Meet Felicia Varlotto | Cinematographer & Photographer

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

Hi Felicia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Since early childhood, I was always very invested in watching and/or making movies on imovie with my friends. Because my father is an enthusiastic movie fan and took me to many different types of films, my mind was always filled with fascinating and interesting imagery as well as clever dialogue and plots. I started to imagine how I can also make these captivating images that could make me feel so much. Due to this exposure at a young age, I have always felt a passion for making my own movies. I’ve always been more interested in the artistic/visual side of filmmaking because I realized that imagery can more easily display a broad range of emotions. As a cinematographer, I feel that I have to pay attention to detailed nuances that can help demonstrate the viewpoint of the creative team I work with to allow the audience to feel the intended emotions. I have to focus on the technical details of filmmaking such a lighting, composition, the surrounding environment, and lens selection as well as observing the facial expressions and movements of the characters that coincide with the depth of the story. My favorite part about being a cinematographer is having the ability to dissect a script and think about the thematics, tones and emotions while also working to create aesthetics of how to capture the spirit of the narrative through my lens.
When I was around the age of 6, I was diagnosed with a visual condition called diplopia, ie double vision. After undergoing surgical correction, I felt the liberation of seeing the world for the first time with a clarity and a new-found perception that I was previously lacking. The visual distortion that was caused by my condition made me appreciate the use of abstract visuals in my work and has allowed me to be a bit more experimental in my approach to visualizing and/or inventing different shots or scenes. Since the sudden, over-night relief of my visual difficulty, I have always had a deep appreciation and love for what is around me visually. Whether it is observing the light around me in differing places or even witnessing the beauty of a landscape, I truly believe that every filmmaker must have a deep love and curiosity for the world around us.

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.
I think a lot of my work comes from a place of heart and emotion. I’m often drawn to films or movies that garner a vulnerability and relatability through bending reality via surreal or almost dream-like imagery.
My work also captures the feelings and emotions through the performances of the actors or subjects through the environments they inhabit. When I work on a project and read a script, I try to find the moments that feel most human or captivate the most emotion and work to present visual ideas through thorough collaboration with my team and director. I love to pick colors, aesthetics, movements, and compositions that I feel coincide best with the storyline.

I feel that what sets me apart from other cinematographers is the very soft look that I achieve and the very dream like and at times more melancholic look that I apply to the environment visually. I also feel that my use of color is very expressive through lighting and I tend to like overexposure when it is applicable. I am very inspired by Janusz Kamiński’s early 90’s to 2000’s work and as well as his current work. His strong back lighting and hazed environments with very directed camera movements are very impressive and incredible to watch come to life through film. He is definitely one of my favorite cinematographers of all time and has inspired me a lot.

What makes me feel the most proud to be a filmmaker is when I can collaborate well with my team and every team member on the crew feels like they are a part of the journey in making the film. Some of the best sets i’ve been on are when the entire team cheers other members on or believes in the story or film so much, that they are motivated to work collectively to share the vision amongst each other. I truly believe that through this very collaborative medium it is vital to see every crew member as an essential member to the film.

Throughout this filmmaking journey, I have learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes. I know I am very early into this career, but I am excited to keep growing and applying myself in order to continue to learn. I don’t think any filmmaker will know just about everything, but being able to have a passion, hope and dream is a deep driving force for creating the best art with those around you.

If I have any advice for other filmmakers, it is to keep applying yourself and being proactive. It can be hard going through rejection or going through spurts of creative burnout, but it is so important to remember why we do this art.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I really love visiting The Broad and just spending a day to walk around and see all the different varieties of art that they have on display! I also love visiting the Santa Monica pier around sunset, I truly think its a beautiful place around that time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I would like to recognize both of my parents and my sister for believing in me and the stories that I want to tell and for fueling the passion that I have for filmmaking.
I also want to thank Paul Sarapas, my high school film teacher, for always believing in my work and for pushing me to never give up on my dreams of being a filmmaker.

There is also a special place in my heart for my closest collaborator, Fernando Peláez Rovalo. I am very grateful to him because he is a wonderful partner and cinematographer. Due to his keen insight and knowledge as well as an understanding of me as a person, he has helped me to make my aspirations and visions into a reality that I could never do without him. It’s always such a joy to be able to work alongside him as we learn together.

I am also thankful to the many crews who have shared their knowledge and skills with me as we learn and grow together as filmmakers.

Instagram: @feliciavarlotto

Other: Link to my photography: https://vsco.co/fmlotto/gallery