Claire Giuffre
Claire Giuffre is an emerging cinematographer and occasion director based in Naarm. Claire’s life changed when her year 9 art teacher inspected her sketchbook. The art teacher took a moment, whether she was in deep contemplation or, if she was just breathless after 20 years of chain-smoking, we may never know.
Slowly the teacher stood up and announced to the class with great pride “Claire would be a terrific artist...”. She tapped at the oil pastel smudged page and took a ragged breath to finish her sentence “... If she had any hand-eye coordination whatsoever” before she coughed and spluttered away to the next art table; presumably to tear into another fifteen-year-old drawing.
Shortly after that moment, Claire dropped the oil pastels and moved onto the camera, something with dials and buttons.
How would you distinguish the aesthetic of your work? Does it fit into a category whether it be a feeling, a period, or a visual distinction?
A few years ago I attended a talk from @james.pdf at Hillvale Photo and he spoke about choosing three keywords to describe your work and using those words to guide your creative choices. I chose “tender”, “melancholic” and “connected”. Today there’s so much emphasis on artists having a “brand” but I try not to get too caught up in that. I love using my selected words to guide me deeper into my art and how I want audiences to feel.
Out of curiosity, do you remember why you chose these words?
i. I chose ‘connected’ because I always want to make sure my work has a level of universality to it. There can be so much elitism in the art world and I don’t want my work to exclude anyone. The word ‘connected’ reminds me to create work that ‘connects’ to common experiences of humanity and the big feelings of existence that everyone can relate to. With that said I love big stories, crazy visuals, and surreal work but I still want to make sure it’s underpinned by earnest feelings and visual reflections.
ii. I think ‘melancholic’ just came out of spending too much time on Tumblr at 15 and being a Pisces! When I see melancholic stories, music, and imagery, it gives me permission to feel life with all its complexities and I find that strangely comforting. There’s also a really beautiful strength to melancholy too, you’re not denying the reality of things and in spite of it all, you continue to persevere. Creating images that play with the balance of strength and sadness is all I could hope for!
iii. There’s two sides to film, one side is quite technical/logistical and the other is quite emotive. Cinematographers with all the big cameras and gear can be intimidating and it’s easy to get caught up in the tech. But at the end of the day, we’re not doing brain surgery, we’re telling stories- a really tender and beautiful thing. So I want my work and my approach to camera to stay ‘tender’.
In hand with this, are there particular visual tools or techniques that have become a signature to your style? Manipulation of lighting/palette/framing etc…
I think I’m a sucker for any vintage glass. I love combining digital sensors with all the abnormalities of vintage lenses. I remember watching a behind-the-scenes segment on Puberty Blues 2012 TV series and the cinematographer spoke about using 1970s lenses to reflect the 1970s setting of the show and it has been ingrained in my brain ever since.
Is there a camera to gravitate towards to shoot with? Was there an old faithful you started out with to now a new all-time favourite?
I have a very special Canon 16mm camera. It was my first video camera purchased and it opened a lot of doors for me. It also started a really beautiful friendship and creative collaboration with Tom Nicholas Lewis. I have a lot to thank that camera for. These days, I’m mostly shooting with my digital Canon c300 mark iii.
Are there particular films, directors, or cinematographers who have had an influence on your work? What do you take from their approaches to art that inform your own creative outlet?
I am always looking to Australian cinematographers for guidance. As Australians, we have such a tendency to underestimate our work and talent, but our cinematographers are working in some of the harshest sun/lighting conditions in the world and are considerably less resourced than global counterparts. Despite all the challenges to create here, we still make really impressive work, both on a local indie level and on a mainstream level.
I think the stories of Greg Frasier and Ari Wegner really changed my perception of what’s possible for local cinematographers. They attended RMIT and VCA- just like so many other creatives in Melbourne have- and they’ve gone on to be nominated and in Frasier’s case, win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Like hello, a VCA grad went to the Oscars??? What the heck !!!
Given your experience in music videos, how do you describe your process of being a cinematographer or director on set? What are the roles like? And do they differ from each other?
The director is crafting the creative vision, and communicating their vision to all the heads of department like production design, sound, wardrobe, hair and makeup, and camera. They bring such an energising creative push to a project. On paper, it sounds a lot easier than what it is but really great directors are hard to come by. I think with the rise of personal branding, people think they’re prepared to just jump into directing with nothing but a Pinterest board, but it’s a lot more nuanced than what meets the eye! It’s why although I often direct music videos, I wouldn’t describe myself as a director- sure I can whip a project up, create the vision, and assemble the team, whilst true directors have this sort of unnamable edge and talent to them.
On the flip side, I see the director of photography as the person fusing the creative and the technical in their brains. The director comes to the DoP with the creative vision and then it’s the DoP’s job to firstly interpret it, then translate it into actionable technical steps, before communicating the approach to the camera, lighting, and grip teams and then finally shooting it. DoP’s are kind of the people that ensure the image reflects the mood board through the lighting and camera work whilst also working against a project's time, budget, and resource limitations. It’s never a perfect conversion, but that’s part of the human joy of creating collaborative art (and why I think A.I generated films are gross).
