George Washington.  This house, currently owned by the director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (formerly curator for the Met), was basically kept as a museum.  Everything felt frozen in time, which was perfect for the world of Caterpillar.

I’m excited to get to see the entire film. What’s next for “Caterpillar” and in addition, what’s on the horizon for you?

Our goal for Caterpillar is to find a home in a film festival that will get behind it.  Everyone involved views this as their best work, and we’re eager to share it with the world.  Personally, I would like to use Caterpillar as a catalyst to producing some bigger projects.  One of which is already in development, but there’s no way I’m funding it myself!

Thanks again David. Continued success and thank you for inspiring us to set our sights high and never give up on our artistic visions.

(Interview by Gene Manuel, The Whirling Blog)

David Field Teams up with Adiuvo Productions on a 10-page editorial + video for the June 2012 issue of BlackBook Magazine.

Read more HERE

VH1 coverage HERE

CATERPILLAR gets mentioned in the June 2012 issue of BlackBook Magazine

David Field and Ben Bornstein (special effects artist) travel to Rhode Island for the World Premiere of CATERPILLAR.  The Rhode Island International Film Festival is an Academy Award Qualifying event.

CATERPILLAR is taking Atlanta by storm during the month of September!!!!  For detailed information including locations, times, and where to purchase tickets, click HERE

The ballots are in, and CATERPILLAR has been awarded BEST SHORT FILM 2012 for the Eerie Horror Film Festival.  Congratulations to the entire cast and crew!