We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danni Ma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Danni , thanks for joining us today. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.
I moved to LA in May 2022. Right after I graduated from film school. And I had my very first and best boss, Stuart Paul. He has been a director, writer, and producer for over 40 years. He is the best boss I have ever had. He has been in the film industry for a long time and is willing to learn new technology. The first feature film I worked on for him was shot on iPhone. He had an idea what if we shoot the whole film by iPhone? Can we make it look cinematic? With zero experience with iPhone shooting, we started to do our research and finished a feature film shot by iPhone in 2022. He taught me through his actions what it means to live and learn. And his experience makes me believe I can keep making movies when I am 70.
Danni , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a film freelancer in Los Angeles. Usually, I work as a Director of Photography and Lighting Director. When a client or producer needs to shoot a film, TV show, commercial or music video, they contact me. My main job is to get the visuals as close to the director’s or producer’s requirements as possible, depending on the script and the constraints. Usually, for a film or TV series, I use my cinematographer’s skills to help the director translate the script’s text into visual communication. Likewise, designing shots, lighting, and the use of equipment is also part of the Director of Photography’s job.
Different projects require different preparations from the director of photography, and with my experience of shooting hundreds of films, I can deal with different requirements.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
For a child who grew up watching movies, cinema was an unattainable and great industry. As a child, I thought the people who created those movies were the dream makers of the world. Now I have joined the film production industry and dream that my films will be shown in cinemas worldwide. I hope that my films bring some thought, joy, or change to the world. The film is ultimately an entertainment product, and as long as someone gains a little happiness from my films, I will feel that my work is meaningful.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I’m relatively an introvert, and I’m not good with strangers. But after working in the film industry, every job requires me to communicate and cooperate with new acquaintances. This is something I have to communicate with strangers all the time. Gradually I started to get used to dealing with strangers and talking with them about topics other than work. I realized that my previous introversion had led to a long period before I didn’t have any conversations with colleagues I worked with outside of work. This made me feel like I was missing out on many people who could have been friends. I wish I could have been less introverted, I would have more friends within the film industry now. It would be great to meet up and talk about film-related topics!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://grayma1018.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/gray_all?r=nametag
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danni-ma-8bb1b5b8/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/user75777488