Director of photography Alan Jacobsen photographs narrative and documentary projects with an authentic, natural eye and sensitive curiosity. His camerawork is masterful, intuitive and intimate, capturing the sensory story in each powerful frame.
Most recently, he wrapped the upcoming The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52, a feature length documentary about the loneliest whale in the world, with director Joshua Zeman.
Other films lensed by Jacobsen have earned film festival honors: two-time Oscar-nominated director Marshall Curry’s Racing Dreams and Point and Shoot, both of which received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival; Toe to Toe with director Emily Abt, which won him the Best Cinematography Award nomination at Sundance Film Festival; and The Trials of Darryl Hunt, nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury, Independent Spirit, International Documentary Association and Emmy awards.
ALAN JACOBSEN
I hope that film and the story can help people get their heads around these huge ideas that are pretty terrifying and almost hopeless to think about. What can we do? Are we on this track? What have we done to the earth? I think scientists are very much starting to agree that it’s getting to the point where it’s almost too late. So can humans see that far ahead? Can we understand the track we’re on in time? I don’t know, but I’m willing to use whatever tools possible to try to help that conversation happen.
Photo of Alan Jacobsen by Meghan Peterson
This interview was conducted by Mia Funk & Lila Muscosky with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this podcast was Lila Muscosky. Digital Media Coordinator is Hannah Story Brown.
Mia Funk is an artist, interviewer and founder of The Creative Process.