Meet Sara Garth

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sara Garth. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Sara with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic comes from my time on the swim team while growing up. I swam from 7th grade to 12th grade. My coach treated us like olympic athletes, and even though I was not at all good, he pushed me to the breaking point every day, 6 days a week. Just like in the film industry, on time was late. One Saturday morning practice more than a few of us came in after 8am. He counted every minute we collectively were late, it ended up at about 15 minutes between the 30 or so girls. So when we were suited up we started the practice with a 1500m butterfly (If you know, you know). We were not late again. I’ll never forget one particular meet. Like I said, I was never very good but my final year I was our best butterflyer. At meets the coaches all had the best times of each swimmer on the teams and I was slated to win our race easily. I was expected to win and if I didn’t all his calculations for the match up would be off and we would likely lose, ending our season. So when we jumped off the blocks and the girl next to me was ahead I knew I couldn’t let me team down. Its bad form to look to the side but I kept that girl in my sights without fail. I swam faster than I ever had (or ever have since) and beat her by a hair, securing the win for our team. Those years are a big part of who I am to this day.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a cinematographer based in LA and Vancouver. I’ve worked in the camera department for over a decade, starting as a camera assistant and working my way up to operator and cinematographer. It’s hard to express how amazing my job is. Almost without fail, every day is new and exciting. I’ve worked in helicopters and underwater, with cougars and bears, in mansions and mines. My co-workers are just as dedicated to this story telling madness we do and the people are what make this job so incredible. I met most of my closest friends on set and my husband as well. The pandemic really made everyone in the film industry realize how valuable we are. When the world felt like it was ending, what did we all do? Watch Tiger King. Storytelling is (and this is science not just BS) an integral part of what makes us human and being able to be a small part of that is incredibly rewarding. Genre doesn’t matter to me so long as the script grips me and my collaborators are people I’d want to spend 12 hours a day with for weeks. My most recent project is my first documentary called Black Barbie which will be released on Netflix in 2024.

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?
The three most important qualities or skills to making it in the film industry are; tenacity, the ability to learn and grow- even from mistakes, and an understanding that this job is scary but you have to face that fear. Even Roger Deakins gets stressed about being a cinematographer and he’s the GOAT so…

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 new collaborators. Of course I want to meet more directors and producers that might hire me on to their next film but I’m also always looking for new gaffers, grips, DITs, camera assistants and operators to bring on to those projects as well. I’m particularly searching for Black women in those roles since we are so few and far between. Hit me up on IG @saragarth4

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