Michael Helenek
Cinematographer
"I met Mike in 2013 while looking for a Director of Photography. We went on to collaborate on two successful short films (one of which was published in American Cinematographer) and a few commercials. Mike has taken over my internal visual style when imagining any film work, and by that I mean I envision it the way Mike would light it. When someone can do that in any sense, it’s an incredible gift. He’s a painter, a true collaborator, a true friend, and a cinematographic genius (this is not an embellishment, his work speaks for itself). I am just happy to have had the opportunity to work together on so many projects, and really can’t wait to knock the next thing we do out of the park. It will no doubt be because of his talent."
~ Christiano Dias,
Director, King Eternal,
Director, Monster in a House
Director, Hackers Anonymous
~ written on LinkedIn
"I sought out Michael as DP for a film project after having seen his work in "Monster in a House" and hearing about the meticulous planning he did for the job. During preproduction, Michael was heavily involved in planning every shot for every scene, often with creative ideas on framing the action in an interesting way. He also suggested our filming location, which ended up being a key piece of the overall look of the film. On set, he knew exactly how to get the look we needed and had a great rapport with the camera and grip departments so we didn't waste time. When our 1st AD unexpectedly had to leave, Michael also helped out keeping the production rolling. The results speak for themselves - there are plenty of stills and clips from "Rite of Passage" available on IMDb and on Michael's reel, and the visuals - framing, lighting, location, grading choices - were directly the result of his work."
~ Michael Krehan
Producer / Director, Rite of Passage
~ written on LinkedIn
"I met Mike in 2013 while looking for a Director of Photography. We went on to collaborate on two successful short films (one of which was published in American Cinematographer) and a few commercials. Mike has taken over my internal visual style when imagining any film work, and by that I mean I envision it the way Mike would light it. When someone can do that in any sense, it’s an incredible gift. He’s a painter, a true collaborator, a true friend, and a cinematographic genius (this is not an embellishment, his work speaks for itself). I am just happy to have had the opportunity to work together on so many projects, and really can’t wait to knock the next thing we do out of the park. It will no doubt be because of his talent."
~ Christiano Dias,
Director, King Eternal,
Director, Monster in a House
Director, Hackers Anonymous
~ written on LinkedIn
"I sought out Michael as DP for a film project after having seen his work in "Monster in a House" and hearing about the meticulous planning he did for the job. During preproduction, Michael was heavily involved in planning every shot for every scene, often with creative ideas on framing the action in an interesting way. He also suggested our filming location, which ended up being a key piece of the overall look of the film. On set, he knew exactly how to get the look we needed and had a great rapport with the camera and grip departments so we didn't waste time. When our 1st AD unexpectedly had to leave, Michael also helped out keeping the production rolling. The results speak for themselves - there are plenty of stills and clips from "Rite of Passage" available on IMDb and on Michael's reel, and the visuals - framing, lighting, location, grading choices - were directly the result of his work."
~ Michael Krehan
Producer / Director, Rite of Passage
~ written on LinkedIn