Cinematography in Canada Since 1957

@martinbuzora #CSCAssociateMember #martinbuzora

I’ve been lucky to work across many types of projects: horror, music videos, thrillers, Hallmark romances, documentaries and commercials. What I’ve noticed is how quickly people put you in a box based on what they’ve seen, or what’s easiest to categorize.

I’ve gone from filming documentaries in conflict zones to Hallmark romances back home within days. That contrast keeps me engaged and stops the work from feeling routine.

Hallmark romances get a bad rep, but I genuinely enjoy the cinematography that goes into them. Who wouldn’t want to go from filming dead elephants to gorgeous actors with lighting that looks like some kind of delicious cupcake? It’s therapeutic.

For me, these formats have never felt separate. It’s the same creative part of my brain each time trying to find the right feeling with fresh eyes. That variety is what keeps my interest in cinematography alive.

@martinbuzora #CSCAssociateMember #martinbuzora

I shot this during the 2019 Hong Kong protests - a time of profound change that marked a seismic shift not just in my own life, but across the world. It was the final chapter of a pre-COVID era, before everything changed for all of us.

What stays with me most was the sincerity of the people. There was a clarity and conviction in their voices that made it impossible for me to remain a bystander. I felt a responsibility to be there, to listen, and to try to carry their voices beyond the streets of Hong Kong.

With no funding, no backing, and no safety net of any kind, I got on a plane with nothing but a camera to document what I believed was a moment of global consequence. What followed was the most stripped-down documentary experience of my career - alone, guided by passion and instinct and a genuine desire to try and help the people I had come to care so deeply about.

Months of isolation, police arrest, interrogations, teargas and PTSD are not things they teach in film school. But I would still choose to be there again, because I was guided by my heart.

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@martinbuzora #CSCAssociateMember #martinbuzora

Scenes from Kenya Wildlife Diaries, a series I directed for @lovenature and @smithsonian.

For nearly two years I lived out of a tent filming on the front lines of conservation in northern Kenya. I got to shoot on one of the early RED Dragon 6K cameras - a tough old powerhouse that never let me down and astonishingly never overheated, even when my brain did in the punishing equatorial sun. Dust found everything and keeping my lenses clean, sensors protected and gear functioning became a daily discipline inside my canvas tent.

Every sunrise brought new adventures and meant stepping into the unknown. No separation between life and work - just the story, unfolding in real time.

Those years didn’t just shape my work, they rewired how I see the world - and Kenya became my home.

Documentary Series: Kenya Wildlife Diaries
Network: @lovenature
Executive Producer: @michael.dalton_smith
Executive Producer: @craigcolby6
Editor: Owin Lambeck
Sound Editor: @georgefloressoundpost

Starring: @dr_mathew_mutinda_ @batian_kenya @iancraigkenya @lewaconservancy

@martinbuzora #CSCAssociateMember #martinbuzora

This breathtaking documentary series called “ENSLAVED” took us from Central Africa to the American South with the one and only @samuelljackson.

I’m forever grateful to have been part of telling a story of this weight and importance, and to have worked alongside such a deeply experienced group of cinematographers - @eladwink, Derek Rogers, and Paul Jenkins - as well as our exceptional underwater DP @richstevenson.uk and Italian aerial team at @drone_arezzo_italy.

We filmed across Central Africa, beginning in Gabon and continuing through Ghana - from dense jungle environments to the buzzing energy of Accra - under the fearless direction of @ricbienstock with a production team led by @tara.jan_. The journey then carried on into the United States with shoots in Nashville and Mobile, Alabama.

It was an intense and breathtaking experience - the kind that reminds you how much there is for us to learn, and how rare it is to be a part of stories that truly matter.

Production: @enslaveddoc
Executive Producers: @simcha_jacobovici @ltjackson_ @samuelljackson @ricbienstock Sarah Sapper Yaron Niski Eli Selden & Rob Lee
Producers: @golubev.felix @ricbienstock
Directors: @simcha_jacobovici @ricbienstock George Amponsah
Cinematographers: Derek Rogers, Paul Jenkins, @eladwink and @martinbuzora
Camera Assistant: @badassryanbuller
Underwater Cinematography: @richstevenson.uk
Divers: Kramer Wimberley, @alannahvellacott, Joshua Williams and Kinga Philipps
Aerial Cinematography: @drone_arezzo_italy

Behind the scenes photos by @remi_pognante_photos

@martinbuzora #CSCAssociateMember #martinbuzora

Alongside my work in documentaries and features, my time at DJI introduced me to the world of tech commercials. I DP’d this campaign for @oneplus and their Hasselblad @hasselblad lenses.

We shot in the iconic Alabama Hills of Northern California in November, where we were blessed with some of the most unforgettable sunrises of my career.

Directed by my powerhouse creative partner @zacharialorenz, my dear friend and collaborator since our DJI days. Together with @joshuacrippsphotography, we engineered the exact window to capture the full moon with surgical precision - enough ambient light for ground exposure while keeping the moon low on the horizon to retain surface detail.

This level of timing, preparation, and execution was made possible by my exceptional camera team. Huge thanks to @averybazan and everyone who brought this to life!

Brand: @oneplus
Production Company: @vantage.pictures
EP: @jamesduong___
Director: @zacharialorenz
Production Services: @thinkoutloud.studio
Producers: @julie_janssen, @averybazan
DOP: @martinbuzora
1st AC: @brandon.gong
Gaffer: @quitethecasey
Grip: @chizzlecheed
Sound: @stevenspeeds
PA: @eunicehoo95
Wilderness Landscape Photographer: @joshuacrippsphotography
Talent: Zoe Tuggle
Editor: @eyesforsleep
Assistant Editor: @tuyentr.raw
Colorist: @olha.colourist
Sound Design: @marcsanderm
3D Animation: @benjamin_filmmaker (Basugaa Studio)
VFX: @tynis (@spice_vfx)
Post PA: @nthuha0610

#canadiancinematographer