Conversations with Michael Pizzoli | Cinematographer & Director

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Pizzoli.

Hi Michael, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always believed stories are inherited before they’re written. In my case, it began with a Kodak 16mm camera my grandparents used in the 1930s. My father kept it around the house, along with other cameras that seemed to follow me through childhood. Film, both literally and figuratively, was always present. 

By nine years old, I was already trying to make a sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark in my backyard with friends. We built our own sets, tried “special effects,” and recorded whatever we could on whatever gear we could find. Sound was basically impossible and film was expensive, but we didn’t care, we tried. That early obsession never really left. 

I chased music first, but filmmaking was always waiting for me. The struggle of trying to make it as a musician actually became the perfect training ground for directing, because creativity isn’t the hard part. The challenge is navigating the business, the pressure, the responsibility of turning vision into reality. Nothing prepares you for that from the outside, but I learned.

Over the past fifteen years I have built my craft project by project starting with small commercial work and music videos before expanding into larger narratives. Commercials taught me precision and efficiency. Music videos taught me rhythm movement and how to tell emotion through light and color. Those years became the foundation for directing and shooting more ambitious narrative work which finally led me to feature films. Every project demanded a different level of discipline but each one sharpened the next and strengthened my voice as a filmmaker.

Recently, I co-directed and shot a music video with Netflix actress Dania Ramirez. We filmed across California and worked with the same post-production team behind Beyoncé’s “Formation.” Dania didn’t just show up, she poured everything into it from day one, creatively and physically. Collaborating with her sharpened everything about the process. It was one of the most inspiring experiences I’ve had on set. 

Now I’m stepping into my first narrative film as a writer/director. It’s a haunting love story set in Los Angeles on the final day before disaster strikes, a film about connection when time is running out and everything else is falling apart. It stars Adhrucia Apana and Randy Burrell. Set to start shooting here soon.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were times when everything seemed to fracture at once. Family tragedy, music fell apart, money ran out. People I relied on faded away. The silence after failure was sometimes louder than the failure itself, and I questioned whether the dream was still worth chasing. But hardship reshaped me. Each loss forced a deeper honesty in my work and made me see what mattered most. I am still here, still telling stories, and grateful for every moment I get to create. In the end Stephen Colbert said it best: “what punishments of God are not gifts?

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 work as a cinematographer/ director with a deep focus on light and character driven stories. That has always been my language. I study it, chase it, and break it apart until it reveals something honest. Friends call it “mad scientist mode” because once I step into a scene I disappear into angles color temperature modifiers and reflections until every frame breathes the emotion it needs. I have an almost obsessive attention to detail and for creating visual moods that hopefully feel lived in rather than staged. I’ve never stopped building from the ground up whether it was scoring, editing, shooting or directing. I treat filmmaking as storytelling through light and I think that sets me apart.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
At the moment the best way to work with me or collaborate is through direct contact on my professional channels. I handle all inquiries personally because I believe every project deserves attention from the source. Anyone interested in cinematography directing collaborations music scoring or visual development can reach out through my email or socials and I always review each message. I am open to working with creatives across film music photography and narrative development and I strongly value partnerships that bring story and vision to the forefront. Supporting my work can be as simple as sharing projects staying connected on social platforms or reaching out with opportunities that challenge and inspire.
[email protected]
@michaelpizzoli
www.michaelpizzoliphotography.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelpizzoliphotography.com
• Instagram: michaelpizzoli
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelpizzoli