WOMEN TO WATCH: THESE INCREDIBLE WOMEN IN PRODUCTION ARE BLAZING THE TRAIL FOR OTHERS IN THE INDUSTRY

Claudia Raschke, Cinematographer

Claudia Raschke was born in one of the largest European ports near the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany. Throughout her childhood the chain of movie theaters owned by her mother brought Claudia into the world of film. After college Claudia’s studied of the art and technique of cinematography on the practical level while working with some of the most prominent and accomplished international filmmakers. She is a founding member of the NYC Kamera Kollektiv, a boutique agency for documentary cinematographers and a member of AMPAS.

Among her many notable award winning films are: Oscar-nominated and Emmy winning RBG (Magnolia/ Participant/ CNN Films), Oscar-nominated GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS (HBO), Oscar short-listed JULIA (CNN Films/ Imagine Entertainment/ Sony Classic) and MAD HOT BALLROOM (Paramount), Oscar short-listed and Emmy winning BOYS STATE (A24), Peabody Award-winning MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY (Amazon Studios/Participant Media), Critics Award nominated FAUCI (NAT GEO/ Magnolia/ Disney+), PARTICLE FEVER (Bond 360), THE FREEDOM TO MARRY (Argot Pictures).

Her latest documentary series work includes The House of Hammer (Discovery +), Eleanor and Franklin (CNN), Pharma (Showtime) to be released in 2023.

When did your career in production start? Was this something you’d always known you’d wanted to do?

The day I was first invited to a movie set was quite magical. I immediately took to the tangible nature of the camera and film, but also the energy on set, both in front of and behind the lens. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Cinematography will nourish all of my artistic needs: I can choreograph using camera movements with my subjects; I can paint with the lights and sculpt with shadow to create a three-dimensional world for the two-dimensional projection of a film.

Following my new found cinematography passion I began working my way up the ladder in the motion picture arena as a clapper/loader, a focus puller, and camera operator on independent feature films. But for my goal to become a cinematographer, I started building my muscle by shooting student films for Columbia students. It was at a Columbia University awards show when the guest of honor, film director Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan), was announcing films that I became recognized for my work. Seidelman expressed surprise at seeing a woman listed as the cinematographer, not once but several times, not realizing it was me who had shot several of the award-nominated films.

This led to being courted by some of the biggest agencies for cinematic arts representation, including the legendary Gersh Agency, who came on board to sign me and helped me get a foot in the door to start my career. Since then, I have been shooting a variety of projects ranging from dramatic features film to documentaries to art films.

Since you entered your role, how has it evolved? What obstacles have you been able to overcome?

Women in the industry are still something of a rare sight. In the old days, there were a litany of excuses: they were too weak to carry the camera, they didn’t have enough stamina to work through the entire day, they were too soft-spoken, or they couldn’t handle the intense pressure on set. But against the odds, we have proven that we work harder, longer, and contribute a fresh and unique vision on storytelling. Thankfully it has been rewarded with more and more doors being pushed open. You have more producers, more directors, more cinematographers, more studio heads in decision-making roles that are women. So, visibility matters. Sadly, it isn’t like one person pierces the glass ceiling, and all of a sudden, it’s available for everybody else. It isn’t. And I think therefore women and men have that responsibility of trying to keep the door open for women who follow. That is how we change things.

What opportunities have presented themselves in your role?

I had a multitude of opportunities thanks to many directors and producers who trusted my artistry for visual storytelling for feature films and feature documentaries. The range varied from dramatic action driven films to relationship driven films to social issue documentaries or biographies films of remarkable women like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (RBG), world famous cook Julia Child (Julia) or human rights activist Pauli Murray. (My name is Pauli Murray).

What have you learned about yourself through your experiences?

Maybe because I encountered many obstacles being a woman cinematographer in a man’s field, I developed this insatiable curiosity of why people think the way they do. Every connection that is formed during the process of filmmaking, no matter if it is via empathy with the subject story, the shared vision with the director/producer, or the cultural exchange with local crew, all of it propellers me to engage in lively conversations to reveal common ground, undo stigmas, create shared knowledge to then to be rewarded with a sense of camaraderie, respect for each other and a real team effort of capturing the abundance of life’s stories on film.

Can you share what excites you the most about the work you do?

The last thirty plus years in the industry, shooting feature films with complex lighting setups and feature documentaries with extensive Cinema Verité challenges, expressionistic reenactments, have driven my passion for visual storytelling, to capture the big and the small moments of the world we live in and to take nothing for granted.

It was in Nigeria, where I was filming the different aspects of water pollution that impacted children’s health in surrounding villages. I was capturing a herd of white Fulani cows. The herd was moving through the water my way. I was so mesmerized by their agility to climb side by side with these sharp horns up the river banks that I paid no attention to a cow that had locked eyes on me. When it charged, I ran up the incline but slipped which of course encouraged the cow to run towards me faster. Trying again I reached higher ground, covered in mud, hiding behind a large Iroko tree. I thought I was safe but the cow followed me. I heard laughter. Nearby a group of women cleaning up tuber yams was watching it all. It must have been quite a sight to see me – the confused cow and the mud-covered camera woman moving in circles around the tree. Once the cow lost interest, to my surprise, a beautiful new vantage point of the whole area fell into view. Capturing the beautiful landscape with kids jumping in the water, women washing clothes in the river, and cows of course mingling along the way. It was magnificent. An unpredictable situation can result in the most astonishing perspective and discovery, that’s what excites me about my work.

What’s one of the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

Women in the film industry have to work twice as hard as any man does because you’re often working against that unspoken stigma. Can a woman do it? Does she have the stamina? Can she handle the stress, the new camera technology, the complex software, the high budgets? And who will vouch for her? This unconscious thought that women are not as qualified as men leads to hesitations. Therefore, many won’t offer you an opportunity, they don’t bother to look at your website, they don’t recommend you to someone, all because they unconsciously think a woman is less qualified than a man. They don’t even know why they think that. And that’s a systemic issue.

I work with a diverse team and it is very collegial in the documentary world. In features, where I worked for years, you tend to have a very male-centric grip, electrical, directing, and producing department. There, I certainly had some issues with those who didn’t think I could make certain decisions. They would jump in and feel the need to decide for me. That’s when you have to draw the line and put people in place. I quickly learned to address it by placing my hand on their shoulder with direct eye contact saying, “I’ve got this. Don’t worry.” They were usually taken aback because they were caught in their judgment. And they’d back off. You have to stand your ground, but the way you do it is to be assertive and not aggressive.

When I started out in 1984 there were only 10 women cinematographers around the world shooting feature films. Cinematography is still a male-dominated field by 92%, according to the Celluloid Ceiling report from January 2023 for work credited to women in the film industry. Only 8% of cinematographers are women. Statistics should not deter anyone when starting in the field. In the end, what stands out is your work, your passion, and your determination as an artist, and not if you are a woman or a man.

In your opinion, what is one skill every professional should have?

I certainly learned that excellent communication skills and a sense of humor are key for a successful collaboration no matter who you are working with.

Instagram: @claudiaraschkedp