We were lucky to catch up with Rahul Uppaluri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rahul, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I consider it a privilege and honor when a director trusts me to interpret their vision into moving images. Every project stays with me, not only because of what it taught me, but because of the passion and effort the creatives dedicate to bring them to life. The most meaningful of them would have to be a commercial campaign I shot for Levi’s titled ‘Libre’.

Working closely with the director Gagandeep Singh Gill and production & costume designer Emi Naito, we created a cohesive look for the campaign, stemming from the theme ‘¿Libre,Y Qué?’, Spanish for “Free, and so what?”. We produced three commercials, each influenced by the culture and characters we were depicting. Resulting in a unique but cohesive look for each of them.

We worked through many challenges while filming these commercials; whether it was leading a big team, shooting outdoors on a busy LA street, or coordinating a film crew at the same time as a photo crew. It was intimidating, but working through it one challenge at a time, eventually to one commercial at a time, we pulled through and learned so much along the way. Now, I am proud to say that our ad campaign has secured a Gold ADDY and Best of Show at the Los Angeles American Advertising Federation Awards and a Silver ADDY at the National American Advertising Federation Awards.

Rahul, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an LA based cinematographer and I shoot a wide variety of material; including but not limited to narrative films, commercials, and music videos. I started in the film industry in 2022 as a grip and electric before trying my hand at almost every position in the camera and electrical departments. Eventually, I worked my way up to be a cinematographer, and found that I truly could not see myself doing anything else. I love playing with light, shadows and images, and I want to do that for the rest of my life.

In my work, I strive to function like a chameleon in service of the story. Personally, I don’t think I have a “style” as a cinematographer. I believe the look of a project should stem from the director, hopefully we find the look through many conversations in the pre-production process. Essentially, my job is to interpret and translate a director’s vision into images. I’m most proud of the diversity in my work. I have led photography on a wide variety of projects all with their unique tones and requirements.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Curiosity. I love learning about the content I’m shooting and how it can influence my work. I allow myself to be curious in every step of the filmmaking process and give myself the freedom to explore wherever the curiosity leads me, which, more often than not, takes me where I need to go.

“It’s like jazz. If you know the notes, you’re allowed to forget them.” A director I really admire once said this about actors improvising lines and I have adapted this philosophy into my cinematography. I like arriving on set with a concrete plan, but I’m always open to wherever my curiosity takes me.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My peers. When you begin, it’s easy to see your peers as your competition. Earlier in my career, I would hesitate to reach out to them, even knowing they may have skills that I can learn from. However, breaking through that perceived hierarchy has allowed me to become a better artist and collaborator. By talking to fellow cinematographers, photographers, gaffers and artists about their work, I constantly find myself mesmerized by the amount of things I get to learn. I’ve learned more from fellow creatives than I have from all the books I’ve read, combined. I am continually inspired by the amazing work people put out and the opportunity to dive into their process has been the greatest resource in my creative journey. I’m grateful I had that realization when I did, and it has improved my work by leaps and bounds.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rahuluppaluri.com
• Instagram: @rahulprasad217

Image Credits

On set stills by Calvin Kertzman.