Meet Vicky Rattanavipapong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicky Rattanavipapong.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m a cinematographer based in Los Angeles, but I grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. Like many young people working as filmmakers, I had aspirations of a career in Hollywood. Convincing my parents that filmmaking was something that I was serious about was tough; I had to prove that I was committed. In 2017, I used all the money I had saved in my bank account at the time to produce and direct a short film called “Parallel,” which got me accepted into the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

When I was making “Parallel,” I had to dig deep and ask myself what type of film I wanted to make. It was the first film that I felt like I had enough in me to not only make it about me but to also make it really good. I thought of a story with elements and themes that interested me: sensuality, femme fatales, high heeled dancing.

Then, I threw myself at making the movie. Involved in every step of the process, I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone; I was the lead person in making any deal that helped the movie get made, recruiting people, meticulously planning for pre- and post-production. I used every resource I had; my friends helped as cast and crew. My aunt kindly helped with building the set in the studio. I really had to find a new level of confidence because the film ended up having the biggest scale of any of the projects I had done up to that point. It was an opportunity to be more hands-on than in other projects, and I was determined to make the most of that.

Working on this film shaped my understanding that passion is the biggest key to success, especially artistically. Your team can tell when you care, and if you find collaborators that care as much as you, you can find a way to make anything.

The success of “Parallel” also helped me get a job at the commercial production company Macho Mango BKK. I honed my skills while shadowing a lot of prominent directors and cinematographers in the industry. I was devoted to learning how they came up with their ideas. I was so curious that I would even pull pitch packets from the recycling bin to study from. The methods for bringing an idea to life were so new and interesting— I didn’t realize how much went into something that seemed so simple, like a thirty-second long ad. Previously, I only thought of myself as a product of art, what I liked at the time or what I was inspired from. Working in advertising, I have to put myself in the client’s shoes and think of a product as its own identity. What visual can be created to encapsulate the essence of the product? I worked in several on-set positions on commercials to learn the process from every role, but it was when I was given an opportunity to be an operator that I found my place. Following that, I worked as an operator under Naruphol Chokanapitak on commercials for prominent brands like Pepsi, Mazda, SCB Thailand, and Swensen’s.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t really know if there’s such a thing as a smooth road as a cinematographer. In fact, the job of a cinematographer is to smooth out the road, so to speak.

Any given production will have an incomplete shooting plan, and my job is to go in and complete it. Every director works differently, so I have to go about my job differently each time.

Ultimately, we’re all selling ourselves, so my goal is a distinction. The market is always changing, I’m always changing, and there are thousands of other people whom I am competing against. I have to bring my unique and specific abilities to the table to stand out. My focus is to always be searching for what my artistic DNA is; to do so requires constant work. On top of that, I have to be able to reinvent myself too, like experimenting with new depth, style, and technical skill.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Since coming to LA, I’ve shot commercials, music videos, and more than 15 narrative projects. Many of them got into American and international festivals and won awards. One of the projects, The Code of Family, received a Jury Prize award at the USA Film Festival and Annapolis Film Festival, an Audience Choice award at the Sedona Film Festival, and was recently distributed by Viddsee. Last year, I received the Best Female Artist award from Burbank Film Festival and the Emerging Artist award from CAAMFest for the film Instant Noodle.

As a cinematographer, I have been really drawn to stories about family. Something in the simplicity of those stories really speaks to me. There’s a challenging dichotomy to making a simple story look visually interesting that I find really engaging. A good family drama reveals a more complicated side of humanity, and I always get excited to explore those themes with my work.

I think of myself as a thoughtful, self-starter, and adaptable collaborator. I always set a high standard of excellence for myself, and I feel like the highest standard of excellence a cinematographer can achieve is being able to enter any project seamlessly and execute any genre with competence. My forte is my extensive pre-production work – having detailed preparation – which gives me confidence when bringing a story to life. I will lend my talent to production by designing storyboards, lighting overhead diagrams, and LUTS before arriving on set.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is swimming in the lake with my Golden Retriever, Toffee. At my old house, there was a lake within a five-minute walking distance. I would ride my bike with Toffee on the leash after school. As a Golden Retriever, he had an intrinsic love for water. He would jump in the lake right away. I was a bit hesitant at first because I was scared of the mysterious creatures in the lake, like tadpoles or catfish. Once my foot was in the water, my concern washed away, and I started to have fun. I would guide Toffee to go as deep as possible. We would spend hours at the lake.

Pricing:

• $500 – Short Film, Commercial
• $450 – Feature Film

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vicky-rattan.com