Massimo Bordonaro

Massimo Bordonaro is a bit of an anomaly in the movie business, and is one of those rare people who was born in Los Angeles, raised in Los Angeles, and still lives, and works in Los Angeles. The son of a Prop Maker and an Emmy-nominated hair stylist, Massimo grew up in a "film family." One of the earlier memories he has was visiting his father on the set of Steven Spielberg's "1941" (1979). Massimo vividly recalls entering a sound stage, and seeing a HUGE miniature model of Hollywood and the 1/4 scale plane John Belushi flies in the movie. A bit later, his mom introduced him to Cinematographer Eddie Rio Rottuno on the set of "Voyagers" (1982-1983). Eddie let Massimo look through the eyepiece, and spin the wheels to frame up a shot. It was at this point in his life that Massimo knew he wanted to be a Filmmaker. With encouragement from his father, he learned how to frame and compose shots on both an 8mm Sears Roebuck & Co. C/131 (model 836 - 91310) film camera, and a 35mm Minolta Hi-Matic 7 photo stills camera. Inspired by the hard work and dedication his parents put into their own respective projects, Massimo honed his craft as the years passed. Both in and out of the Industry, he would often associate himself with knowledgeable people, and understood the contribution each Department gave to make a project come to fruition. To this day, Massimo is a firm believer in collaboration, communication and teamwork. Known for his work revolving around camera placement and movement, Massimo often utilizes alternate operating devices such as the Steadicam, Ronin, Movi and Easy Rig. He is always looking for ways to capture a touching performance, and connect with the audience. Loyal to the script, and inspired by the action in a particular scene, he strives to move the camera in a way which both drives, and moves, the story along. When it comes to illuminating a set, Massimo is a leader who pushes the envelope, valuing communication and a team spirit to rally his Grip and Electric troops. Though no stranger to high contrast, his background in documentary and reality filmmaking have given him the ability to work well under pressure, and use a more minimalistic approach. As for the future, Massimo would love to do more TV episodic work for most of the year, and take on some commercials and features during downtime. He's also curious about more directing work as well, with his first short film "Caged" (2016) winning 7 awards, and being nominated for 6 others. Not bad right out of the gate for a first-time Director. That's his story, and he's sticking to it.