Today we’d like to introduce you to Graham Byers:
Graham is a Senior at the University of Southern California (USC), majoring in Film and Television Production and minoring in Entrepreneurship. Graham is an aspiring director of photography and entertainment entrepreneur who strives to incorporate nature into every aspect of the work that he does.
Growing up in Vermont, Graham learned to appreciate nature and its preservation from a very young age. While in high school, Graham shot aerial and ground footage and photographs of an endangered natural preserve area due to clear-cutting and the construction of a controversial intermodal station along the local LaPlatte River in his town of Shelburne.
He presented this project at a town meeting attended by over 500 concerned local citizens and testified in the Town of Shelburne V. Vermont Railway federal court case. Since then, Graham has taken a particular interest in addressing environmental issues in his work and, under the mentorship of award-winning filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, has discovered how to make audiences empathetic to nature.
Graham’s affinity for nature has also had a profound impact on his narrative and commercial voice. He is a cinematographer who strives to tell stories that ignite social change. Graham often relies on natural light and encourages directors to consider using natural settings when appropriate.
Alongside these tendencies toward nature, Graham describes his approach to cinematography as character-driven. He loves to use cinematography as a tool to immerse the audience in the world of a character and the journey that they go on.
Outside of his work as a DP, Graham can be found either in nature hiking or skiing or back at his desk developing his nonprofit venture, The Green Film Standard (GFS), which aims to curb the film industry’s carbon emissions.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been plenty of struggles along the way. I have struggled with balancing my time, finding connections in the industry, and getting consistent work.
The biggest challenge for me, however, has been loss. Over the past year and a half, I have lost my brother to suicide and my father to cancer. There has been no greater loss in my life. Having now faced this grief head-on in therapy, however, I feel as though I can conquer almost anything, whether personal or professional.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a cinematographer and entertainment entrepreneur who strives to incorporate nature into every aspect of the work that I do.
I believe film should get audiences to develop their love for and connection to nature (whether that’s through direct visual depictions of stunning wildlife or even the use of natural lighting or settings) because now, more than ever, is the time that we all need to appreciate and take care of our planet.
Recently, I got the opportunity to combine these cinematographic tendencies to the fullest extent with the USC graduate project I shot, Mollies (2022), which follows a WWI American soldier trapped in the French forest while his family and young niece are misinformed of his death back home. I have also shot numerous short films, music videos, and commercials in line with this cinematographic approach.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?Books: Mans Search For Meaning and The Things They Carried.
Websites: The Whitney Museum catalog.
Apps: Artemis and Sunseeker.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Grahambyers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grahambyers_dp/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/grahambyers
Image Credits
Cooper Davis, AJ Bexton, Carly Sherman, Ruhi Mansey, Kelly Yu, Rohan Palla, Thythy Do, Anthony Robles, Andrew Nibbi, and Carolyn Knapp
