We were lucky to catch up with Rikki Porter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rikki, appreciate you joining us today. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

Working in a predominantly white space can be intimidating for people of color (POC). The film industry is slowly changing, but not at the rate we would like to see it evolve. Right now, the most important thing I can do is to show everyone that even though it may be uncomfortable, it is important for us as POC to push the boundaries. We should expect people in the current majority to feel uncomfortable with us; and we should allow them to sit with their own emotional discomfort. As POC individuals working inside the industry, while on set, it is necessary to speak up about things we feel are not right to us. Throughout my journey of becoming a filmmaker, I am most thankful and grateful for those individuals who have let me in their circles and treated me with such kindness and respect. I look forward to providing that same support for others in the future. A moment where my workplace was truly inclusive was on the five-day shoot for my graduate school thesis film, “Cousins”. Every film set I am a part of now, I try to recreate the feelings that I had while shooting that film. Every person on the team contributed their best ideas and really had an impact on how the film was shaped. On the shoot, I was surrounded by colleagues and friends. Good and consistent communication was a significant reason why the shoot was so impactful, inclusive, and successful. No one was made to feel as though they weren’t allowed to make a mistake. For a lot of us, it was our first time making a movie on such a large scale. Therefore, knowing that we weren’t going to be reprimanded for taking creative risks, cultivated an extremely safe working environment.

I recently completed a project where I was a member on an all-female team. One of the topics we discussed in our debriefing was how important it was that no one felt talked down to in a condescending manner. We all believed that we were equal contributors to the work. For this reason, having people from all different backgrounds is so essentially vital. One perspective cannot always win out every time. We need multiple and diverse ideas, voices, and belief systems in these work spaces.

Rikki, 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?

After finishing my program at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema (Brooklyn College), I started working as a Gaffer and Director of Photography. My jobs started coming through connections I made in graduate school and then suddenly grew to a much broader network. Currently, my contacts have expanded greatly since those first few gigs.

What I bring to my job is a passion for art and beautiful images. I have always liked lighting and how specific images were able to make people feel a certain way.

Narrative films, commercials, and documentaries are the types of art that I have created. I have always had a strong affinity for narrative cinema. Being able to tell someone’s story through moving images is a privilege I don’t take for granted.

On set, many of the problems I solve for directors pertain to the technical and creative aspects of filmmaking. From lenses, lighting, camera position, and many other details, I provide my personal opinion as well as professional advice from my wealth of knowledge and experience.

I am most proud of the collaborations that I have made throughout my graduate school and professional career. These relationships have been extremely life-giving, fruitful, and truly special. My work as a filmmaker is to tell stories that resonate with people from all different backgrounds and walks of life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal as a creative is to convey stories that resonate with people who feel ostracized by the world at large. I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, which also included Vietnamese and Mexican families. I saw how the Vietnamese and Mexican people in the community were treated differently than the white people. Living in that space as a young, Black girl, allowed me to have empathy for those around me. I also felt solidarity with them in regards to their struggle to carve out space in a community that was not created for them. These people, like me, needed space and infrastructure to be heard and seen. Through my art, I would like to provide POC the opportunity to have their voices heard and their faces seen via art and media. I aspire to accomplish this goal throughout my creative journey.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My creative journey has been absolutely lovely from the start, which sometimes feels as though it has just begun. As an undergraduate and graduate film student, I have always been surrounded with excellent professors, classmates, equipment, and support that have been invaluable resources for me. I started as a photographer and then worked my way into creating documentaries. Shortly after my undergraduate years, I went to graduate school and began my work in narrative filmmaking. Throughout this process, my primary resources were the individuals I met along the way.

The other resources that I have had at my disposal and found tremendously useful to my art practice are museums, photographs, and architecture.

Museums have such a variety of ideas and ways to exemplify what art is and how it can be created. I find myself daydreaming in museums and realize that I must take pictures to use as a reference for later.

I find photographs to be quite inspirational. They are great at expressing what you want to share with clients and collaborators. Using photographs becomes a fundamentally important tool when trying to convey a very specific vision in the early stages of a project with an individual or company.

Admiring architecture has always been an exciting pastime of mine. I love visiting new cities and examining their buildings. Architecture tells a story and shows its viewers what its purpose is from the outset. I believe it is the most important art in our civilization.

These resources, although obvious, can sometimes be forgotten. Art that already exists can be extremely inspirational and is usually quite accessible.

As students, we sometimes overlook professors, school personnel, and administrators as extremely valuable resources. As an undergraduate, I didn’t realize how important staying in touch with my professors and colleagues would become in my professional life. I missed the opportunity to maintain my connections from my undergraduate years like those I fostered from my graduate school. However, I am now trying to reconnect with those colleagues and professors that were so instrumental to my success during that time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rikkiporter.com
• Instagram: rikkiportercinematography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Rikki%20Porter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rikki-porter-0318781b0
• Other: show reel : https://vimeo.com/433204504 cousins : https://youtu.be/qXauV7cSxVw commercial: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoazifOgAYe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Stills from commercial: https://www.instagram.com/p/Coavz94vVjF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Image Credits
Rikki Porter (self-portrait photo by Rikki Porter) Neha Gautam (top two additional photos of me working) passenger seat dir: Neha Gautam dp: Rikki Porter ella’s suite dir: Josh Greenwood dp: Rikki Porter cousins dir. Mandy Marcus dp: Rikki Porter how it ends dir. Khaula Malik dp: Rikki Porter topes! dir. Jose Espinosa dp: Rikki Porter selfie by Rikki Porter