Meet Katie Harkins

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Harkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie below.

Katie, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I keep my creativity alive by giving time and attention to what fascinates me.

I definitely have a thirst for knowledge. I enjoy learning how things work, new skills, and reading into the nuances of a topic or event. I want to understand the things that don’t make sense to me. I pay attention when I get that spark about something new, and I follow it. I feel my most authentic self when I’m fostering my interests. I think a lot of my creativity spawns from this. Finding something intriguing, learning about it and how it works, and then deconstructing the method.

When I first became interested in cameras I never understood how the digital photo-taking process worked. It was magic that I couldn’t understand. That allure drove me to want to learn all about it. When I eventually understood and mastered that, I pushed it further and became interested in the celluloid film photo-taking process. This led me to where I am today, owning multiple cameras of different formats, experimenting and trying new things in both the film and digital fields.

I have so many hobbies that I don’t have time for. Once I discover something that peaks my interest I want to learn all about it. But it takes time to learn a skill and become proficient at it, and then to push creative boundaries in that art. There are only so many hours in a day. There’s an impossible amount of potential for creativity- it’s overwhelming, but exciting.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I work in the camera department of the motion picture film industry. I work as an assistant camera and camera operator, but I am largely a cinematographer. The cinematographer, or director of photography, is the head of the camera department and lead creative responsible for the look of a film. So my job is to convey the director’s vision, spotlight actor performances, and convey the script’s message, all while making what you’re watching look pretty.

I love working in the film industry. It’s an incredible experience and has led me to some of the best times of my life. A friend once described working in this industry as having “a backstage pass to life” and I couldn’t agree more. You get to go places you otherwise would never have the opportunity or access to see. Interviews and documentary work take you into someone else’s life. Commercials show you the people working behind small businesses and big brands. You’re always doing something different and no two jobs are the same. You get to meet people from all over the world, with life experiences and interests that differ from yours, who you might become close friends with or never see again. It’s an exciting journey to be on.

I feel grateful to say that this past year I’ve been able to do a lot of meaningful work. Two big projects that I worked on were WAKING and Inertia.

WAKING is a short film that I shot on 16mm film. It was written and directed by my friend Jaran Huggins, who I met in college when we worked on our senior thesis film together. Jaran wrote this film as a tribute to his childhood friend Jon Bruce, who passed away. The story is a beautiful reflection on life and finding purpose during the time we have, as shown through the protagonist attempting to catch a mythical fish at a lake.

Working on this film was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had this year. There were a lot of firsts involved with the project that brought their challenges. At the time I had just bought a 16mm camera and this was the first big project I was shooting on it. We were filming in Los Angeles, where I had never been before, working with a local crew from another city and coordinating gear rentals and film processing which were all challenges for me to figure out. Shooting this film helped affirm to me that I am incredibly capable at what I do, as a cinematographer and sometimes as a co-producer at the same time. It can be overwhelming when you’re in the thick of it, but looking back and reflecting on the process helps you learn and grow. It also feels pretty good to see your progress and growth in a short amount of time.

Speaking of growth, the second big project I did this year was shooting my first feature film, Inertia.

Inertia is a feature-length film that blends sci-fi elements with a classic story of two teens from a small town who spend a day getting to know each other. This project was brought to me by my friend Will Martinko, who also wrote and directed it. Will had previously filmed a version of this story in high school and felt now was the time to take it to the next level with bigger resources than he had before. We shot this film in 12 days over three months. It felt like true indie filmmaking, which really excited both of us. We filmed at locations in and around the town Will grew up in and incorporated people from his life and past projects into the film. It felt like a love letter to the people and places that helped us grow into the filmmakers we are today, which was a really nice part of the filming process.

This film also presented us with many challenges. Shooting an 80-page script in less than two weeks sounded absurd to me before we did it. Will and I would be on the phone at 10pm figuring out the schedule for the following morning after a location would drop last minute. We filmed during two separate heat waves, shooting daytime exteriors on near 100 degree days. We were zipping around the Philadelphia suburbs from dawn to dusk one day to grab a number of small pickup shots in various locations. We had such an amazing crew that made the entire shoot feel like one long summer hangout. It was hard work and crazy at times, but also an absolute blast. It felt like we were kids in a Spielberg movie running around a main street town with our friends on a summer night, filming a movie we were making up as we went along.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Three qualities and skills that have been most impactful in my journey so far are empathy, communication skills, and drive.

Having empathy is very important to me. I would hope that people remember me as an empathetic, kind person over any accolade or project I’ve done. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle culture that rewards us for producing work no matter the cost. Often the cost is not prioritizing ourselves or important people in our life over work. We react so quickly and at times without thought, that we don’t realize how our actions affect others. It’s important to slow down and be kind, explain things calmly, be understanding to others, and give teaching moments. I feel that always keeping things in perspective and having empathy for others is one of the most important things you can learn in life and your career. And the earlier you learn that, the easier everything will be from that point forward. Toxic work environments fear empathy. Be nice to people and they’ll remember it.

Developing good communication skills has also been very impactful in my career. I’ve learned that being upfront and direct is usually the best course of action, get the point across in an effective way and as soon as possible. If you have an issue with someone address it immediately and professionally. Letting things sit and fester breeds resentment and anxiety. Communication skills are something that I think everyone will always be working on throughout their lives, you never will master it entirely. But putting in the effort to work on it makes a difference, and (I think) makes you feel better.

The third quality that I feel has helped my journey is having drive. Having something that motivates you is very important for your career and also just life. Often my curiosity drives me, and my goals and ambitions drive my career. But in my life outside of that, one thing that drives me is doing work that can help others. Finding an interest or ambition that gets you out of bed in the morning is a great first step, but you have to keep that momentum going. Finding that reason is something that I think has been very important in my journey.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I’m always looking for more collaborators. I love to meet new people. As an introvert, this feels like an oxymoron to say but I do really enjoy meeting new people and hearing them talk about who they are, what interests them, and their journey. I feel that being in a creative field you bring so much of your story into your work, so it’s always exciting to meet new people with perspectives and experiences different from my own.

I really enjoy working with directors who have a similar working and creative style to mine. I take a very humanistic approach in my work, leaning more toward naturalistic acting and themes that explore the depth of our thoughts and emotions. Collaborating with people who share the same passion is what I look for most in a creative partnership.

If you want to connect or collaborate I’d love to hear from you! Send me an email or a DM on Instagram. 🙂

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katieharkins.com
• Instagram: @katie.harrkins
• Other: Email: katie0harkins@gmail.com

Image Credits

Tori Wilcox (Torian Studios)
Conner White