For cinematographer Kristin Fieldhouse, maintaining the integrity of the story is the cornerstone of her creative process when it comes to taking a project from its written form to the visual end product.
Kristin Fieldhouse explains, “A cinematographer is the ultimate gatekeeper of the image. They are there to make choices in how a story is told visually and to help convey the artistic information through their use of camera and lighting choices.”
Kristin is comparatively modest when it comes to talking about the powerful role she plays in the creation of a film or television series, a feature of her character that not only makes her a rarity in the entertainment industry, but something that has made her a highly sought after cinematographer as well. When a cinematographer’s ego and creative vision are not inline with the vision of the director and the overall story the resulting product is more often than not, incoherent; and while the project might be visually appealing, the substance of the work usually ends there. This has and will never be the kind of work we see from Kristin Fieldhouse as her passion for the story and her commitment to the collaboration process are most important.
Although individual praise is in no way a part of Kirstin’s motivation to work on a project, the caliber of her work has made it virtually impossible for her to go unrecognized. Her work as the cinematographer on the recent film Young Americans garnered her the Best Cinematography Award at the Milledgeville Film Festival and the John Kelly Award for Excellence in Cinematography at the Fresno Film Festival earlier this year. Written and directed by Kevin Lacy (The Man Who Found DB Cooper, I Love Sick, Numerica, They Put a Man on the Earth), Young Americans follows a broke young woman who is on the verge of aging out of foster care, and so, in an effort to gain financial stability she plans a bank robbery with the help of an admirer and former classmate. So far the film has received 11 awards including the American Film Institute’s Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award, the IFS Award at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase IFS Film Festival, the Audience Awards at the Ashland Independent Film Festival and the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Audience Choice Award at the Sedona International Film Festival, and others.
“As part of my commitment to the team I was able to secure the Technicolor Film Grant (only given once a year to a worthwhile project), which gave us a large donation of film stock,” explains Kristin. “My role with the film took place over a year long period whereby I was fully involved with script development, location scouting, logistical planning, camera testing, film stock testing, shot list development, storyboards, booking crew and securing gear. The film came together very well because of a strong team.”
A testament to Kristin Fieldhouse’s impeccable creative talent as a cinematographer, Young Americans was recently bought by mass media leader Condé Naste and will be shown to audiences across the world through several video on demand outlets including Netflix and Hulu.
Over the years Kristin has worked with entertainment industry icons like Johathan Demme, Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Beil, William Shatner and many more. She has also been a key contributor to the camera departments of the hit television shows Warehouse 13, Unrivaled, Latest Buzz, Alphas, Mob Stories II, Flashpoint, Happy Town, Abra Ca Debra, Nikita and Covert Affairs.
With unwavering dedication to her craft Kristin Fieldhouse is the kind of cinematographer whose contributions ensure the success of every project she touches, and we are excited to see what’s next for her.