(Before graduating from NYU’s film program in 2004, Jody Lee Lipes directed and shot dozens of short films, and received multiple cinematography awards. Since, Lipes has lensed: Afterschool a narrative feature which premiered internationally at Cannes ‘08 Un Certain Regard, and domestically at the New York Film Festival ‘08, Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell a feature length documentary which premiered at the Berlinale ‘08 Panorama, and the first two seasons of the IFC TV series The Whitest Kids U’Know. Lipes’ directorial debut, Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same world premiered at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival. Visit www.jodyleelipes.com for more information.)

There are a few things you can count on when you work with Jody:

1) He will be wearing a white t-shirt and jeans.
2) You will never hear him raise his voice.
3) He will create a beautifully lit and framed composition.
4) He will most likely not answer a question of yours quickly.

Why? In order: one, I don’t know for sure, but I believe Jody has a closet full of nothing but white t-shirts and jeans, one for every day of the week because they are always impeccably clean; two, because the guy is cooler than cool (I should also note Jody has a fan site, the name of which I can’t remember at the moment); three, he has a great eye and the knowledge and experience to create striking images; four, because he always gives every question or option on set nothing but the greatest amount of thought and consideration.

I don’t claim that my relationship with Jody is always perfect. No relationship worth anything should be. And when Jody works on a project, he cares, I mean he truly, genuinely cares about every aspect of it—the image, the story, the performance. He wouldn’t be involved with it if he didn’t. We both love the same films and the same directors, and have very similar aesthetic likes and dislikes. But obviously, we won’t always have the same opinion. Jody and I can/would often have intense discussions about minute details, such as whether to put the camera at a 45-degree angle or a 90-degree angle to the action. It’s usually in these moments where we’d discover something brilliant, that isn’t his idea or my idea, but something better.

A moment I will always remember is when the issue of American Cinematographer came out with the article on There Will Be Blood. Jody called me up after reading the article and said, “Did you read the article? It’s pretty clear Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Elswit (his DP on all his films) don’t get along all of the time, seems like they fight quite a bit.” I remember being somewhat confused about what prompted this call, and then just laughing. I realized it was Jody saying, “You see, we love these guys, and see, see, they fight sometimes too!”

I’ve worked with Jody where I was directing on a few projects—all have been my firsts—my first music video, The Shins “Sleeping Lessons”, my first commercial, Citibank, and most importantly and close to my heart, my first feature as director and Jody’s first as DP, Afterschool. And I’ve worked numerous times with him where I was acting as producer on projects that my partners were directing. It’s always been an education and a pleasure. But he is more than just someone I frequently collaborate with, he has also become a dear friend.

Now, Jody is premiering his directorial debut Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same. It is really one of the most unique documentaries I’ve ever seen, and Jody’s journey in making it and his uncompromising approach to the subject is a testament to his talent, his passion, and his originality.

I can say, without any doubt, that he is one of the finest cinematographers of his generation; many people don’t know that yet but they will soon enough. If you could hear my voice, you’d hear some trepidation. I’m scared that one day he might get too busy, either shooting or directing, or both, or maybe just too expensive to work with.

Until then, I hope to see you on set soon, Jody.

— Antonio Campos

(Antonio Campos is one of the most celebrated young directors of his generation. After traveling the world with award-winning short films—The Last 15, Buy it Now, First Kiss—Campos debuted his first feature, Afterschool, at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Un Certain Regard.)