Meet Gabrielle Desroches | Cinematographer, Assistant Camera, & Photographer

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

Hi Gabrielle, how do you think about risk?
Hi, my name is Gabrielle Desroches and I am a nonbinary Director of Photography, Assitant Camera, and Photographer. I wouldn’t be where I am today at all had I not taken a massive risk by pursuing the incredibly competitive entertainment industry.

I’ve always been a creative person and it’s always shown through my hobbies of dance, makeup, and photography. When I was getting my undergrad, I was pursuing Marketing Communications and envisioned myself in the corporate world. When I was in school, I always dreaded the reality of having to be at a desk for such a large portion of my adult life, until I was thrown into the DP position of a short film that some of my classmates were making to complete their film program, where I fell in love with the art and the rest is history.

The greatest advice I can give to anyone starting out or thinking about taking a big risk is to believe in yourself. It sounds cheesy, but you have to believe that you are the exception. “Most artists won’t make it” — you’re the exception. It helps ease the anxiety about taking big risks and makes the payoff feel that much more rewarding. If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will? Besides, all doubt ever did was limit your creative voice and play.

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 love to create images and feelings that resonate. My style involves bold colors, striking frames, and bringing abstract concepts into the physical. At the end of the day, I want to create art that is riveting and sparks the raw emotion and passion within the deepest parts of our humanity.

I am very proud of quite a few projects I’ve done now, the most recent being a horror short I worked on as the Director of Photography called “Avarice”. The story was an exciting one for me to bring to life visually and my team and I had so much fun working on it, as we did an incredible job bringing moody and suspenseful night exteriors to life in a way I’ve always wanted to since getting into this industry.

Another project I am incredibly proud of is the music video I shot and directed for artist Blake Corpse and his single “Born to Be Bad”. An award-winning music video, the frames and storytelling is very true to my aesthetic and style. It was so fun to shoot in the desert and is the reason Blake and I are now such close friends. He’s actually releasing a new EP that includes a song I’ve been asked to direct another music video for, so look out for that one!

There’s many other projects I am proud of, but the last one I’ll mention is a project that is very dear to my heart. I wrote and shot a script about justice for trans youth in America that is not only relevant, but is riveting in a way that humanity demands it, called “Violets are Blue”. The piece was initially written as a short, but I am turning it into a full-length feature film for distribution, because frankly this story could change lives and deserves representation.

I got to where I am today through hard work, incredible support from friends and family, and the persistent belief that I WILL make a lasting impact in this industry.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Downtown Burbank. It’s such a well-lit cute little downtown area with plenty of shops, restaurants, etc. The AMC is over there that I frequent quite a bit, as well as the comedy club Flappers for entertainment. There’s also a few coffee shops around Warner Bros that sell great coffee and vibes.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of my family and friends. Despite this industry being a rather risky one that doesn’t see a lot of big returns in the beginning, my parents Robert and Diane have been so supportive, I couldn’t do any of this without their help, period.

I wouldn’t have the confidence that I do in my practice if it weren’t for the support of my resources at the New York Film Academy. The invaluable input and advice from instructors in the ASC has built an incredible foundation for my work, and the support of my classmates, who are now my closest friends and work colleagues, continued to push me to elevate. We’ve built an incredibly talented and dedicated team together to work on each other’s projects and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Shoutout to Sharath Yerra, Mario Crisostomo, Austin Tremblay, Joseph Contreras, and Emily Roberts for the friendship, support, knowledge, and memories on set together. You’ve all helped me elevate my sets and have always encouraged me on this journey. I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve all come.

I’d also like to mention a few directors, one being P.M. Nelson. We’ve been supporting each other’s work before we even knew we’d get a chance to make films full-time. He’s brought me onto some incredible projects that I am forever grateful to have been able to grow together on, as well as helping my network expand as quickly as it did so early in my career as a DP and AC.

The other would be director and DP Prince Bagdasarian. He brought me onto my first full length feature film as an AC and B Cam Op. I’ve had the privilege to meet so many incredible people on his set, words can’t describe how grateful I am for the opportunity and for the trust that we’ve built on set together. Be sure to look out for the release of Dashing Through the Snow this Christmas!

Website: https://gabrielledesroch.myportfolio.com/work

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabi.camera/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-desroches-070a2a1aa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553920191460

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8C6lYr2MU0-SMHO41U6qMg

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15180231/

Image Credits
Sharath Visions Ricardo H Photography