Professional Profile: Daniel L. Turrett,
Camera Operator and Cinematographer
Growing up near New York City afforded Daniel Turrett an opportu-
nity to be exposed to rich artistic achievements. From an early age, his
parents took him to museums, the ballet, and other dance events, the
symphony, theater, and movies. The film Citizen Kane made a lasting
impression on the future filmmaker.
"I remember the first time I saw Citizen Kane: I was home sick with the
measles . . . I was so taken by it, by the cinematography. That was the
first time I realized how powerful movies could be. That interesting
stories could be told." A few years later, in a high school humanities class,
Turrett was again exposed to the film, and from that point on he began to
view "cinema as an art," and began considering it as a career.
He majored in fine arts at Long Island University and learned the
basic craft of filmmaking. Summers were spent working summer stock at
different theaters across the country, where he built sets, was involved in
lighting, and learned the craft of production design, at one point consid-
ering it as a career. Working at The Brunswick Music Theater afforded
him an opportunity to work alongside actors and craftsmen from Yale
University Repertory Company and Drama School. Through the experi-
ence, he gained a better understanding of how to use lighting to create
moods and help tell a story, an important skill he would later apply to
filmmaking.
Studying filmmaking masters like Bernardo Bertolucci and Jean-Luc
Godard, and other French and Italian directors, was a motivating factor
in his decision to become a filmmaker. The work of avant-garde filmmak-
ers Stan Brakhage, Ed Emshwiller, Michael Snow, and others further
solidified his desire.
"Hallelujah the Hills, Relativity, Dance, Branches--I saw these movies
and I was so taken by them. The movement of avant-garde filmmaking
just drove me toward wanting to be a filmmaker."
Having made the decision to become a cameraman, after graduation
he began the arduous task of finding a job, committing himself to only
taking work in the film industry. "I spent a whole summer jobless, going
into New York City daily and walking around with a guidebook to help
me locate production companies that made TV commercials, films, and
such." Having no experience to list on a résumé, he instead left each with
a letter of introduction. His diligence eventually paid off and he landed a
job at The Camera Mart, one of the largest motion picture camera and
equipment rental companies in New York at that time.
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