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Ava Berkofsky

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Ava Berkofsky
Born
Wales,UK
EducationSchool of Visual Arts(BFA)
American Film Institute(MFA)
OccupationCinematographer
Years active2007–Present
Known forInsecure
Notable workShare
Vida
The Sky Is Everywhere

Ava Berkofskyis an American cinematographer and director. They are best known for their work onInsecure,for which they were nominated for threePrimetime Emmy Awards.Berkofsky has been noted for their skill in lighting brown skin on camera.

Career[edit]

Berkofsky was the director of photography for the filmsFree In Deed(2016) and the Starz seriesVida.[1][2]

Berkofsky was the principal cinematographer forHBO'sInsecurefrom seasons two through five.[3]They collaborated with executive producerMelina Matsoukasto develop the show's distinct visual style, which has some unique variation each season.[4]The style frequently includes "short-siding characters and giving them lots of headroom to trap them in unbalanced frames."[5]They also paid particular attention to framing to shootInsecure.[6]

They have been hailed for their uncommon skill in lighting the brown skin ofInsecure'sprincipal cast members.[3][6][7]Berkofsky, who did not receive formal training on lighting non-white people in film school,[8][9]uses techniques to control the levels of light throughout the shoot with tools such asLED-filled Litemats, glossy makeup on the actors, and a filter called apolarizer.[8]The cinematography ofInsecure's fifth season was reviewed byVulture'sAngelica Jade Bastiénas "visually...a feast. Its graceful, sloping camerawork delights...The color scheme of cool blues, warm amber, and deep green enlivens the frame. Mirrors hold possibilities for your past to reach out to your present."[10]

Berkofsky also directed one episode in each of the final two seasons of the show.[3]For their work they were nominated for threePrimetime Emmys for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour).[11]

They are the cinematographer for theApple TV+filmThe Sky is Everywhere.[4]In 2021 they worked withGoogleto develop thePixel 6camera's ability to capture high-quality photos of brown skin.[12]

Personal life[edit]

Berkofsky was born inWales,United Kingdom[13]and was raised in California, spending part of their childhood inLos Angelesbefore later moving north.[5]They received anMFAfrom theAmerican Film Institute.[14]

Berkofsky is queer.[15]They arenonbinaryand usethey/them pronouns.[4]

Filmography[edit]

Cinematographer
Year Title Notes
2013 Flood Tide[16]
2015 Free in Deed[2]
2015 The Missing Girl[17]
2017–2021 Insecure[9] Seasons 2-5
2018 Cherries[18] Short film
2019 Vida[15] 5 episodes
2019 How Does It Start[19] Short film
2019 Share[4]
2020 Grand Army 4 episodes
2020 On the Record[20]
2020 Woke 1 episode
2022 The Sky Is Everywhere[4]
Director
Year Title Notes
2020–2021 Insecure 2 episodes: "Lowkey Happy" (2020), "Pressure, Okay?!" (2021)
2022 Bel-Air 1 episode: "Payback's a B*tch"

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2017 Independent Spirit Award Best Cinematography Free In Deed Nominated [2]
2019 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) Insecure(for "High-Like" ) Nominated [11]
2020 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) Insecure(for "Lowkey Lost" ) Nominated [11]
American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in an Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series Nominated [21]
2022 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) Insecure(for "Reunited, Okay?!" ) Pending [22]

References[edit]

  1. ^Turchiano, Danielle (December 2, 2019)."From 'Unbelievable' to 'Truth Be Told,' How Parity and Perspective in Cinematography Aids in Storytelling".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on December 2, 2019.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  2. ^abcBuendia, Diana (July 21, 2017)."Consumed: Ava Berkofsky on Insecure, Instagram and Dirty Three".Film Independent.Archivedfrom the original on September 1, 2019.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  3. ^abcGullickson, Brad (August 17, 2020)."Ava Berkofsky Discusses the Evolution of Self and Style in 'Insecure'".Film School Rejects.Archivedfrom the original on August 25, 2020.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  4. ^abcdeFang, Marina (December 2, 2021)."'Insecure' Cinematographer Ava Berkofsky On Creating The Show's Iconic Visual Style ".HuffPost.Archivedfrom the original on December 2, 2021.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  5. ^abMulcahey, Matt (October 10, 2018)."Insecure DP Ava Berkofsky on Avoiding" Seinfeld Shots, "Faking Coachella and Lighting Mega-Churches".Filmmaker Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on October 11, 2018.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  6. ^abPeay, Ava Berkofsky; Peay, As Told To Malik (November 22, 2021)."Guest Column: How 'Insecure' Changed the Way We View Black Characters on TV".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on November 22, 2021.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  7. ^Latif, Nadia (September 21, 2017)."It's lit! How film finally learned to light black skin".the Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2017.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  8. ^abHarding, Xavier (September 6, 2017)."Keeping 'Insecure' lit: HBO cinematographer Ava Berkofsky on properly lighting black faces".Mic.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2017.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  9. ^abAnderson, Tre'Vell (March 18, 2019)."This Queer Cinematographer Is Why 'Insecure' Looks So Good".out.Archivedfrom the original on March 30, 2019.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  10. ^Bastién, Angelica Jade (October 22, 2021)."Insecure Remains Magical and Messy in Its Final Season".Vulture.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  11. ^abc"Ava Berkofsky".Television Academy.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  12. ^Holland, Patrick (October 21, 2021)."Google builds equity into the Pixel 6 with Real Tone photos and new voice features".CNET.Archivedfrom the original on October 19, 2021.
  13. ^"Ava Berkofsky".SXSW 2022 Schedule.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  14. ^"Apply Now: AFI Cinematography Intensive for Women".womenandhollywood.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  15. ^abBaldwin, Kristen."Inside Vida's writers' room — one of the queerest spaces in Hollywood".ph.news.yahoo.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2021.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  16. ^"Sailing Down the Hudson River on Junk Sculptures: The Movie".The L Magazine.July 7, 2010.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  17. ^"The Missing Girl Review".We Got This Covered.September 15, 2015.RetrievedMarch 2,2022.
  18. ^"cherries".sundance.org.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  19. ^"Sundance Begins Today. Let's Meet the Film Independent Fellows Who'll Be There".Film Independent.January 24, 2019.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
  20. ^"ON THE RECORD".DOC NYC.RetrievedMarch 2,2022.
  21. ^"ASC Announces 2021 Awards Nominees — Register Now To Watch Event Live - The American Society of Cinematographers".theasc.RetrievedDecember 7,2021.
  22. ^Hipes, Patrick (July 19, 2020)."Emmy Nominations: The Complete List".Deadline.RetrievedJuly 14,2022.

External links[edit]

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