Migrant Film Workers

James Mathers grew up in the film industry.

As a child actor, he performed in feature films alongside such notables as Henry Fonda, Walter Brennen, Buddy Ebsen, and Hayley Mills. He also guest starred in episodes of Bewitched, My Three Sons, The Munsters, and Adam-12.

Behind the lens professional work started after he attended film school and a wide variety of staff and freelance assignments led to a specialization in cinematography and the founding of his own business, The Migrant FilmWorkers.  Jim has been the Director of Photography on over forty feature films and Movies of the Week, and has seen seven different series from inception through at least the first season.  In the last few years, he has been developing an expertise in shooting “filmstyle” digital pioneering the use of the RED 4K camera with several features and TV series.  Recent projects have also led to a wealth of practical experience and an in depth understanding of 3D acquisition.

In the documentary realm, he was DP on the Lionsgate theatrical release The US vs. John Lennon, as well as the Grammy nominated Showtime special Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile. He also shot segments of the Sundance Doc Winner For the Bible Tells Me So, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s 11th Hour.

He is the President and co-founder of the nonprofit educational cooperative, The Digital Cinema Society, a group dedicated to the industry’s informed integration of new technology.  The group was formed in 2003 as an outgrowth of a documentary entitled Digital Cinema Solutions.  Featuring industry luminaries and digital pioneers such as James Cameron, George Lucas, Robert Rodriguez, Stephen Soderbergh, and Allen Daviau, ASC, this volunteer effort helped to clear the air and focus the discussion at the inception of digital motion picture production.  In spite of its success, the program was almost obsolete before it could be completed, so an on-going effort known as the Digital Cinema Society was begun.

The purpose is not to advocate for digital, but to objectively examine all media, solutions, services, and technologies without favoring any one brand, service, or format over another. With an international membership over 5,000, they count some of the top filmmaking, technology, and business leaders in the Entertainment Industry among their membership, proudly serving as a conduit for these diverse disciplines to work together.  Membership benefits include a monthly eNewsletter, admission to regularly scheduled educational presentations, industry screenings, and access to the member’s site with streaming coverage of past events, and news of the latest developments in the field of Digital Cinema.