My name is Paulina Masternak and I am a Silesian Cinematographer based in London, working primarily in scripted drama.
I come from Silesia, from a small coal-mining town where the mine was never simply part of the landscape. It shaped the rhythm of the place, the architecture, the families who lived there and, in many ways, the identity of the people around me. Mines, shafts, industrial buildings, workers returning home, forests interrupted by industry, old interiors and the particular heaviness of the Silesian landscape were simply part of what I grew up seeing.
As I have grown older, I have begun returning to the landscapes and communities I grew up around with a camera. I am interested in mines not only as monumental industrial spaces, but as places connected to generations of families, masculinity, labour, pride, danger, memory and enormous social change.
The region itself is difficult to separate from questions of identity. Its history is complicated, its borders have moved, languages and national identities have overlapped, and belonging has rarely been entirely straightforward.
Silesian landscape
Silesian landscape 2
I moved to the UK in 2016 to study Cinematography at UCA Farnham. Becoming an immigrant inevitably changed my relationship with where I came from. Distance made me look back. Places that once seemed completely ordinary began to feel specific and precious. I became increasingly interested in questions of home, memory, class, belonging and identity — in what we carry with us when we leave a place, and what remains when we return.
I think this experience of living between two places has influenced my cinematography as much as any formal education has.
Long before filmmaking, I drew and painted. I studied Fine Art for four years at an art high school in Katowice, from 2012 to 2016.
I could spend hours studying faces, shadows, colour and small changes in light, trying to understand how to translate what I was looking at onto paper. Drawing taught me to observe before it taught me to create. It taught me that two faces are never illuminated in quite the same way, that an expression can change with the smallest movement, and that sometimes what is left in darkness is as important as what is visible.
I still draw and paint, and I think cinematography grew naturally from the same instinct.
My Art Studio in London
Studying work of my favourite Master Michelangelo
Over the years I have worked independently as a cinematographer and more recently also as freelance camera operator for Arsenal.
Working within experienced camera teams taught me discipline, technical precision and the enormous amount of preparation behind images that may ultimately appear effortless on screen. While working as a DOP Trainee on Bob Marley: One Love, I was mentored by Robert Elswit ASC, and I later continued learning alongside highly experienced cinematographers and camera crews on major productions.
I have a particular fascination with cinematic staging — the relationship between actors, camera, space and time within a scene. I am deeply influenced by European and Asian cinema, particularly Greek and Japanese filmmaking, and by directors such as Kenji Mizoguchi and Theo Angelopoulos. Their use of long takes, mise-en-scène and carefully choreographed movement has shaped the way I think about visual storytelling.
On the set of Bob Marley: One Love
On the set of Venus, Short Film
Pre-production remains an enormous part of the way I work.
I invest heavily in location recces, conversations with directors, visual references, lens tests, lighting studies and understanding the physical environment before arriving on set. I want to know where the sun will be. I want to understand which practical lights already exist in a location. I want to know how the space changes between morning and evening and what happens to a face when somebody walks from one room into another.
The more questions we answer before the shoot, the more freedom we have once something unexpected happens.
If you would like to discuss a project, feel free to get in touch.
TESTIMONIALS:
"Paulina is a hard working filmmaker with a ton of promise. Her mission and efforts are inspiring, impressive and important. We are rooting for whatever she does next."
— Reinaldo Marcus Green, Film Director of Bob Marley, Top Boy, Kings Richard
— Reinaldo Marcus Green, Film Director of Bob Marley, Top Boy, Kings Richard
"Paulina was a fantastic partner on our recent project, where she filmed our founder showcasing and advertising our products. She was responsive, delivered all videos on schedule, and handled edits quickly and efficiently. Her professionalism and skill made the process seamless, and the final product exceeded our expectations."
— The AMAKA Team
— The AMAKA Team
"Working with Paulina has been a pleasure. She was incredible in bringing our ideas to life, turning our vision into beautiful shots and videos. Paulina's dedication and skill made the process smooth and enjoyable. We're very happy with the final product and look forward to working with her again"
Renato Circi Co-Founder and Co-CEO of SAVA
Renato Circi Co-Founder and Co-CEO of SAVA