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Ella Schienle

Based in Madison, WI, I am a filmmaker with a BA in Communication Arts: Radio, Television & Film with a Digital Cinema Production Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Recently, I worked as the Director of Photography on a short film titled 'I Know the End.' Additionally, I will be working with the UW Athletics Department in the Fall as the Videoboard Live Production Intern. 
My favorite parts of cinematography include using angles, frames and lens to strengthen the emotional impact of films without the audience realizing it. Using low angles to envoke fear of a character or profiles to create distance between the characters and the audience, I spent a lot of time in every project I work on understanding the goals and emotions of each shot and enjoy using my skills as a cinematographer to add to them. 

I Know the End

My Latest Project

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I Know the End is a film about reckoning with the past, mortality, and with the relationships we may never fully repair. Through Margot Ross, a young woman grappling with a fractured family history and unresolved grief, we explore the struggle to find peace and closure in the face of inevitable circumstances. For me, the story is less about the literal end of the world and more about the emotional and personal apocalypses we all face: the end of relationships, the end of certainty, and the end of time as we know it.

As the Director of Photography I planned, created overheads and storyboards, made shooting schedules and shot 250+ hours of footage. I lead a 3 person image team and collaborated with the director to create a cohesive vision for the project. I learned a lot about cinematography techniques and how to execute them in a narrative project. I operated a Blackmagic 6k Pocket Cinema Pro with Ziess Prime Lenses as well as using a Dana Dolly, DJI Ronin 2 Gimbal and Easy Rig when applicable. 

Portfolio

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