Joe Otanez - cinematographer/editor

My name is Joe Otanez— graduate of CSU Long Beach’s film program (yes, we used actual motion picture film if you can believe that)— and veteran of the nearly extinct physical home media industry. I started working in post production when Final Cut was king and media was delivered on tape. I watched as tape gave way to digital image sequence deliveries and the ascent of Premiere Pro as a viable alternative to Final Cut Pro X. That means I’ve got the standards and practices of post production for the last 35 years rattling around in my head.

As a cinematographer, I’ve seen Hi8 fall to MiniDV, and MiniDV transition to tapeless media and cameras go from 1/3” sensors to full frame film. Now, I’m not saying all of this to prove how old I am but rather to highlight that no matter what the tech, if you shoot with your heart and edit with your gut, it doesn’t matter what tools you choose.

I’m a can-do collaborator who will look for ways to bring your project to life, not make excuses for why it can’t be done. Let’s see what we can accomplish together!

All photography provided by Joe Otanez

Clients