Finding the Frame with Natalie Kingston
In the latest episode of Finding the Frame, our premium podcast series that focuses on the work of today’s industry-leading filmmakers, Filmmakers Academy’s Brendan Sweeney sits down with cinematographer Natalie Kingston.
This interview focuses on how Natalie Kingston got started in her career and then she shares insider details about her latest project, the Apple TV+ original film, Black Bird. This is just a slice of the full interview that is available exclusively to premium members.
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In order to watch the entire interview with Natalie Kingston, you must be a premium member of Filmmakers Academy.
Access the full interview here.
About Natalie Kingston
Director of photography Natalie Kingston is continually inspired by the collaborative process of creating a distinct visual language for each film she shoots. Her work is always informed by the story and rooted in emotion.
A member of the International Cinematographers Guild and a multifaceted artisan, Kingston is consistently producing praise-worthy imagery for the projects she shoots. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their pup.
Black Bird
Kingston’s latest work is Black Bird, the upcoming Apple TV+ crime drama. Starring Taron Egerton, Paul Houser, Ray Liotta, and Greg Kinnear in the true-to-life tale of James Keene, a prisoner befriending infamous serial killer Larry Hall to extract information in exchange for early parole. The series brought Kingston’s perspective to a disturbingly intimate relationship between the two inmates.
Shapeless
Recently Kingston also shot Shapeless, director Samantha Aldana’s surreal drama that follows a struggling singer in New Orleans who must overcome her terrifying eating disorder and addiction before it turns her into a monster. The film premiered at Tribeca 2021. Earlier that year, the short film Dorothea’s Blues which Kingston lensed for director Channing Godfrey-Peoples, premiered at SXSW.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
Previously, Kingston has worked on a number of award-winning features, amongst them director Jim Cummings’ The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Forbes called the film’s cinematography “absolutely praiseworthy” while Coming Soon saw the collaboration between Cummings and Kingston as “a match made in heaven as they bring a real voyeuristic feel to […] a beautiful film from start to finish.”
Lost Bayou
Similarly, Variety called the imagery of Lost Bayou – which Kingston shot for director Brian C. Miller Richard – “relaxed and beautiful, capturing the remote milieu’s sunlight-dappled stillness and allure; the film casts an intermittent spell in those moments when it simply lingers on its unique landscape.” The film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2019. She also lensed Two Trains Runnin’, Sam Pollard’s Grammy-nominated documentary. In 2015, Kingston earned three Cinematography Awards from the New Orleans Film Festival for her work on film shorts Atchafalaya, Rite, and Si.
Music Videos
Outside of film, Kingston also lenses music videos. In 2021 she shot “Break” for Julia Stone ft. St. Vincent, which premiered at SXSW the same year. Similarly, she collaborated with Billie Eilish on the “You Should See Me In A Crown” live performance and a music video for “Bitches Broken Hearts.”
Ad Campaign
In 2019, Kingston photographed Alma Har’el’s “Free The Work” campaign, which earned a spotlight at Cannes Lions that same year.
Follow Natalie Kingston on Instagram at nataliekingston.