Brett Jutkiewicz is one of the leaders of the new school. A fresh-faced 23-year-old bearing the seasoning and credits of someone years on, the Boston University graduate has played a role as producer, editor or cinematographer in work on screens both big (Josh Safdie’s The Pleasure of Being Robbed, Azazel Jacob’s Momma’s Man) and small (Lena Dunham’s Web series Tight Shots). It was that first project which brought Jutkiewicz to the Sarasota Film Festival where he and I sat down for this conversation. An endearing film chronicling the exploits of a lovable kleptomaniac, The Pleasure of Being Robbed presents his feature film debut as a cinematographer.

SM: Now I saw The Pleasure of Being Robbed, saw it twice this week. I think it’s amazing, and definitely a big part of that is the way it’s shot; you did a great job. And it’s cool because all these indie films, my film included, they all shoot on video but you guys shot on film—

BJ: Oh, I’m super glad we got to do that. I love working with film. Obviously it depends on the story; I think there are stories that warrant shooting digitally, and I know budgetary constraints are a huge issue, but this, to us, we knew from the beginning we needed to shoot it on film because we all felt like that’s how it should live, and we just made it happen somehow.

SM:...I really wanted to interview you because The Pleasure of Being Robbed is shot on film, but it usually screens in a section of films that are all shot on video. That’s not the only thing that distinguishes it, but I’m wondering if the process of shooting is any different for you.

BJ: Well, no, no, no. When I’ve shot the couple things I’ve done digitally, I try to use the light meter as much as possible, rate the camera and not trust the LCD screen at all, try not to look at it if I can avoid it, and, you know, not review shots or takes.

SM: And so where does that come from, you’re talking about not looking at the monitor, not reviewing takes, it’s almost like you’re talking about a mantra now—

BJ:(laughing) Yeah, I don’t know, it’s not a mantra! Film, to me, is just so much more tangible, and so much more organic, and I just love the process and I think carrying that over to video…I think to me it’s just the process that I’ve become familiar with, and the process that I’ve learned to use. I don’t know about a mantra or superstition; to me that just feels like the right way to work.

SM: Okay, and you’re a cinematographer, right, that’s what you consider yourself…

BJ: Yeah.

SM: …And when did you know you wanted to be a shooter?

BJ: In high school, I was big into photography and took a couple photography classes. And then I actually didn’t go to college as a film student; I went as a computer science major. But, growing up I always made little movies with my friends. We all skateboarded and made skate videos and stuff, so I always loved making movies. And, then I was just fed up with being a computer science major, so I took a film studies course, and I just hung with it. And, as far being a cinematographer, it just made sense with my photography background, being behind the camera.

SM: What’s the process of shooting like for you? And I’m going to preface this by saying, the reason I wanted to do this is because I’m a director, and I love working with the DP. It’s like, I watch my movie, and I can see the film itself, like what it adds up to, but really the process is what I feel the most. And I’m always curious, because I’ll be working with James [Laxton], and we’ll walk onto the set, and we’ll approach the scene, and I have a vision of it in my head, and he has a vision in his head, and he’s creating art and in some ways he’s doing it apart from me…

BJ: Right, right.

SM: And, I just wanted to know, as a DP, when you walk onto a set, how do you approach that dynamic?

BJ: Well, I really like to, to obviously talk to the director in depth about how he or she wants to work, to make sure we’re on the same page visually. And luckily enough, I haven’t shot very many things, but I’ve been in situations where the director is very open to my…They don’t have a very rigid way that they want to shoot, and they’ve been open to what I’ve wanted to bring to the table creatively, so that’s just been amazing. When it’s actually collaborative, it’s great.

I’ve never worked with storyboarding before...Planning is really good and really important, and I always do extensive shot lists, but there’s something about the actual putting it down on the page that, for me, I feel like it detracts from the spontaneity of the moment--which is one of my favorite parts of shooting, finding those little things that you couldn’t really plan for.

SM: I feel like sometimes I’ll be watching a movie on a DVD, and then I’ll pause it, I’ll freeze frame it, and I’ll walk off to go to get a cup of tea or something. And then I’ll come back, and I’ll look at it, and I’ll be like, “Holy shit,” because I never would have looked at that particular moment in this film if I hadn’t gotten up to get a drink. But when I do, sometimes I can just leave it there and watch it and pick out certain things, and that’s because of the work of folks like you, the cinematographer.

Are you aware of that when you’re making the film? I notice in Josh’s movie you’re riding the zoom a lot, making instinctual decisions on the fly, and I wanted to know as a cameraman, how aware are you of that, of the pictures running through the camera?

BJ: I mean, I’m pretty conscious of it, like almost to a fault sometimes—

Barry laughs.

BJ: Josh will be in a scene, he’ll be acting, and then he’ll be like, “How was the performance?” and I’ll be like, “I don’t really know," because I’m just trying to capture the emotion of the scene the way I think will portray it the best. But no, I’m super-conscious about it; I’ll always be shooting with my left eye open, trying to see what’s happening in case the—

SM: So like your right eye on the eyepiece and your left eye open?

BJ: Yeah.

SM: I dig that.

BJ: Just little things like in The Pleasure of Being Robbed, when she’s being arrested, and the cop puts her on the fence, and she has her arms down on the fence, I’m shooting her from the neck up, but then I’m like, “Wow, her arms are on the fence.” That’s one of my favorite shots because that was so in the moment, and as a cinematographer, to find and search for things like that in the scene, that’s my favorite way of shooting, to be hand-held and be able to wander because I feel like there are so many things that happen that you can just catch.

SM: Is that what it’s about for you as a filmmaker?

BJ: Yeah, well, I think it’s a combination of capturing the moments in real life and telling the emotional story that the film, the director is telling and finding things within each scene that support that and tying them together.

SM: Now, the reason I’m doing this is because I feel like the definition of the cinematographer is changing; it’s kind of mutating, especially in 2008 as opposed to 1948 when you had to be a guy who worked in the camera house, you had to get on set as a loader and kind of work your way through—

BJ: Yep.

SM: —but now you guys can immediately, I mean you’re 23, and you shot a feature film that’s definitely gonna find distribution, and I think it’s really amazing. I mean, are you aware of that, or do you feel like it’s a privilege that you grew up in a time where it just made sense that if you want to be a cinematographer you’re a cinematographer, you just go out and shoot shit?

BJ: I can definitely appreciate the fact that being of this generation and having the technology being what it is and cameras being so accessible and film schools being accessible and the growing community of younger filmmakers just being able to make that happen, where you can come out of film school and just go. A lot of it I think is because everybody’s looking for young, talented people who are interested in making movies, and I was just lucky enough to go to school with a group of people I really love, and I really love to work with. I appreciate the fact that I’m able to do this, not easily, but certainly not having to come up through the ranks—

SM: Most definitely, and I love it because it’s like you don’t need that validation. I mean, I just sat down and watched a film that you shot, and you’re definitely a cinematographer! And the validation is in the film itself, you don’t have to go through this process of someone anointing you the right to make a film. And, I think it’s great because rather than bothering with that you can just go out and tell the stories you want to tell.

BJ: Yep.

SM: Man, I love talking to DP’s, I love it when you guys express yourselves—

BJ:(laughing) It’s my first interview.

SM: It won’t be the last, boss.