SAIJA MÄKI-NEVALA
- Aiming for meaningful moving images, delivering small but big stories of the reality around us.
I'm Cinematographer based in Finland.
I grew up in a small place surrounded by forest and a lot of animals, pets and cattle. Little me wanted to be captain of a spaceship. Another option was filmmaking. The world interests me. Galaxies also, but most of all our everyday life, which is full of amazing stories, when you look closely. I’m attracted by details that open up wider meanings.
I have twenty years of experience in film and television. I started as a cameraperson in quick and light TV productions and then gradually moved into the camera crews of film productions. From 2005 onwards I worked mainly as a camera assistant in numerous commercials, short and long-form dramas and documentary films. Eager to fulfill my passion to learn more and eventually become a cinematographer, I enrolled at Tallinn University international film school in Estonia in 2008. After very instructive years both in cinematography and life in general, I got a Master of Arts degree in 2011.
I have been lucky to work as a cinematographer in different types of productions from drama to documentary. Some years ago I started to discover the world of directing as well. My first documentary film as a director/writer had a premiere in January 2015. Right now I'm working with documentary films and video art. I also guide short film courses and act as an expert in development projects.
I love to work together, in a team. I enjoy conversations, laughs and a joint effort.
I’m looking forward to new productions and collaborations!
P.S. Images shouldn’t be (just) beautiful. The images should be the right ones—the ones that make a story alive and touching in a unique way.