We sat down with Daniel Yul Kim, Gaffer and cinematographer, with roots in documentary photography from the TV school at Lillehammer and a deep love for East Asian cinema. Whether he is gaffing on a feature film or shooting a high-octane action short, his approach stays the same: find the right balance, respect the team, and serve the story.

Who are you, and what do you do?

I am Daniel Yul Kim. I graduated from the TV school at Lillehammer as a documentary photographer in 2019 and have worked actively in the film industry since then. I started off as a lighting assistant and worked my way up to gaffing whilst clocking in hours as a 2nd AC and some 1st AC'ing. In recent years, I started honing in on my ultimate goal: to become a capable, full-time cinematographer.

I have been exposed to a lot of Chinese and Hong Kong cinema, Korean films, K-pop music videos, anime, and I also highly respect and love the art and storytelling of Hayao Miyazaki. Through that and many other things, I have developed a passion and drive for a more dynamic, dramatic, and stylised mise-en-scène.

What is the latest project you worked on that you are proud of?

I feel I cannot single out one singular recent project here. I have to go with two productions. The first one is Pensjonskuppet (literally: the pension fund coup). Principal photography was last year and marked my first time gaffing on a full-length feature film, which was a special personal milestone for me. Grateful shout-out to director of photography Øyvind Svanes Lunde for entrusting that responsibility to me, and Tobias Olsen Johnsgård for being an unparalleled best boy through that journey.

Last but not least, I have to highlight the ambitious action short film Temporal Takedown. This was a very special project I had the privilege to work on as a director of photography, led by director Martin Sofiedal and made possible by a bunch of other highly skilled and awesome people. One of the main goals of the production was for us to work with pre-vis and understand the strengths and weaknesses of doing so through a high-octane action production with limited resources and time. Sounds heavy, and it was. However, it was also extremely fun, and it is to this day one of the projects I am proudest of, especially since this was the first time I have had the chance to properly shoot action.

What is the most important thing you focus on in your roles on set?

As a gaffer, I always ride the line between keeping the director of photography happy, the production office happy, and knowing my own limitations. Whilst listening to the DP, I try to find the most suitable, effective, and safe (safety first) solutions to achieve the visual aesthetic we are aiming for, whilst also keeping the budget, timeframe, and personnel needed in mind.

When I am shooting, I feel my methodology is in many ways the same as when I am gaffing: finding the right balance. I try the best I can to understand the vision of the director and translate that visually. In that process, I try to be painfully aware of how much time there is to cover a scene, which translates into how many shots and takes we get to do. Moreover, I feel my background as a gaffer helps me in pre-production, as I feel I can more easily navigate a path that leads us to a doable scenario. This is not to be confused with doing the gaffer's work. It is rather about being mindful.

Who in The Nordics should get the spotlight next, and why?

Øyvind Svanes Lunde. An incredibly talented Oslo-based director of photography from Bergen who has truly gone and done everything from no-budget chaos productions to larger-scale drama series and feature films. I want to highlight him because he is unfathomably considerate and skilled in his line of work and always respects and puts people above and beyond himself. He is a team player with a capital T and I am grateful to call him a fellow filmmaker and a friend.

CONTACT:

Instagram: @dyulkim