Cinematography in Canada Since 1957

#BelenGarcia, #AssociateMemberCSC @mabelengg

Animals is a coming-of-age short that explores how society shapes young men’s understanding of boundaries and consent. The film is only five minutes long and was commissioned through @artwithimpact Voices With Impact grant.

Honestly, it’s pretty hard to tell a slow, contemplative, subtle story in just five minutes — but that’s exactly the challenge the @michaelmakaroff brought me. He cared so deeply about telling this story right, and it was really cool to be a small part of it 💙

From the start, we knew I wanted the style to be on the darker, moodier side but still feel real. We kept the whole film pretty simple and set a few “rules” for ourselves — things like lens choices and camera movement. We wanted to be really intentional about our shots and how the camera moved. At the same time, we stayed flexible and open to what happened on set. That flexibility and lean into realism helped us work with whatever lighting situations we couldn’t afford to control.

I used the Alexa 35 because we had some night scenes and a tight lighting budget. This allowed me to use ISO to my advantage and embrace the grain. We barely used any lighting in some of the night scenes. Plus, the @panavisionofficial Primo Artiste gave us a very dreamy look and helped soften the grain — at least, that’s how I saw it :)

Writer/Director @michaelmakaroff
Producers @gardenpartyproductions 🪴
Steadicam Op @doug_armer
1st ac @jamiejptm
2nd ac @rosemarybrutonjoe
Trainee @mahan3540_
Gaffer: Ed McClung
Key Grip: Alfredo Arroyo

#BelenGarcia #AssociateMemberCSC @mabelengg

“Don’t Forget About Me” is a short film written and directed by @elle.mills that I shot at the end of last year. Elle and I connected via IG, and when I saw the treatment, it was immediately clear this would be a project I’d love shooting. DFAM is a heartwarming story about two teen siblings who, while saying goodbye to their childhood home, accidentally resurrect the jaded, adult version of their favorite childhood TV character. 📺
It’s an ode to those of us who grew up loving TV characters and Disney Channel. My sister was a Disney Channel girlie, and it was basically the ever-present backdrop of our childhood.

Elle had a very clear plan for how she wanted to cover certain scenes. Time wasn’t really on our side — we shot the 27-minute film in just three days. We had to be super aware of what we were shooting and how much work was still ahead — constantly. But no matter how tight things got, our producers @gardenpartyproductions always made sure we were set up for success.

In terms of lighting, we played a lot — it was fun. The idea was for it to feel nostalgic and youthful. I really wanted it to feel like a film that belongs to a different time, when life felt simpler, haha. We lit most of the film with LED lighting — Vortex and tubes — and a 4K for the daytime/sunny scenes. We shot on the Alexa 35 and @panavisionofficial G Series anamorphics, which already have a beautiful image right out of the gate, but combined with @clintonhomuth color, I think we really achieved the nostalgic look we were chasing.

I was so lucky to have gaffer @krystal.chn and KG @aleckcampbell_grip who are not only extremely good at their jobs, but also a blast to work alongside.

One of my favorite scenes was the dance scene at the gym (slide #3). We were tight on time, but thankfully only had to do the dance a couple of times because @op.arker was incredible with the steadicam. He understood the assignment right away and had the perfect tempo and instinct to find the shot and move wherever he was needed in the moment.

BTS 📹 - @nataliexlynn
BTS 📸 - @liahansenphoto

#BelenGarcia #AssociateMemberCSC @mabelengg

Little Booms is a short film written and directed by my partner, @rachelronrose ✨. This was our third collaboration as Director - DP. Whenever we work together, I get way more involved than usual, and it ends up becoming part of our daily life. Prep happens pretty organically — we’ll talk about it over dinner, in the car, wherever. I’m not sure how healthy that is (haha), but it works for us. We really approach everything as co-creators. This was a story I knew inside and out, and our months of prep were filled with endless conversations and brainstorming, right down to the smallest details.

For this project, I pulled together tons of visual references and created mood boards (color, lighting, composition, mood, tone) to build a strong visual language that served the story. On this one, I focused especially on figuring out how we wanted to cover each scene. Rachel and I spent a lot of time talking about the intention behind each moment and how best to approach it.

