Ava Berkofsky

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 Berkofsky is an American cinematographer and director. They are best known for their work on Insecure, for which they were nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. Berkofsky has been noted for their skill in lighting brown skin on camera.

Career

Berkofsky was the director of photography for the films Free In Deed (2016) and the Starz series Vida.[1][2]

Berkofsky was the principal cinematographer for HBO's Insecure from seasons two through five.[3] They collaborated with executive producer Melina Matsoukas to 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 shoot Insecure.[6]

They have been hailed for their uncommon skill in lighting the brown skin of Insecure's principal 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 as LED-filled Litemats, glossy makeup on the actors, and a filter called a polarizer.[8] The cinematography of Insecure's fifth season was reviewed by Vulture's Angelica Jade Bastién as "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 three Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour).[11]

They are the cinematographer for the Apple TV+ film The Sky is Everywhere.[4] In 2021 they worked with Google to develop the Pixel 6 camera's ability to capture high-quality photos of brown skin.[12]

Personal life

Berkofsky was born in Wales, United Kingdom[13] and was raised in California, spending part of their childhood in Los Angeles before later moving north.[5] They received an MFA from the American Film Institute.[14]

Berkofsky is queer.[15] They are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns.[4]

Filmography

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

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

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