Green Cobra

Andrew Aiello was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. He discovered his love for visual storytelling at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. After finishing school, he worked to get on as many sets as he could in the camera, grip and electric departments. Soon after moving to Los Angeles, he joined Local 600 as a 1st AC. While honing his professional skills as an assistant and operator on Union sets, Aiello has been constantly shooting on the side. He is a proponent of working up through the ranks and values the practical experiences and knowledge he has received working on Union sets over the years.

Creativity is what drives Aiello; his cinematographic approach is always inspired by story and the director’s vision. It’s the collaborative nature of filmmaking that he loves most about the medium, and this collaboration can be seen in his submission Green Cobra. In an industry where opportunity isn’t always easy to come by, Aiello and the film’s director, Sigurd Culhane, devised creative challenges for one another to inspire them to shoot as many things as possible. This is where Green Cobra was born.

The film, a mockumentary, plays with both the thriller and comedy genres, but the filmmakers also wanted to play with the visual style to keep the audience guessing. Instead of a handheld, documentary-type approach, Culhane and Aiello leaned into a more cinematic style inspired by films like Oldboy, Reservoir Dogs, and John Wick. With the help of his crew, Aiello is proud of the world that he was able to help create to bring the Green Cobra alive.