Meet Egor Povolotskiy: Director of Photography

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

Hi Egor, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
People who are not involved in movie creating thinks that its a fun and easy job, but its not always a case. Making a film requires a lot of passion, sacrifices, ability to collaborate with people, solving problems on a fly and be emotionally and physically stable to be able to handle 12 hour and more shoots. You also have to be able to think very fast because every minute on set matters. Being a Director of Photography i usually talk with 3-4 people same time and thinking about multiple things while we are executing a shot. I have to be not only creative but also think ahead – what shot is better to do next, did we miss anything for editing or not, how much time next shot gonna take to setup and etc. My relatives who are not in movie business don’t take it serious and saying that i have to find a real job. “Real job” requires usually one or 2 sets of skills, but not filmmaking. Its easier, but filmmaking is a passion and pays off at the end.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career as a DP started right after i graduated a film school in 2014. Right after graduation in 2 weeks i got my first feature film to DP. The producer Mariietta Volynska was producing a thesis film of my classmate, she attended a screening of our thesis projects and got contacted me after graduation. Being an international student i never thought that i will stay in US and be able to work in film business because i thought that its a very tight business with a lot of competition. But if you work hard and with passion – everything is possible. Right now i have 16 feature films, about 70 short films, multiple music videos and commercials under my belt. I’m also a member of ICG Local 600 as a DP. Thats was not easy. But as i said before – hard work paid off. I also got a publication in American Cinematographer magazine 2018 feb issue as a rising star of cinematography. Was lucky to get such actors in my frame as Malcolm McDowel, Luke Hemsworth, Taye Diggs, Michael Lerner and John Cusac. As for what i’ve learned – in filmmaking you have to learn always or being stuck might be very damaging to creative and a career. Solving challenges, be respectful to crew members, learning from every single person you met definitely show its result in future

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.
Interesting places really depends on my friends interests. In Los Angeles there is a plenty of places to visit for any interests. There is no particular place i can mention. As for mine its variety of museums, galleries, little towns with their own vibe. But also i like to visit Angeles Crest and Big Bear during winter time to have some snow activities with my family

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As a DP you are as good as your crew. These are my Gaffer first of all – Ara Thomas and my 1AC Denis Zemtsov. I can not to mention my wife who also supports me Arisha Povolotskaia and my mom Vera Povolotskaia who support me in my decision to pursue a career in filmmaking.

Website: egorpovolotskiy.com
Instagram: @russiancinematographer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/povolotskiy.egor
Other: https://vimeo.com/471852385 my DP reel

Image Credits
Arisha Povolotskaia