Sanj Surati Talks
Episode 24

Date: Wednesday 23rd August 2023

This is the twentieth fourth episode of the Sanj Surati Talks podcast featuring award winning cinematographer, Denson Baker recorded on Wednesday 23rd August 2023. In this podcast, Denson highlights how he entered the film industry and his experience as a cinematographer helped him understand the perspective of an actor. Denson also talks about working with Jordan Peele and what being accredited by the Australian Cinematographers Society has done for his career.

Denson can be contacted via:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/densonbaker/
Website – www.densonbaker.com

What we talked about:
Cinematographer
Director of Photography Film
Lighting
Camera
Grips
Visual Style
Cinema
Australian Film Television and Radio School - https://www.aftrs.edu.au
Australian Cinematographers Society - https://cinematographer.org.au
35-millimetre film
Siemens - https://www.siemens.com
World Expo Hanover - https://www.bie-paris.org/site/en/2000-hannover
Steve Pasvolsky - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1099262
BMX Bandits - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085204/
Nicole Kidman - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000173/
Deck Dogz - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389911/
Tony Hawk - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005000/
The Black Balloon - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0865297
Toni Collette - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001057
Elissa Down - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1171959/
Berlin Crystal Bear - https://www.berlinale.de/en/festival/awards-and-juries/awards-generation.html
Sky - https://www.sky.com
BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk
Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/
Tone meetings
Jordan Peele - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1443502/
Get Out - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/
Toby Oliver - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002947/
Blumhouse - https://www.blumhouse.com
Insidious Chapter 4 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5726086
/Key & Peele - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981558
/Catherine Keener - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001416/
Claire McCarthy - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2113122/
The Waiting City - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270850/
Ophelia - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5690810/
Daisy Ridley - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5397459/
Naomi Watts - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915208/
George MacKay - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1126657/
The Luminaries - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8075008/
The Colour Room - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13468436/
Domina - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11694186/
Himesh Patel - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2797744/
Emily Blunt - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1289434/
John Krasinski - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1024677/
Parenthood

Places:
New Zealand
Perth
Sydney
Australia
Hanover
Frankfurt
Melbourne
Berlin
Los Angeles
Maroubra
Czech Republic
Indonesia
Calcutta
India

Advice:
Having an Art school foundation really helps you as a cinematography.
Try to ask how you can help so that you work with people you want to work with.
You always need some form of showreel so keep cutting this regularly.
Being a cinematography is very similar to being an actor as your tone and direction can typecast you so try to branch out into different forms of expression.
Try to be busy with your creativity in between jobs.
Use visuals to communicate what your vision will be.
Stay positive in between each job.
Make and find relationships that you think bring opportunities. 

https://www.sanjsurati.co
https://www.twitter.com/sanjsurati
https://www.instagram.com/artistryinsentiment
https://www.facebook.com/therealsanj  

Launched over the Covid 19 lockdown, The Sanj Surati Talks Podcast is a channel for Sanj’s discussions with people he knows and a few discussions with himself. There is no agenda but hopefully some healthy debates.

Feel free to tweet your thoughts using the hashtag #sanjsuratitalks on Twitter and instagram, and we’d love it if you could rate, review, listen on all the podcast places including iTunes, Google, Spotify, Stitcher and the lot. These Podcasts will also be running on Youtube.  

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