Meet Katherine Dudley: Cinematographer and Film Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katherine Dudley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katherine, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
The biggest revelation I ever had about work, and the work-life balance, was asking myself, ‘WHY’. Why was I working, aside from the obvious answer of money. Was it for me? Who was really benefiting, from my hours of labor, spent energy, and hard work? Was I really doing myself a service by working nonstop? I’ve worked for years on film sets and live event productions, and on-set, I would often see people trying to outdo each other with how ragged they were running themselves. I would see people brag about how little they’d slept, talking about how they were running on three hours of sleep after finishing one gig, then dashing to the next one, desperate to say ‘yes’ to any gig the company offered them. People were constantly getting injured, or overextending themselves out of pride, trying to push, lift, or set up heavy things on their own. I knew one supervisor who would laugh at the suggestion that he should sleep more, and would tell me he’d been up for nearly 48 hours, with nothing to eat but the stale crew donuts and RedBull, with all the pride and pomp of an exhausted Army General on the front lines, battle-weary, but strong in his determination that he was fighting the good fight. But for what? Who was all of this backbreaking labor benefiting? Was he doing a better job for having not slept? Was he being paid extra? Was he really able to be his best self, and give his best performance, running on two hours of sleep and dry Krispy Kreme’s? And the craziest thing was… No one was MAKING him, or anyone else do this. We do it to ourselves. We choose to push ourselves past our limits, often without stopping to ask why, stuck in the short-term thinking of wanting to finish a certain project or goal, without really looking at the long-term or overall significance. Is a small project, or extra work in the short-term really worth years of health problems, or feeling like you’ve missed opportunities, or allowed your own goals and dreams to fall to the wayside? What do you want? And how does what you do every day help that? Or hurt it? I completely support taking pride in your work, working hard, and striving for excellence in your field, but not at the expense of your health or sanity. Especially in creative fields, it’s so easy to fall into a trap of overextending yourself, and getting burnt out. Sometimes, that project or deadline DOES come up that really deserves pulling that all-nighter, or pushing yourself to an extreme, but it’s important to really analyze, recognize, and assess that. What is the real payoff? Who is reaping the real benefits? Is this something that YOU really want to do, and that you really believe in, and that will help you achieve your long terms goals? Or is it something that you’re just doing because you feel obligated, or feel external pressure? Setting and finding a balance can be hard. You want to be sure to do a good job on every project, and not miss opportunities. As a Cinematographer, a large part of my job involves planning and pre-production with directors, producers, and other crew. As a result, there are countless pre-production meetings and phone calls.. Pre production, particularly at an indie level, is pretty much always unpaid. When I first started out, I found myself exhausted, because outside of being on-set, I felt as though I was constantly rushing from meeting to meeting, with so much time eaten up, and little space to relax, even when I wasn’t working. My exhaustion, and desire to reclaim my valuable time, showed me that I needed to set better boundaries, and do a better job of assessing what could and couldn’t be done where. Some meetings, for instance, location scouts, might be critical to do in person. A simple production or planning meeting, however, may not. I always want to be able to take as much time as necessary to plan, and perfect every project, but I hated feeling rushed, and wasting so much time commuting unnecessarily for meetings that didn’t necessarily need to be in person, which were a waste of everyone’s time, really. Once I started suggesting more phone or video chat meetings, (even before the pandemic, when zoom became a popular thing!). I made it a point to really assess each job, and the people I was working with, and not be afraid of, or ashamed of valuing my time. For some projects, for instance, where I knew my collaborators liked to meet often, I simply made it clear on a meeting by meeting basis as needed, that I would be freely available over the phone or video chat, but not in person. No need to explain or make excuses, just a polite statement, and most people will accept it, or offer a really good reason that you may not have known earlier for meeting in person instead. I found that once I started doing this, it helped immensely. My stress levels went way down, and I was wasting so much less time and gas money on something I didn’t even have to in the first place. It also helped my work a lot! Some of my meetings got MORE productive, and I was able to devote better time and energy to the project, since meetings weren’t cut short or delayed by traffic, or transportation time. It also made meetings easier to fit into my days, and my schedule became far less chaotic, and I found I was able to reclaim my personal time, AND spend more time devoted to my own creative endeavors, which was the goal in the first place! All of that pre-production work is critical… Sometimes an hour spent planning in advance can cut down your time on-set exponentially, and it was life-changing to be able to peacefully have all the prep and planning time I needed, while