Claire Giuffre in her natural element via @claire.giuffre
In connection to music videos, what is the collaboration like working with transforming the talent’s sound into visual form? Do you draw a vision from the music itself, discuss with the artist how to bring their vision to life, a bit of both?
I think every creative collaboration is extremely unique to the people involved! I’ve never made a music video the same way twice- even when it’s with the same artist! I love to look at each artist as their own actor in their own film, and I love shaping a project around them, ensuring they really fit the world we create. I loved acting when I was a kid and some of my favourite advice was that as an actor you have to bring more of yourself into a character. Anyone can try and play a character, but no one else can bring your experiences, personality and appearance to a role. I always found it really comforting because it means you are enough for a role, and that no one else can play a role like you. So with that, I love seeing musicians lean into their own really unique authentic character for music videos. Whether it’s Britney Spears bringing her own take to a sexy school girl or in the case of one of my music videos, Alex Lahey being a bored furniture salesman. (Music Video)
AI Speers - Changes / Director, Cinematographer Claire Giuffre
How does working across the different mediums of photography, music videos, and short films impact your passion? Is there a form you gravitate towards or challenges you most?
Additionally, throughout your work in these varying mediums, is your voice as an artist the same or do you find that depending on what art form you're creating, your style differs?
I honestly love bouncing around all the mediums. I love shooting short films with big crews and then afterward taking some photos alone and editing in silence in my bed. Before getting really lonely and super excited to shoot a music video with my friends again! I definitely find short films the most difficult to make, they always push me technically as I consider how each shot will cut in together well, character eye lines, how much the sun is moving, and consistently doing it over a shooting block. But I think across all projects and mediums I’m just trying to create work that feels connected to human feelings and taps into the tenderness of existence, all that jazz.
In creating a visual narrative, in terms of your creative process, how much is intuitive? How do you find that balance between pre-planning and improvisation on a set?
I definitely consider myself a super intuitive person, however, I find it really difficult to improvise on set. Film sets can be a really overwhelming space, there’s so many people, so many different opinions, there’s gear everywhere, and it can be almost impossible to find clarity and tap into a creative flow. I give myself lots of time in the preproduction to be intuitive, so then the shoot can run smoothly.
To expand on the pre-production stages, do you have any routines or rituals? Anything that helps the planning process run as you like it?
I love my big A3 art books! My books are somewhere I can visually word-vomit all my ideas out and draw really bad storyboards. It’s usually done at 11 am at night in my empty studio space on the floor after 8+ hours of procrastination. I also find transferring the written information into a Google doc really beneficial- it’s my favourite way to revise and go over all the work in detail!
In the interest of emerging filmmakers and artists, how prominent do you feel that the encouragement of a local audience is, in supporting one’s passion?
As I mentioned before, Australians love to underestimate ourselves and our work- tall-poppy-syndrom-r-us. I think local engagement is so important. Everyone loves to yap about the arts scene in NYC, London, Paris, and Berlin. Commercially due to population and funding it's very different, but in terms of community and creativity what do they have that we don’t? We’re all just people floating on a rock, they don’t have anything in the NYC water that makes them inherently more talented or more creative than us. I understand the move overseas commercially, but creatively we absolutely should invest in each other and create that community we all long to be a part of here.
Based in Melbourne, are there any local influences that shape your work? Locations, cultural influences, or other artists that trigger inspiration?
When you’re walking around and really watching it all, there’s influence everywhere. I love finding the humour and the beauty in it all. The woman with bright orange hair getting into a matching bright orange car, the kid walking down the street holding 50 odd colourful helium balloons, the muddy wedding dress on Chapel Street, my mum, etc.
Considering the obstacles of being an independent artist and a young filmmaker, do you remember any moments where you felt inspired to continue fueling your passion as a profession? Are there any moments looking back on in your career which remind you of your growth and achievements?
Every day I feel grateful for how far I’ve come! I think there was a key moment when I was watching the Australian film Galore (2013) shot by Stefan Duscio. I fell in love with how delicate and dangerous each shot felt, despite being set in Canberra- I felt my world feel cool in the same way London and major cities feel cool. And I had a moment where I thought, “Wow I want to pursue cinematography but that would be ‘too hard’ and ‘too technical’…” before realising that is the dumbest reason to not pursue something. After that, I vowed to make it my career and to never shut something down because I thought it was “too hard and technical.” It was a really pivotal moment for me as a woman in a male-dominated industry. There’s too much prejudice in the industry already to be fighting my own internalised misogyny as well!
Speaking as a filmmaker, are there any upcoming goals or something big you’re working towards? Or are there any other mediums themes you’re curious to dive into?
I’m really hoping that this year I might actually like my own work. Whether that means my mindset changes, or my work evolves, we’ll find out!
Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to share or newest projects you’d like to promote?
Georgia Brogan, an incredible Eora-based director and photographer, and I are shooting a short film next month! I also have a documentary shoot about painter Micca directed by Janna Saige in post-production. Two music videos I’ve shot are soon to be released, one from frequent collaborator Al Speers and then a really fun, femme, western shoot directed by Jyo Miyaji for artist Misty Harlow. So keep your eyes peeled…
Questions by Katia Zografos, Words by Claire Giuffre