Cinematographer Wes Cardino is the man behind the stunning look on Gal Musette's recent music video, Je vois le ciel. The music video was directed by Maria Garcia, who also served as the costume designer. Cardino is an award-winning cinematographer who won the ASC Heritage Award – Honorable Mention in 2011 for The Escape, the Ghana Movie Award for Best Cinematography for Ties That Bind in 2011, and the Director's Award for Cinematography in 2016 for his work on To Keep the Light.
Cardino’s next project is the upcoming Netflix TV series, Florida Man which follows the story of a former police officer who is sent back to his home state of Florida to solve a case. The show stars Abbey Lee, Edgar Ramírez, and Paul Schneider. Read on to learn more about Cardino’s impressive career in cinematography and below watch and listen to Je vois le ciel..
What inspired you to pursue cinematography professionally?
It’s a real grab bag of things that led me to pursue cinematography as a profession. Ever since I can remember I’ve been in awe at the power of images. Whether it was art or sculpture, movies or music videos. I really responded to the emotional impact films and images had on me and others around me. It was otherworldly to me.
I was obsessed with art and pictures as a kid. It was really formative for me to be visiting our city’s art museum and seeing all these incredible artists’ works. I realized I was especially drawn to art that depicted movement and time. Simultaneously I grew up in the early days of MTV and was consuming music videos on a near daily basis. But I think the biggest impact on me was seeing Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” shot by Vittorio Storaro. Sitting in that dark theater as a boy I was transfixed. Watching that film was a spectacular experience that resonated with me in many ways but especially cinematographically. I found myself mesmerized by Storaro’s cinematography and that led me to start watching all sorts of movies whether on VHS, at the drive-in, or at the cinema when I could get there. I was hooked by the magic of cinema. We didn’t have a video camera growing up so I found myself creating scenarios in my imagination and coupling them with camera angles as if I were shooting a real film. Throughout middle school and high school, I dabbled in acting and directing for school plays but it wasn’t until I went to university that I returned to my childhood passion. I enrolled in SUNY Purchase’s film conservatory thinking I would pursue directing or writing but I quickly found myself behind the camera creating what I really loved; images. I went on to work in the camera department and in 2010 graduated from The American Film Institute as a cinematography fellow.
You were the cinematographer on Gal Musette's music video for Je vois le ciel. What inspired the creative choice to shoot in black and white?
I loved the song so much and probably listened to it 50 times to let it absorb into my imagination. “Je vois le ciel” had a feeling of whimsy, ennui, and timelessness that really captivated me. Maria Garcia, the director, and I always imagined it in black and white and she presented me with her ideas about the narrative and her inspirations. We started exchanging visual references and discussing the look and feel of the costumes, textures, and locations. Many of Maria’s visual references were black and white photos by Sophie Calle and that really piqued my interest and things started percolating for us. I showed Maria Robby Mueller’s beautiful black and white photography for “Down by Law” directed by Jim Jarmusch and we were watching films from the sixties by Varda, Godard, Fellini, etc. The song was so visual on its own that we really wanted the music video to feel rich and graphic, while also embodying the feelings of ennui and timelessness that we experienced while listening to it.
What was the collaboration like between you and the video’s director, Maria Garcia?
The collaboration between Maria and I was really great! We’ve collaborated before on other projects so we have started developing a shorthand, which is nice. It’s important to us as a creative team to work closely to exchange ideas. For “Je vois le ciel” I wanted all of the elements to be representative of the concept Maria devised. That included the locations, costume design, which Maria also helmed, shot selection, and the whole mise-en-scène really. We spent a lot of time in preproduction where we poured over ideas and images in order to craft the look and feel of the music video. As stated previously, once we knew we were going to finish ‘Je vois le ciel’ in black and white we worked closely when considering things like color and texture of costumes and landscapes, and how they would ultimately render in black and white. For me, as a cinematographer, it is really important to work as closely as possible with the director. That type of close relationship is invaluable. With Maria for instance it allowed for a fluid and organic exchange of ideas, whether it be theoretical or technical, in order to bring her vision to life in the most effective way possible. I take that approach for all my collaborations.
Which camera and what type of gear did you use while shooting Je vois le ciel?
For the music video, we used a Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k. I had worked with that camera in the past on a film called “Sisters” directed by Jessica Brunnetto and found it to be very versatile for smaller-scale shoots. We also used a DJI Ronin gimbal and some vintage Zeiss glass. I knew we were going to need to be quick and nimble and the gear we used made that possible.
Do you have a dream collaborator or dream project? What do you look for when deciding which projects to take on?
I’m always excited at the possibility of working with past collaborators. I had fantastic fun working with Maria and we plan to do it again soon. I really enjoyed working with Julian Farino and Stacey Muhammad as well as Clark Gregg and Jessica Brunetto. I’d say yes in a heartbeat to a collaboration with any of them again. Roxie Rodriguez at Aggregate is a great producer so of course, if she had another project in the works I’d be excited to meet for it. Ultimately what I look for in a project are the story and characters. That is always my weathervane when considering scripts. Of course, I have genres I love like fantasy, sci-fi, and period dramas but it always comes back to the story in the end. Regardless of genre if it has a great story and complex engaging characters I am all in.
Do you have any upcoming projects you can discuss?
Yes! Next year “Florida Man'' starring Abbey Lee and Edgar Ramírez will premiere on Netflix. It’s an incredible show from the mind of creator Donald Todd and I’m excited for audiences to see it.
— For more information on Wes, check out his website and Instagram.