Like any indie film, we faced our share of challenges. Some locations weren’t accessible until right before the shoot, so we had to figure out blocking on the fly. Same with lighting — I couldn’t do full lighting schematics as I normally would, but thankfully I had @yannieyu , an extremely talented gaffer. I shared lighting references (last slide) for each scene, and she helped me figure out how to light them and what tools to use. Working with Yannie is a treat — she is incredibly resourceful and a fantastic leader.

At one point, we almost lost access to our “club” location, which was extremely stressful — but thanks to the most incredible team, we still captured everything we needed. 🫶🏼

This was also my first time working with a remote head. Our head tech, @spencerkovats , was super patient and so helpful. We mounted it on a dolly and used it exclusively for the club scene, which allowed us to “dance” with the cast and capture fun, spontaneous, dynamic moments. Even though we had a rough start, the club scene ended up being one of the funnest times I’ve ever had on set.

🎥 Shot on Alexa Mini LF + Canon K-35 / Petzval 58
@keslowcamera

#BelenGarcia #AssociateMemberCSC @mabelengg

I heard that Stills/bts was an actual position on a film set when I was in film school, I didn’t know it existed before that. Because of my love for photography, particularly documentary and street photography, I found this job quite interesting. Not only was I going to be in the middle of a film set but I will also be taking pictures.

At first, I saw it as a backup. I was new to Canada and fresh out of film school, so I knew just chasing a DP career wasn’t going to pay the bills. Little did I know how competitive and tough doing stills could be. @lukacyprian was one of the first people who introduced me to the ins and outs of the job and encouraged me to get more into it.

What I love about doing stills is that I get to move how I want. There’s no waiting—I just shoot. I can slip behind the camera, crouch under a dolly, climb something if I need to. It’s the kind of fast composition practice you don’t get on set as a DP. It’s a good way to learn to see quickly and shoot even faster.

And even though I love working as part of a team, there’s something really freeing about being a fly on the wall, doing your own thing, with your own tasks on set.

It’s also been one of the best ways for me to meet people and grow my network. I’ve connected with people I might never have had the chance or time to talk to as a DP.

Of course, I’ve had bad experiences too—being in the shot, accidentally distracting an actor by being in their eyeline, getting in the way. But all of it has taught me how to be more aware, alert, and observant on set. It’s pushed me to interact more, be less shy, and just grow as a filmmaker overall.

#BelenGarcia #AssociateMemberCSC @mabelengg

Hey everyone! First, thank you to @416cw for inviting me to share a bit about my work and experiences. I often get caught up in the go-go-go, so I’m grateful for the chance to pause and reflect on the journey.

My name is Belen Garcia, and I’m a DP based in Vancouver, BC. I was born and raised in Mexico City 🇲🇽. Growing up, film wasn’t really part of my world beyond cartoons and movies—no one in my family worked in the industry. Instead, basketball was everything 🏀. I had a ball bouncing in my brain 24/7. My heroes were Magic Johnson, Sue Bird, and Jason Williams. They weren’t traditional artists, but the way they played felt creative and expressive—and that inspired me.

While playing basketball, I enrolled in an animation degree. I liked it, but sitting in front of a computer all day wasn’t for me. Then I took a photography class—and got hooked. For my thesis, I convinced my professor to let me submit a photo book instead of an animated film. From that point on, I always had a camera in hands.

After graduating, I spent a few years working at an agency in Mexico, where I grew curious about the film industry—even though I wasn’t sure how to break in. That curiosity eventually brought me to Vancouver. I’m one of the lucky ones whose work doesn’t feel like work—I love shooting more than anything.

It hasn’t been an easy path, but it’s been worth it. I’ve met incredible people—many who’ve become close friends, even family. I’ve learned, lived, and filmed. For me, it’s all about preservation and voice—and there’s nothing I want more than to be part of that.

I’ll be sharing a bit about my work and on-set experiences over the next few days. Feel free to ask questions, share feedback, or just chime in with whatever comes to mind ✨

#ianvatcher #AssociateMemberCSC @ianvatcher

Well, that flew by! Huge thanks to @416cw for the invite. It was a real pleasure to revisit old photos, reflect on past projects, and share some glimpses of what I’ve been up to lately. It brought back so many great memories and reminded me how important it is to enjoy the process, learn new things everyday, and have fun with everyone while you’re in the thick of creating.

