John Walker Masterclass in Wellington, New Zealand
As part of the Wellington Doc Edge Forum, John Walker will be sharing his creative and strategic approach to documentary filmmaking.
John Walker – The Cinematographer as Filmmaker (June 14, 2019)
The lines between director and cinematographer can often become blurred in documentary filmmaking as the realities of the genre dictate the director and the cinematographer become one and the same person. Some documentary filmmakers choose to capture their art through their own lens — taking complete creative control — whilst others argue that the division of labour is a crucial aspect of effective filmmaking. This masterclass will discuss how being one’s own cinematographer can inform a filmmaker’s visual aesthetic, influence their creative decisions and aid or hinder story development.
John Walker began his relationship with photography when he was eight years old. His first venture into photojournalism came at sixteen when he took his 35mm camera on a ship to the high Arctic. His filmmaking career has since taken him on various adventures around the globe, self-shooting and producing over 100 documentaries. Walker’s development from still photographer to cinematographer to filmmaker, and how he found his way to visual storytelling, will be at the heart of his masterclass.
