Interview with Nathan Mielke (GWTW139)

Nathan Mielke is a cinematographer with a passion for visual storytelling. In 2013, he shot his first feature, a low budget horror/slasher, MADE ME DO IT, and most recently graduated from the American Film Institute with an MFA in cinematography. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, we talk about how he prepares for a scene, what he learned shooting his first feature, how music informs his work, and the movies that changed his life.

Several quotes from this episode:

  • “The more you can learn about the technical side, the more it informs how you can achieve your artistic vision or what you want to create.”
  • “As I get older, the technology is getting better and better, and more accessible.”
  • “I don’t think cinematography is making things look pretty.”
  • “How do I say in words what I want to do visually?”
  • “It’s one thing to make a film with three people, and it’s an entirely different kind of beast to work on a film where it’s like a crew of 30 or 50 people…or even more than that.”
  • “Art is a very personal thing for a lot of people.”
  • “The more you work, the more you learn and the more potential other projects will come your way.”
  • “If you’re not constantly sharing something, you can sometimes be forgotten.”
  • “Your career is not just one project.”
  • “When a song can take me on a journey, I think that’s what really inspires me to then try to  translate that into my work.”
  • Favorite lyric by Project 86: “I’d rather die than settle for mediocrity.”
  • “I learn the most not only from doing, but from watching.”

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