James
Hellyer
I think of myself as a technologist who happens to work in film. Three things hold my attention: a stunning frame, motion that tells a story, and the tools that build the worlds they live in.
One person, three worlds.
I split my time between three worlds, and I've stopped trying to pick one.
Most weeks you'll find me behind a camera operating. These days it seems to be mostly A-camera in long format, but I'm not precious about letters; I'm just driven by a dynamic frame. I'm a proud member of IATSE 667, but I also love live music work, and I've been on more commercials than I can count. Gimbal, Steadicam, jib, drone, you name it, I can aim glass from it. It's the job I've done the longest, and a move landing still gives me the same rush today as it did on day one.
Sometimes I get the privilege of lighting the frame myself. As a cinematographer, I mainly focus my work on commercials, music videos and branded work. I've had the opportunity to work in documentary and reality/hidden camera as well. I pride myself on my ability to adapt to fast-paced, evolving environments and build technical solutions in an array of formats.
And in every gap between jobs I'm at the bench as a maker: printing rig parts, cutting aluminium, wiring electronics and writing the software I wish production already had.
Each world feeds the other two. Operating taught me how to float under pressure, how to freeze time and space at just the right moment, and how even the most subtle frame can tell a whole story. Lighting them gave me a bigger-picture view of the story beyond the frame. Living in both of those worlds taught me that when the right tool doesn't exist, it's time to learn how to make it yourself.
300+ productions in the last 5 years
Recent credits: Revival · Ice Cream Man · The Big Kill · The Undertone · Cash Cab · Walmart
James theCinematographer
This is the world where I get to be the most playful. I shoot primarily commercials, music videos and branded work, and every job is a new puzzle: where the light wants to come from, what the camera should feel, and how far we can push the look. I'll chase a bold idea all day, but I plan it so the schedule never pays for it.
Lighting Design
Motivated, shaped and planned before we arrive, so the set moves fast and the image still feels considered.
Dynamic Camera Work
Years of operating mean the camera moves with intent. Gimbal, handheld, roll and vehicle work are designed into the shot, not bolted on.
Any Environment
Moving cars, cramped kitchens, rooftops at dusk, real locations with real people. If there's a frame in there, I'll find the light and get the camera in.
Technical Production
Multi-camera vehicle builds like Cash Cab, hidden camera rigs, custom mounts printed the night before. The weird setups are my favourite part.
Selected work as cinematographer
Complete pieces, start to finish. Coming soon.
James theOperator
a.k.a. the Jimbal
This is home turf. Operating is the work I've done longest, and the part I'd still do for free: reading the actor, feeling a move a beat before it happens, and keeping it all level and between the lines, no matter the chaos outside of the frame.
These days it's mostly A-camera in long format, plus commercials and music videos whenever I can fit them in, and I bring my own Ronin 2 package. A DP who hands me the camera should be able to stop thinking about it.
Gimbal / Steadi
Owner-operator on a full Ronin 2 package, and just as happy under a Steadicam vest. Floating moves that feel motivated, not decorative.
A / B / Any Camera
Mostly A-camera in long format these days, but I'm not precious about letters. Series, features, commercials and live music, at pace.
Studio & Handheld Too!
Precise on a dolly or wheels in the studio, loose and reactive on the shoulder. Energy when the scene needs it, stillness when it doesn't.
Vehicle Work
Rigged, mounted, or riding along. Cars are my second studio.
On the operating side
Spots and music videos I've operated on. Click any frame to watch.
James theMaker
a.k.a. the machine whisperer
This is the world that keeps me up at night. There's a printer running in the next room, a CNC cutting aluminium on the bench, and usually four code sessions open at once. Almost everything here started on set, with a moment of "why doesn't this exist?"
Some of it is software for the people I work with. Some of it is hardware I needed for my own camera. All of it is the most fun I have.
More and more of it is AI: AI filmmaking, and agentic workflows I've built across software, hardware and production platforms. My rule for all of it is simple. AI should enable people, never replace them. I use it to give crews more time and more reach, transparently and ethically, with human craft at the centre of the work.
Fabrication
3D printing, desktop CNC and electronics, from a test coupon to a finished part.
Software
Production tools built by someone who has filled in all those spreadsheets by hand.
AI Filmmaking
Previz, look development and generative imagery, used to explore ideas faster, then finished by people.
Agentic Workflows
Multi-step AI agents running across apps, code, email and hardware, built so a small team can do the work of a bigger one.