Today we’d like to introduce you to Alonso Homs.
Alonso, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Originally from Mexico, I moved to the US in 2004 and to LA in 2014. I started my career as a Digital Imaging Technician in the film business straight out of film school. Working with what was then the newest digital cameras allowed me to work with such incredible filmmakers as Martin Scorsese and Doug Liman, regardless of my young age.
Already tapped into new tech in filmmaking, I became interested in 3D Stereography. It just so happened that Baz Luhrmann wanted to shoot The Great Gatsby in 3D, and I was introduced to him for a test. We bonded and he hired me to lead the 3D department during the 5-month shoot in Australia, perhaps the most fun I’ve had in my life so far. It was a huge movie and with a visionary director, and I learned a lot from him and his team. It was really exciting when the movie went on to win 2 Oscars in 2014.
Upon returning from Australia, I was motivated to advance in my career and take on higher roles, in particular as a Director of Photography and Producer. I co-founded a production company in New York, and a couple of years later moved to Los Angeles, where I’ve lived for six years. I’ve been working primarily in commercials and branded content since, with such brands as Google, Disney and Coca-Cola. 2020, as hard as it’s been, brought me the opportunity to get back into movies and I served as Director of Photography in two movies, and I’m scheduled to film two more before the end of the year.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The toughest thing has been to what sometimes feels like going back in the scale of the projects that I choose to do, all in the interest of taking on higher positions. For example, going from a big studio movie such as The Great Gatsby to small indie movies with a fraction of the resources… just so that I could become a Director of Photography.
Those are scary choices, as it sometimes feels like I could be going backward in my career. But I was always afraid to get stuck on bigger projects but having less involvement/ownership. But I’m glad I’ve followed my instincts and stuck to my guns, I’m already seeing the benefits of taking chances on smaller projects. Being far away from my family and my culture back in Mexico has also been hard. But that’s the advantage of living in Southern California, there’s plenty of my culture reflected locally and that keeps me connected.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a freelancer, mostly as Director of Photography for commercials and this year’s movies as well. But I’m also a partner in a production company called Coconut Grove, for which I produce as well as serving as director of photography. We specialize in commercials and branded content, in particular, premium content with a lot of shoots around the country. We’re particularly good at finding highly efficient multi-hyphenate crews that allow us to move in a more nimble and fast way; but always maintaining a highly-visual, premium look.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Kindness. I heard somebody recently saying that a lot of people are nice, but not everybody is kind. This rang true as a quality that I seek in people and I focus on giving. Always coming from a place of empathy and interest in collaboration makes people connect with you at a deeper level. And if being technically apt is a given, people will always choose to work with kinder, empathetic and collaborative people.
Hard work. The film and advertising businesses are very exciting and there’s a lot of competition. So you really need to put in a lot of extra work to rise above.
Contact Info:
- Website: alonsohoms.com and coconutgrovepictures.com
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