He has shot over 150 commercials, most of which you probably remember, because he is very good at what he does. Here is more evidence: Alexander Stanishev was also the cinematographer for the American film Touched with Fire, filmed in New York and directed by Paul Dalio, starring Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby, Christine Lahti, Griffin Dunne and produced by none other than Spike Lee along with Kristina Nikolova. You have probably seen his work on Faith, Love +Whiskey, for which he won the cinematography award at the Slamdance Festival 2012, as well as the award for cinematographic debut at the Golden Eye Festival in Popovo. He has also worked on the TV shows Glass Home, Undercover, Darvoto na jivota, Liaisons, Stolichani v poveche as well as the TV movies Hushove by Alexander Morfov and Avariyno katzane by Petar Valchanov and Kristina Grozeva. He was also the second unit director of photography in Dimitar Mitovski's Mission London and in Kamen Kalev's latest film Face Down. He has taught seminars in cinematography at the University of Applied Sciences in Tornio, Finland. And his latest film, Monkey by director Dimitar Kotsev-Shosho was released last year. In addition to cinema, he also likes to devote time to photography. He has participated in three group exhibits and has had one solo show. He was part of the Vienna PhotoBook Festival 2017 and is a regular at the Oblik photography bazaar.
What is something people don't know about the work of the director of photography?
Most people may not know that the director of photography is not the person who physically holds the camera, but the person who makes creative decisions and leads a crew.
Can you watch a movie and not think about the camerawork?
If I like the movie, yes. If I'm starting to analyze it, it means the story and the actors didn't captivate me. It comes and goes: sometimes I over-analyze, sometimes I just relax and enjoy the movie.
How is the visual identity of a movie created?
Everything is part of it. Even the music. It's an enormous topic!
Do you have secret tricks you use while working?
I do, but they're often a secret even to me! More and more I just follow my instinct. The more I lose my fear of failure, the more I can experiment. But looking back, I have made a many unsuccessful attempts at experimentation.
Tell us about some of the weirder shooting locations you've been to.
In an operating room, during a real surgery. On the South Pole, but in a studio. At a psychiatric hospital in Manhattan. A patient pretended he was part of the crew and escaped while we were filming. On the frozen Danube at night with Chocho Popyordanov and Alexander Morfov.
What's something a director has said that pushed you over the edge?
There are many such things, but I cannot share them. A lot of things can push me over the edge, but this is my own problem. When I studied at the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts, there was this unspoken agreement that the director of photography and the director should be in constant conflict. My job is to be on the same page with the director, and if a line pushes me over the edge, then something is going wrong in our relationship more generally.
Do you have time for personal projects?
There is time, even though everyone always says that there's never any time. What's often missing is creative energy and enough perseverance to complete personal projects. When there is no deadline and you are your own boss, it is easiest to postpone things.
What do you think are the most noticeable differences between the film industry in Bulgaria and the rest of the world?
They are many, especially when compared to the States. The main difference is in the mentality. And the differences between the mentality of the average Bulgarian and the average American, in my opinion, are huge. I will try not to make general claims, but I cannot avoid them completely. The main difference is that everything there is a system. And most people obey that system. In Bulgaria, most of the time almost everyone tries to go around the system. Everyone fends for themselves. You can find many examples, in everyday life and in photography. When I was in the United States, I went to the movies and saw a line going down several blocks, and several hundred people were standing there waiting quietly. I lined up at the back, I didn't really think I would be able to enter. Exactly twelve minutes later I was inside the hall and in a nice seat, no displays of bad temper, no cutting the line. Some very calm people explained to me that the queue was capped according to the capacity of the space and everything was fine.
Here, in every queue there are people who moan and groan, they feel that they're getting screwed over as they wait, so they cut the line, get into arguments, etc. It's the same in the film industry. Everything is organized and systematized. Crews are like giant machines. Each member is a gear. You can take a course on how to be a production assistant. Here, the production assistants are someone's friends and they learn as they go. Then again, Bulgaria has a kind of Balkan chaos that I really like!
When was the last time you forgot that a movie had a director of photography?
When I was shooting my last movie.
Who are your heroes in the world of cinematography?
There are so many of them. I do not want to list names, because there are really a lot of them, and I don't like to fawn too much. I am constantly learning from my idols, as well as from my close friends and colleagues, and also from the poorly made films that I sometimes watch on purpose.
What's a scene from a film that you would be able to remember even if someone prodded you awake at three in the morning?
There is no such thing. If someone is prodding me awake at three am, that's a different movie altogether!
You die, and a tape of your life rolls before your eyes. What shots does it include?
Well, ask me after I'm dead. I hope I don't find out soon. But I hope it includes moments of joy, not just footage. Not everything in my life is cinema and photography.
photographer: Joey Kuhn
What do you think about the use of the digital in cinema?
My attitude is positive. Digital techniques are everywhere. You just have to be careful. It's easy to forget where things came from. For example, I'm writing on a computer now and I'm not sure I would be able to write as fast on paper. We forget some skills because of the digital. And we become addicted. And yet my attitude toward it is positive.
What's the role of photography in your work?
It's ever-increasing. I never leave the house without a camera, I shoot all the time. It gives me a new perspective on simple everyday situations, it nurtures my curiosity.
Are you fond of shooting on film?
I am. I also shoot on film. It is completely different. A different attitude. It makes you think differently and appreciate the process more.
What do you think about drone photography?
Nowadays everyone is a photographer or takes pictures with a drone. Personally, if I have to shoot using a drone, I prefer to have a specialist operate it, someone with much more experience than me. I don't like drone shots simply because they're very easy to do nowadays.
What would you say to someone who is about to enter the profession?
Do not be fooled by trends and easy recipes for success. Ten years ago, you needed a lot more knowledge and theory to be a cinematographer. Now everyone who has a smartphone makes and edits movies. But these are not the movies that excite you and tell stories. They are YouTube experiments and the like. I'm not saying it's bad that photography is accessible to everyone. It is bad when there is no awareness of what the end result is.
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