满帆 University

Grad Works as Cinematographer on Sundance-Selected 电影

Kyle Romanek talks about his experience working on 'The Biggest Little Farm', a 2019 festival selection.

Grad Works as Cinematographer on Sundance-Selected 电影 - Hero image

"Contemporary documentaries have really become a cinematic experience showcasing honest humans stories. It's an exciting time.” 电影 毕业生凯尔·罗曼内克, whose work in documentary films has gotten him notable recognition, including a premiere at Sundance.

Kyle's love for film, which dates back to his adolescent years, has led to a successful career, and an Emmy award for his cinematography on short-form documentaries for the Oprah Winfrey Network's 超级灵魂星期天.

"When I was coming out of 满帆, 我想说, just from a technical standpoint, I had a leg up in the industry,凯尔说。 reflecting on how surprised he was by the projects he'd found himself on post-graduation. "I think that the industry recognizes 满帆 as a place of technical prowess."

Kyle was presented with an opportunity in documentary filmmaking he never could have imagined when Emmy-winning filmmaker and television director John Chester – who left the industry to develop a farm on a desolate 200 acres in Southern California – began to document his work and enlisted Kyle as a cinematographer on the project.

"There are so many different lines of work in film production, and nature was always something that I was drawn to,毕业生说. For four of the eight years of The Biggest Little Farm's production, Kyle worked closely with John to help bring his vision to life.

While Kyle certainly learned a lot at 满帆, he is also grateful for the knowledge he gained working with John on The Biggest Little Farm. "He's an exceptional storyteller at the top of his game, and I got to sit backseat and put my passion into what he was looking for which more often than not seemed impossible,凯尔说。. “他就像, ‘I really want to get a macro shot of a sugar droplet that comes out of an aphids backside while an ant is eating it and farming the sugar.' I'm like, ‘That's going to take forever! How does that even work?!' This went on for four years. Needless to say I learned a lot about nature and used some incredible gear along the way."

Kyle's perseverance in capturing John's vision was rewarded when the film was selected for the Spotlight category at the Sundance Institute's 2019 电影 Festival.

Kyle's excitement over the film appearing at Sundance isn't just about the recognition, but also what it means for how the film can educate audiences.

"The Biggest Little Farm is the perfect title," he says. "It was a little farm with big ideas, and then it just blew up and kind of redefined what regenerative agriculture can look like for the modern farmer. It's like Charlotte's Web meets Planet Earth, you're gonna love it!"