Meet Greg Harriott | Cinematographer

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

Hi Greg, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking creative risks is an exciting part about being a cinematographer, but it’s also a delicate balancing act. To take a risk you need to accept the fact that you might fail. When you pull it off, it’s a rush. But it’s a calculation because if you are being hired to do a job you still need to mostly succeed. I really like searching for that balancing point of taking risks enough to push myself creatively while still guaranteeing there will be a film at the end of the day.

One of the more interesting ways this plays out for me is filming cinema vérité for documentaries. When filming real people’s lives unfolding in front of the camera, you won’t get a second chance when an important moment occurs. The lack of getting a second take might make you want to play it safe, but I find taking creative risks the most rewarding in those moments. That means not always staying on a ‘safe shot’ that covers what’s happening, but pushing for close ups, moving the camera to moments or reactions that I find interesting, even if it means I could potentially miss something someone is saying or doing. It’s obviously a fine line because if you are consistently taking risks and failing, the scene isn’t going to work. On the other hand if you just play it safe, then you have a mediocre film. It’s important to accept that you could fail, but in the process get shots that you are proud of and tell the best story.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started my career by moving to Brooklyn with a few close friends after we all graduated from film school. I didn’t have much of a network at all so I found most of my initial work replying to online postings. I think for a two year period I literally saw every posting for film crew work on Craigslist. There was a lot of mediocre/weird stuff on there, but there were a few gems. One day I saw a posting for a TV show looking for an “Adventure Cameraman.” After applying and interviewing, I got a job shooting an ABC show called Born to Explore with Richard Wiese. Over the next four years while working on the show, I summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, tracked lions in the Serengeti, filmed orangutans in Borneo, traveled across five continents, and won a Daytime Emmy for my work. I want to give a shoutout to John Barnhardt who I shared a cinematography credit with on the show. John was a lot more seasoned than I was at the time and I learned many valuable lessons from John, who became a mentor and friend. It was a great experience to travel and shoot the show together.

Traveling for work is a nice perk, but really the best thing about being a cinematographer is the amazing people I get to work with behind and in front of the camera. My job mostly happens on set — whether that’s in a studio working on a commercial or filming for a documentary from the back of a rickshaw in India. Specifically with documentaries, you are always getting dropped into different spaces/worlds and get to spend time with experts and/or people who are the best at what they do.

I have two recent projects that I’m really excited about. The first is “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” available to stream on MAX. It’s a feature documentary that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2023 and was shortlisted for the 2024 Oscars. I’m also proud of “The Cave of Adullam” which won Best Feature Documentary and the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022. It’s available to stream on ESPN+.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living in New York City there are countless options for places to go and visit, but I find I spend most of my time in Brooklyn. I live near Prospect Park and it’s one of my favorite places in the city. The few acres of nature is a nice reprieve from city life and it’s amazing watching so many different people using the park in so many different ways. I’m there nearly every day with my dog. Beyond the park, I love exploring the city on foot or bike. You have 8 million people that you can reach on a short bike ride which you can’t do anywhere else in this country. For food, one of my favorite NYC meals is a combo (chicken and lamb) over rice that you can get from most street corner carts or delis. It’s simple, hearty, spicy, cheap, and obviously delicious!

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?
This is a really hard question to answer because there are so many people to give credit to. My supportive family, the talented directors I work with, the hardworking crews that make everything happen, the list goes on! It’s easy to say my life and career are only possible due to the great people I have around me.

One special person that I want to mention is my longtime business partner at Fluxgate, Mike Doyle. Mike and I met 15 years ago designing and building a custom underwater camera housing. 15 years later, we are still passionate about underwater cinematography, in addition to all our land and air based work too! Practically, being a DP and having a business partner is really helpful for splitting costs on gear purchases and increasing our shared network, but having the support of a trusted friend to navigate the industry and collaborate on set has been invaluable. The film industry is a great field to work in, but being a creative freelancer can be challenging and at times lonely, so it’s nice to not have to go through that alone.

I also need to give a special shout out to two of my most frequent collaborators Alejandro Cortés and Kate Montgomery. Alejandro and Kate are both talented DPs who are kind enough to operate for me when I can get them. Having consistent crew members that you can trust and enjoy working with makes the days and the work so much better.

Website: www.gregharriott.com

Instagram: @gregharriott

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-harriott-1b064315/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3653442/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Image Credits
Mike Doyle, Malek Bee Productions