We at NYFA are beyond excited by the recent news that our faculty member and 1997 filmmaking program graduate, Manuel Billeter, is now a member of the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). In honor of Billeter’s achievement, we will highlight his experiences with NYFA, both as a student and an instructor, along with his rise through the cinematography ranks and his award-winning repertoire.
A native of Switzerland, Billeter grew up watching films in local cinemas¹. Driven by his admiration for filmmakers such as Bernado Bertolucci, Federico Fellini, and Michelangelo Antonioni, Billeter decided to pursue a career in cinematography¹. After graduating from Freie Universität Berlin with his degree in cinema studies¹, Billeter discovered NYFA when the school was still in its formative years. He enrolled in NYFA’s filmmaking program in November 1996 and subsequently graduated in 1997. Shortly before graduating, Billeter was offered a teaching assistant position with NYFA, and started his faculty experience at NYFA during the summer filmmaking program at Yale University in 1997. He saw his NYFA experience as “an incredible opportunity” to accomplish his long-term goal of pursuing a filmmaking career in the United States. After the summer program ended, Billeter became a full-time NYFA faculty member, managing the school’s equipment room and teaching students basic camera, lighting, and production workshops.
In an interview with NYFA, Billeter talked about his collaborations with and hands-on support of students. He said, “I would go and help them on their projects and be an additional crew member – when a crew was understaffed.” Billeter also helped organize NYFA’s international summer programs in Paris and at Cambridge University in 1998, 1999, and 2000, continuing to provide students with hands-on experience in camera, lighting, and production workshops. It was during Billeter’s time at NYFA that he made his cinematography debut with the short film The Book of Last Pages (1998) ¹. He also served as a camera assistant for the film Shopkeeping (1998) ¹.
After a few years teaching at NYFA, Billeter decided to pursue a cinematography career in earnest. He became a camera assistant for films including Si’ Laraby, Horror, Indian Fish in American Waters, and Second Best². At the same time, Billeter set two goals for himself: the first to become a DP (Director of Photography) and the second to hopefully become a member of the ASC within twenty years.
Billeter served as director of photography for various notable TV series, including Law & Order (2009-2010), Person of Interest (2012-2014), and Orange is the New Black (2015). He gained recognition for his work on Marvel-Netflix shows like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher, adapting his cinematographic style to suit the distinct themes of each series while maintaining a consistent aesthetic across them. In 2019, he worked on The Affair, focusing on its perspective-driven look, and contributed to Ozark in its third season, aiming to preserve its established visual style. More recently, he was Director of Photography for FBI: Most Wanted, Inventing Anna, and The Gilded Age, and made his feature film debut with Cat Person in 2023. After years focusing on TV and film projects, Billiter returned to NYFA as a cinematography instructor in a summer program in Paris, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to reconnect with his colleagues and share his expertise.
In a recent interview, Billeter discussed the ways in which cinematography has changed, but also has stayed the same, over the past twenty-five years. When asked how new technologies have changed filmmaking, cinematography, and related roles, Billeter noted that his current students were already savvy editors before they even began the course, having a lot of experience with taking videos and a basic knowledge of cinematography from their interactions with smartphones and social media.
But Billeter said, “I think the storytelling aspect is kind of unchanged. Telling stories is such an old tradition, and I would say, a necessity of humanity. Whether it’s in writing, prose or in song . . . there’s always this story. Telling stories or making up stories seems to be a foundation of human culture and passing on knowledge and identity.”
In September 2024, Billeter officially joined the ASC, achieving a goal he had set back in 2003. He had first heard about the ASC during his time as a student at NYFA in the late 1990s. Billeter deeply feels that he has achieved an important career goal when he was invited to join this prestigious organization, saying that the American Society of Cinematographers “is a longer standing organization in the film business, so being part of such a venerable society is definitely an honor . . . It’s such an honor, it’s humbling. It’s also something that I’m very proud of as well.”
New York Film Academy would like to thank Manuel Billeter for sharing his time and experience with us in a recent interview. Once again, we also congratulate Billeter on his membership into the American Society of Cinematographers.
Sources:
¹The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). “Billeter Welcomed as New ASC Member” by David E. Williams. Retrieved from https://theasc.com/news/billeter-welcomed-as-new-asc-member.
²IMDb. “Manuel Billeter – IMDb.” Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1193850/.
³IMDb. “Cat Person (2023) – IMDb.” Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14647404/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_cred_t_2.