Cesca Lee looks back on her young career as a cinematographer, and what she’s got her eyes set on now.
"But until then, the work must continue as it always has. And Cesca’s game rolls on, certainly more complicated than it had seemed when she wrote that New Year’s resolution on a stone. Where she might have once seen direction, cinematography, and all the other elements of filmmaking, she now sees forces that push the industry forward, but also hold it back. And she now recognizes the faces of those worth fighting for. Cesca knows she’s done trying to prove her worth; she has what it takes to write the rules herself."
ARRI ASIA Hour: The Raw and Unrehearsed Cinematography Behind “Fan Girl”
"Filipina DPs Anne Monzon, LPS and Cesca Lee, LPS reveal the struggles and joys of shooting the award-winning film “Fan Girl” raw, unrehearsed, and almost entirely handheld with the ALEXA Mini. Find out how the female-dominated camera team, produced the film's unpredictable but purposeful documentary-like cinematography."
Of The Female Gaze, Vacuum Cleaners and FAN GIRL
"We were also curious how these women cinematographers would frame and see Fan Girl from their viewfinder. I think where and how you point your camera reveals one’s socio-political and gender biases whether you’re conscious about it or not. If you’re conscious about it the act can be a political act and can be a weapon of change. Images have influenced how we view global events from mass protests, wars, to election campaign and this goes beyond traditional media. The camera has become an essential player in the dynamics of visual politics." -- Neil Daza
Listen to the stories of cinematographers Anne Monzon, LPS and Cesca Lee, LPS as women navigating their careers in the male dominated film industry.
LPS Lupon ng Pilipinong Sinematograpo together with Lockdown Cinema Club! We are doing Cinematography IG Live Sessions! Listen to these Cinematographers talk about anything, and answer your questions too! Tamang kwentuhan lang!
"At its core, “Ma” is a visual confrontation of maternity. Lensed expertly by Cesca Lee, there’s not a single frame out of place. And yet, the film doesn’t give it all in one go. Rather, it unloads in visual spurts of striking feminine imagery, from telluric crevices and religious idols to something as mundane as an expecting young mother, blankly staring at her life-bearing belly. These images, and indirectly notions about motherhood, are later pervaded in the film’s gut-wrenching finale. It’s a bloody culmination that leaves the viewers with at least one grotesque and doubtless indelible moment." - unreel.ph
In this special sub-series of Third World Cinema Club, we take a look at the people involved in film production, whose work audiences see and feel on screen, but might not know about. For this episode (and in celebration of International Women’s Month), we talk to two cinematographers: the people responsible for capturing the images we see on screen.
Tey and Cesca talk to us about the collaborative process involved in creating images that move us, their most well-known work, the challenges facing women in the industry, and helping break the glass ceiling with their own hands.
"Lee learned the ropes of film making by diving in head first - working on fast paced film sets and bustling shoots. Instead of going to film school, Lee did things the old-fashioned way, training first as a production assistant and then working her way up the ladder. In 2016 she caught her break, and was granted the opportunity to work as a cinematographer for the feature film Temporary Protection Order, a film that tackles women’s fight against domestic abuse. That same year, she received her first nomination in the Best Cinematography category at the ASEAN International Film Festival, and awards for her work on the film Purgatoryo. Geared with experience in filming both in her home country and abroad, she is always looking for new stories to tell, especially stories that center on children’s and women’s issues."