Today’s featured frog is RTVF (now FTDM) alum
@jonathanbnicholas ! Based out of Austin, Jonathan Nicholas is a renowned Director of Photography (DP) with a long list of credits, particularly in documentary verité. He is acclaimed for his work on Netflix series Cheer Season 2, Wrestlers, and most recently, America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, among others. He is also known in the commercial industry for his recent campaigns for Spectrum and the National Cattleman’s Beef Association. He has shot in over 25 countries for narrative, documentary and television projects with networks including Netflix, ABC, NBC, Paramount+, the Discovery Channel, and Nat Geo as well as brands such as Amazon, Jägermeister, and Apothic Wines.
He says that he feels “very lucky that I discovered this career. It has taken me all over the world, and I have met the most amazing people along the way.” Jonathan tells us that his favorite thing about being a DP “is experiencing a busy film set. After the director and I have devised an idea on set, I bring my crews together, I explain our plan of attack to achieve a shot or scene, and then they go off and orchestrate that plan. A harmonized crew is the coolest thing to witness, because together they are creating art that didn’t exist 20-30 minutes ago, and they are creating images from your head, but it’s not possible without all these people working together.”
Jonathan says his fond memories of being in RTVF include “being one of the founding members of the Student Filmmakers Association, so we could make movies with all of our friends. And two, taking part in the RTVF study abroad program that took me and about 15 other students to the countryside of Italy to produce a short film in three weeks. I will never forget my time in Italy with all my friends doing what we love in the most beautiful country in the world.”
Jonathan’s latest feature film, Due West, just completed post-production and will make the festival rounds soon. We can’t wait to see it on-screen!
In the mean time, you can catch his extraordinary work on many of the outlets mentioned above.
#ftdmfrogs