I’m incredibly grateful to be part of the CSC community—such a generous and inspiring group of talented creators. And thank you to everyone who followed along, liked, commented, or reached out. It’s been a blast. Over and out. — IV

#IanVatcher #AssociateMemberCSC @ianvatcher

Incredibly honoured to be asked to act as the cinematographer for the @cbc series @saintpierretv. Huge gratitude to @allanhawco, @thejaninesquires, @robinalordstafford, @erinsullivan1977 and @jawnyvee for trusting me to help create the look of the show.

Thrilled to have worked closely with @tjscottpictures, our pilot director and longtime creative co-conspirator. We’ve worked together for years, and it was a blast diving into visual references, sharing everything we love about cop partner shows and figuring out how to weave that into Saint Pierre. As a deeply visual filmmaker, TJ brought sharp instincts to our tone-setting collaboration.

This post is mostly an ode to one of my favourite lights—and our most-used fixture on Saint Pierre: the @molerichardson MoleBeam. It’s big, old, shiny, and throws a stunning, sculptural beam.

Last season, we ran four full-time on our interior Bullpen set. From the beginning, the visual goal was to channel French island sunlight. To bring that warm, golden glow into our NL interiors, we brought out the big guns and let the “sun” bounce through the space.

I’ve always loved lighting from the outside in, big sources through windows, practicals for motivation, and soft sources inside to shape faces. The MoleBeam fits this perfectly.

A favourite use was in the pilot: tying an interior St. John’s church to an exterior Île-aux-Marins location. TJ brilliantly suggested rigging canvas to hide anything that didn’t feel like Saint Pierre. I placed a 5K HMI MoleBeam behind the canvas and fired it into a 4x4 mirror. Key grip @iaaaaaan added squares of our show gel palette—Storaro Yellow, Medium Green Blue, Deep Red, Cyan 60 to mimic stained glass. We enhanced the look with Creamsource Vortexes and Pixel Bricks in warm accent yellow.

MoleBeams are one-of-a-kind, but modern LEDs have come far. In Season 2, @andrewfbest swapped our road HMI Moles for @nanlux_global 2400s with parabeam attachments. They’re Kelvin-tunable, match beautifully with tungsten, and run on house power.

I feel incredibly lucky to work with such a talented cast and crew, it’s a privilege to help bring this show to life.

#IanVatcher #AssociateMemberCSC @ianvatcher
Hudson & Rex – Episode 609 “Hudson and Son”
Directed by @elsbethmc

As I look back on my time with @hudsonandrex, I’m filled with gratitude. Over six seasons, I had the chance to collaborate with some of the country’s top creative talent—forming friendships, learning, and growing as a cinematographer.

Episode 609, “Hudson and Son,” was easily one of the most rewarding to lens. Not only for the scope and ambition of the work, but because I got to do it alongside director @elsbethmc (who also happens to be my partner). Watching her lead with such clarity, pace, and vision, and seeing the crew rise to support that, was truly special.

So many incredibly talented crew involved in this. The technical team crushed it.
Operator @thechurchmouse brought his signature energy and movement.
@glennwarnerphoto (also our 2nd unit DP) captured beautiful closeups and set up a stunning Giraffe crane opener with @dollybax with ease. Focus Pullers Jay Hamel and Steph Toonders kept us razor sharp. Ben Price and Brandan Reid kept the camera team movin’ and efficient.

Huge respect to producer @geojeffery for trusting us and 1st AD @bingram17 on one of the biggest shoot days we had. It was a beast of a schedule, but solid teamwork made it seamless.

Working with @johnny_reardon_ was another highlight, he and Elsbeth found a rhythm quickly and intuitively.

Sherri Davis @brbk9 and @viicmanson were total pro as usual. Coming up with some incredible dog action on the fly.

Major props to @glenclandry and his team!

One major challenge was lighting three separate sets on location near an active shipping yard. We only had one lift position for night work, so we parked an 18K in the yard and softened it with Hollywood quiet frost to keep the punch without harshness.

To create a warm nightlife tone, we layered accent cool colours and used two 4x8 LiteTiles fired through magic cloth and white duvateen to make a large, soft, warm key—especially in the bullpen and standing sets. I’m really proud of how that came together visually.

Some media including the big day/night in question as well as other fond moments from my time at H&R