Gary Jay, SOC – “House of Cards”

I started in the business just out of college working in Munich as an intern for Dedo Weigert.  I was fortunate to learn film making traveling through Europe and Asia shooting documentaries under Dedo’s mentorship.  A few years later, I returned to the states and started working out of the Dallas market as an assistant and DP on industrials and documentaries. As theatrical productions started booming in Dallas I joined the union as an assistant. After assisting on Last of the Mohicans for Dante Spinotti, he encouraged me to move up to his camera operator on his next show Blink.  I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dante for many years and he has become a dear friend.

I was asked to join House of Cards after David Fincher finished the pilot. Studying the pilot dailies and interpreting David’s style, the DP Eigil Bryld and I developed a wonderful relationship composing the frames and choreographing the moves. I’ve continued on the show, just finishing our 3rd season with Igor Martinovic shooting season 2 and Martin Algren finishing our 3rd. The formal elegance of the photography, with precise moves and locked off frames is a welcome contrast from the years of handheld. I look at House of Cards as the restraint of operating.