David Armstrong

When David Armstrong was 10 years old, he borrowed his grandfather's Contaflex still camera to experiment with photography and never gave it back. His other hobby was collecting classic films from a company that sold them on 16mm.

When David was 14, his uncle suggested that he combine his two passions and become a cinematographer. Soon after, David bought a Super 8 camera and projector and started making his own films. In 1988, he graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a Bachelors degree in film and video cinematography.

After graduating, he got a job at a camera store, where he met cinematographer Roy H. Wagner ASC. Roy encouraged David to come down to the set where he was shooting, after work. David soon was an assistant cameraman on independent films earning his days to join the union. In 1991, Armstrong joined the union with Roy Wagner’’s help and was hired by Wagner as a loader on JACK'S PLACE.

After working his way up to first camera assistant, Armstrong applied and was accepted to the American Film Institute, where he earned a Masters degree in 1998. During his first year at AFI, he received the Mary Pickford Foundation’’s Award for Cinematography. His second year project, JOHN, has earned numerous awards, including AFI’’s highest award, the Franklin J. Schaffner Award. JOHN also won the Gold medal at the 26th annual Student Academy Awards, along with the Director Guild of America’’s Student Award, and where David earned the American Society of Cinematographers Inaugural Student Award. JOHN was also one of finalists in the 72nd Academy Awards in the Narrative Short category.

JOHN depicts a tumultuous night in the life of a men’’s room attendant in an upscale Italian restaurant. After working in the restaurant for years, the ownership changes hands from the father to the son. With the changes in ownership, the rumors begin to fly that John’’s job is in jeopardy. Throughout the night, tensions begin to build as the inevitable conversation with the new owner looms. As the future becomes clear, so do the benefits of John’’s job. The 21-minute narrative film was photographed in 16 mm format on location at Mateo’’s restaurant in Los Angeles.

“The director and I agreed that the restaurant had a rich feel to it and had to come alive as a character,” says David Armstrong. “In order to achieve this, I relied heavily on practical lights combined with Kodak’’s Vision 320T film. I used existing lamps in the restaurant with color corrected light bulbs, and home made hand dimmers to control their intensity. I did not worry about the fill. 5277 has an incredible latitude for detail.”

David’’s testing showed that the film would pick up natural ambient light as fill, yet convey the rich moody feel of an old Italian restaurant.

“The look came out exactly as I wanted,” he says. “It looked good and didn’’t go grainy, as some 16 mm films can do. Many people who saw JOHN were surprised to find out that it was 16 mm and not 35 mm. My approach to the films lighting was very simple, if I was not happy with what I was looking at, I would usually turn a light off, before I would bring a new light in. I like to keep things as simple as possible, and for this film it worked.”

The film was supported in part by AFI, with the school providing the camera, lighting package and partial funds. The students obtained the rest of the funding.

David found that his years as a camera assistant prepared him well for his role as the Director of Photography on JOHN.

"I found myself comfortable on the set as a Director of Photography. I found that I knew things I didn’’t realize I knew,” he says. “Things that I learned as a camera assistant, now aid me as a D.P. In filmmaking, they say that there is above the line and below the line. I believe that the D.P. is the line. The D.P. has to associate and work with everyone above the line in negotiations, financial concerns and creativity. As well as below the line, in hiring grips, and electric and collaboration with production designs and various departments.”

Since JOHN, David has shot several other successful shorts and is currently in preproduction for a feature to begin principle photography June 1.