Cinematography in Canada Since 1957

#MikahSharkey #AssociateMemberCSC @cinema_shark

Hello to the CSC members and followers, it is a great honor to be able to guest host this page for the next two weeks.

My name is Mikah Sharkey and I am a DP/operator based in Vancouver. My journey with cinematography first starts unexpectedly in the mid-2000s. I grew up mostly in Nanaimo and never expected a life in cinema to be a viable career path until I started working the camera for a hockey school I was instructing for.

After winning the gold medal in Skills Canada’s regional competition for film making in 2005 I pursued film school and entered ICG 669’s training program in 2009. At the time, my plan was to use the money from assisting to purchase a camera to jumpstart my own corporate video company. But I ended up falling in love with the craft of cinematography down to the core of assisting and would be a full time 2nd in 2010, then 1st AC while shooting my own projects on the side until 2021, using the opportunity to learn the craft of lighting from the incredible cinematographers I had the chance to work for. In 2013 I became our union`s first openly trans member.

My big opportunity came when Alwyn Kumst csc, sasc and I were talking in the woods on set on one rainy night. I told him the story of a short I had shot and he asked if I wanted the chance to shoot for one of our cast members. So, when Alwyn stepped away from Flash at the end of season 7, my work was already on the front of the mind of our producers who decided to first let me handle 2nd unit, and then the even episodes of the season.

It was a dream come true as someone who never thought a life in film was even something I could consider, and I hope to show my gratitude to my mentors and peers during my time as your host.

#TamarraCanu #AssociateMemberCSC @tamarracanu.dop

Ta-ta for now colleagues. Your Alberta rep is signing off. Come visit us, the prairie skies you’ve heard about are no joke… you might just like it! Becoming an associate member of the CSC has changed my perspective of our industry. It helped me come out of a very comfortable hole and granted me access to like-minded community. Friends who I could nerd out about the quality of light with. A reminder that we are our own worst critics- we don’t have to be. We can celebrate ourselves and each other. For getting to be the people who pick up a camera everyday and find beauty in every moment.

Thank you for reading. I leave you with a few final frames from Dawson City, YT and some celebratory BTS on a few sets. Have fun out there team. I believe in you.

#TamarraCanu #AssociateMemberCSC @tamarracanu.dop

Every meme has its story. @skoden.film is an impactful and important documentary that I’ll always be proud of participating in as a cinematographer. Director Damien Eagle Bear is patient, caring and informed, so it makes sense that this piece shares all of those same traits. A worthwhile watch and a perpetually relevant story.

#TamarraCanu #AssociateMemberCSC @tamarracanu.dop

The Sash Maker 2020 Filmed in Amiskwacîwâskahikan | Treaty No. 6 Territory
@resadowski brought me on to co-create a film adaptation of a continuously evolving stage performance that she and Naomi Mcllwraith had been collaborating on for years. With the help of @favacommunity we were able to light this massive facility filled with pieces of Edmonton’s colonial history. Our greatest challenge was adapting an originally linear performance into something that allowed our viewers an opportunity to experience much more emotion and intimacy up close. Both the original and the experimental film are both solidified with Rebecca’s ability to communicate so much through her stunning sporadic movement. Today, we have both grown so much as artists and as people. I look back on our first work together as collaborators and am proud of what we were able to accomplish together.

Новоприбулі | Newcomers 2024

#TamarraCanu #AssociateMemberCSC @tamarracanu.dop

Scroll to the next slide for the full trailer. Sony Fx9 / primary lens Canon 70-200 F2.8. No story from me for this post - just theirs.

@telusoriginals @stephenrobinson.52

#TamarraCanu #AssociateMemberCSC @tamarracanu.dop Today a post with a bit more bts than actual work. We have all heard it before, “travel is so glamorous“. But we know better don’t we? Cinematography has allowed me to travel around the world, sometimes it looks like beautiful hotels but most of the time it looks like shared dorms in university research stations. @frickilovenature is a comedy nature series on @cbcgem that will always stick with me. Travelling across the country with a film family just to crack jokes and perform ‘bits’ all for the love of science? The answer will always be yes from me. Midway through the trip, our team traversed across an island with the wonderful folks from @bamfieldmsc to film at the beach on the other side. Our host had hours of makeup done on his body for an animal comparison joke in the script. Well, rules are rules. And if you’re going to get a torso full of fake tattoos and trek through a forest- it might as well also be in the pouring rain. The care it took to keep this bit fresh on such a shit day meant our day going longer than expected. When we got back to the boat on the other side, the tide had changed and took our boat just far enough that we would have to call the coast guard to come give it a tow back to us. After a 13 hour day in the rain carrying heavy equipment, I decided waiting another hour would be less than ideal. One small walk into the inlet and a slow but steady tug did the trick. Frick, I Love Nature will always be one of the best shows I’ve ever had the privilege of working on as a DoP. At that time, I had done one offs, shorts, tv episodes but never an entire series. Most of the time, we couldn’t carry more than a couple Astera titans with pigeon on top of two cameras and accessories. Every show has unique challenges. Frick gave me the opportunity to lean into our natural environments for motivating light that I could emphasize with the gear we had on hand.

#TamarraCanu #AssociateMemberCSC @tamarracanu.dop A couple years back I got the opportunity to work with the @albertaballetcanada in a very intimate capacity. Alongside @joemediagroup , @_aerialballerina and I created a piece entirely our own with their incredible roster of performers. In concept, the idea was to mirror challenges we’d both been navigating in our personal lives which I think we achieved in some truly unique ways. We had one day to shoot this ambitious piece and I am grateful our team brought everything they could to it. @chrischowcamera absolutely nailed it on steadicam, allowing me to actually watch the piece come to life at video village. A rare luxury that made the making of this piece feel like a milestone moment. 10 second clip on the final slide.