Faculty
Vanessa Carr is a documentary cinematographer known for her work shooting sensitive, character-driven stories and cinematic vérité films. With over a decade of experience, she has shot six documentary features, three documentary series, and contributed to countless others. Her work has been featured on every major platform including Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Showtime, PBS, Disney+, CNN, Discovery+, FX and more. It has also screened in major festivals including IDFA, Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and TIFF. Vanessa was a 2023 DOCNYC 40 Under 40 honoree. She is a founding member of the Documentary Cinematographers Alliance and holds a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Most of her recent work has been for documentary television series and feature documentaries including On Pointe (Disney+), a six-part series that follows the talented young dancers at the School of American Ballet, and The Weekly (FX/Hulu), the first season of The New York Times’ television show. She has also shot two feature documentaries for HBO about the opioid epidemic, several documentaries for PBS Frontline, feature documentaries that have screened in festivals including the 2021 SXSW Film Festival and 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, two short documentaries selected as Vimeo Staff Picks, and a New York Times’ Op-Doc.
She is currently co-directing (with Josh Gleason) her first feature documentary, Nomads.
In reflecting on her passion for outsider stories and sensitive subject matter, she says “I strive to create beautiful, emotional, character-driven films. In the field, I try to maintain a friendly calm to put people at ease. While rolling, I listen and shoot for story.”
vanessacarr.com | Vanessa’s DP reel