Conversations with Reed Donnelly

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reed Donnelly.

Hi Reed, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I guess you could say my life story can definitely be considered convoluted at times. Let’s start with some background. While I was born in Pennsylvania, I was only there for a year or so before continuously moving throughout the US for the rest of my life. I’m a military brat (a child of someone in the service). Every 4 years I got to wake up, pack up, and move to experience a brand new state. In order I’ve lived in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alaska, North Carolina, New Jersey (again), Florida, Pennsylvania (again), and now I “live” in Georgia! Being able to travel and see the US through my childhood gave me a different perspective of the world around me. I found myself staring out the window for hours on end. Fascinated by the people, the places, the unknown and everything in between was my muse, unbeknownst to me.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the experiences my parents gave me while growing up. They get all the credit to my wonder and curiosity of the world, and the beginning of my obsession with cameras and image making.

And speaking of, that leads me to what I do today. I’m a Director of Photography in the film industry! My journey into video started way back with my first YouTube videos in 2013. My subject, Legos, Rubik’s cubes and cringey childhood vlogs with friends. Now I wouldn’t say I was the most creative kid. Just kinda messing around and having fun with any sort of hobby I could get my hands on. I wouldn’t even say I was doing anything all that creatively focused throughout my High School years. Mostly focusing on my Studies in Engineering, my athletic training, and being a total goofball.

But that changed as I neared the end of High School. I was torn in many directions. Engineering, Sports, and at the time, this fascinating and mysterious thing called Filmmaking.

This was a hard decision at the time. Each day felt like a back and forth battle between practicality and my dreams. After constantly wrestling with my decision. I decided. I wanted to learn filmmaking.

My college experience was about the same as anyone else’s. I partied hard my first year and took classes that didn’t really inspire me. And then it was followed by the infamous Covid pandemic.

Once I was back in person I started taking more classes, which surprisingly I enjoyed. My year long Documentary course and all of my photography minor classes were among my favorites. But above all. My favorite thing about university was not found in the classroom, but found in a 24 hour film festival held by one of the most inspiring professors, James Machado. The film festival still runs today. And it’s called Midnight Run 24. A competition where you’re given a character, a prompt, and a line of dialogue. All to be written, shot, and edited in 24 hours. This is where my love and obsession for filmmaking finally came to fruition.

My art and passion had never been higher at that point. But as we know, you cant stay at the top forever. And times got tough. Life got tough. And I had to step down from the peaks I once saw. After a devastating heartbreak, a sense of confusion, and starting to feel like I was drifting into nothingness, I made the hard decision to dropout of school after 3 years.

I had to make decisions on what to do next, and fast. I wanted, no, I needed to work in film. I wanted nothing more. And was headstrong. My aunt and uncle were the catalyst. They already lived in Atlanta, and graciously accepted me into their home. I’ll always feel forever indebted for their support. But this is where my start began in ATL.

Prior to moving I had saved my money for years, and decided it’s time I invested into my future, and I bought a cinema camera. An Arri Alexa Plus to be exact. I actually got to shooting the same week that I moved, with a great friend and inspiration, Mateo Visbal.

For the next few years I worked on honing my skills through Indie sets and had a blast! I’ve met and worked with so many amazing people along the way! I was living in a Goldilocks zone it felt like. I was untouchable.

But once again life hit. Projects were starting to be left unfinished, or underdeveloped. Money was slowly getting tight. My family I was living with was looking to move out of state. And reality was setting in. I had to step back. Get a job. And gain some security back in my life. I’ve shot a few projects during that time. And done a lot of fun BTS shooting for the incredible DP, Luke Park. But nothing was to the same scale as before.

During this period of a little over 2 years, I’ve traveled the country essentially nonstop leading AV installations for conventions and tradeshows. In a way, the job felt like going back to my childhood roots of seeing the world. It brought so much joy and wonder back to my eyes. I was able to take my photography more seriously during this period, which helped continue my obsession of crafting beautiful images and coping with my reality.

And that leads us to present day. I’m making my return to film with Director Jack Kidd on the Film “Scratch”. A nostalgic 90s Summer Horror short. I’ve never been so passionate and excited. Collaborating with him and our 1st AD Max Anderson has been an incredible honor and experience! I cannot wait for everyone to see it!

I’d say looking back at all I’ve seen and all I’ve done, and for all the highs and the lows, I honestly couldn’t be happier with the direction life has taken me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think I’ve touched on this a bit already. But it hasn’t been a smooth road. My life has been a constant ebb and flow of emotions. I’m extremely sensitive.

Heartbreak
Deep rooted Depression
Financial struggles
Indecision
Comparison
Worthlessness
Imposter Syndrome

These have all been a constant battle for me in my day to day life. Some of these issues have festered for far too long.

But I’ve found that recently I’ve been able to reel myself back in. And like one of my favorite movies, “Meet the Robinson’s”, says “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Director of Photography, or DP for short. Some might also know this position as the cinematographer, but I don’t really care to use that on set. What the job entails really can vary from set to set. But simply put, anything that deals with what you see visually on screen during a film, is my responsibility. I think most would agree I’m known for my use of bold colors, and a more nostalgic/surreal look. And my typical focus is working on narrative films.

No matter the situation, I’m always proud of the work I do on all of my projects. In pre-production I’m very hands on. I try to mitigate all the issues that will arrive on our shooting days. And production days I’m laser focused on getting everything shot and looking good. Even leading into post-production I have a pretty heavy hand as a colorist to help finish the visual language.

At the end of the day I try and put my heart on the table for everything I do. I’m a tactician who takes the Directors script and crafts the image for that piece specifically. Anywhere from the type of lighting, the lens choice, and the color choices we use on set. You can always expect 110% out of me

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I’d argue I’m a pretty big risk taker at times. Outside of the film industry, I’ve found myself doing a lot of abandoned/urbex exploring and documentation. I’ve always found beauty in what’s been left behind. But it’s far from being safe. From molded wet floors that could cave in, crazy homeless people, and not paying attention to “No Trespassing” signs; it’s safe to say I’ve almost been in some serious trouble a few times.

But within the context of film, I took a major leap of faith when moving to Atlanta. Not only did I drop out of college, so no degree for me. I also would estimate I spent nearly $20,000+ on film equipment to make the jump. And that’s also with not having any contacts or connections in Atlantas film circle.

If there’s one thing in this world I can recommend. It’s for everyone to take more risks

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reed_donnelly?igsh=MXRudDgzNjBhaGJzdg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@reeddonnellydp?si=MjnPt2oP6OHC8L_-
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/pix_purgatory?igsh=aThpZHVrNGtoeXBq&utm_source=qr