ABOUT

Trent Watts has served as Cinematographer on over 850 productions in the past 11 years, mostly working in commercials, promotional films, and documentaries.  After rising to the top of the DC production industry (and building a thriving production company in the process), he recently moved to Brooklyn to work with more of the best Directors and Production Companies in the industry.  He still has a large network of crew in the DC-Baltimore area and travels down about twice a month for shoots and family.  Trent also owns Alexa 35 Rentals, a new camera rental company in Brooklyn, NY.

APPROACH

Trent’s process starts with embracing a student’s mindset, carefully listening to collaborators to understand the story they’re telling, the bigger picture of what they’re trying to accomplish, and the initial obstacles/concerns/intricacies of their project.  Drawing on his years of experience as well as the experience of his crews, he works through solutions to present the best options to collaborators, helping them determine the best approach that will maximize production values AND tell the most compelling story.  He enjoys the process of working through the unique technical, logistical, and storytelling challenges of each project, having a solid plan in place, and then throwing that plan out to improvise when necessary, always with a story-first mindset.  On set, he loves fostering a positive collaborative atmosphere, where crew and talent are empowered to work at their fullest potential.  After each shoot, no matter how successful, he always is looking to improve, and he often debriefs (internally, with his crew, or with his client) about things that went well and what could go better next time.