Meet Taylor Johns | Cinematographer

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

Hi Taylor, how do you think about risk?
Risk can be an uncomfortable beast, but being uncomfortable can yield some of the greatest results. I began my career with, at the time, the biggest risk I’d ever taken. I decided to not go to medical school and pursue a career in documentary filmmaking. Yeah that was a fun call to my parents. From a creative lens, if it’s safe, it’s probably boring. I need some element of risk to grow.

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 am most proud of the documentary Last Days in Vietnam. It was the first full project I worked on with director Rory Kennedy; we premiered at Sundance and it was nominated for an Academy Award. That project really made me fall in love with documentary filmmaking and its power to start conversations. It helped me make the decision to pursue a career in film. Working in docs taught me so much—with small budgets you get your hands on a lot and have to be creative in what you can accomplish with limited resources. That has really set the precedent and gotten me to where I am today.

If I could go back and tell myself something at the start of my career I’d say don’t put so much pressure on your creativity. I think there’s a pervasive idea that you have to make every project you work on better than the last. That sounds fine when you say it but in reality it’s not sustainable. For me it became creatively crippling. Sometimes I feel like I go to the creative well and it’s empty, and that is fine. So instead I try to reframe that idea and if a project doesn’t turn out as I hoped then I at least can break down what I learned and how to accomplish whatever was lacking in the future. Failing a goal is an essential part of growing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d probably spend most of the time in Malibu where I live. We would venture into LA and hit some of my favorite spots—Death and Co. downtown, Everson Royce Bar, and grab a bite at Here’s Looking At You in Koreatown. In Malibu we’d hang out around Point Dume and surf, grab a Lily’s burrito, and hit Malibu Brew Co for a burger.

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?
Rory Kennedy (Director, Producer) and Mark Bailey (Writer, Producer). They gave me my start and were instrumental in the early development of my career. Rory took a chance on a college graduate who knew nothing (but probably thought he knew everything) and gave me the room to fail and grow and learn and improve. I worked for their production company Moxie Films making documentaries for the bulk of my early career. I was able to do a ton of camera work, which reinforced my desire to become a Director of Photography. They have been so supportive of me and are still close friends and mentors.

Website: amanalens.com

Instagram: taylorjjohns

Linkedin: taylorjohns