Incident on Highway 73

Jason Hafer’s fascination with the art of cinematography began while attending high school in his hometown of Petaluma, California. Inspired by the works of Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC, CBE, and Conrad Hall, ASC, he decided to obtain a degree in Theater, TV & Film from San Diego State University.

Shortly after completing his degree, Jason teamed up with fellow SDSU alum writer/director Brian Thompson to lens an award-winning period-piece music video. The project was the beginning of a successful partnership and friendship that continues to this day.

Over the past ten years, Jason and Brian have created countless projects together, capturing many awards along the way.

The most recent success for the duo was “Incident on Highway 73,” a short sci-fi thriller that garnered the team 12 festival awards, including this year’s 2015 ICG Emerging Cinematographers Award for Jason.

He shot the film in 4K anamorphic on a Panavision Red One X using Panavision E-Series anamorphic lenses. The film was color-graded and finished in 2K at Light Iron in Hollywood.

Shot entirely on location in a rugged desert canyon, the film posed some unique challenges. During the pre-light process, extremely high winds forced the team to conceptualize a new lighting strategy. All the weeks of prep essentially became irrelevant. Jason’s ability to remain calm and positive under pressure served him well as he had to adapt quickly and implement a new lighting design.

This fearlessly positive attitude and the ability to react effectively during any creative obstacle are why Jason stands out among the rest.

With motivation from his mentors, cinematographers Nick McLean and Joe Pennella and director Douglas Henry, and the constant love and support of his friends and family, Jason has been able to immerse himself in his craft and dedicate himself to cinematography.

Jason joined the ICG as a camera operator in the spring of 2014.