Canon has just introduced six new Explorers of Light to its exclusive program, filled with industry-leading creatives.
Until now Canon's Explorers of Light has been reserved for stills photographers, but it has now opened its doors to filmmakers. Each of the new members is working at the top of the field and, as a part of Canon's program, they have shared insights into the industry, along with their favorite equipment and some filmmaking tips.
Let's meet the new Canon Explorers of Light:
Christine Ng (Cinematographer)
About Christine: Christine Ng is a Hong Kong-born, New York-raised cinematographer and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her cinematography work spans commercials, music videos, documentaries and narrative. The first commercial she shot was filmed on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon lenses and aired during Super Bowl XLVI. The first feature-length documentary Christine shot was the Emmy-nominated and Critic’s Choice Award-winning Everything is Copy for HBO.
Top Gear Picks: RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM, RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM, RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM, RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z, vintage Canon K-35 Primes, the Canon 50mm f/0.95mm “Dream Lens” and a 3D-printed Totoro figurine.
Advice for Filmmakers: “Stay humble and true to yourself, always say yes to every opportunity when you’re starting out. You never know who you will meet and how that initial meeting will influence your career later.”
Claudia Raschke (Cinematographer)
About Claudia: Claudia Raschke is a world-renowned cinematographer, best known for her ability to bring rich tones of the motion picture to a diverse spectrum of films, from purely commercial ventures, through feature-length documentaries, to lower budget works of art. Among her notable award-winning films are: Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning RBG, God is the Bigger Elvis.
Top Gear Picks: Canon Cinema EOS C500 Mark II, Cinema EOS C300 Mark III, CN-E 35mm T1.5 L F, CN-E 50mm T1.3 L F, CN-E 135mm T2.2 LF, Cine-Servo 17-120mm T2.95-3.9, Compact-Servo 18-80mm T4.4 EF, a spot meter and a small sketchbook.
Advice for Filmmakers: “Experiment as much as you can with the tech tools you have access to and create a playground to challenge yourself to think outside your limits. Be fierce and fearless.”
David Klein, ASC (Cinematographer)
About David: Cinematographer David Klein, ASC has spent over three decades perfecting his craft and captivating audiences with his visual storytelling. His remarkable career includes lensing iconic indie film classics such as Clerks, Clerks II and Mallrats with director Kevin Smith. In 2014 and 2016, Klein received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series for his work as the Director of Photography on Showtime's Emmy-winning series Homeland. Most recently, David has been on the forefront of virtual production shooting cutting-edge episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett for Disney+.
Top Gear Picks: EOS R5C, CN-E 15.5-47mm T2.8 L SP, CN-E 30-105mm T2.8 LS, a set of Canon PL Cinema Primes, and a Suunto compass/inclinometer combo.
Advice for Filmmakers: “Never forget it’s our job as cinematographers to tell the story in a unique way, but it’s also to be invisible. To paraphrase Roger Deakins, if somebody sees something I’ve shot and says ‘that was beautiful cinematography’ before they talk about the story, we have failed.”
Matthew Heineman (Director/Cinematographer)
About Matthew: Matthew Heineman is an Academy Award-nominated, nine-time Emmy-winning, and two-time DGA Award winning-filmmaker. In 2019, he received a nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First Time Feature Film Director from the Directors Guild of America for his narrative debut, A Private War — making Heineman and Martin Scorsese one of only two filmmakers ever nominated for both narrative and documentary DGA Awards.
Top Gear Picks: Canon EOS C500 Mark II, RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM, RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM, EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Advice for Filmmakers: “When I was 21 years old, I heard documentarian Albert Maysles give a talk that would shape my view on filmmaking. He said, ‘If you end up with the film you started with, then you weren't listening along the way.’ Be open to the story changing. Don't be dogmatic. And this is something that I've held very close to my heart both in a macro sense (the films I choose to take on and how I find my way to them) and in a micro sense (within each shoot, shoot day, scene, lens change). Look around the frame at all times! I love embracing this type of unpredictability and adaptation inherent in making verité films. By doing so, my goal always is to try to humanize stories that often seem so far away or are relegated to stats or headlines.”
Rudy Valdez (Director/Cinematographer)
About Rudy: Rudy Valdez, a two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker, is known for his commitment to telling engaging stories that explore a variety of cultural, social, and political themes. Through his distinct cinematic approach, Valdez captures the essence of human emotions and experiences, earning him critical praise and recognition as an influential figure in the film industry.
Top Gear Picks: Canon EOS C500 Mark II, EOS R5C, CN-E 50mm T1.3 L F, CN-E 35mm T1.5 L F, and a monopod
Advice for Filmmakers: “Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. As much as you possibly can. Find out what works for you.”
Shana Hagan, ASC (Cinematographer)
About Shana: Shana was the first woman to shoot on the hit reality series Survivor and was nominated for an Emmy for her work on Survivor: China. She shot four seasons on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, was the Second Unit DP on Netflix’s Arrested Development, and has shot commercial spots for Disney, Electronic Arts, Kohl’s, the US Army, Kodak, Verizon, and others.
Top Gear Picks: Canon EOS C300 Mark III, EOS C70, EOS R5C, RF 14-35mm f/4 ISUSM, RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM, RF 70-200mm F4 L IS USM and an old compass from the Girl Scouts.
Advice for Filmmakers: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you need help with something. Find a mentor. Also take some of your own footage and edit it. You’ll find out what’s working and what’s not working, and it will allow you to make adjustments next time you’re out in the field shooting. I can’t stress how important this process is for young DPs.”
By having these industry titans as Canon Explorers of Light, it means that we can all benefit from their industry knowledge. The program is designed to not only highlight the performance abilities of Canon products, but as an educational platform to to 'foster creativity among the global filmmaking community'.
You may also be interested in our guides to the best cinema camera, the best camera for filmmaking, and the best camcorders.
