Mahlon "Todd" Williams, Director of Photography
Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Cinematographer Mahlon Todd Williams currently lenses the dynamic visual style of the time-traveling epic DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Williams produces visually stunning masterpieces week after week. Williams’ work on the show is excitingly unpredictable as the script on Legends takes the action to endless locations and time periods.
With 20+ years of experience Williams has traveled around the world shooting in places like Korea, Easter Island, Chile, Guyana, Hungary, Northern Ireland, Germany and more. His reputation for hard work, dedication and artistry combined with a positive attitude has lead him to collaborations in all genres from feature films and documentaries to music videos and commercials. He’s experienced with shooting formats including HD, film and is extremely knowledgeable with the logistics behind each workflow.
Williams picked up a paintbrush to release his creativity on a personal level while completing his second season as a cinematographer of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. With a photographer’s eye regarding color and composition, it wasn’t hard to make the transition between camera and lens to paint and paper.
SELECT HIGHLIGHTS/AWARDS
2018-2016, Legends of Tomorrow -15 eps
2015, Harvest Moon - TV Movie
2015, Nominated for Leo Award for BLACK FLY
2015, 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown
2015, Vendetta
2015, Dead Rising: Watchtower
2013, Nominated: Marianas Trench “Stutter”
much music video awards - much fact video of the year
2013, The Weeknd “The Zone, High for This”
2013, Nominated The Weeknd “Wicked Games”
much music video awards - video of the year
2012, Drake “The Motto”featuring Lil Wayne & Tyga
2012, Winner Marianas Trench “ Fallout”
much music video awards - cinematographer of the year
2012, Winner Drake “Headlines”
much music video awards - best hip hop video of the year
2012, Nominated Drake “Headlines”
much music video awards - video of the year
2010, Winner Hedley “Perfect”juno awards - video of the year much music video awards - video of the year
2010, Nominated Hedley “Perfect”much music video awards - cinematographer of the year
“Good cinematography, and I’m paraphrasing a quote from Roger Deakins, is cinematography that you tend not to notice. It’s the correct look for the project or the story that you’re telling, so much so that you just get into the story. You follow the characters. You’re worried about what’s going to happen, as opposed to just looking at the shot and going, ‘Wow, that’s a really beautiful sunset, or that’s a cool camera move.’ All of that slightly pulls you out of a scene or story or a character’s arc, whether it’s a music video or a TV show or a feature. If you get the right balance of lighting and camerawork and style … you feel like you’ve entered a world. You get taken on a journey. That to me is great cinematography. You create a world, and when you’re in the movie or show, you don’t really think about it. Maybe after, you remember a certain sequence or something like that. But while you’re in the movie, you’re in the movie and the life of whatever character you’re following.”
On the Art of Cinematography
Contact me:
toddwilliamsdp@gmail.com
