This is a project I hold very close to my heart.
I spent two months on Manitoulin Island prepping and shooting this film. The experience of living within the textures and silences of that land made its way into every frame we captured. There’s not a single moment of bullshit coverage in DADA... everything was constructed with purpose, and I’m incredibly proud of the images we created.
As a cinematographer, you dream of being on a film like this... one that trusts visual storytelling, that lets mood, light, and stillness carry weight. Every frame is intentional. Every composition is in service of the characters’ inner collapse and reformation.
Working with Aaron Poole on this was a gift. He’s bold and daring, with impeccable taste, and I felt deeply respected as a collaborator every step of the way. Aaron championed taking risks so that we could make something more singular, more honest, and more cinematic. It’s rare to work with someone who has such clarity of vision and the courage to follow it all the way through. I’m grateful to have been beside him for this one.
Critics have called DADA “a visual poem,” “an abstract memory-propelled road trip meltdown story,” and “a film whose images speak louder than its sparse dialogue.” I’m grateful people are connecting to it that way because we felt that intention while making it.
Thank you to Aaron, Breann, Maddy, and Aasttha for pulling this thing into being. It’s rare to be invited into something so emotionally raw, formally bold, and visually honest.
Here are a few stills from the film. I hope they pull you in the way they pulled me in behind the camera.
Go rent or buy it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, whatever! :)
Special thank you to
@daniel_shojaei @ontariocamera for getting me the Alexa 35 when it was literally brand new... That was a big deal for me :)
#DADA
