Meet Director of Photography: Molly Manning Walker

Striding through the doors of Sketch, arrives Molly, with her backpack and her confidence, wearing a black cap, a subtle smile and exactly fitting the bill of a jobbing freelancer.

I try to impress Molly by showing her how I was listening to Kwaye’s song Sweetest Life on my iPhone, on which she was the Director of Photography (DoP) for the music video.

Molly has solidly and genuinely worked hard to get where she is at today. Yes, she grew up in a creative family and yes she went to a prestigious film school, but she was already working and established prior to her MA in Cinematography. She kept shooting and experimenting with ideas and tapping into her creative instincts, and above all, kept believing in herself.

We both order the same scrambled eggs breakfast with mushrooms and parmesan, served in a fancy bowl with some fancy toasted seeded bread on the side. Oh, and the fancy butter.

Off we start chatting.

If you weren’t working as a DOP, what would your other job be?

I’ve always joked, but I would love to be a Radio Presenter.

What’s your background as a DOP?

Both my parents are filmmakers. My mum had a tough time, she was a really successful director, but then struggled to get back into the industry after raising my brother and I. I was always on set as a baby. I was always into photography at school and then someone asked me to take photographs at an Occupy London event, and I ended up making a documentary on my stills camera. From that moment, I decided I wanted to get into film as a documentary filmmaker and applied at Bournemouth to study a BA in Cinematography and Documentary, but later decided to just keep the Cinematography major.

And then…?

When I graduated from Bournemouth, I was lucky to have met my best friend and collaborator, Billy Boyd Cape, who has directed most of the music videos I have shot. We worked a lot together, but I soon felt I was shooting only for Billy and I really wanted to level up my work. He got signed pretty quickly with a prestigious production company, so I decided to gain more knowledge and skills and went for an MA in Cinematography at the National Film & Television School (NFTS).

How did you find it returning to studies?

I found it challenging. It’s a tricky place to navigate and occasionally I felt misunderstood. However, it also strengthened me as a person and I was able to progress my filming skills and made some great friends, whom I work with now.

Molly at Sketch. Photography by Nic Roques. — Molly at *Sketch*. Photography by Nic Roques.

But you made it?

Yes, I did…and I am happy with the two short films that I shot during NFTS and they both won awards. Very pleased with that.

Do you think you have changed as a person, because of your work and the industry you work in?

I have changed a lot, yes. The main thing I learned is that you must really have your heart in a project for it to work. You have to commit to make good work. You have to believe in yourself, because there will be so many people that will try to knock you down. You will dip and dive, but you need to believe in yourself.

Being a woman, did this create any obstacles in your career?

I was really lucky that two of my best friends and directors that I work with a lot are also men. They never looked at my gender. They trust me and believe in me. I think, generally, it is difficult for a female DOP to find jobs where they are given a budget for a good camera package and good lights, but I was lucky that these directors always knew to financially support both departments, as they are equally important.

What does being a DoP mean to you?

You know, I really love that everything is different every time. You never work on the same project twice. I love creating visual angles with a director, and finding new ways in doing that. Emotional connection with the project is so important. It has to be driven by your visual and human connection.

You are doing mainly music videos and commercials. Tell me about commercials, do you enjoy shooting them? Everyone seems to have different opinions on them.

I love shooting commercials. I think I am really lucky, in that I get really good scripts. The Pride in London commercial was amazing to shoot. It’s celebrating and shedding light on the trauma of the gay community or making adverts for the NHS. It’s very inspirational and rewarding.

I watched your Gucci commercial “Memoire”. I loved it.

Well, that is probably one of my favourite projects too. We shot it in Orvieto, Italy, which was amazing. We were eating ice-creams all the time and our schedule was very improvised. Ahah!

Feature films, next?

Yes, definitely. I am doing a lot of short films and I am holding out for a good script. So, I will wait a little longer.

Any experiences you recall as a woman on set?

I was brought up by a woman who has never thought of her gender as a restriction. My brother and I were brought up exactly the same way. I remember during my first camera trainee job, I was told by the operator “I don’t know why I’m training you when you are just going to get pregnant!”. It was the first moment where I realised that my career path could get difficult. I’d always heard of sexism, but this was the first time I experienced it.

Do you think women are helping other women?

I think we have a long way to go. I think we are and should continue to support each other. We have to continue helping each other. It has to be an encompassing ‘girl’s club’, that is inclusive and fair. Keep everyone working and on rotation.

Your dream project as a DOP?

A Ken Loach film. A gritty London film. Something that is politically engaging. Less fantastical, more reality. That is the documentary side of me still present.

Your DOP crushes?

Barry Ackroyd has always been my hero. Also Charlotte Bruus Christensen and Reed Morano.