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Like Father, Like Daughter (But Not Quite) "It's not always easy trying to forge a successful career when you happen to be the offspring of someone who's very well known—especially if you're working in a similar line of business." There are always the 'fame by association' sceptics who will maintain it's the family name that has eased the path, rather than a new generation of fresh creative familial talent that's simply yielding to an inevitable genetic imperative. Ella Waite (32) is the filmmaker daughter of Charlie Waite, one of the world's foremost professional landscape photographers. Charlie has lectured across the world, written 27 books, masterminded dozens of solo exhibitions and has been published in every specialist photography magazine of note in Europe. But while nothing makes Charlie happier than sitting for days waiting for the perfect light in an Andalucian poppy field, his daughter is far more at home donning flak jackets in war zones and working flat-out (whenever her frenetic shoot-schedule allows) on her real passion—making 'not-for-profit' films for animal charities. And she's totally unfazed by any suggestion that she's used her Dad's name and reputation to help her own career. "I am proud to be his daughter and I name-drop all the time. Of course he's been a massive influence—ever since he taught me how to use an enlarger when I was just nine years old. When I was growing up I travelled extensively on photo-shoots with him. There was always an exciting new adventure just around the corner and at that time I just thought what he did was really cool. I assumed I would pretty much follow in his footsteps with a stills camera." But it didn't happen. She explains: "I started a photography course at the Bournemouth Film School but after a while realised that my preferred genre was working with moving pictures. So I jumped ship to complete a degree in film and television with the college's film department." Ella directed and shot her first documentary in 1998 during the war in Kosovo. She says: "When I got back to college my entire outlook had changed. It was all quite surreal. My friends would ask me if I was going to go out clubbing with them that weekend—and there I was just back from being shot at in a war zone." And the challenge of the Kosovo experience served only to endorse her move to cinematography. She notes: "I realised that I really liked working as part of a team. With Dad it's just about him and a camera—but I prefer the collective challenge of production and direction." After completing her degree Ella took up a six-month assistant's placement working in Hollywood alongside top producer Al Burton at Universal Studios. "I think he just liked my English accent" she jokes. "This is the guy that discovered Leonardo DiCaprio and Pamela Anderson. He was so down-to-Earth. He used to wear slippers at the office and he had a smile to melt your heart. We just hit it off and he taught me so much about film techniques." Ella came back England and secured a job as a researcher at the BBC's Natural History Unit in Bristol. "I'm passionate about animals and this job was perfect for me for a while. The trouble was I really wanted to make the move from researcher to producer/director but I lacked the mandatory zoology or biology degree—and that's something that to this day I really regret isn't on my CV. If I had a degree in zoology I could have become a wildlife cameraman." To gain more drama experience she left the Unit to work on the TV Series: '999', filming reconstructions of real-life rescues on location. Then came a chance to work with her father on a Grampian TV six-part series: Seeing Scotland. "I was so naïve at the time" she recalls: "I was commissioned to produce and direct all six episodes. I had a whole crew of people and helicopters at my disposal but to be honest I was a bit out of my depth. It all worked out in the end though and the challenge was incredibly enriching." She adds: "I have an obsession to make things look beautiful and fortunately I am blessed with a natural gift for composition—I just know instantly if the shot is right. With a photograph you are asking your audience to feel really stimulated and enthused by a single still image—but it doesn't move and there's no sound. I just love the whole film process; the preparation, the shoot, the editing, the voice-overs, the graphics and the grading. It's in my blood now." After working with Ella on 'Seeing Scotland' Charlie confessed: "I could never be a film maker. There are just too many compromises. What Ella does is not about juggling three balls it's about juggling one hundred and three. To me filmmaking seems far more chaotic than stills photography—but Ella loves to be part of a team and she thrives on the tension of it all. She's far more organised than me." Over the past eight years working as a freelance producer/director, Ella has produced/directed dozens of films, documentaries and promos for a wide variety of clients- and now also runs her own independent London-based production company: Frame of Mind Productions Ltd. Her latest filmmaking venture has been centred on her enduring love for animals. She says: "I support an amazing charity called the Animals Asia Foundation. Its founder Jill Robinson is committed to a life-long battle to rescue bears held captive in China for years, in cages so small the animals can't move. The poor creatures are cruelly farmed for 'medicinal' bile through permanently open and festering holes in their abdomen." She adds: "I asked Calumet if they would sponsor me with the equipment needed for this trip—and the advice I got from the Pro Video Team was invaluable. Calumet supplied me with a superb Panasonic AG-HVX 200 camcorder,so I could go to China and make a film about the bears that have been saved, and the great work the charity have been doing. I honestly couldn't have done it without their support." "The trip was a turning point for me. I just don't ever want to be tied to a desk surrounded by computers. I want to be out there covered in mud with a camera in my hand and feeling good about what I do. It's not about making money it's about using what ability you have to try and make a difference in this world." Ella filmed in DV mode on the China shoot—with some elements such as bear close-ups shot on HD and later resized. She reveals: "Everything was shot at 25P (cine mode) to make it look more filmic. This produced a really compelling effect with added production value. The true 16:9 format was excellent for broadcast capability too. The HVX is a very sturdy (if slightly heavy) camera with long-lasting battery capability and great colour on the cine mode—which all saved time and money on grading, post-filming. In fact, the camera was so good I told Calumet they couldn't have it back because I just had to buy it." Now Ella, who has talked former Lebanon hostage Terry Waite into doing the voice-over, is looking to place the short China film with a TV station." In the future Ella wants to work only with animal charities. "I really don't think there is anyone out there specialising in making these films for charity" she concludes: "As long as I am making enough money from other work to feed my dog, Joey, I can focus on helping charities with films that will hopefully help save lives. Just imagine if the WWF, Greenpeace or the RSPCA saw this film about the plight of bears in China, and came back to me with a brief!" Ella Waite » |
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