T he man’s eyes are very focused when he speaks. It’s as if he is trying to put an image to the words he is saying. It’s a good thing too, considering he’s one of the emerging talents in the cinematography world coming out of New England.

John Leuba makes his home in Venice, California these days but originally hails from Mystic, Connecticut. "I’ve always enjoyed visual things," he says determinedly from his house, a block from the Pacific Ocean, that is filled with his paintings. The carpet in a corner room is stained with a palette of colors from his brushes. A red and black canvas sitting on an easel there is not unlike the light he paints with on celluloid.

Leuba remembers being taken with the photographs in National Geographic when he was younger, and aspired to be one of their photographers. His time at the Rochester Institute of Technology was spent in the darkroom, as he was focusing on still photography. "My great desire to be a National Geographic photographer was sort of dashed a little bit when I found out that nobody actually worked for them. It was all freelance," he admits, not to mention his dislike of the tediousness associated with developing and printing photos in a lab.

John Leuba and Cyril Thomas (1st Assistant Cameraman) on the set of FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

An NYU class had piqued his interest in filmmaking, but it wasn’t until attending Emerson College that he discovered his true abilities as a Director of Photography (D.P.). He also held an internship at Boston Camera Rental Company where he cut his chops on the equipment in-house and also had the opportunity to meet all the area camera assistants. It wasn’t long after that he began to get work as a 2nd A.C. (assistant cameraman). And a 1st. But the paper-work ridden and meticulous nature of being an A.C. didn’t heed his creative calling. "At that point, it had started to become rather clear to me that I would not be really happy being a camera assistant. And so I needed some sort of thing to get me out of that," he says, recalling the reason he initially moved to Los Angeles.

AFI, or the American Film Institute in its unabbreviated form, is a breeding ground for image-makers. Director David Lynch is a graduate, as are cinematographers Robert Elswit (MAGNOLIA) and Oscar nominated Robert Richardson (SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS). "Coming out of AFI, I said ‘I am not a camera assistant. I’m a D.P.," extols Leuba on the virtues of leaving the burdens of the past behind, mindful but not constrained by his previous A.C. experiences. "When you come out here you sort of are what you say you are," he says. And a D.P. he is.

Films like Sundance competition entry THE AUTUMN HEART and THE ADVENTURES OF SPACE BABY AND MENTAL MAN line his resume. The odd thing about both those titles is that they were shot in Boston after he had moved to Los Angeles and graduated with his Master’s in Cinematography from AFI. In fact, PRAY FOR POWER, the very first feature he worked on as a bona fide D.P., has a special screening in Boston this month (Friday, May 19). "Shooting in New England is very nostalgic in a way," Leuba explains, "I certainly know all the different rental houses." Briefly, an air of sentimentality escapes, "Boston’s just a beautiful place. New England is a beautiful place."

It isn’t location that solely determines where he works, however. THE HIDING PLACE, a feature about a son who has to decide to institutionalize his mother, presented an opportunity. Not only did the piece occur over the span of a single day, but most of it was shot on a soundstage, "which was a very interesting challenge, trying to maneuver around one set for seventy-five percent of the movie and not have it get really, really boring," he says.

When he is initially approached about a job, like THE HIDING PLACE, there are certain conditions that have to be met in order for him to seriously consider taking on the project. "The first thing that I have to decide is: is it something that I want to do?" he explains. Though still relatively fresh to the playing field, he admits, "I’ll do most things." He refrains, however, from accepting any sort of pornography jobs or things that he considers "are clearly a waste of time."

Leuba is more attracted to the quality. "Ideally, people interested in making the best movie possible" and seeing the opportunity to create a visually exciting film are the projects most alluring to him. "I have been very fortunate to work with directors who, I think, are very interested in having a dialogue about how something is shot," allaying the stress and sheer tenacity it takes to get through a day that is often frustrating, rushed, and having to fight for daylight. "It’s a lot of work and a long day if your just going to sit around and not be interested in what you’re doing. So you better be interested."

Recently, he has considered expanding his duties to more than just D.P. and becoming a hyphenate: a director-D.P. It would be way for him to maintain a competitive edge over more established names in the field. Jan De Bont was a D.P. on such movies as DIE HARD and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER before putting on his director’s cap for SPEED. But Leuba won’t give up cinematography if he gets the chance to direct. "I would shoot my own things," he expresses with certainty. Especially if his choices lead to helming commercials or music videos, which he regards as a continued exploration of the visual language — and a world that he is so well versed in. His credits include documentaries, music videos, short films, a television pilot, and features. And even a stint on a guerilla filmmaking crew, stalking the subway tunnels of New York, frantically running to get the shots before his flight left for L.A. "Time is your enemy. There’s never enough time," he relates.

Though it’s those challenges that really inspire creativity. "I almost never try to say no," he relates. "My job is to figure out a way to make it work." The only times it becomes a burden is when the resources aren’t available to rectify a problem and a challenge becomes, as Leuba puts it, " demoralizingly hopeless." But perseverance is key, and overcoming those problems are part of the job. And that’s what he would like to say to people just starting out in cinematography. "Always try and accept what of value you can take away from something rather than focusing on its faults," he says with an experienced eye. There will be a multitude of obstacles to deal with, especially on lower-budget independent films, so look at the options and "figure out some creative way to solve a problem."

His final words of wisdom come from years of tackling the issues of moving from job to job. The most important ones could be: "You never know what is going to lead to where," and "never burn a bridge." Or, "Be willing to do anything," aside from something that is potentially damaging to yourself or others. However, perhaps the most wisest words of all when first starting out are, "People will remember you for who you say you are." For Leuba, he is a D.P. and up next is THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, about a sibling rivalry between two brothers, shooting in L.A.

Carl Hansen writes the monthly New England Film Report and lives in Burbank, CA. He is currently producing a video project for Hollywood Video and continues to write from his home. You can e-mail him at: fhansen1@netzero.com