While pulling focus is one of the key 1st AC jobs during production, they also oversees a wide range of other tasks leading up to production.Īfter reading the script, Sanderson’s first task is to coordinate with the Director of Photography (DP) on the type of camera package they are going to rent for the project. Recent projects together include ‘Gaslit’ starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, Childish Gambino’s ‘'This is America,’ and award-winning box office hit, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ The 1st AC role: from script to locked pictureĪchieving the cinematic visuals of a film or TV show is a layered process: gaffers painting with light, digital image technicians setting the color tone for just the right mood, and the 1st AC pulling focus to ensure that every scene is clear. Today, Sanderson works closely with renowned cinematographer Larkin Seiple. “He taught me how to pull focus in a way that's not the traditional way of measuring marks at a certain distance,” explains Sanderson, “It was a method of just looking at the image and turning the knob to keep the image in focus, and just feeling it. Stepping into the 1st AC role for the first time, he met director and cinematographer, Aaron Platt, who taught him the art of focus pulling. Eventually, he would leave the newsstation to reconnect with friends from college who were working on the film, Junction, and his career path would forever change. Sanderson studied film production at Chapman University in Orange County, CA, and after graduation, took a job editing videos at a news station in San Diego. While the spotlight is often on the actors Matt is pulling focus on, today we look to the man behind the camera, and everything that goes on behind the scenes for one of the most important jobs on set. Hidden in a dark corner of a film set, steady and focused with a video monitor in hand, you may find Matt Sanderson, one of the best 1st AC’s (Assistant Camera) in Hollywood.
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