not feeling rushed or exhausted. That was my first step towards reclaiming a healthy work-life balance, and I’ve continued to strive to maintain one. Making time for loved ones, yourself, and your health is important, and asking yourself, how does this work really contribute to YOUR goals, both in the long term, and the short term. WHO is really benefiting from this? Is this work helping me, or those I care about, or just benefiting someone else’s dream, or a faceless company? At the end of the day, the only one truly looking out for your interests is YOU. Do you feel that you have the time to relax, and to focus on your own needs, goals, and dreams? If not, it’s time to rethink that balance. I have a long way to go in my own journey still, but for now, as someone who wants to be both successful, and happy, I’m trying to remind myself that it’s a long road. It’s important to devote time and energy into achieving your goals, but it’s important to slow down and smell the roses en-route as well!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I was a kid, my dad told the best bedtime stories. Riveting tales, of a ship on the high seas of a foreign land. Stories of storms, and strange creatures, and the eccentric and diverse crew that manned the desks. And the best part? They were all TRUE stories, about his own experiences working as an American representative on Soviet fishing boats. The power and magic of my father’s stories inspired a lifelong passion in me, for both telling, and hearing stories, and showed me the true power and teaching ability of a well-crafted tale. As a child, I loved getting lost in the magic of a good story, and watching movies, and hearing stories from others helped to shape my worldview. Stories, and movies taught me values, introduced me to new ideas and hobbies, and inspired me to want to continue learning, and to be a better person. As a visual thinker, with an active imagination, my dream is to use my eye and imagination to share important stories with others. I started film school in 2013 at the University of Alabama, with the dream of becoming a Cinematographer. I dreamed of being able to captivate and inspire people, and build emotions and moods just like in the movies I’d watched growing up. My journey took me from Alabama, to Italy, and then to DePaul University, where I’m currently in my Senior year. In 2018, I took a short hiatus from school, because I was determined to put some of my practical knowledge into action. I spent 2018-2020 working as an independent Cinematographer, first in Chicago, then Seattle, and now Los Angeles. As a Cinematographer, sometimes I would get hired on productions where the person hiring me was inexperienced, and didn’t realize that what they really needed was a Producer as well. I would often do what I called ‘backseat producing’, where I would end up teaching the person, or walking them through all the steps necessary to produce their film. I’m always excited to collaborate with others, and happy to share what knowledge I have, but far too often, I found myself saying things along the lines of “It’s not my job as the Cinematographer, but you need SOMEONE to create this document, or organize this thing, or call this place”. Setting those boundaries early on was part of what helped me keep my sanity, and keep myself from getting burned out or overextended on every project. This experience also showed me the value and importance of the right team, as well as how to choose it. It inspired me to not just wait around to shoot other stories, but to take charge of my career, and focus not only on shooting, but on producing the kinds of projects that I want to shoot, ones that align with my vision and storytelling style, and then build the right team to make it happen!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I always take any out of town guests for the BEST cookies in town… At Stella Barra! Either in Hollywood, or in Santa Monica. Funny enough, I’ve never actually eaten there, I just go for the baked goods! They have the most incredible cookies… Their Rice Krispy Chocolate Chip cookie is the most incredible dessert I’ve ever tasted. It’s a soft, thick, richly-flavored cookie, with the perfect blend of crisp edges, but a thick, chewy middle, (that’s even tastier cold than heated up!), and bits of hose-made rice Krispy treat pressed into the top. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mother, Tatiana Dudley, has always been one of my biggest inspirations. She grew up in Russia, and moved to the United States after meeting my dad, and worked hard to go through school, get various degrees, and start her own business, all in a foreign country, in a new language, and under all manner of obstacles she never could have foreseen. Growing up, I would hear my mother on the phone, speaking with people, dealing with clients, or sometimes making negotiations I was always amazed by how she could go from being my mother in one instant, to being a strong, professional, no-nonsense businessperson. I remember even hearing her on the phone with people she was annoyed with, or who had let her down, and feeling chills running down my spine. Her tone alone made me glad I wasn’t the person on the other end of the phone. My mother always encouraged me to learn, and to never stop questioning, both myself, and others. She was the one who would always ask me ‘Why?”, and challenge my thoughts or beliefs when they needed it, while providing unending lessons and support. She taught me to stand up for, and believe in myself, and has always led a life of example by valuing her time, and defining her own success.

Website: https://kd-creativity.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdudley_dp/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7tQDA8tlcO8_6ZbG6T587w