Meet Andres Karu | Cinematographer

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

Hi Andres, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Well for me, it was all about opportunity (in disguise actually). My musical partner and I had a record deal (this was in the 90s when the music business was very different), and based on advice from our manager, we spent the budget of our second album on the purchase of our own recording studio. After that album was released (and not having sold enough records) we were dropped from the label. That’s when the opportunity presented itself. We could open the studio to the public and generate income for ourselves. We now had a business on our hands. Although we ran this business for several years, it was through the music business that I would ultimately wind up in the business that I am in now; the film business.
(which also came about from a random meeting with someone who offered an opportunity).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a cinematographer and there’s generally only one cinematographer (director of photography) on a job so it’s hard to know exactly how others work but I try and think of myself as being passionate about the work and having a positive attitude even when stressful situations and challenges arise.
Although getting your start in the business could be easy, surviving in the industry long term is not easy at all, That is the true challenge. But that’s the nature of being freelance or being your own business of course. I would say the key lesson I’ve learned is, even when you are working on a project, you have to be thinking about getting your next project and all the networking that that requires, rather than waiting until the current job is over. A piece of advice I’ve heard from an older cinematographer also rings true: “Keep your overhead low”.

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.
I’m not a great host, but I do live in Astoria Queens and I would say come here for all the amazing Greek food. And then I would probably take them to Flushing for Chinese Hot Pot. Though I’d have to consult Time Out NY for the fun and interesting stuff.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My path would not have been possible if it wasn’t for my musical partner Michael Ferentino, his parents, Joe and Marge Ferentino, our managers at the time, Jonny and Marsha Zazula and my cinematography mentor, Pete Konczal.

Website: https://andreskaru.com

Instagram: Andreskaru

Image Credits
David Apuzzo