Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariano De Luca.
Mariano, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a frustrated guitar player that found Film School through making music for movies, and after my first “Cinematography” class, I said: “This is what I want to do!”. After that, all I did was try to become a cinematographer. I tried to shoot and participate in as many projects as I could during Film School. I even went to another school at the same time to shoot just on film. So technically, once I got into college, I tried to spend as much time as I could doing this because I knew that I would need to push hard if I wanted to pursue this.
After Film School, I started working as an Electrician in commercials. That gave me the capability to meet more people and network around. I was in the G&E department for nearly 4 years, doing mostly feature films and commercials. After that, I moved into the camera department, where I basically did all the jobs there till I got to be a Cinematographer (or Director of Photography, if you want to call it like that). So I guess I kind of did the whole ladder!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh no… I don’t think there is any smooth road in the filmmaking industry, even if you come from a family that’s in the industry, there are always struggles. Me personally, I don’t come from any film industry-related family, so it was a completely new space. A place that I need to live and learn. I guess that the biggest struggle is to deal with the uncertainty and instability of the profession, mostly in the beginning. I was super lucky to have my family behind me and supporting me through all these years.
Since it’s a creative career, there are no rights or wrongs or just one way to transit the journey, so it’s basically how it unfolds for each one of us. In my case, it was a matter of going through probably every single position in the ladder before becoming a cinematographer. I can’t really complain about it, I believe that all that time going through all these different positions, taught me how to be a better leader, how to get to that top position (where you are the leader of a crew) and how to manage people in the best and nicest way possible.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My job as a Cinematographer/Director of Photography mainly comprises the preparation, development, and execution of the visual aspects of a Movie/Commercial/Documentary or every other Audiovisual project alike. It is my responsibility and my creative process to develop and create the visual look, mood, and the way the camera and lighting would be on the project. I started my career shooting mostly small commercials and music videos; later on, I moved into narrative content shooting Short films and also documentaries. As of now, my body of work is mainly Feature Films and Documentaries. I’m known for several documentaries, like: “Nazi Gold” (2006 Silver Condor Award – Best Documentary), “Nasha Natasha” (2021 Silver Condor Award – Best Film), and “Breaking Barriers: Embracing…” (2024 Emmy Award – Long Form Interview) and also the Feature film: “Dark Asset” (starring: Byron Mann and Robert Patrick).
I think what sets me apart from others is my visual sensitivity background; my sensibility to work with available light and use of naturalism is something I found through the years, and I keep putting it always in front. I always approach a project with the story first; it is common for people to be confused about what great Cinematography is, thinking it has to be “Beautiful” while, in reality, it has to represent the story, and sometimes the story is not beautiful.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I just finished two new big projects: a new action feature film and a new historical feature documentary. Both of them are set to be released in 2026, so I hope we can have everyone back in the theaters to enjoy them. There are also two more short films going around in the film festival circuit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.marianodelucadp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianodelucadp
Image Credits
Jeff Gary, Tessa Kier, Matthew Seest
