Thirst

Tobin Oldach was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and grew up between there and Southern California. He was taken with the spontaneity and excitement of photography from the very first roll of black-and-white film that he exposed in a hand-me-down Pentax. That spark, that initial flight, and the unique challenge that every potential shot presents laid the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of imagery. That interest was carried through study in the Moving Image Arts program at the College of Santa Fe. Graduating from there in 2000, Tobin landed a job as an intern in the Camera department on a film called Green Dragon in Los Angeles. He then worked his way through the ranks, starting as a loader, and then, joining local 600 as an assistant, continued to work throughout the industry. Over the years, he has been fortunate enough to travel the world and work under such heralded cinematographers as Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS, and Claudio Miranda, ASC, as well as many others, and considers each work opportunity to be a valuable learning experience.

On Thirst, Tobin teamed up with director Rachel McDonald to visualize the dark tale of a conflicted young man who finds redemption within the unlikely confines of a seedy bar. They agreed the look should reflect the destitute conditions of the characters, and the story had a fable-like quality, which lent a sense of timelessness. The shoot presented a number of unique opportunities and challenges: multiple locations, an ensemble cast of talented actors, and a very tight and ambitious schedule. The production wouldn’t have been possible without the generous contributions of many friends, coworkers and family members. Thirst made a world premiere at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival.

In addition to Thirst, Tobin has begun to build a reel shooting various commercials and music videos, and would like to continue on the path of doing narrative work.  He currently resides in Venice, California, and spends a good deal of his off time serving his other passion: the ocean.