Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff McQuitty.
Jeff, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello there! My name is Jeff McQuitty, an Emmy-nominated director, cinematographer and producer based here in Austin, Texas. I grew up in DFW, but have been here in town for 12 years now. Nice to meet you!
As the youngest of 5 siblings, I was always naturally desperate for attention, which led to acting and theater as a kid. Luckily, I found my circle that loved to do that too. My friends and I started making silly sketch-comedy and music videos using my mom’s DV camcorder. They were absolutely terrible, but I was bit by the bug and knew I wanted to make films forever.
After high school, I went to the University of Texas and majored in Radio-TV-Film, where I fell in love with Austin and met some of my best friends and current film collaborators. I gravitated towards cinematography and directing, and over the last 12 years in Austin, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of some truly amazing projects and work with incredible people.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Filmmaking as a career choice is not for the faint of heart! As anyone in the industry will tell you, it is a constant journey of ups and downs, feast or famine, peaks and valleys. But even in the leaner times, I can’t really imagine myself doing anything different. I remind myself that I’ve gotten to make a career doing something that I truly love, and that is something to celebrate.
For me, one of the biggest struggles working in this industry is the constant motion of it all. The gig-to-gig nature of it means I constantly lose my job and need to find a new one. It’s a lot of waiting. And waiting. And more waiting. And sometimes the thing you’re waiting for never comes and you’re back to square one. Woof.
Like most everyone, COVID was a monumental roadblock. At the time, I had a lot of momentum in my work leading up to the shutdown. Then, overnight, all of my work vanished. It was scary and uncertain, but I was thankful for the health of myself and my wife. She is an ICU nurse and has been in the center of it all from the beginning, working every day to save lives. It’s humbling and puts things into perspective to have a partner who does what she does.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Over the last 7 years, I’ve worked primarily as a cinematographer, producer and director. In college, me and one of my closest collaborators, Jon Michael Simpson, started an 8-year-long documentary project called “Hi I’m Blake”, which caught the attention of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network. Together with them, we helped create our documentary into a TV series called the “Hi I’m” series, now streaming on HBO Max and Discovery+. Recently I directed and shot an episode called “Hi I’m Sevy”, for which me and my team were nominated for an Emmy for Oustanding Non-Fiction Program. Our latest episode, “Hi I’m Travis Mills”, released last month on HBO Max, and we are incredibly proud of it.
Outside of the documentary world, I’ve been a part of many narrative projects and movies, from TV pilots to feature films. Last year I shot and produced a film called, “The One You’re With”, written and directed by my other filmmaking brother, C. Bailey Werner, which debuted at Austin Film Fest and won several awards. I’ve also kept acting from time to time, and recently played a supporting role in Emily Hagins’ new feature film, “Sorry About the Demon”, which premiered at Fright Fest in London in August and will be streaming as a Shudder original in the next few months.
For me, I’ve always enjoyed the broad variety of different projects that I get to work on. I really love various aspects of filmmaking, which has served me well in learning about the art form and the business of it all. Running a set that is full of positivity and inclusion makes people feel respected and taken care of, which always makes for a better end product. I’ve been so lucky to get to work often with my friends, telling stories that I care about and that makes me happy.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
As a cinematography nerd, I really enjoy the Wandering DP podcast, which features interviews with cinematographers, gaffers, camera assistants, etc. about all the behind-the-scenes magic that goes into making beautiful images. For the same reason, the Team Deakins Podcast from beloved and universally-worshipped DP Roger Deakins, is a great listen.
On a slightly different note, the first book I read in college about screenwriting was Save the Cat by Blake Snyder and it really changed how I think about writing and story. It’s often cited as the de facto standard beginner’s guide on screenwriting, and I still go back to it often. Highly recommend!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jeffmcquitty.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffmcquitty/
