Hello Emma Dalesman: Cinematographer
Meeting Emma and discussing all-things cinematography was an absolute pleasure. With a background working in commercials, fiction, and documentary alongside experimental genres and Art films, Emma offers a unique creative perspective throughout her work.
F: What is your background?
E: When I was a young teenager, I decided I wanted to work in Film and TV. I guess it was just from watching that magic on screen. I did some work experience at the Northern Film School in Leeds as a PA and runner. It was only after attending a Foundation course in photography and video in Edinburgh, where we were given the opportunity to shoot, process and print black and white 35mm stills as well as our own videos, I came to realise my true passion and interest in storytelling and cinematography. I love how you can tell a story and evoke an emotion through an image.
F: So, then you worked your way up in the camera department.
E: Yes, I worked as a camera trainee, worked my way up as a clapper-loader, and did a little bit of focus pulling.
F: When you started working as a camera assistant, were you missing the creativity?
E: After a while working as a camera assistant, I started to miss being involved with the creativity and participating in those discussions with other HoDs. And so, in those years, I reconnected with my University friends and friends who were Directors, and shot a couple of short films. I then applied and completed an MA Cinematography at the National Film and Television School. After that, I started working on various formats - from 35mm to 16mm to digital formats across a variety of genres.
F: What does Cinematography mean to you?
E: Cinematography is visual storytelling. It truly is about getting to the heart of a project or script, creating images that drive the story, and creating sequences that really resonate with the audience. I love that it includes strong collaborations with other creatives as well, because it is a massive team effort.
Fran: What is a memorable project you’ve worked on?
Emma: My work is so varied and I’ve worked with so many artists, so it is tricky to choose. However, last summer I worked with Director Ayo Akingbade on “Jitterbug” (Production Artangel), a short film, which got into the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. It was difficult to get hold of film stock at that time (being post-pandemic) but it was a very rewarding experience to work on.
Fran: I noticed that you are interested in experimental filmmaking.
E: Yes. Initially, I got into it when one of my Cinematographer friend couldn’t do a job, so they recommended me for it. And then I discovered how much I enjoyed it. You really need to open your mind. You read a script or an outline of a project and you have your initial reactions, perceptions and visuals, but when working with artists, you have to adopt a creative elasticity and be technically flexible too. This combination is very stimulating and inspirational for me.
F: You chose Cooke Lenses in your commercials for Buster: ‘Sink Life’ and ‘Morning Rush’ - what was the creative choice behind this?
E: The family that featured in these ads was a real family, which was great. I was mindful and conscious of keeping a genuine family feel, but also wanted to make the aesthetics work. The slight warmth and creaminess to the skin tone that these lenses gave was optimal. I also wanted to be able to flare the lens, but subtly, as to not detract from the performances. The ads were shot on location, so we were tight on space. Additionally they were predominantly shot on Steadicam (Steadicam Operator Andrew Bainbridge), so from a practical standpoint, the Cooke S4's offer a good range of focal lengths, they are relatively compact, and they have good close focus, all of which were really important in achieving our shots.
Buster: Morning Rush
Dir: Ed Edwards / Prod: Ragged Crow
Cooke s4 – Cooke S4’s
Buster: ‘Sink Life’
Dir: Ed Edwards / Prod: Ragged Crow
Cooke s4 – Cooke S4’s
Photography credits: Buster, Dir: Ed Edwards and Prod: Ragged Crow.
Fran: Let’s talk about another project you worked on; Nostalgia Ranch (with Artist/Director Daria Martin) shot on Cooke Anamorphic Primes.
E: This project was shot last year. Daria’s grandmother was a Jewish child in the Czech Republic and escaped months before the Nazi invaded. When this happened, she started to keep a dream diary. The last time I shot with Daria it was on 16mm with no DI and a photochemical print. The companion pieces to ‘Nostalgia Ranch’ were films shot on 16mm Anamorphic (in Brno) and an immersive video game. We used stills from the video game as backgrounds (using back projection) in the studio. The set-design was quite minimal and very linear (within the studio we placed scaffolding towers). I was keen to avoid too much distortion on ‘linear lines’ on wider group shot of all the characters. When I was looking for anamorphic lenses I was very mindful of this and we wanted a relatively clean look with just enough of the anamorphic character, whilst being able to shoot with quite a wide aperture. So, the Cooke Anamorphic primes were the perfect choice.
Artist Daria Martin's page: http://dariamartin.com/ to watch Nostalgia Ranch.
(On the set of Nostalgia Ranch, dir. Daria Martin, 2021. Photograph by Julien Bader McConnell. Photography by: Still, Nostalgia Ranch, dir. Daria Martin, 2021. All copyright Daria Martin. )
F: How do you balance your work and personal life?
E: If I am not physically shooting, I try to stagger my day, spread out my duties, and prioritise activities and commitments. I book holidays and actually go on them (though I have had to postpone a couple), and I just remember to go out and have fun.
F: If you weren’t a cinematographer, you would be…?
E: I love traveling and I love traveling within my work, so probably a role that would take me traveling. Also I think collaboration and working outside an office. Maybe something like engineering or carpentry - as I am fascinated by problem solving and getting the brain into gear.
Emma Dalesman is represented by Loop Talent
You can view her work here
This article is in collaboration with Cooke Optics @cookeoptics
