I actually carried a Panavision Platinum and a G2 when I was seven months pregnant for a film called 'Little Birds,' and the whole movie was handheld. And we were shooting in the desert. That's a 35-millimeter camera. It's huge, probably at least 50, 55 pounds, and I did all my own operating.

Reed Morano

Categorized in : Camera Birds My Own Desert

Definitely the biggest misconception is that it is overly burdensome to be a woman and pursue this line of work. But being a woman gives me a unique perspective and style, which is probably why I get the work that I do.

Reed Morano

perspective unique giving

I would rather be hired solely for my talent, not just to fill a quota.

Reed Morano

quota talent

It's really the best time to be a woman. And instead it can be an advantage. Think about what you can bring to the table that what you have to offer that makes you unique.

Reed Morano

unique thinking

My advice for other female directors: don't think of your gender as a handicap. Don't think about it at all. Just tell the best story you can, and don't stop until you do.

Reed Morano

female advice thinking

I joke around sometimes and say that the DP [director of photography] is like a shrink for the director, but there's some truth in there.

Reed Morano

photography sometimes directors

Don’t get hung up on the female thing. The art is not about that.

Reed Morano

art-is female art

I want people to think about what and who they have in their lives and then run home to hug them and tell them how much they love them.

Reed Morano

home running thinking

If you push too much for somebody that everyone knows is your friend, and that you've worked with before, it can backfire.

Reed Morano

You can't expect everything to happen all at once when it's been such a male-dominated world for so long.

Reed Morano

males long world

I started a business with my cousins in Fire Island called 'Wagoneers.' Since there are no cars on the island, we would hustle people at the ferry docks to bring their luggage to their houses in our wagons for a large fee.

Reed Morano

island business fire people

A lot of cinematography is intuition. It's an art, not a formula.

Reed Morano

formula cinematography intuition art

As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.

Reed Morano

potential words possible always

We moved around every winter. I don't know. Maybe my dad was, like, on the run from the law.

Reed Morano

know dad law winter

When 'Frozen River' started to get really big, I was four months pregnant. So when these agents and directors wanted to meet me, I was coming in pregnant, and people didn't really take me seriously. They thought, 'This woman is not going to shoot another movie again. She's going to become a mom, and that's what happens.' But that was not the case.

Reed Morano

river woman me people

I was in film school as an undergrad with a focus on directing. Once I started working on shoots, I realized, 'Oh, I really like this cinematography thing.'

Reed Morano

like cinematography focus school

As a cinematographer or director, I'm always looking for projects that are able to say a lot with the actor's expressions.

Reed Morano

director say looking always

When you work as a cinematographer, the actors look to you for reassurance. When you're lighting them, they can never think you're making an adjustment because of the way they look. If they are nervous, it impacts their performance, which impacts the story.

Reed Morano

look think you work

In everything I do, the aesthetics are driven by the emotion. However I can do that with a camera, whether it's a long lens or a wide lens, I'll do.

Reed Morano

camera i-can emotion long

Women have to compensate more in the personality department in order to get the things that men get. And they don't have as much leeway for being divas or jerks.

Reed Morano

things women personality men

One of the color combos that I really love is the tones of technicolor, which older movies would have, these tones of blue and red in them.

Reed Morano

red blue love-is love