For These DPs, Connecting with Story and Storytellers Prevents Burnout
In today’s episode, we host a roundtable discussion with cinematographers of four different Sundance films. We chat about problem-solving on set, collaborating with directors, creative lighting solutions, protecting your energy for the stories you love, and finding the silver lining in the less than ideal projects.

Power Signal - Midnight Short Film shot by Zach Kuperstein, directed by Oscar Boyson.
While trying to navigate a city that won’t provide him a bathroom, a delivery worker discovers an unearthly presence infecting women all over New York.
CREDIT: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
During Sundance 2023, we sat down with cinematographers Nate Hurtsellers(Theater Camp), Dan Adlerstein (Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls), Scott Miller (A Little Prayer), and Zach Kuperstein (Power Signal) about working on their respective Sundance projects, and the intense amount of work they put into these projects.
In this episode, we talk about…
- Four different Sundance films and what they are about
- How these DPs booked their jobs
- Using a single camera versus two cameras
- Implementing unique lighting techniques
- Having longer takes with minimal camera movement
- Working as a gaffer versus working as a DP
- Finding the community you love and holding onto it
- Recognizing the opportunity cost when you take a film to shoot something
You can check out these amazing DPs' social media below, and see more of their work beyond Sundance 2023.
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